What if every mom-to-be could give birth like a princess?

Congratulations to all women who gave birth on July 22, 2013, including the Duchess of Cambridge!

Talk about the pressure to push!

Now that the royal baby has safely arrived in the world, I started thinking, wishing….

What if every mom-to-be was given the chance to begin motherhood like the Duchess of Cambridge? What would that look like?

Possibly, every mom could:

– Receive the absolute best pre-natal care throughout her pregnancy.

– Meet the team who would help her deliver her baby ahead of time.

– Be educated about all her birth options before entering the delivery room.

– Be respected by the medical team with regards to her birth plans.

– Be made to feel that the midwife was there for her entirely, no matter how long it took her to birth her baby.

– Give birth in a relaxing and comfortable setting with a top medical team on standby.

– Be allowed to remain in the birthing room for several hours to recover, right there with her baby and her partner or birth attendant.

– Be allowed to stay in a private room with her baby and with her partner or birth attendant in the day/days following delivery.

– Have a kind midwife or lactation consultant on hand to help her with early breastfeeding during the first confusing days.

– Have a support team on hand awaiting her return home.

– Have a midwife and doctor on call for any questions regarding her post-natal recovery and the baby’s health.

– Feel safe, secure, loved and well taken care of.

I’m very happy for the Duchess of Cambridge that she was able to give birth with these and/or similar options available to her. Yet why should these conditions be so unreachable for moms who give birth outside the Lindo Wing at London’s St Mary’s Hospital?

If the world has become so excited over the birth of one child, can we not think a little bit more about the moms who give birth to all the other children in the world?

There are so many women who give birth without coming close to any of the above conditions.

There are women who give birth alone without even the most basic medical support.

If you’d like to help moms in developing and developed nations have safer births, which can help save their lives and the lives of their babies, please check out the organization Every Mother Counts, which we at Purple Leaves, Red Cherries are proud to support.

Thank you and again, CONGRATULATIONS!