Nothing brings me more deeply into contact with what I consider the essence of life than witnessing, supporting as a doula, and documenting a birth through photography or film.

Even after ten years of supporting birth, I am still moved every single time a newborn is placed in their mother’s arms — an encounter that dissolves every illusion in the face of the simplest and most profound truth: life does not belong to us.

No One Creates Life: Birth as a Physiological Process

It begins by letting go of illusion, because no human being creates life.

A woman offers an egg that receives a sperm — two cells that already contain the full potential of a human being. And that is all.

Neither the woman who becomes pregnant, nor the father, nor the obstetrician, nor any other human authority decides how the organs, systems, and structures of a human being develop. Pregnancy and birth unfold as physiological processes — silently, with a precision and intelligence that far exceed human understanding.

Why Labor Is Pressured Around 39–40 Weeks

I am genuinely surprised that we continue to fall for the narrative that birth — the culmination of a pregnancy we all know to be a natural and spontaneous process — must be controlled by people in white (or light green) coats, who often show little willingness to engage in real dialogue.

With rare exceptions, obstetric practice disregards evidence-based information and persists in ignoring World Health Organization guidelines, while simultaneously assuming the authority to decide when something that nature has created should be brought to an end.

They do not create life.
They do not carry it in their bodies.
Yet they decide when and how it should be born.

As a doula, I have closely accompanied hospital births and observed that within the Portuguese hospital system — and this is echoed in many Western medical systems — the idea still prevails that babies are “supposed” to be born at 39 or 40 weeks.

From around 38–39 weeks onward, women begin to hear talk of labor induction, as if something were wrong with babies who have not yet been born — despite the fact that pregnancy is a naturally variable process that can last anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks.

Evidence, Risk, and Fear in Modern Obstetrics

Scientific evidence does point to a slightly increased risk of certain complications after 41 weeks of gestation. However, in healthy pregnancies, this risk remains low and can be safely monitored through appropriate fetal and maternal surveillance.

Despite this, obstetric practice often chooses to ignore nuance, generalize fear, and pressure women into induction. The word risk is frequently used in vague, unspecific ways — even when, up to that point, both mother and baby are doing well.

The result is the creation of unnecessary stress — deeply counterproductive for a pregnant woman and for the physiological unfolding of labor itself.

It Takes Two to Tango: Shared Responsibility in Birth Choices

History is full of examples of individuals, institutions, and systems driven by power and control over others. What continues to surprise me is that, in an era of easy and free access to information — and with so many doulas supporting women and families through evidence-based care — we continue, collectively, to comply with interests that do not place the rights of women and babies at the center.

The persistence of this system is not sustained by the medical profession alone, but also by how easily we delegate decisions and relinquish responsibility. It takes two to dance.

As long as we accept without questioning, as long as we normalize the surrender of rights in exchange for a false sense of safety, we place ourselves in the background.

Seeing ourselves solely as victims of the system may be comforting, but it is also a subtle form of disengagement. Meaningful change requires awareness, informed choice, and shared responsibility.

Birth Is — and Always Has Been — Physiological

The way birth is approached has changed throughout human history, but birth itself has always been — and will always be — a physiological process.

When, as citizens, we are willing to look at this evidence with seriousness and responsibility, we may begin to understand the broader impact of our choices — not only on the health of those who give birth and those who are born, but also on the economy, public health, and politics of a society.

Until then, we will continue to live under the illusion of control and safety.

Preparing for Birth Is Not About Accumulating Information

Birth preparation is not about memorizing concepts or collecting information. It requires an investment in practices that reconnect us with the body and with the rhythms and cycles of nature, so that such an intense experience can be lived from the inside out — from a place of real trust and embodied awareness.

As long as we continue to place our trust, for something that belongs to the natural cycle of life, in technology and in forms of care that are not evidence-based, we will continue to multiply disconnection, trauma, and control over women’s bodies.

For this reason, I integrate conscious, body-based practices throughout pregnancy — such as yoga, regulated and conscious breathing, movement, and massage.

These practices may sound commonplace, but they are essential. They regulate the nervous system and prepare both body and mind for the challenges of labor and birth.

When integrated into daily life, they allow the nervous system to find rest. Day by day, they help a woman build a relationship of trust with her body. From that embodied trust emerges the ability to move through labor from the inside out — with surrender, awareness, and empowerment.

The Role of the Nervous System in Labor and Birth

The nervous system is the great mediator between body and mind. It perceives the environment, interprets what is safe or threatening, and adjusts the body accordingly.

