At Her Feet

Raven Lang Part 3 of 3: Midwifery, Boundaries, and the Weight of Change

In this closing chapter of her three-part interview, Raven Lang reflects on the evolution of midwifery and her own transformation along the way. She remembers the simplicity of her early birth bag—herbs, string, and attentive listening—and contrasts it with later years when acupuncture and Chinese medicine informed her practice. From dramatic resuscitations to the quiet power of community birth traditions, her stories illuminate the breadth of what it meant to serve as a midwife in changing times. Raven also speaks candidly about the pressures of money, licensure, and patriarchy, which fractured once-unified circles of midwives and reshaped the work into something more medicalized and fearful. In response, she emphasizes the necessity of boundaries, protecting one’s own energy, and reclaiming midwifery as a calling rooted in curiosity, courage, and reverence. This conversation weaves together memory, poetry, and hard-won wisdom. It is both sobering and hopeful—a reminder that midwives are not only attendants at birth but gatekeepers at life’s thresholds, holding space with resilience, integrity, and love. Mentioned in This Episode * Dr. Miriam Lee — pioneering acupuncturist and midwife who helped legalize acupuncture in California * Dr. Susan Chen — OB/GYN and Chinese medicine teacher * Dr. Kreavy — physician reference during Raven’s practice years * Dr. Resnick — physician mentioned in Raven’s reflections * Marshall Klaus — physician and author who influenced Raven’s thinking on medicine and power * Nathan Riley, MD — contemporary OB who supports midwives, and Blyss’ friend and colleague * Linda Bennett — one of the Santa Cruz midwives and Raven’s colleague. Listen to her episode here [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kbATyNM3GtiyxImoobzuL?si=3ed6c63eaa6d4eef]. * Kat and Kitty — early collaborators at the Santa Cruz birth center * Grandfather Semu & Grandmother Sisi — elders who presided at ceremonial community births * Gregory Bateson — anthropologist, referenced in Raven’s stories * Dave Brubeck — jazz musician connected through family lineage * Robin Lim — midwife and author of Placenta: The Forgotten Chakra. Find it here [https://www.amazon.com/Placenta-Forgotten-Chakra-Robin-Lim/dp/0976290758]. * Mayway Herbs Podcast — series where Raven later shared Chinese herbal teachings. Listen here [https://www.mayway.com/articles/mayway-herbs-podcast]. * The Lama Foundation (Taos, NM) — gathering place for early midwives * “The Voice of Labor” poem — an anonymous blessing gifted to Raven at a midwives’ gathering (full text below) Herbal Wisdom * Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) — used traditionally to slow postpartum bleeding and tone the uterus. * Dried Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) — mineral-rich, restorative, and supportive for lactation and recovery after blood loss. * Trillium (“Beth Root,” Trillium erectum) — historically called “birthroot,” valued as a uterine tonic and hemostatic. * Ginseng (Panax ginseng) — strengthens vitality and qi, sometimes included in hemorrhage protocols. * Yunnan Baiyao (云南白药) — a renowned Chinese formula for stopping bleeding, carried in many birth bags. * Pollen Type A (Typha angustifolia pollen, Pu Huang) — a Chinese remedy specifically for uterine bleeding, especially effective when charred. The Voice of Labor An anonymous poem, gifted to Raven at a midwives’ gathering Let my touch move through you as the time draws near. Gentle at first my call you will hear, Let go and come freely to bathe in me, Sink deeper and deeper into my belly. Feel my caresses become strong and fierce. Don’t turn away. Glide into the darkness. Let my waves rush and ease over you. Let my fury unfold as I make my way through. Though my dance becomes harsh, my love is your guide. Though my valley is fearsome, you will see through my eyes. I know the way well. You are never alone. Your path is well lit for this new journey home. So come into my womb and surrender your fear, For the great transformation is once again here. Thank you to all the elders, donations and volunteers that have made this project possible. Together, we can preserve the wisdom of elder midwives for generations to come. Give today and be part of this legacy.…please visit bridgemidwives.com [https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160] for more information on how to donate. Community Circles [https://bridgemidwives.com/communitycircles] (First Thursdays of each month) Podcast Editor: Shea Lyons Archivist and Producer: Blyss Young Instagram: @TheBridgeMidwives [http://instagram.com/thebridgemidwives] Join our Facebook community: The Bridge Midwives Project [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221793742682859]

