The first of August was a very exciting day for French Women - and babies!
A law permitting birth centres to open across France was officially enacted last week.
‘Les maisons de naissance’ which are expected to appear over the coming months, mark a revolutionary change for birth in France, which has traditionally been seen as an extremely medicalised and interventionist culture.
The large majority of women in France currently give birth with an epidural, in an Obstetric Unit, and options for those who want a more natural or physiological experience has been very limited, up until now.
Not only does the opening of maisons de naissance herald increased choice for women, who wish to give birth outside of an Obstetric Unit, but it equally signals a change in the way the French think about labour and childbirth.
The philosophy of a birth centre stems around supporting and enabling physiological birth. A calmer, more gentle experience, which respects and harnesses the natural rhythms and wisdom of the body.
En savoir plus:
Links in the French press: