When looking to take a childbirth class, hire a doula, or become a childbirth educator there are certain expectations involved. For childbirth classes, you expect that you will learn about the birth process and how to optimize your birth experience.  For hiring a doula, you expect that you will have some you can turn to for information during your pregnancy and someone to join you during the birth of your sweet baby.  Childbirth educators can expect information on how to build a successful childbirth business and teach classes.  This is the bare minimum, these are the expectations.

It’s nice to know a little bit more about the person that you hire to help you achieve your goals.  Understanding a person’s beliefs and philosophies in birth are an important insight on what you can expect beyond the minimum, hence the below list.

Blake believes:

• Birth is beautiful,
• Birth is hard,
• Women instinctively know the best way to birth their baby,
• Birth hormones play a crucial role in becoming a parent,
• Interventions often impact our birth hormones,
• Sometimes interventions are necessary,
• There is a difference between pain and suffering,
• Women should not suffer in birth,
• Babies know how to be born,
• Sometimes we need to give babies additional opportunities to get into the best position,
• Women are strong enough to achieve their birth goals,
• It’s OK for your birth goals to be different,
• “Good births” are often measured on how you feel at the end of it,
• “Good births” are rarely measured on whether or not interventions are used,
• You are the only one who can say whether or not you had a “good birth,”
• Having a birth team that believes in you is one of the most powerful decisions you can make.

If these beliefs fit you own, I would love to talk more about services for parents or childbirth educators.