This Isn’t Just Birth. It’s Culture.
Birth is the foundation for everything that follows.
The friend who never seemed like “herself” again after giving birth.
The (grand)mother who always felt…distant.
The relationship that fell apart after the baby.
The woman who couldn’t experience pleasure again.
We’ve all heard these stories. If you’re here, reading this, maybe you’ve even lived one. But have you ever stopped to consider how many of these scenarios can be traced directly to birth trauma? I have a theory that it’s a lot more than we’d like to believe.
How many families have walked through what should be a sacred rite of passage, only to come out broken, questioning, infuriated, disconnected? How many of us were told, “Healthy baby, healthy Mom,” as we suppressed our postpartum grief?
These aren’t “Motherhood” issues. They’re society issues. And while racial bias exacerbates them, these are universal issues. They shape our families, our schools, our workplaces, our culture. Whether you realize it or not, they shape you.
Birth sets the tone for everything that follows.
It is the beginning of our collective story — the foundation of how secure we, and our children, feel in the world…how we love, how we build, how we lead. When the foundation cracks, we all live with the consequences. Generation after generation.
Just take a look around.
The maternal health crisis is not just about Mothers (although we, alone, are a sufficient reason to act). It’s a crisis of the whole family. And when the family fractures, society does too.
Assault.
Coercion.
Gaslighting.
Criminalization.
Obstetric violence.
How have these become standard practice in a setting where life begins? When did “at least you survived” become the bar? Why do we assume it doesn’t affect us, until we walk through it ourselves?
I say, enough.
Each time I brought a new human into the world, my conviction deepened. I knew I had to act — not just for my own family, but for the families beside me, and the ones yet to come.
To call out the quiet acceptance of violence. To reclaim birth as sacred. To rebuild the village that can withstand what these crumbling systems will not.
Borne is a community of Mothers, families, birth workers and advocates championing out-of-hospital birth and holistic, family-centered care.
We’re building a culturally nuanced, trauma-informed body of knowledge, designed to help Mothers and families birth in freedom. Because it isn’t just possible — it’s our birthright.
Whether you’re brand new here or have been walking with us for a while, you’re arriving at the perfect time.
Here’s what you can expect going forward:
Wednesdays: For the Mothers, families and planners. Perspective that deepens your understanding of birth and family life: essays, insights, historical accounts, global practices, birth stories and Q&As that connect the personal to the universal.
Fridays: For the Birth Workers. Practical support to strengthen your work and advocacy: client-ready tools, research spotlights, strategies and reflections for birth workers and those walking alongside families.
Monthly Live Events: A chance to be in the room, ask questions and learn from the best.
2nd Tuesdays: Ask a Doula Anything — real talk, real answers for families.
4th Tuesdays: The Exchange: A Birth Keeper Conversation — wisdom and strategy from those shaping the future of care.
Plus, plenty of opportunities to share your input, expertise, experience, offerings and vision for the future.
This is your invitation. Subscribe, share, show up. Let’s rebuild the village, together.
