creating innovative community
The concept of Reclaiming Birth emphasizes how equitable access to support during the childbearing year and client driven vs client centered care can have a drastic impact on birthing outcomes.
During our time together we will discuss 3 key areas of influence:
The midwifery model of care
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Community centered maternal care from the early 1900s.
Anecdotally, we have found that increasing maternal support levels while decreasing barriers to access has been impactful to closing the racial disparities in birth outcomes. Additionally, when we return power to birthing people by listening to their experiences and allowing them to shape our work in real time, we may be able to eradicate the disparity completely.
As we wrap up, you should be able to:
Clearly identify the difference between client/patient centered care and client/patient driven care
Have expanded ideas on how to humanize equitable access and
Have increased understanding of how returning autonomy and power from the MIC to the birthing person is a significant missing piece in the improved outcome conversation
Erica Guthaus has been supporting families in their childbearing year since 2008 and has been part of the professional birth community since 2014. A highly skilled communicator, educator and encourager, she specializes in transformative growth and empowerment. She believes birth and parenting are significant pathways to discovery and finds great joy and honor in supporting birth workers as they guide families through that journey of transition.
As the Conjuror of Birth Reclamation for Rootead and Director of Red Birth Green, Erica is bringing her skill set to life by supporting Rootead’s community in claiming compassionate, inclusive and respectful care for the entire family dynamic during the childbearing year.
She works tirelessly to support Red Birth Green birth workers and parents in discovering and owning their soul connection to their children and community as well as how to embrace and utilize that connection for maximum benefit. Erica is firmly committed to the power of wisdom keeping and a peaceful transition, be it in birth, bringing baby home or simply embracing parenthood.
As an unschooling mom, Erica is passionate about learning with life. She lives in Lansing, MI with her husband, Jason, their 4 vivacious kids and 5 rescue pets. She loves a good hammock hang or bonfire, but would live with her toes in the ocean if she ever leaves the Mitten again.