Birth is, by nature, an intense physiological process that can easily place the nervous system into alert mode — inhibiting key labor hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins, which only flow freely in environments of privacy, safety, and calm.

Having access to clear, evidence-based information during pregnancy — information that confirms the body knows more than the rational mind can grasp — is not enough to withstand the pressures of an outdated, intervention-focused maternity care system, nor the challenges the body and mind will face during labor.

This is why it is essential, during pregnancy, to invest in practices of relaxation, surrender, and embodied presence — cultivating trust in oneself and in the body’s innate intelligence to respond appropriately to the experience of giving birth.

The body needs repeated opportunities to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing regulatory mechanisms to be integrated well before labor begins.

An Invitation to Reclaim Responsibility

This is an invitation to let go of the illusion of control and reclaim responsibility.

Responsibility for the choices we make, the information we seek — or avoid — the systems we legitimize, and the bodies we inhabit.

As a doula, I have witnessed again and again how trust in the body is built day by day.

Trusting the body is not naïve or romantic. It is a political act — conscious, informed, and deeply intentional.

It is the recognition that life carries its own intelligence, and that our role is not to dominate it, but to create the conditions in which it can unfold with the least interference and the greatest respect.

About the Author

Susana Pereira is a doula, birth photographer, and yoga teacher supporting women and families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Her work is grounded in evidence-based birth care, nervous system regulation, and deep respect for the physiology of birth.

But these rights can only be honoured when those attending birth understand physiology — because without this knowledge, interference becomes the default, and the process is easily disrupted.

For labour to unfold smoothly, the birthing person needs to feel safe, supported, private, and unobserved. This is not a luxury — it is childbirth physiology! Our human nature.

The same hormonal system that initiates and sustains labour is also responsible for sexual arousal, orgasm, breastfeeding, bonding and love. It is highly sensitive to the environment and to how the woman feels. How does it look to you to have a sexual intercourse with people entering your room now and then to check if you know what you are doing or saying that you are doing it too fast or maybe too slow…?

When there is pressure, bright lights, constant monitoring, repeated questioning, unfamiliar people entering the room, or fear, the body activates its stress response. Adrenaline rises, oxytocin falls, and contractions can slow down or become more painful. This is not failure — this is physiology protecting the woman and her baby.

What supports labour?

Labour and childbirth are, by nature, a psycho-physiological process — not merely a medical event. When mother and baby are healthy and coping, the role of the medical team and everyone present is to protect the conditions that allow the process to unfold as nature designed.

The fact is: to protect it, one needs to understand it deeply to trust it — otherwise, interference will always happen, consciously or unconsciously.

I will try to make it as clear as possible.

Research on women’s experiences of physiological birth shows that when they feel supported, respected, and in control, they maintain confidence in early labour, they “withdraw within” as sensations intensify, and experience birth as meaningful, empowering, and deeply embodied.

“Withdraw within” is not a mystical expression or experience — it’s physiology itself.

Women withdraw within as labour progresses because the thinking brain (neocortex) — responsible for rational thought and language — becomes quieter. This shift allows the primal, instinctive parts of the brain — including the limbic system — to lead the process.

At the same time, the natural hormonal orchestra flows:

• Oxytocin → triggers rhythmic, effective contractions, bonding, and trust
• Beta-endorphins → provide powerful natural pain relief and altered consciousness
• Melatonin → supports calm, privacy, and enhances oxytocin release

Together, these hormones create the internal state needed for the birthing person to surrender, let go, and follow the innate physiological process.

When the neocortex is kept highly active — through bright lights, constant observation, instructions, fear, or pressure to speak and decide — the hormonal flow can be disrupted. Labour may slow, become more painful, and interventions are more likely to occur.

About induction

When labour is induced without a real medical reason, we are basically not respecting physiology and opening the door to interventions that can impact the health and well-being of the mother-baby dyad.

Let’s understand it better.

Labour can be induced in various ways, and this article doesn’t intend to clarify them all. As an example, let’s look at prostaglandins – they have the mission of softening the cervix, but their administration will require another administration ( interference) as prostaglandins will only put the “train on the track” — they will not start the “engine” (contractions).

Synthetic oxytocin is then required to make the “train” move ( contractions of the uterus).

Now the big issue is that synthetic oxytocin triggers contractions without crossing the blood–brain barrier. This means the body’s natural release of oxytocin and beta-endorphins is blocked — making it extremely hard to cope with intensity, and increasing the chance of further interventions.