Raven Lang Part 2 of 3: Rising as a Leader in the Homebirth Movement

In last week’s episode, Raven shared how she was first called into midwifery. This week, we hear how she rose as a leader during the early homebirth movement in Santa Cruz. Raven describes the study groups, living-room prenatals, and the creation of the Santa Cruz Birth Center. Out of these gatherings came her groundbreaking book, The Birth Book, a collection of women’s stories that carried the movement forward. She also recalls the resistance — public health warnings, phones tapped, and the raid on the birth center. Even under pressure, Raven and her peers kept going, building midwifery from the ground up. This episode marks the moment when Raven stepped from witness to leader, helping shape a new culture of birth. Mentioned in This Episode * Kitty Lakos — RN and midwife, co-founder of the Santa Cruz Birth Center  * Kate Bowland — early homebirth midwife, part of the Santa Cruz collective  * Dr. Stuart “Don” Creevy — OB who mentored Raven and supported natural birth  * Dr. Thomas Brewer — physician known for research on nutrition and hypertension in pregnancy  * Dr. Marshall Klaus — pediatrician who introduced the concept of bonding between mother and baby  * Dr. Barry Brazelton — pediatrician and researcher who worked with Klaus on attachment studies  * Dr. Rebecca Barroso — Cuban-born midwife, later earned a PhD and became a professor at Frontier Nursing University Books & Resources * The Birth Book by Raven Lang — one of the first modern collections of women’s birth stories  * Manual for Rural Midwives — concise international midwifery text translated into English  * Writings of Dr. Thomas Brewer — focused on diet, blood pressure, and maternal health  * Research on bonding and attachment by Marshall Klaus & Barry Brazelton — foundational studies on maternal-infant connection Herbs, Homeopathy & Hands-on Skills * Palpation and maternal touch — learning through feel and observation  * Perineal massage — something Raven encouraged for preparing the body for birth, though midwives hold differing opinions on its value  * Study-group learning — urine dipsticks, blood pressure, and case-by-case pathology  * Suturing — early skills passed through mentorship and peer support Pharmaceuticals Mentioned * Demerol — an opioid pain medication widely used in hospital births at the time, often leaving mothers groggy and newborns sedated  * Pitocin — routinely given in hospitals to induce or speed up labor Thank you to all the elders, donations and volunteers that have made this project possible. Together, we can preserve the wisdom of elder midwives for generations to come. Give today and be part of this legacy.…please visit bridgemidwives.com [https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160] for more information on how to donate. Community Circles [https://bridgemidwives.com/communitycircles] (First Thursdays of each month) Podcast Editor: Shea Lyons Archivist and Producer: Blyss Young Instagram: @TheBridgeMidwives [http://instagram.com/thebridgemidwives] Join our Facebook community: The Bridge Midwives Project [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221793742682859]

Raven Lang : The Birth Book and the Reawakening Part 1

In this first of a three-part series, Blyss sits with Raven Lang — one of the most influential midwives in America and author of The Birth Book (1972). Often credited with sparking the home birth revival on the West Coast, Raven’s voice and vision helped lay the foundation for modern midwifery in the United States. Her groundbreaking Birth Book became a touchstone for countless families and midwives seeking alternatives to hospital birth, and her ideas on imprinting and the formation of motherly love changed how generations would understand the postpartum bond. This episode sets the stage for the next two parts of Raven’s remarkable story. Raven Shares * She shares about her upbringing in San Francisco’s North Beach, * her struggles with childhood illness and Catholic schooling, and * the fierce independence that shaped her feminist awakening. * Raven reflects on her first birth at Stanford in 1968 — an experience both empowering and unsettling — that propelled her into childbirth education, goat-keeping, and eventually attending births in Santa Cruz. Mentioned in this Episode * The Birth Book by Raven Lang [https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Book-Raven-Lang/dp/0394713335] * Immaculate Deception by Suzanne Arms [https://www.amazon.com/Immaculate-Deception-Myth-Childbirth/dp/0914252035] * Childbirth Without Fear by Grantly Dick-Read [https://www.amazon.com/Childbirth-Without-Fear-Principles-Practice/dp/0953096467] * Painless Childbirth by Fernand Lamaze [https://www.amazon.com/Painless-Childbirth-Natural-Lamaze-Method/dp/0812880214] * Peter Nash – California physician who briefly attended home births Thank you to all the elders, donations and volunteers that have made this project possible. Together, we can preserve the wisdom of elder midwives for generations to come. Give today and be part of this legacy.…please visit https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160bridgemidwives.com [https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160] for more information on how to donate. Community Circles [https://bridgemidwives.com/communitycircles] (First Thursdays of each month) Podcast Editor: Shea Lyons Archivist and Producer: Blyss Young Instagram: @TheBridgeMidwives [http://instagram.com/thebridgemidwives] Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221793742682859The Bridge Midwives Project [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221793742682859]

