Most of our culture’s conversations about birth revolve around safety and legality. The cultural expectations surrounding birth negate a wide range of experiences that lead up to the birthing process and the virtues that birth requires of women. Though the nuances of pregnancy and birth are more commonly discussed in the medical field than in Church circles, all of a woman’s experiences over the course of her life contribute to the way she delivers her baby. With this in mind, how can we have better conversations that connect birth and the virtues?

In this episode, Chris and Eddie talk to Julie Dotterweich Gunby, a certified nurse midwife who has delivered over 1,000 babies. Julie describes the vocation of midwifery as a way of positioning oneself to help women articulate what it means for them to birth well. She speaks to the constraints that women face when sharing their needs and desires in the midst of preparing for mothering, and she shares the importance of creating space for women to reflect upon generations of mothers who came before them. Julie encourages mothers and future mothers that they can birth with greatness of soul no matter the circumstances.

Resources

To see how birth ethics are often framed in terms of autonomy and individualism rather than virtue, click here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2667293/

Facing the uncertainty of birth requires both personal and societal virtue. For a summary of some of the complex race, class, and socioeconomic issues plaguing America’s birth outcomes, click here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2667293/

Check out Birthing From Within, a classic book that does better than most to help women and families prepare for the demands of giving birth well

Follow Julie Gunby on social media:

https://twitter.com/JulieGunby

Birth & Motherhood - "Birth and the Virtues" with Julie Gunby