This is why we all need to understand physiology deeply — and understand the consequences of interfering with it.

When we don’t respect birth physiology, we are not honouring human rights.

It is a utopia to speak of respect, dignity, informed consent, and autonomy if everyone present in the birth space — whether in hospital or at home — does not deeply understand and trust the physiology of birth.

Humanised birth care is not a “nice extra.”
It is fundamental.

Safety in childbirth is more than just medical monitoring.
It is protecting the physiology that protects the mother and baby.

You may find yourself longing for labor to begin — weary of the weight you carry, the restless nights, the pressure in your pelvis, the uncertainty.
And yet, know this: the opening has already begun.

Deep within, on a level beyond thought, your body is already preparing.
Your hormones are already dancing, your cervix is softening, your whole being is slowly ripening for birth.

Even in the discomfort, even in the waiting, birth is happening — gently, silently, wisely.

These in-between days — when nothing quite fits and everything feels heightened — are not wasted time.
They are holy ground.

The rule is to focus on whatever nourishes your body and soul.

One of the most grounding and nurturing ways to do this is through Thai Yoga Massage — a gentle, mindful bodywork that supports your body in this sacred transition, soothes tension, invites calm into your nervous system, and honours the inner work already unfolding as you prepare to give birth.

It is also the perfect moment to:
🌸 Walk or hike slowly through nature paying attention to her rhythms
🌸 Sit in the presence of other women who can truly hold space for you
🌸 Let yourself rest in the softness of an afternoon nap

Softening, surrendering and letting your heart lean into the ancient knowing within you.

We live in a world that resists waiting — that treats the “due date” like a deadline.
But birth doesn’t follow clocks. It follows wisdom.

So surround yourself with those who understand the sacred physiology of birth.
And to those who ask, who push: you can gently say,
“The due date is just a moment on the calendar, I trust the rhythm of my body more than a number on a page. “ or “ My OB says that all is well with me and the baby, so we are all patiently waiting.”

As a doula and birth photographer, I too live often in these liminal spaces —not with the discomforts of pregnancy, but with the quiet readiness to respond.
I wait with you. I witness with you. I honour the sacred unfolding.

To all of you in this space between — where life is becoming, but not yet arrived — know that you are welcome into my space of massage.

I see you! I send you love, strength, and deep trust.

You are doing this.

You are already beginning.
And you are not alone. 💖

During my doula support sessions during pregnancy, I offer recommendations and discuss the physiology of breastfeeding from both the mother’s and baby’s perspectives.

For instance, a good latch is the base for a happy and satisfied baby (at least for a few hours).

In the first day or 2 after birth, your breasts produce a substance known as colostrum ( a thick yellowish liquid that is  perfect for your baby for so many reasons :

• It is highly nutritious and it contains valuable antibodies that fortify your baby’s immune system for the future, while protecting your baby from bacteria in the environment
• It has a laxative quality ( it helps to clear the meconium from your baby’s bowel), clearing your baby’s digestive tract.

It’s crucial not to limit your baby’s sucking time.

• The baby’s sucking stimulates colostrum production, so keeping your baby close in the first few days encourages them to feed as often as they need.
• Remember, you and your baby form a dyad— meaning you are a perfect team when connected.
• Effective colostrum feeding also stimulates the release of your first milk.

This “first milk” typically arrives 2-4 days after birth- a transition that can be challenging, as your breasts might become swollen (a condition called engorgement). This can be uncomfortable and coincide with hormonal changes that make you feel emotional or weepy.

Having a strong support network during this time can make a world of difference in how both mother and baby adapt to this new phase.

Here are some helpful tips for your baby to latch on to the breast during engorgement:

• Stand under a warm shower with the water coming down into your breasts and massage your breasts gently towards the nipple to express a little milk
• Use warm compresses of face cloth rinsed in hot water
• If engorgement is bad you can take a homeopathic remedy ( belladonna) 6Xs every 30 min. until the symptoms ease (in Janet´s Balaskas book “Active birth”)
• Make sure your baby is latching properly and not just sucking the nipple ( more info ahead)
• Don´t hesitate to contact a lactation consultant to help you if this takes more than 24 hours

Breast Care Tips for new mums for pregnancy and postpartum:

