Rally to Support Homebirth Speech

The Capital Rotunda
Harrisburg, PA
January 26, 2007

What's A Birth Worth?

First, I would like to thank Salem, Birth Without Boundaries, the Capital, the Amish community and all advocates for homebirthing rights for the opportunity to speak on an issue that is so close to my heart and to show my love and support for Pennsylvania's Midwifery community.

My name is Nataki McNeal Bhatti. I am a mother. I am a community artist, poet, educator and organizer. I have worked in the field of program development & education; specifically, how to use art as a means to educate and transform adults and youth. The greatest means to my own personal transformation has been the pregnancy and birth of my son Zia. I want to tell you my story, but first let me ask you, what is a birth worth?

As an African American woman, it was challenging to find open public support during my pregnancy, so I had to create my own platform to educate and protect myself. I couldn't forget the historical exploitation and experimentation of black women within medical settings or how African women's bodies are viewed as breeding forts; objects. As an uninsured woman, I was afraid of the disparities of medical care between those who have insurance and those who aren't insured. I kept hearing the horror stories, deeply ingrained in our cultural vernacular, of women who were treated like heifers having babies. The objectification - disconnection of the body and spirit - is something I feel every woman experiences …especially those giving birth in a hospital setting. The birth process is often treated as a disease that needs curing and the spiritual and emotional needs of both mother and baby are ignored. I couldn't find one happy ending, not one positive birth story; except for those who fought for their autonomy and freedom to choose. Because I didn't have the capacity to trust and feel safe in an institutional setting, I planned for homebirth (and I planned to go to the hospital if anything went wrong and I needed a cure). But first, I had to discern what a birth should be.

I gave birth, at home, in a pool of water, without any unnecessary medical intervention. I labored in the comfort of my own home. I had the support of women whom knew the woman ways: three midwives, a certified nurse midwife, another certified homebirth midwife, a doula and my husband. All of whom I knew and trusted. The three of them danced about me, while I moved naturally through my birth. No one told me when to push, I felt when it was time and did it. No one ordered me into position, I naturally maneuvered into the position that was best for my body. No one complained or outlawed the loud bombarding prayer or the burning of frankincense and myrrh. And no one touched or held my son, I was the first to reach for him and bring him to my chest. My birth experience was more than I envisioned, it was more than….what a birth should be...

I love to sit and imagine the day, remembering and reliving the smallest details. A feeling I didn't know before, joy, sweeps through my body with the same energy and it is released again and again. I have no regrets, not one regret or negative feeling. How many women can say that about their birth experiences? My body can't remember the pain of labor but it does remember its joy. I wish I could close my eyes and wave my hands and release the same joy in me now as I talk about it…would you receive it? My birth healed me! That is what a birth could be.