(home)birth, family building, and reproductive health at every size in Oak park
Are you looking for a midwife to support your birth, family building, or reproductive health who uses a Health at Every Size (R) (HAES) framework? You’re in the right place!
Birth Roots proudly offers inclusive, affirming, and respectful care throughout the reproductive lifespan, including pregnancy, birth, and postpartum to all people regardless of body size.
midwife vs. doula — what kind of birth support do you need for your chicago-area birth?
Yes! you can have a home birth for your first baby in chicago!
I’m not in the business of trying to convince anyone to have a home birth — but I do believe that everyone should have access to quality information to make the best choices for themselves. And the persisting myth that things will inherently be safer at the hospital for a first birth is not helping anyone make the most informed decisions about where to give birth.
self-collected paps/hpv screeningand trauma-informed pelvic care in oak park
feminist clinic to home birth — a natural progression
If you had asked me 20 years ago if I would believe that I would end up a midwife — let alone a home birth midwife like that soft, grandmotherly woman who did my annual exam at WCC, I probably would have laughed! But when I look back now — it just looks like another full circle, and as natural of a transition as any midwife would embrace.
disability pride month: on celebrating disability as diversity, and centering the needs of disabled folks from an oak park midwife
If you’re sensitive or prone to over-stimulation (like me!), thinking about giving birth in a standard hospital room with what I can only describe as oppressive overhead (typically fluorescent) lighting, does not induce a sense of safety. Lots of folks come to community birth out of a desire for a less medical-feeling, and more sensory-sensitive setting for one of the most intense moments of their lives.
birth settings: home vs. birth center - choosing a midwife in the chicago area
High quality data demonstrates that a planned home birth with a qualified attendant is as safe as birth in a free-standing birth center. Yet while clinical outcomes may be similar between the two settings, the sense of felt safety that someone might experience with each of these different approaches must be taken into consideration.
pride month 2025: On queering midwifery in oak park
Queering midwifery is about expanding care beyond binaries. Decolonizing care. Inclusivity and access. Person-centered and individualized support.