• In late pregnancy massage your breasts and nipples with almond oil after bathing
• Never use soap on your breasts between feeds. Milk contains natural antiseptics and one bath a day is sufficient to ensure cleanliness.
• After a feed allow your breast to dry naturally and then massage a little pure almond oil into the nipples or lanolin
• Expose to open air for a while before putting on a cotton feeding bra –  choose one that opens in front and make sure it is well-fitted
• Use washable or disposable breast pads that do not have a plastic backing and change frequently
• If soreness occurs use homeopathic calendula cream after feeds. This will not harm your baby
• Expose your breasts to fresh air as much as possible. Mild sunshine for a short period will help
• If you remove your baby from the breast, take care to break the suction first by inserting your little finger into the corner of your baby’s mouth

After a week or two breastfeeding will start to become a pleasure for both of you and your baby, as it nourishes both of your heart and soul.

If the circumstances allow, it is better to:

• Feed your baby according to your baby’s demand. There’s no possibility of overfeed a breastfed baby
• Let your baby lead the feeding. Feeding patterns vary. Your baby may be fed almost continuously in the late afternoon and less in the mornings, or the other way around
• There are no rules, but breastfeeding your baby for the first 6 months is more important. If you can continue for a year, or longer, your baby will only benefit, but it will be necessary to introduce solid food around 5- 6 months.

Staying positive and build a good support network with the help of your doula while pregnant is a big advantage for your postpartum period.

In my birth preparation sessions during pregnancy, we not only address postpartum recovery but also work together to build a postpartum plan that suits your unique needs. Together we can practice how to attach and position yourself and your baby for breastfeeding.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to explore my doula support sessions and join me in creating a nurturing foundation for your journey into motherhood and still collect beautiful photos of your pregnancy, birth, and first days with your newborn baby, with me.

#All photos in this article were taken by me and are shared with the kind permission of the parents. Please respect my work by not using them without consent.

At the same time, I also feel a deep desire to share with the world the immense beauty and power of transformation that lies in each image.

Even though every doula and birth photographer works under a code of ethics that I respect—namely, not making choices for our clients or exercising value judgments on their choices—the truth is that both of these professions strive to create more positive birth stories and participate in changing the paradigm around childbirth.

While many women feel empowered by their birth stories and want to inspire others by sharing them, some partners—often fathers—may feel uneasy about exposing such intimate experiences to the public. This hesitation is entirely valid, but it also invites a broader reflection on what this says about how we view birth,  the relationship we have with our bodies, and the stories we are still believing in.

Birth is undeniably one of the most intimate and transformative experiences in life – It’s raw, and so it´s vulnerable ( as life is)  and profoundly personal.

Yet, it is also inherently natural, primal, and universal.

I have just been thinking that every time we choose to hide it—to shield its beauty and power from being seen—we may be unintentionally reinforcing societal narratives about labor and childbirth being something to be controlled, sanitized, or even hidden.

These narratives are deeply rooted in centuries of shame and discomfort around the body, particularly women’s bodies, and their free expression.

For many, birth triggers a discomfort deeply rooted in our cultural mindset: the lingering notion that bodies are messy, or inappropriate when they express their most primal instincts. A mindset that might mirrors how we see nudity, sexuality, emotions, and even vulnerability in our lives.

Isn´t childbirth, in this sense, a mirror of our collective and individual beliefs about our humaness, about our concept of freedom of expression, of shame, and control.

As said before birth is an intimate moment in time and in that sense is of course entitled to privacy, but the hesitation to share birth imagery has other layers hidden that aren’t just about privacy; it’s also about how we have been conditioned to view these moments.

Many partners and I have to say that from my personal experience, are often men, who feel that sharing it exposes something sacred to judgment or even misunderstanding. And while this protectiveness comes from a place of love, it also reflects how disconnected many of us are from the true naturalness of birth—a disconnection that keeps it relegated to hospital rooms and behind closed doors; and how vulnerable we still are to other people judgments… as if it would matter!

At the same time, we are witnessing a quiet revolution not just in Portugal, but in the world, through the ones that are not just allowing but also proud and happy to share their positive stories.

The stories and images of women birthing at home, in water, or hospital, are slowly but surely changing the narrative. These images are powerful not just because they showcase the beauty of birth but because they challenge the idea that birth can only have a clinical approach, be controlled ( actually it shouldn´t), or be hidden. They remind us that birth can be raw, primal, and deeply connected to our humanity.

What’s more, these shared stories are helping couples make more informed and empowered choices about their own births.

