I went last night to a meeting for a new group in Tulsa called the Holistic Mom's Network. The group is national, first started in New Jersey, I think, and some women are setting about starting a local chapter. It's sort of a support group for moms who want to raise their families naturally, healthily and holistically. They plan to have guest speakers covering topics from natural childbirth to breastfeeding to the environment and anything else someone in the group is interested in learning about. Last night's meeting gave attendees (and there were quite a few of us, I was happy to see) the opportunity to speak up about why they were there and what they hoped to gain from the group. I was there because, out of about 12 or so people I know who are pregnant or who've had babies in about the last year and a half, only three have attempted natural childbirth and nursing, have thought twice about whether or not to vaccinate their kids and have the attitude that maybe, just maybe, when it comes to our kids, natural is better. So I'm hoping to meet more like-minded people who won't call me crazy every time I want to try a parenting technique that goes against the norm. Other women were there because they wanted to explore natural remedies for family ailments, learn how to lighten their environmental footprint and have an impact on the kinds of foods being fed to their kids at schools. All in all, I think it's going to be a really neat group, and I'm excited to be a part of it. The website for the national group is www.holisticmoms.org.

I also started reading a new book last night, one Tasha recommended me called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Ina May is a leading midwife who lives and works in a small village in Tennessee called The Farm. At The Farm, women are used to giving birth to their babies either at home or at a birth center, aided only by midwives and almost always completely naturally. The book discusses ways women throughout the country can take the theories and practices of birthing at The Farm and implement them in their own hospital deliveries. I haven't reached that part of the book yet, but what I have been reading, and the reason Tasha recommended I read it, are the birth stories of women who have given birth or were born on The Farm. It seems like everyone is so eager to tell you their negative birth stories and scare you into thinking that giving birth has to be this traumatic, tortuous experience, but reading these positive, natural birth stories has been really uplifting. Thanks, Tasha!