Birth Principles: Better than a Birth Plan, with Jessie Harrold

Today we are going to go beyond the birth plan to talk about birth principles. Although a well-crafted birth plan can be a powerful tool, more often than not their formulaic, and outcome-focused nature can give a false illusion of control, and elicit eye rolls from jaded caregivers. The truth is, your efforts may be better spent on first crafting your own set of birth principles. Jessie Harrold explains why. Check it out!

To listen here, click the play button on the player above, or click the button below to listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Play.

What we talked about:

• What is the problem with a traditional birth plan?
• How are Birth Principles different?
• Tapping into you emotions surrounding birth
• Navigating external influences, and figuring out how to be comfortable in them
• Stepping into the unknown, and what that means to you
• Exploring the character strength that will serve you
• Understanding your beliefs around birth and birthing
• Do you share your birth principles?
• How can your birth principles inform your birth plan
• What would a helpful birth plan look like?
• How using these Birth Principles makes a difference in birth outcomes

Additional resources and articles*:

• Sacred Pregnancy website, and book, by Anni Daulter
• Birthing From Within, Pamela England
• Mothering From Your Center, by Tami Lynn Kent
• JessieHarrold.com, where you can get her Birth Principles Workbook

Related podcast episodes:

• The Identity Shift of Becoming a Mom, with Sophie McEntee
• Showing up at Your Birth, with Shalome Stone
• Healing Your Birth Story, with Pam England

Courtesy of Jessie Harrold

About Jessie Harrold

Jessie Harrold is a DONA certified doula and life coach. She holds degrees in Neuroscience and Health Promotion, and has trained as a Breastfeeding Educator and Sacred Pregnancy Instructor. Jessie’s experiences, loves and offerings are wildly diverse. The thread that weaves all of her work together is her unwavering commitment to help women + mothers connect to themselves, their power and their sovereignty.

Jessie offers two mentorship programs – unEARTH and motherSHIFT – reWILD Wilderness Quests, Sacred Pregnancy Retreats and birth doula services. She has also published her first book, Project Body Love.

Learn more at JessieHarrold.com, on Facebook (Facebook.com/Jessie.ES.Harrold/) or Instagram (jessie.es.harrold)

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).