Many women, when planning their births, look to the experiences of others to see what is possible. For those who have only known the medicalized, intervention-heavy approach to birth, having contact with another way—through photos, videos, or shared stories—can be revolutionary. These images become a lifeline, a source of inspiration, and a call to reclaim the natural beauty and strength of birthing.

But this raises an important question: how do we balance the need for privacy with the need for visibility? The answer, perhaps, lies in finding ways to honor both. Sharing birth stories doesn’t have to mean sharing everything. It can mean carefully curating what feels comfortable—images that are powerful but respectful of personal boundaries, or reflections that focus on the emotions and transformations without revealing and identifying details.

Ultimately, the act of sharing birth imagery is about more than just the photos; it’s about changing the mindset. By normalizing the beauty and reality of birth, we help dismantle the shame and fear that surround it. We show that birth is not something to be hidden but something to be celebrated. And in doing so, we offer new possibilities to the families and babies entering this world. This is the way I clearly resonate with – to create new possibilities. Only when we see through our conditioning we open an opportunity to re-start.

Birth is a mirror, not just of our physical bodies but of our mental and emotional landscapes. When we shy away from its rawness, we might also be shying away from our vulnerability, power, and humanity. But when we embrace it—when we allow it to be seen, celebrated, and respected—we create a ripple effect that touches every life it reaches. It’s not just about inspiring other mothers or fathers; it’s about creating a world where birth is seen for what it truly is: a sacred, natural, and transformative act that deserves to be honored and held in its fullest light.

It can be a powerful moment in a woman’s life who sets out and manages to gather the conditions (internal and external) to live it fully.

Every creation has a seed, and to change how babies are born, we have to change how we relate to life,  nature, the universe, and ourselves.

And that requires TIME!

Time to look inside daily.

Time to connect with those, men or women, who bring this wisdom to the surface and help us recognize our essence, allowing us to recreate ourselves in this space-time of creation;

It is when the will and courage to walk a path of intimacy with ourselves is born that we will look at birth as an opportunity to dignify the miracle of life, but also and necessarily gain a new look and feel about CONCEPTION, PREGNANCY, and POST-PARTUM.

A nine-month pregnancy isn’t always enough time for a woman to deal with everything that surrounds this creation, which is naturally in her DNA and therefore vibrates in every cell, especially when the meanings attributed to this period are loaded with stories that feed fear.

And the fear of what?

Fear of not being able to do it… fear that something won’t go right… fear of not being respected… there are so many of them and they are so personal that they need to be looked at to be resignified.

As adults we have the great challenge of emptying ourselves of expectations, ideas, prejudices, and anxieties received and acquired throughout our lives so that we can make room for the more intuitive, relearn, and accept intrinsic knowledge, keeping in mind that everything in life is in constant motion and so is everything we once thought we knew.

It seems to me that two attitudes can help or block this path:

1. An ability to question what has been established so that we can reflect on whether we want to continue following the path we already know, or, whenever a certain path no longer makes sense, whether we dare to live in the unknown for a while until the new unfolds and takes hold
2.  A natural tendency to disconnect from a timeless wisdom that exists in every living being in the universe – the very wisdom that gives “life” its life.

The time invested in our self-knowledge will bear the most desired fruit, the empowerment for childbirth, which is nothing more than the recovery of confidence in the wisdom of a woman’s own body, which naturally extends to the being she carries in her womb.

So, yes, to change the world we have to change how we see how we are born”!

I’ve been lucky enough to be inspired by this empowerment in the births I’ve accompanied as a doula and those I’ve witnessed and documented through photography and video.

And every time I return home and spend hours “flirting” with these files that are proof of how perfect life is in its imperfection, I feed and inspire the desire and thirst to see more and more women take this path, of having access to clear, up-to-date and objective information about birth and everything that surrounds it from conception onwards.

May you all have conditions to experience motherhood and birth feeling supported by your team, your partners, and your community, and the means to invest time in yourself.

Information, support, and self-knowledge are the roots of making conscious choices and living this period of life healthily and integrally!

When a baby is born, so is a mother who needs

just as much care and support as her newborn baby

We are slowly realizing the relevance of the first 40 days after a baby is born.

These first forty days of postpartum is a time in which you should not worry about a damn thing so you can be free and available to get to know your newborn baby and be able to respond to his/her needs while you are also recovering from the magnitude of the transformations YOU went, or will go, through.

Expect that this new role of getting to know a new human being and understanding how to fulfill his/her needs might be overwhelming and frustrating sometimes, but also immensely beautiful.

