Our Philosophy
“genea is the ancient Greek root word meaning origin, generation…and family. We believe that the act of birth brings forth not only a new baby, but a whole new family in all its myriad forms.”
We believe that birth works. Sometimes it happens quickly, and sometimes it happens slowly…but it works. The female body was designed to give birth! We have been taught to fear what we don’t know, and we no longer know about birth. Fear of birth has been instilled in us from a young age. It comes from every movie made with a birthing woman in it and every TV program, where women are rescued from pain. It also comes from every well-meaning friend who tells us all the reasons we will get our epidural.
We believe in women. We are in awe in the power and vulnerability evident during the birthing process. Wouldn’t it be great to JUST GIVE BIRTH? Every woman is capable of it! For some, it means letting go of pre-conceived notions about birth. It means letting go of their inhibitions. It means a lot of study. For some, it means hiring a doula to attend to her during birth. And for some women, it means they need to birth at home in their own environment.
It is our deeply held belief that every woman deserves care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum that is respectful, caring, collaborative and safe.
A woman and her partner deserve time to build a trusting relationship with caregivers who will be with them during pregnancy, throughout the birth and during the postpartum period and beyond. This is called continuity of care and it’s a hallmark of midwifery care and part of what makes midwifery care so different from the other healthcare a woman is likely to experience in her life. We believe that decision making power rests with a family and that the community midwife does not act as an outside authority on high but rather as a fellow woman and mother, a trusted adviser who helps to sort through fears, feelings, hopes, dreams, risks and safety information to come to the best decision for each individual family.
Homebirth offers the birthing woman the ability to labor and birth in the privacy and comfort of her own home surrounded by birth attendants who allow a woman’s labor to unfold in it’s own unique manner.
For a healthy woman, homebirth is safe and offers freedom from unwarranted interventions and the attitude of fear that often pervades mainstream maternity care. Labor and birth is hard work but we believe that you can do it! Birth is a natural process in the life cycle of human beings and while it is important to be alert and ready to deal with any complications that may arise, we believe that pregnancy and birth should not be surrounded by fearful attitudes at the outset.
It is our joy and privilege to attend women and their loved ones as they make the journey through pregnancy, labor and birth and during the special postpartum time with their new baby.
.