Reclaiming Responsibility: Why Holistic Birth Work Matters in a Medicalized World

In a world that’s becoming increasingly medicalized, Holistic Reproductive Practitioners play a vital role. People are increasingly disconnected from their bodies, from nature and from the wisdom of food, movement, sunshine, natural remedies and natural preventative health care.

It's becoming less common for people to take full ownership for the outcomes of their choices. Not just medical choices like whether or not to follow the medical recommendation to have an induction, but also choices around nutrition and lifestyle. Modern medicine can sometimes mask the consequences of lifestyle choices, offering quick fixes instead of true healing. As an example, while medical intervention like IVF being made more accessible may be desirable and beneficial, it also means more people will access this medical intervention without addressing the root cause of their infertility or hormonal imbalance.

We live in a world that has normalized diets of processed foods, sugar, chemicals or foods cooked in seed oils. Years ago I was at a birth conference and I raised the question about whether our modern diets could be contributing to poorer infant and maternal outcomes. I was shocked when someone I looked up to was quick to shut down the conversation. To a holistic thinker, the answer is obvious. Of course nutrition is an important factor in healthy pregnancy and birth outcomes.

I first heard about an increase in postpartum haemorrhage in a community where their staple food of red rice was replaced by a faster yielding polished white rice. This was common during the Green Revolution in developing nations. Red rice—varieties like Kalu Heenati, Ma‑Wee, and Pachchaperumal—contain significantly more fiber, protein, antioxidants, and micronutrients (iron, zinc, magnesium) compared to polished white rice. In populations where their traditional rices were replaced with white rice, the decision to choose quantity over quality came at a cost. Increasing rates of anemia puts women at an increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage. This is just one example.

Holistic practitioners have a crucial role in education, prevention, and advocacy. Our role is to help people reconnect with their true nature and take back full responsibility for their health and be empowered in self advocacy.

When we hand over responsibility for our pregnancy and birth experiences to the modern medical system, we’re often stepping into a structure that is not designed with holistic care in mind. Decisions are frequently shaped not by what's best for the individual, but by what fits into hospital policies, insurance requirements, staff schedules, and the framework of a system heavily influenced by pharmaceutical and surgical training.

This means care may be guided more by efficiency and liability avoidance than by deep listening, continuity, or trust in the birthing body. When birth is treated like a problem to manage instead of a physiological and spiritual process to support, the outcomes—both physical and emotional—can suffer.

Taking back responsibility for our health outcomes isn’t just about advocacy during appointments — it’s about the small and significant choices we make every day. The doula clients I’ve supported who are the most confident, grounded, and empowered don’t just challenge the status quo in the delivery room — they do it in how they nourish their bodies, care for their emotional well-being, and live intentionally throughout pregnancy. Their birth choices, often seen as bold or unconventional in today’s system, are a natural extension of a lifestyle rooted in self-trust, education, and personal sovereignty.

The role of a Holistic Reproductive Practitioner isn’t just to support birth — it’s to support wholeness. We are here to remind people that health isn’t something given to us by systems, but something we cultivate every day, in connection with our body, our intuition, and our values. Empowered birth begins long before labour.