Asian Birth Collective

"From the very beginning, when we found out we were pregnant, I knew I wanted to birth at home. I’ve always wanted to, but it took some time to get my husband on board."

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Being fed and cared for and allowed to just rest and bond with my baby was the most incredible gift...Parenthood has by no means been a cakewalk, but I feel that that gentle beginning gave us such a strong foundation for the journey ahead

I spent most of my pregnancy deeply reconnecting to my intuition and decolonizing from the medicalization of birth. Halfway through pregnancy, I found a truly amazing and radical team of midwives who believed in the wisdom of the body and the journey of birth.

"I know that c-sections aren’t seen as a good birth outcome but at the time it felt so empowering to choose the thing that, in that context, was the best option for my daughter."

I was exhausted, probably pushing for 2 hours. My son was stuck and having a hard time breathing...I was losing steam and still feeling my stomach being pushed up through my esophagus at every push but also I was terrified for my baby. Was he okay?? Push. Push. Push.

Despite my grandparents and then my parents being uprooted from their land and culture, I’ve managed to bring my daughter into this world in a beautiful way that’s authentic to my ancestral way of life. I’m grateful for ways that I can tap into beautiful and joyful practices from my ancestors."

"I happened to be on our kitchen floor at the time. There was no way I was moving and no one asked me to- - this baby was just going to be born right here, next to the laundry closer." 

"Since the midwives hadn’t made it to the house yet, my doula coached me through breathing exercises to help curb the urge to bear down and push.. There was no way I could stop though, I felt the head lower down. The fetal ejection reflex was uncontrollable.. My midwives arrived. The baby came out, sack intact."

When I first got to the hospital, I set up this beautiful altar with crystals, fairy lights, bith affirmation cards, paintings of ancestors from the Philippines and reminders of my grandmother. By the time I got the Pit (pitocin), I was like “Fuck this altar.” It just felt like it was taunting me.