About BWF

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop and look fear in the face.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

“If I don’t know my options, I don’t have any.” ~ Diana Korte

I am a mother to 5 children. I am passionate about many things including gentle parenting, family, chiropractic and birth. Each of my birth experiences have been different. I have had 2 cesarean sections, followed by a hospital VBA2C (vaginal birth after 2 cesareans), then two unassisted homebirths (UBA2C’s). Through my experiences I have grown and learned what it takes (for me) to have an empowering birth. I started the Birth Without Fear Facebook page as an outlet for my passion. I want to help other women work through their fears and heal from traumatic experiences. I want to support women in having births without fear.

As the Birth Without Fear page turned into an incredible community of supportive women, there was a want and need for a BWF Blog. It is another strong voice for women’s rights and choices in birth. I can reach more women and educate them about what birth really should be. I can support women in their choices and journeys to have wonderful birth experiences.

I absolutely love my part in this Birth Without Fear journey and hope you will too. Pull up your chair and join us for laughs, great conversation, healing and triumphs as we all celebrate birth and motherhood together.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or midwife. I am a wife, mother and have birthed in many ways. I truly believe women can learn much from one another and that sharing and support is vital for women. BWF does not give medical advice. If you have any concerns with your pregnancy or birth contact your doctor or midwife.

Also, non professional pictures are watermarked soley for the protection of the photograph owner. BWF takes no responsibility for the pictures and does not own them.

I am now blessed to have help from some amazing women who share the same vision as I do. They are all unique, beautiful, educated women who give their time to help get more content and stories up on the BWF Blog for all of you!

Mama Bice is a wife, mother, and aspiring midwife. Her personal areas of interest within birth are focused on birth as a family event and the common procedures which take away from that atmosphere. Having had a natural out-of-hospital birth already – and planning a home birth for the child she is currently “baking” – she believes that an empowering birth experience (no matter where it takes place) is important for every mother and family. She is also a two time Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) survivor. Her feisty side comes out at times, but compassionate support is her goal.

Tamara Butz is a mother, wife and has a full time job. She is working on her Doula certification and is an advocate and supporter for breastfeeding. She has a son who she experienced a traumatic hospital birth with unnecessary medical interventions. Currently trying for baby #2 and a healing birth. She is a believer of standing up for what you believe in and is very passionate. Birth should be empowering however way you choose. Just make educated decisions.

Svea Boyda-Vikander is a mother, psychotherapist and visual artist. She works with mothers and other creative people in facilitating healthy parent-child relationships and artistic practices. In February of 2011, she gave birth to her first child at the Côte des Neiges Maison de Naissance (Birthing Centre) in Quebec. This experience opened her eyes to the powerful healing and spiritual potentials of birth, and it quickly became her passion. She is now conducting research into perinatal depression, loss, and cross-cultural infant care practices at Goddard College, VT. Svea believes motherhood is a political act deserving of support, acknowledgement and endless tubs of mascarpone cheese.

Alisia Cameron is a lesbian parent, stay-at-home-mum, and university student. She has two daughters with her partner, and is in her final year studying early childhood education. Alisia is also a children’s yoga teacher and hopes to complete her full certification to teach yoga for pregnancy and birth! She has experienced two very different hospital births: a long medicated labour ending in a caesarean in 2008, and a healing Hypnobirthed VBAC in 2012. Alisia has become passionate about giving women the information and power to reclaim their birth choices and plan calm and positive birth experiences. Alisia is also very passionate about natural living and peaceful and respectful parenting.

Krystal Cleaver is a wife, mother and doula. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Colorado and is a student at Childbirth International. She is known to truly support all women in all their birthing choices. Areas of particular interest to her are pregnancy and childbirth, gentle parenting, motherhood and compassionate intactivism.

Ruthie Davis is my right hand woman. She has been there for me through thick and thin. She is also responsible for doing all the awesome quote pictures you’ve seen on the blog and Pinterest! She is an educator, an activist, and an advocate for moms and babies. She supports families in her community by working and teaching at a local birth center, is on the board of a non-profit organization dedicated to helping families through providing doula services and breastfeeding support, and has been known to frequent births as a friend, doula, photographer, or midwife’s assistant. She is a wife, mother and step-mother of four kids, a cat, and a uromastyx, and can often be found at Target slipping information cards into appropriate places. She is down to earth, as real as you get and an incredible friend. Once she can get her hands on a good camera, she would love to do birth photography. Basically, there is nothing she can’t or won’t do!

Mama Queenly is a wife to her best friend of 15 years and SAHM to two young boys in Midwest, USA. Her passions include, but are not limited to:  writing, cooking, baking, and all kinds of music (both recorded and live).  Having had both an induced, med free vaginal birth in a hospital and a birth center transfer turn emergency cesarean, she has very strong interests in pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. She shares the belief that knowledge is our best defense when fighting for our basic rights and feels that she has much to share with other women about her own experiences.

Meagan Sallee is a wife, mother, trained birth doula and photographer. She is a stay at home mother to two spirited children. She experienced a hospital induction full of interventions with her first and then a natural hospital birth with her second…which changed how she saw birth.  She also enjoys cooking, reading, writing, tattoos, and photographing anything and everything. Meagan believes you should take each day as it comes, and be thankful for every moment of it. And if you can help someone on your way, it’s even sweeter.

Brianna Toth is a wife, stay at home mom to two active toddlers, and a step mom to an amazing son. She is diligently working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders from Utah State University. She aspires to be a Speech Pathologist and ultimately work with autistic children. Having had an induction riddled with unnecessary medical interventions, and then trying to labor naturally at home only to be rushed into a very traumatic emergency cesarean section; she is now a passionate about pregnancy, child birth, post-natal care, and breastfeeding. She believes that women should educate themselves in all aspects of pregnancy, child birth, post-natal care, motherhood, and breastfeeding. Being a mother is the best job any woman could have. It is also the hardest. We should form together as a community of strong women from all backgrounds and show support and love for one and other.

*Header image courtesy of Earthside Birth Photography. Do not copy or use without permission.