Born at Roots Community Birth Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota | A Birth Center Birth Story in Photographs | Photography by Gather Birth Cooperative
Oh wow. This gallery has us feeling all sorts of ways. One of the things that makes the birth photography from this labor and delivery in Minneapolis feel so intimate is because it was. Now, as you scroll through the images you may think, “But how can a birth with THAT many people actually feel intimate?” Well, my friends, it’s all about the people you choose to invite into your birth space and the energy they bring that really changes your birth story.
As birth doulas and photographers here in the Twin Cities, we’ve seen many different family units and birth teams. We’ve supported hundreds of birthing families and no two are alike, even if the pieces look the same. We’re fortunate that hospitals, but especially free-standing birth centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul tend to be welcoming to families inviting however many people they need into their birth space.
As you can see with this birth story, this family chose to invite multiple loved ones to be a part of labor and delivery. This well-functioning birth team is doing a great job of showing how things can run like a well-oiled machine during labor.
Every person invited into your birth space should be someone who makes you feel safe, supported, respected and loved. Oxytocin and endorphins, two of the amazing hormones we need to keep birth moving smoothly, simply won’t appear in great quantities if we are in an environment where we feel unsafe, inadequately supported, disrespected, or the people around us are uninterested. Everyone present at your birth needs to be “Team You.”
As birth doulas, we’re both comfortable and experts at working with family members as part of your birth team. Whether it’s a simple unit, like just you and a partner, or a multi-faceted operation with family and friends, it’s important everyone feels involved and important. Each birth team member should have a role to fill. Truthfully, there are never too few jobs available to support a birthing person. Lay hands on your loved one and ground them. Rub their back rhythmically to help them keep time with their breathing, body and powerful contractions. Fan their face to keep them cool with the rising birth hormones. Feed them. Hydrate them. Affirm them with your words. Stand by with a face of confidence, “This is what your body should be doing, I’m confident in you and this process.”
If you’re invited into a loved one’s birthing space to help them labor and birth their baby, that’s a big deal! This person is showing they trust you. If you aren’t invited into a loved one’s space, this doesn’t mean they don’t trust you, it simply means they trust themselves and what their body needs to move through this powerful process. We can be supportive from afar.
What a wonderful picture: Families meeting each other for the first time, all while more family, biological and chosen, watch on. If you’re not feeling a rush of oxytocin (love) and endorphins (happiness) just thinking about it, you’re missing out!
