Liberty in Midwifery and Birth
Jan [Tritten] and I were discussing our upcoming conference in March, titled “Liberty in Midwifery and Birth” (March 23–27, 2006, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). I realized that I did not fully understand the meaning of liberty, so I looked it up in the dictionary. I was amazed at the correlations between the meaning of liberty and the needs of birthing women. I was astounded by the relation of liberty to midwifery and of how midwives assert the rights of birthing women.
Looking closely we can see what liberty involves:
Liberty is the quality or state of being free. It is the power to do as one pleases, or freedom from physical constraint. These literal meanings remind me of the birthing woman who, in the throes of labor, discards her clothes and abandons herself to the power of her contractions. She is in a pure state of freedom, unencumbered by restriction or boundaries.
Liberty means permission, especially to go freely within specified limits. Does this not describe birth? Our bodies and those of our babies interact dynamically; some of the effects of pregnancy are beyond our control. While we have no control over Mother Nature we do have the freedom to let nature take its course without intervention when all is well. This is the beauty of natural birth.
Finally, liberty is an action going beyond normal limits. While birth is normal, women reach far beyond their normal limits to bring forth their children. It is high time that women are given the credit due for their noble efforts.
All these meanings represent a basic and spiritual right to bring forth life with honor and dignity. Liberty is the basis of human rights!”
Although I am a passionate and unapologetic promoter of Unassisted Birth, I know that many women will not feel comfortable giving birth alone at home. A midwife attended home birth is often a great alternative to UC (Unassisted Childbirth), and most states have a wonderful group of midwives prepared to help women give birth safely at home.
My home state of Colorado has some particularly stringent rules regarding the hiring of a midwife and I would not have been able to give birth at home if I had used one for my care, but check out the rules and regulations in your state and see if a midwife can provide the care that will help you feel comfortable while giving birth.

Jenny Hatch