The future

See that beautiful little girl holding that sign?  Her parents told me a story the other night that I wanted to share with you.  They told me that the morning after the Rally she was marching around her house chanting "BIRTH IS NORMAL!"  And that every time they drive past the capitol building she points to it and states, "birth is normal!"  

That my friends is social change.  

Do we even have to wonder what this little girl is going to grow up to believe about birth?  I'd say no.  Sure she'll likely still face other kinds of social pressure(s) around birth (although we're working hard to change and reduce that my sweet little one), but hopefully there will always be something inside her that will be chanting "BIRTH IS NORMAL."  

Here are the closing remarks from a paper I published in 2011: 

Just imagine if we started today telling the next generation of women (the littlest of girls now) that their bodies are beautiful and not broken, that their minds are strong and not weak, that they are made just how nature intended them to be – to start telling them now, what so many of the participants in this study longed to have heard, that they can do it and that they are okay! We need to begin building a village and providing that support to them now....What would the picture of maternity culture be in 20 years if we started doing that today? Instead of spreading fear and isolation, technology, industry, and management we spread positive messages including encouragement, support, and capability. It is not difficult to conceive the powerful trickle down (and up) affects such small and simple changes would make. This generation of girls (the babies now) will soon be consumers and as such will have a powerful and influential voice. We have the power to impact those voices such that they be ones of change! 

Hearing the story of this little one brings me such hope. It is a truly great honor to know that I (and all of us who stood with her that day) made a true (and I believe) lasting impact.  We influenced the next generation.  See her sweet little friend standing there next to her?  She heard us too!  

~ Mandi Hardy Hillman

You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?

Or...

Put you're money where your mouth is.  A bit strong, but at times a necessary truth.

Here it is folks: a call to action.

This week internationally acclaimed author and speaker Suzanne Arms is coming to Iowa to give a serious of lectures.  The lecture / event series is called Global to Local: Why Birth Matters and is brought to you by Healing Passages Birth and Wellness Center (check them out - they truly are walking the walk).

These events are intended to both initiate and continue the conversation(s) in our community about our experiences in birth - as women, mothers, babies, father, families, and as a community (globally and locally).  The "grand" event is an awesome GALA being held at Jasper Winery on October 5th - get your tickets ASAP.  The gala is a fundraiser for the healing passages birth center, scheduled to be opened in the Historic Sherman Hill district in Des Moines - the building that will house the birth center is a Green & Main project and is pretty exciting on its own.   

The truth is, supporting this birth center supports access to evidence-based care in our community.  

Yes, it costs money to attend this Gala, but folks let's be honest we spend money on a lot of frivolous things every single day.

I was speaking with a friend the other day and she made a connection between our support of this project (or potentially any project which we may not use) as comparable to recycling.  Why are so many folks recycling? It's not necessarily for themselves, for their own direct gain, but for the gain of future generations.  For the gain of our planet.  For the gain of all of us collectively.  This project is no different.  Regardless of whether you'll ever birth in this amazing building or not - please consider the larger impact of your support (in whatever form that support takes).

Let's put our money where our mouths are and make something amazing happen in our community.

~ Mandi Hardy Hillman