Ellen’s Fight for Midwifery: From Outlaw Practice to Legal Recognition

In this episode of At Her Feet, Ellen Levitt, LM, shares the winding path that brought her from Long Island to San Francisco in the 1980s—and into the heart of the home birth movement. Her story carries us through the political battles that shaped California midwifery, the grassroots collectives that built community, and the deeply personal experiences of loss, motherhood, and resilience that continue to shape her as a midwife. Ellen’s voice is both practical and soulful: she recalls the adrenaline of her first emergency birth call as an EMT, the hard-won fight for licensure that made her the seventh licensed midwife in California, and the ways her own family story—including adoption, loss, and queer parenthood—have infused her work with empathy and depth. Ellen Shares: * Growing up in New York, hitchhiking west, and landing in San Francisco’s queer community in 1985. * Witnessing birth for the first time as an EMT call—and realizing, “why go to the hospital?” * Apprenticeships with Bay Area midwives and training at birth centers in Texas and Florida. * The six-year grassroots campaign that secured California licensure, and becoming license #7. * Shifts in scope of practice over the decades—twins, breeches, VBACs, and changing state restrictions. * Building the Bay Area Home Birth Collective and nurturing a supportive midwifery community. * Her personal journey into motherhood through adoption, surrogacy with her sister, and pregnancy loss. * The gift of breastfeeding her adopted son with the help of donated milk and lactation support. * Herbs, homeopathy, and the evolution of midwives’ birth bags—what was gained and what may have been lost. * Reflections on activism, peer review, free birth, and the ongoing tension between traditional and medicalized midwifery. * Training nearly 20 midwives who now practice across the Bay Area, carrying her legacy forward. * Ellen’s GBS Protocol [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DNzbsPlj508Y2yOQLrh7fDuxnmubUFDR/view?usp=sharing] Mentioned in This Episode: * Nancy Fredrick & Erin Carney – midwives of Labor of Love, Ellen’s first apprenticeship. * Shannon Anton – midwife and founder of the National Midwifery Institute. * Elizabeth Davis – influential Bay Area teacher and author. * Linda Bennett – elder midwife; listen to her episode here [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kbATyNM3GtiyxImoobzuL?si=02fb709053274437]. * Brenda Capps – elder midwife; listen to her episode here [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4x6XvfLQsF2XMOwCogAXE0?si=534a77b084e94e7d]. * Gail Hart – elder Oregon midwife; listen to her episode here [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3S9R5aA5orA6IY93ZxWwZh?si=168d5147ed984a67]. * Raven Lang – Santa Cruz midwife, author of The Birth Book (her interview will air in an upcoming episode). * Bay Area Home Birth Collective – co-founded by Ellen, Shannon Anton, Maria Iorillo, and Danu Calderon. Books * Our Bodies, Ourselves [https://ourbodiesourselves.org/]– seminal feminist health guide that shaped Ellen’s early awareness. Herbs & Homeopathy * Blue Cohosh, Black Cohosh, Cotton Root Bark. * Cinnamon [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4466762/] & Cayenne. * Sabina, Secale cornutum, Caulophyllum. * Chinese “Red Pill” formulas (e.g. Yunnan Baiyao). Pharmaceuticals * Pitocin (oxytocin). * Misoprostol (Miso). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539873/] * Tranexamic Acid (TXA). Hands-On Skills * Uterine massage. * Bi-manual compression — rarely used, only in severe cases. * Folk/traditional methods such as placenta in the cheek, pulling pubic hair, and verbal encouragement to help stop bleeding. Ellen’s GBS Protocol [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DNzbsPlj508Y2yOQLrh7fDuxnmubUFDR/view?usp=sharing] Thank you to all the elders, donations and volunteers that have made this project possible. Together, we can preserve the wisdom of elder midwives for generations to come. Give today and be part of this legacy.…please visit bridgemidwives.com [https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160] for more information on how to donate. Community Circles [https://bridgemidwives.com/communitycircles] (First Thursdays of each month) Podcast Editor: Shea Lyons Archivist and Producer: Blyss Young Instagram: @TheBridgeMidwives [http://instagram.com/thebridgemidwives] Join our Facebook community: The Bridge Midwives Project [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221793742682859]

