• Choice in where they birth whether it be home, hospital, or birthing center
• Choice in who Cares for them: Midwives, Doctors, Doula's
• Choice in what happens to them throughout their pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum period

Education is key! Rally's like today , talking and sharing our stories and respecting women and where they may be at this point in their lives when they are making choices about their pregnancy and birth experiences will go a long way in our fight to educate women and the public about the choices available to them.

We live in a culture that trains us to blindly believe and trust the medical establishment. When we blindly trust and we do not ask questions and do not demand better care we are handing over our power. The truth is study after study proves that many of the common procedures performed on pregnant and laboring moms today only lead to the poor outcomes in mother's and baby's that they are trying so desperately to prevent.

I can tell you now that the only way the climate towards birth will change is when the consumers demand it. When consumers demanded more "home like " rooms, hospitals have begun providing LDRP'S when the consumer demand became for access to tubs some facilities responded by adding them. When consumers began demanding more breastfeeding friendly protocols some hospitals began moving slowly in the right direction. When consumers demand MIDWIFERY CARE it will happen, but we must speak loud and clear and we must not falter!

The changes must start from within, we must encourage women and their partners to educate themselves, to ask questions and demand the care they feel serves them best whatever that may be. We must encourage women to look at birth and pregnancy as midwives do as "normal" until proven otherwise instead of the medical model which looks at birth as an "accident waiting to happen."

We need to erase the brainwashing that our culture through TV shows like "Baby Story" and commercials about stretch marks, and menstruation teaches us about birth and our bodies and instead educate women as to the innate sense of power that womanhood and motherhood gives us and remind them to trust themselves and their bodies and to wear their stretch marks with PRIDE! To celebrate their body's ability to give life!

I have been blessed to have many wise women enter my life and help to educate and nurture me like a mother and I am forever grateful to them. From personal experience I can say when you step over the threshold and leave your fear of the unknown of birth and parenting behind you, you step into the warm and loving embrace of a sisterhood who will not let you down.

For the mother's, midwives, families, doctors and babies who have taught me so much and for all that I have yet to learn I thank you for this opportunity to speak to you today!

May you all have peace in your births and parenting.