The Sanctuary

The midwifery model of care believes that pregnancy and birth are a natural process.  In the Netherlands more than 79% of women are under the care of midwives.  According to the Netherlands Institute for Health Research 1 in 3 women give birth with a midwife in attendance, compared to only 11%* in the United States.  Dutch woman view birth as natural, not medical with many choosing to have a home birth.  Infant and maternal mortality rates are also trend lower in the Netherlands.

NPR recently did a piece on healthcare in the Netherlands and highlighted birth practices in the country.  Click here to listen to the piece or read excerpts from the report.

*Due to underreporting of midwife-attended deliveries, this figure should be considered a low estimate for the actual number of midwife-attended births.

On May 17,  we hosted “Birthing the Sanctuary,” An Awareness Soiree to announce The Sanctuary Birth & Family Wellness Center.  The evening was inspiring.  Held at Kula, the event was widely attended by supporters, celebrities, and birth advocates in our community.  Ricki Lake, Dr. Jay Gorden, Rainbeau Mars, Anna Getty, clients Elton and Seneca Brand and John and Nichole McGinley all made appearances.  We truly lived our mission — educating, empowering, and inspiring others.

Time.com examines the growing popularity of home births and the American Medical Association’s (AMA) recent ruling to make them illegal.

“For most pregnant women, a key part of their birth plan involves how they’ll get to the hospital. But more and more moms-to-be are skipping that step and planning to deliver at home. Old-school birthing is back in style, with well-read women forsaking obstetricians for midwives and epidurals for warm baths. These women want to give birth in their own bed or tub, with none of the medical interventions that have become staples of modern childbirth, like contraction-inducing medication and C-sections, which now serve as the grand finale in nearly a third of U.S. births.”

Read the article, Giving Birth at Home, in its entirety at Time.com