If trusting your instincts is something weird for you, know that’s a good topic to invest your time during pregnancy, because you will need it. 

We are so used to looking for answers outside of us, on the internet, between friends or family that we forget that each human being is unique and so are newborns and their adaptation to earth’s side. So, what worked with someone and their newborn, might not work for both of you.

Unfortunately for new mothers, newborn’s patterns and behaviors can change almost every day and several times a day in these first few months while adapting to a completely new world, and just that can be exhausting.

Postpartum is  a time of recovery, integration, and (re)balancing while entering a new stage of life

The responses of the Nervous System, the Immune system, and the Hormonal System should never be disassociated. They form a whole. Whenever emotions are felt, there is a response in the brain, so in your hormonal system and the immune system – they operate all in unison as an orchestra. This is valid and it is of major relevance to the newborn adaptation to our world as it is to new mothers or any other person that is in the process of recovery.

ON YOUR SIDE

It’s important to keep in mind that your body just had the challenge of creating a baby and birthing him/her. You have used huge amounts of energy during pregnancy, not to speak about birth in which besides the intensity of the event, you probably lost blood and may have sustained wounds or tears.

All together makes it a challenge!

It’s so relevant that everyone closer and intimate to you supports you with simple things that can have a positive influence on your overall well-being.

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF YOUR NEWBORN

It’s so much going on, as he just entered into a completely new world. Take this image as if you went to your bed one night and woke up on the moon! That’s how challenging it is for newborns – The light, the temperature, the sounds, the feeling in the skin, all the smells, food, breathing…

While adapting to a world full of new stimuli, it is through physical contact with the mother and father that they manage to recover the references they had from living in the womb.

Babies’ natural HABITAT is in contact with their mothers (and father) because it is through the 5 SENSES (touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste) that babies REGULATE their entire physiological system.

Keep in mind that you are a dyad!

Being a Dyad means that everything that improves your overall state of well-being will have a positive impact on your baby, which will return to you again – that’s the cycle.

Some Eastern cultures and Ayurveda make a big investment to help and support new mums to stay balanced in the first 6 weeks after birth because they have understood for centuries that they need to give time for the body to heal and the mind to settle into the “NEW” that is being the earth’s version of the womb 24/7 days per week.

For these Eastern cultures is a ritual because is part of their culture, for Westerns is a luxury or a sign of weakness.

But because we are a dyad, does it need to be just me taking care of my baby?

No, it doesn’t, and of course, the father is also included or even a postpartum doula or a nanny, but being a dyad means that you and your baby co-regulate each other and you will want to be with your baby most of the time for the regulation of your nervous system also, besides that breastfeeding makes it also to be as so.

Being with your baby 24/7 is also part of offering continuity and developing the bond that was created during pregnancy and you’re gonna love it because that intimate relationship releases feeling-good hormones as oxytocin,  on both of you.

New motherhood can be a roller coaster, don’t underestimate it! Investing in those first 6 weeks is assuring your and your baby´s overall health and well-being in the short and long term.

Soon I will write a blog text exploring the recommendations for the postpartum period.

(Doula support, Massage, Maternity/ birth photographer, and Film in Lisbon)

Do you agree that nothing in the world is disconnected? That we are, as microcosmos, also under the same rules of the great cosmos? 

You probably do, but as myself, also need to keep on being reminded that we are not in control of natural processes. 

You and I don’t control our heartbeat as all the millions of functions that are being operated right now and every second that allow us to be here, alive and kicking – actually, is our Central Nervous System (CNS), which controls all functions of our body.

Of course, we can influence these natural processes! And this is the turning point! 

Every time we allow a change of perspective we open to other possibilities and we stop being mere perpetuators of what we once learned. 

Life is in constant evolution and that’s what is also great about science

Science is constantly updating itself in response to new data. 

The problem is that facts are being updated, but the majority of professionals working with this period of life from conception to postpartum, are not reformulating their approach and assistance following the facts. As much as it makes no sense, their rules are already obsolete, and they are influencing not just the way babies are being born but their well-being.

So the question Is not about how can I control what is not under my control, but how can I allow the miracle to unfold without prejudice the natural development of the process, and, as we are gonna see ahead, without also harming both women and babies’ health and well-being.

For Mothers and Fathers to Be

“what do I want for me and my baby to experience in this entrance into the world?”

It seems to be a quite simple question, but try to answer it with your heart instead of your mind.

Do you want your birth to be as smooth as possible and surrounded by warmth and love?

