Interviews

Shanay Rocker

Shanay Rocker

"Iylas birth made me love all things: the birth and my doula in NYC. I just thought this is such a magic job. Not knowing what it really takes until I became one, how hard working in this field is and how sacrificing. Also a lot of people I was surrounded by spoke negative about birth and I wanted to question why. Why are women so afraid of birth? Why do women always choose hospital over home-birth? I just got into exploring the whole evolution of birth. Once you explore the doula world, you find so many inspiring women that you think Wow, yes, this is where I’m meant to be. Being a single mother, I had to make this work." 
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Marta Vargas

Marta Vargas

"I got pregnant at the end of April. It is still hard for me to believe it. It was indeed a premeditated decision. My fiancé and I had been trying to conceive for over a year and a half and we had actually decided to do IVF. Five days before starting the IVF treatment I felt a bit sick and we realised my period was late, so we decided to do a pregnancy test. Not in a million years could we have imagined that it was going to be positive."
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Alicia Macias

Alicia Macias

"My placenta didn’t develop as it should have. The umbilical cordon didn’t have the proper blood irrigation and he didn’t receive enough nutrients to grow. It’s hard to know that your body is the reason why your son, who is still inside of you, is undernourished. You feel powerless, because there is nothing you can do. Everyone around you tries to make you feel better by saying that there are things in life that you cannot control. Yes, that is true. Nevertheless, for a mother, knowing that her son can die inside of her because of her own body… this is something that destroys you."
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Carol Montpart

Carol Montpart

"I think labour is an experience in itself and not just a transition or process to bring a baby into the world. There is a certain fear that society has built around women giving birth. In recent decades women perceive labour as something painful that they should get done as quickly and painlessly as possible, rather than the beautiful and spiritual act that it can be. I see birth as a team work, where you and your baby work together."
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Sarah Kinder

Sarah Kinder

"It was the worst experience of my life, but also the most empowering. It’s the ultimate sacrifice, as you actually give your life to birth life. I literally thought I was dying. In that first moment I held him in my arms I had this overwhelming feeling of awakening. It was the birth of my son, but also the rebirth of myself."
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Ariadna Guirado

Ariadna Guirado

"My mother died a few years ago. During the past months I’ve been dreaming a lot with her. I’ve been waking up with the feeling that she’s there, with me. Motherhood moves many feelings inside of you and I believe that the bond with our mothers wakes up in particular strong ways. We are suddenly able to understand so much about them, things that before we couldn’t see. It has happened to me. The connection to our mothers is beyond physical."
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Ilsa W. H. Kidd

Ilsa W. H. Kidd

"I don't think we're in sync with how we live in this modern world as mothers. We are far removed from nature. Being a mother/pro-creator is nature, so it goes against our instincts to manage, juggle, maintain it all... modern life, demands, pursuits, opportunities and raising our young. But I think it goes against us to also eliminate the modern complexities of society and humanity. It's important to feel fulfilled in many ways. In saying this, the disconnect drives us to judge ourselves when we feel we are failing or not giving enough or not making ends meet. We are constantly trying to prove ourselves in so many ways."
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Mònica Marmo

Mònica Marmo

"In 1997 women had very little decision about their motherhood, neither how to give birth, nor how to feed their children. Now I realize that it was all based on the system of Patriarchy, men decided everything. The midwives had a secondary role. At that time, those of us who were breaking these schemes were alternative women and perhaps radical women, who aimed to achieve what we wanted."
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