Susan Petrus

Like many women, I grew up disconnected from birth. I didn’t see any siblings born, didn’t attend the births of neighbors or friends, and didn’t question American birth practices. When I was pregnant for the first time, I attended the hospital’s childbirth classes, but otherwise didn’t give too much thought to the process of giving birth. I had a standard, medically managed labor where the decisions were mostly made by my doctor and nurses. I’m not sure I even understood I had a right to disagree or make decisions, when I look back. Too late, I realized I was not mentally prepared for the experience, and I did not like being a passive participant during this huge life experience.

The second time around, I researched risks and benefits, feeling confident that I had the information I needed to make decisions during pregnancy and labor. I faced my fears about childbirth and learned to distinguish between “normal labor pain” and “suffering.” I listened to positive birth stories from other women who had walked this path. I chose a birth location with policies that were evidence-based, and I selected care providers who understood how to assist me emotionally and physically through the process. I was an active participant in my son’s birth—and it felt great! There was an enormous difference in how I felt during the birth, how I recovered afterward, and how I bonded with my child during his first weeks.

My experiences inspired me to be an advocate for better birth options. For two years I served on the board of the Alabama Birth Coalition and, along with Dalia Abrams, facilitated Birmingham Birth Stories & More, a free support group we started for parents seeking information about low-intervention birth. In 2011, Dalia and I co-founded BirthWell Partners, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to training birth doulas and providing free and reduced cost doula services to low-resource women in central Alabama. I currently serve as executive director of this organization. I became a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) and DONA Certified Birth Doula in 2014, and joined BirthWise in Birmingham in 2015.