Mother of Midwifery Today: A Conversation with Jan Tritten

In this intimate conversation, Blyss visits the home of Jan Tritten—midwife, visionary, and the founding editor of Midwifery Today magazine. Surrounded by her garden, animals, and family history, Jan reflects on a life devoted to birth, storytelling, and community. From her own births to attending dozens within a birth co-op, Jan found her calling not only in midwifery but in weaving together the voices of others. Through Midwifery Today and its global conferences, she became what she calls the “mother” of a movement—holding space for wisdom, tradition, and connection across generations. Jan Shares: * How a traumatic hospital birth became the fuel for her lifetime of advocacy. * The early days of home birth in Northern California, alongside pioneers like Raven Lang. * Founding Midwifery Today after a Spirit-led vision, and sustaining it for 37 years. * Stories of mentorship, partnership, and the creation of conferences that brought the magazine’s pages alive. * Her faith journey and how spirituality continues to shape her vision of birth. * Reflections on medicalization, free birth, and why mentorship and tradition matter most in educating midwives. * Why her definition of midwifery is simply: “relationship first.” Through it all, Jan reminds us that midwifery is not just a profession, but a vocation of the heart—a sacred calling rooted in love, trust, and relationship. Mentioned in This Episode: * Midwifery Today – Jan’s 37-year magazine and conference legacy. * Raven Lang – Author of The Birth Book and pioneer in Santa Cruz home birth. Interview coming up in this series. * The Birth Book (Raven Lang) – Seminal text of the home birth movement. * Frontier Nursing Service – Historic nurse-midwifery program in Kentucky. * Carol Gautschi – Midwife, co-coordinator of the Classical Midwifery Conference, and featured in an upcoming At Her Feet interview next season. * Michel Odent – French obstetrician, pioneer of water birth and physiological childbirth. * Ina May Gaskin – Founder of The Farm Midwifery Center; author of Spiritual Midwifery; creator of the Gaskin Maneuver. Interview coming next season. * Dr. John Stevenson – Australian doctor, home birth advocate, and contributor to Midwifery Today. * Cornelia Enning – German midwife known for her work teaching water birth. * Gail Hart [https://at-her-feet.simplecast.com/episodes/at-her-feet-with-gail-hart] – Oregon midwife with decades of experience, previously interviewed on At Her Feet. * Chris Howard – Midwife who became Jan’s partner after she left the birth co-op. * Tom Duncan – Physician who attended home births aligned with midwifery practices. * Angelina Martinez Miranda – Traditional Mexican midwife in Morelos, heir to three generations of midwifery, and international teacher of Mexican birth practices. * Angelica root – Traditional herb used to help release a retained placenta.  Thank you to all the elders, donations and volunteers that have made this project possible. Together, we can preserve the wisdom of elder midwives for generations to come. Give today and be part of this legacy.…please visit https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160bridgemidwives.com [https://form.jotform.com/250828236664160] for more information on how to donate. Community Circles [https://bridgemidwives.com/communitycircles] (First Thursdays of each month) Podcast Editor: Shea Lyons Archivist and Producer: Blyss Young Instagram: @TheBridgeMidwives [http://instagram.com/thebridgemidwives] Join our Facebook community: The Bridge Midwives Project [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221793742682859]