Why do we, then, continue to treat women as if their emotions and comfort, and the postures they might want to assume while in labor, are against the rules?

Don't criticize nature, stand in awe of it.

I had to learn not to let anyone push me around, to be brave and to say things I knew might make people mad.

Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.

It does a man good to see his lady being brave while she has their baby... it inspires him.

It's easy to scare women. It's even profitable to scare women... But it's not nice, so let's stop it.

The best a health care system can do is to equip itself to meet the needs of each individual woman and birth. Those needs run the gamut from undisturbed home birth to planned cesarean section.