Giving birth is a powerful moment in a woman’s life. As a birth doula for over a decade, I’ve witnessed hundreds of women walk into their new role as mothers as they welcome their children into the world. The biggest goal of a doula is for the expecting woman to feel fully supported, informed, heard, and respected during her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. We want her to have the birth experience she ultimately desires because that’s what every mother deserves. With knowledge and support, we believe she can take charge of her birth and feel empowered in her birthing time. A woman who I’ve admired in my doula journey, who is well respected in the birthing world, and who has been empowering mothers for decades, is Henci Goer. I am overjoyed that she has joined us on our podcast today!

Who is Henci Goer?

Henci is the author of four books: Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach (co-author Amy Romano MSN, CNM), The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth (which is one of my top books to read during pregnancy), Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities, and her latest book Labor Pain: What’s Your Best Strategy? In addition, she has written numerous blog posts and articles, given lectures worldwide, and received multiple awards for her work. Henci’s passion and life’s work provide pregnant women with what they need to make decisions about their care: complete and accurate information, presented neutrally, on the pros and cons of all their options. In her efforts, Henci wants to be a resource, not a guide, and instead of leading, she wants to have your back.

Today, Henci is chatting with us about optimal birth care. Instead of offering instruction on what constitutes optimal care and how to obtain it, she wants to help empower women to take charge of their births. Her goal is to help expecting moms figure out what is right for them and how to get it. Listen to this episode to hear her story and her best advice!