The book took me on a tour of the history and place of birth in our culture that, before reading it, I had only understood in a very narrow way. As her poems would later in my life, her words went right to my gut, my heart and my mind. Here is just one small bit that planted a seed with me long before I became pregnant with my first child; and stays with me even now as I parent my third newborn:

“A woman preparing to swim the English Channel or to climb in high altitudes, is aware her system will undergo stress, her courage will be tested, and her life may even be in danger; but despite the demands to be expected on her heart, her lungs, her muscular coordination, her nerves, during such an effort, she thinks of it primarily in terms not of pain, but of challenge. The majority of women…come to childbirth as a charged, discreet happening: mysterious, sometimes polluted, often magical, as torture rack or as ‘peak experience.’ Rarely has it been viewed as one way of knowing and coming to terms with our bodies, of discovering our physical and psychic resources.”

Adrienne Rich died this week at the age of 82. Her passing comes as I emerge from the fog of the last year of pregnancy, birth and parenting a newborn. And the coverage has reminded me: of how much I/we owe to our ancestors and foremothers; of how truly privileged I am; and of how important it is to write, to speak and to take power and foster social change whenever and wherever possible as I continue this balancing act that is being a mother.

Thank you so very much, Adrienne. Rest in peace, hero of mine.

Anonymous, Adrienne Rich (c. 1975), Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-103575

To help alleviate the danger in which this places home birth mothers and newborns in need of emergency transports, together with this bill, the CFIM is also introducing the Home Birth Integration Act, HB1665. This is a new approach designed to save lives in the event of a hospital transport. This bill would help eliminate the fear of repercussions for transporting to the hospital from a planned home birth with an unlicensed midwife. It is already being compared to infant Safe Haven laws which allow parents in crisis to anonymously bring newborn infants to hospitals, police or fire stations and be shielded from any subsequent arrest or prosecution. The bill has been assigned to a committee and needs to pass through this step before it can be voted on by the full House of Representatives.

Please call or email your reps to voice your support and ask them to sponsor HB1665. Roxann MtJoy at Change.org wrote this article about the bill and the site has also begun a petition you can sign today to ask your Illinois state representative for support.

Fabulous Chicago doula, Kristen Ethier, is collecting birth stories from lesbian/queer/gender non-conforming/FTM transgender parents. Send her your stories or re-post this if you know someone who would!

Rachel wants everyone to know how extremely grateful she is for the outpouring of support she and her family have received from loved ones and strangers alike. She said:

“Please just let everyone know I am just so grateful, so overwhelmed by all of the love and support we’ve received. My family and I feel like, for people who have had their house burn down, we are some of the luckiest people ever.”

She says she is still in survival mode, but already realizing how thinking like a doula and midwife student helped get her through. And when she is able, she knows she will have some stories to tell! In the meantime, she appreciates you holding her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

I have been both an organizer and a recipient of postpartum meals and I know what a daunting task it can be. Yet, the payoff is always worth it. The parent advocate and community organizer in me LOVES this idea and I am looking forward to seeing how it works for new parents and communities.

But instead!… Instead, I got to spend it doing something I love! Something that is truly an honor. And I was rewarded by witnessing the birth of a completely posterior (and asynclitic!) baby. For those of you who don’t speak “Obstetric”, that can be a very tough birth and frequently results in a cesarean rather than vaginal delivery. Anyway – it was simply a miracle. I do love my job.

And now I am enjoying one of my favorite meals after a long day (and night) of doula work: Thai food (Panang noodles that were waiting for me in the fridge) and a dirty gin martini.

But the especially cool thing is that along with it, I got to read through so many birthday wishes from such a fantastic group of people. I got a little weepy (either the sleep deprivation or the gin or both) and thought I’d write a bit just to say: “Thank You!!” I am so glad I get to stay connected with each and every one of you.

I feel very blessed this January 23rd.

…And in case you want to know more about preventing posterior positioning – or ways to try turning a baby who’s already there. Check out spinningbabies.com!