Or It doesn’t matter to you and your concern is just about having a healthy baby? 

And what does it mean to you to have a healthy baby?

Is your concept of health related to the absence of disease or do you see it as a concept that goes beyond the absence of disease?

A bit about Health and well-being

For Michel Odent, a famous French obstetrician and childbirth specialist, the founder of the Primal Health Research Centre, and the creator of the Primal Health Research database, the word HEALTH means the way our Primal Adaptive System works as a whole.

“ THE PRIMAL BRAIN, THE HORMONAL SYSTEM, AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM MAKE ONE WHOLE, AND IT IS OBSOLETE TO MAKE ANY DISTINCTION BETWEEN THEM”

Whenever there’s an emotion, there’s a response by the primal adaptive system, so there’s a response in the brain, in the hormonal system, and in the immune system, all in union.

It is during fetal life and infancy that the different parts of the system develop

and it’s just at the end of infancy the primal adaptive system has reached maturity.

(WE MAY NEED TO READ THAT AGAIN TO INTEGRATE IT : – )

That means that babies can’t auto-regulate. 

They co-regulate in contact with their mothers. 

They will adapt to the circumstances of course, but this adaptation has consequences that influence their health and well-being. 

We must understand that ongoing stress (babies stress every time they feel their needs are not being met), has consequences for their immune system, so, in their overall health, which includes brain development.

This shows why being a mother is so challenging and is also why we mention the MOTHER-BABY DYAD when we refer to the mother and the baby because they are a dyad, their systems are interconnected and they “work” as one.

Primal health is built at that time when the baby is closely dependent on its mother –

– First in the womb, then during childbirth, and the period of breastfeeding

So the 2nd question we should all have in our minds is how is the physiology of a newborn, a baby, and a child different from the one of an adult and how can I as a parent or professional facilitate their adaptation to the earth side. 

We will only be facilitators when we are aware of, and respect their physiology, otherwise, we are just following what somebody said or did.

It is our role as citizens, professionals, and parents to reflect and go deeper than what we have once learned. We can’t keep on taking everything for granted. We must keep questioning what once was the truth.

The world is in constant evolution and so are and should we.

(Doula, Massage, Maternity/ Birth photography & Film in Lisbon)

I am a professional Portuguese photographer besides being a doula, and if there’s something all photographers have as a skill that can be more or less developed, it’s the ability to be present and observe the environment they are in, especially the ones that work in a more photojournalistic or even documentary way. 

Being a Birth photographer and doula I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about that space and time that I call “in Between” which is the period between labor and the birth of a baby – a transition phase for the mother, for the baby, and for the father. 

Yes, it is for sure, also a delicate process for the father of the baby that is about to be born, but In this article, I wanna go deep and explore with you what is happening with mother and baby during labor that our eyes can’t see.

Birth as a Whole Being Experience

As everything in our bodies, also in labor, nothing works separately and every area or dimension of our human being impacts the whole.

The whole is the physical, biological, emotional, psychological, mental, and spiritual aspects of life.

So there’s no such thing as a woman being in labor, and hormones being released and contractions being effective without the mental, emotional, and spiritual side of herself being untouched.

Every aspect of her being is moved and they all interact and influence each other, so the miracle can be the miracle.

Naturally, some women will want to run away from it or even disguise it, and I do believe that can be one of the reasons why some births run less smoothly which is used as an argument for the abuse of interventions.

Evidence shows that the environment that surrounds women during labor and birth also influences their behavior and their overall experience as feeling supported or unsupported, coping or not coping with the process, in trust or not, satisfied or frustrated…

If we consider Birth as a lifetime event with percussions on women’s and newborns’ health and well-being, we need to start looking at these 3 aspects:

1. Birth is much more than just a physiologic event, birth is also a spiritual journey;

2. We all, as women, partners, and professionals dealing with maternity need to understand pregnancy, birth, and postpartum as an ongoing process of transformations as a whole, if we wanna offer quality of care to women and couples during this period of life;

3. The great majority of us need to recognize that our culture neglects spirituality as part of the experience of being human, but if we wanna live this period of life with the dignity it requires, we need to start looking at it or in my opinion our services won’t be sync with what reality requires.

I am lucky to have been present as a birth photographer/ doula at the birth of dozens of babies at home that were respected and embraced following the reality of their physiologic needs (some at hospitals).

As long as labor and birth are not disturbed by the medical obsolete rules and practices, the atmosphere of a birth scenario is uniquely catching, emotional and beautiful.

To give birth, whether at home or in a Hospital a woman is called to go deeper to the edge of her being where every resource she has will be called on to assist and cooperate in this event.

Unfortunately, that place is not a place we are used to contacting within our ordinary occidental life and that’s why birth is scary for most women and for sure for their partners.

It´s a big lack of trust!

Trust in what?

Themselves! Their ability to do what is beyond the mind’s conception of being possible, tolerable, or even understood.

Fear as the opportunity

Maybe the 9 months of gestation are not just the time the fetus needs to develop and be ready for the earth side experience, but it is also a time for mothers to develop their relationship with their inner-self and the world of all possibilities – the world that puts us all in this planet and it is within every living form.

If a woman goes through their pregnancy just dealing with issues related to the world of form, she will be surprised and possibly will get scared at labor because labor in itself is this unavoidable meeting between these 2 worlds – the world of form and the world of spirit.

Pregnancy is an invitation to experience the miracle of life, so investing time in practical and simple moments in which you can go beyond the form will build trust and confidence in you – which is also in life.

Everything in life to be mastered needs practice and consistency – that´s why we need to decide on which areas of our lives we wanna focus our attention on, or we get lost with all the demands out there.

If you don´t have any practice or tool that can offer you the sweet feeling of being connected to the whole, know in your heart that there is an invisible intelligence in everything, and you and your baby are an example of that.

You can make contact with the divine within you if you wish to.

As a doula I truly enjoy giving the right guidance to help women connect with their inner selves, to (re)discover their strength and wisdom so they can go through pregnancy and childbirth with a deep sense of confidence and trust for decision-making along the process and have the birth experience they dream of.

Breath, movement, and touch are some of the tools I use and can be of great help during labor and birth

Somewhere, deep inside all of us, at a primal level, our cells, hormones, mind, and soul know this, so ask yourself if you are curious and wanna access that inner knowing and respect life as it is – SACRED.

 (Doula, Massage, Maternity/ Birth photography & Film in Lisbon)

1. DO I NEED TO HAVE A BIG HOUSE TO HAVE A HOME BIRTH IN PORTUGAL?

Your team adapts to the space you have. As a Portuguese doula and birth photographer, I have already been in houses with 40m² and the physical space did not interfere with the birth team or the birth of the baby.

2. IS IT NECESSARY TO STERILIZE MY HOUSE?

The house has to be clean and tidy. Maintaining a clean environment reduces the risk of infection for both the mother and the baby. Newborns have a fragile immune system, and clean space helps minimize the chances of harmful bacteria or germs spreading.

3. SHOULD I HAVE AN AMBULANCE AT THE DOOR IF I WANNA HAVE A HOME BIRTH IN PORTUGAL?

If a transfer is necessary, it can be done in the family car or if necessary your doula or midwives will call an ambulance.

4. DO I NEED TO HAVE A BATH TUBE?

The shower can be used as a comfort measure for the pain or, if you wish, an inflatable pool of about 350L can be bought, but most of the Portuguese midwives will bring their birth pool for the birth.

5. CAN PEOPLE LIVING IN APARTMENTS IN PORTUGAL GIVE BIRTH AT HOME? WHAT IF IT BOTHERS THE NEIGHBORS?

It does not usually bother, if any neighbor asks, your birth team clarifies what is happening. And it is not necessary to warn anyone unless you prefer to.

6. DO I NEED TO BE CLOSE TO A HOSPITAL?

It is necessary to have a hospital within 20 minutes of your residence, whether it’s a public or a private one.

7. DO I NEED TO HAVE AN OBSTETRICIAN AT MY HOME BIRTH IN PORTUGAL?

Midwives (obstetric nurses) are professionals trained to attend normal birth, identify complications, make decisions, and provide all the necessary assistance until the appropriate referral in case of complications.

If you´re an expat living in Portugal and you feel it could be good to have some guidance on what to expect for the birth of your baby, the first weeks after, and also to have a different approach than just the medical one, even if you are not sure where you would like to birth your baby in Portugal, you´re welcome to book your free call HERE. 

If you would like to read more about the Portuguese Birth System and access the list of Certified PORTUGUESE MIDWIVES assisting HOME BIRTH, you can download the FREE E-BOOKS HERE

I do believe that the way mothers are supported at pregnancy, birth, and postpartum has a great impact on their, and their baby’s health and wellbeing.

How do you feel about it?

 (Doula, Massage, Maternity/ Birth photography & Film in Lisbon)