“The act of giving birth is, above all, an intimate and human act; every person should be able to give birth in a place where they feel safe and with the people they choose,” says Roxanne Lorrain, reflecting on her journey with the Movement for Autonomy in Childbirth. Roxanne has been a coordinator since September 2020, but her involvement dates back to 2010, when she was pregnant with her first child. She joined the Movement because she wanted the freedom to choose her birthing options and was surprised by the barriers she faced in accessing midwife services and home birth.

Josée Cardinal, who created the MAMAN group (Movement for Autonomy in Motherhood and Natural Childbirth) in 1995, experienced similar frustrations and wanted to see the pregnancy experience improved for women and society. Josée’s first birth in a hospital was overly medicalized, which she found painful both physically and psychologically. After her first birth, Josée read “Une naissance heureuse” (A Happy Birth) by Isabelle Brabant. “It touched me deeply and changed my perspective. Thanks to Isabelle, I was able to see that home birth is a very relevant option for many women,” says Josée. After her improved experience at a birthing center for her second child, she created a group supporting midwives, birth centers, and natural childbirth.

When her daughter was born in February 1995, Josée visited the birthing center to meet other women and discuss motherhood-related issues. She wrote a proposal to create the MAMAN group and presented it at a meeting there in May that summer. A growing group of inspired women was born, carrying the movement forward for nearly twenty-five years.

Today, the Movement passionately defends the rights of women and pregnant people. Everyone should have the power to make informed decisions about their bodies, choose their birthing companions, and decide on their birthing location. We’re dedicated to empowering mothers and families through engaging events, impactful petitions, political action, and fostering a strong, supportive community. “The most important thing was to give a voice to women and mothers, ensuring their needs are met during childbirth and advocating for safe and respectful experiences,” says Josée. The Movement amplifies these voices, shares knowledge, and encourages systems that allow women to give birth safely and as they wish, whether at home, in a birthing center, or in a hospital.

Our main objectives are to ensure access to quality health services for pregnant women and people throughout the peripregnancy period and to encourage a change in the way the medical system approaches birth. The current healthcare system prioritizes biomedical approaches, which, while lifesaving, can also lead to unnecessary interventions. This reliance on hospital births has overshadowed the benefits of midwifery and home births. We aim to restore agency to pregnant individuals, placing them at the center of the conversation and creating a more holistic approach to childbirth. Our work consists of defending women’s rights and access to childbirth services of their choice, raising awareness among the population by compiling testimonies of childbirth, and making the voices of women and people who campaign for their rights heard. As you’ll read in our Home Birth 101, there are many physical, psychological, and emotional advantages of home birth for the pregnant person, their family, and the community.

Alongside our advocacy for respectful childbirth, we desire to catalyze positive social change. Our mission encompasses interconnected social issues, including equitable healthcare for marginalized communities, women’s rights, combating racism, and respecting LGBTQ+ individuals. Roxanne, who holds a master’s degree in social work, emphasizes, “Sadly, in our society, not all women are equal, and the struggles of all should be shared and supported so that every pregnant person can truly approach childbirth respectfully according to their wishes.”

Interconnected with the Movement’s activism are the friendships we build together. Cynthia Lisée, who joined the Movement in its early stages, explains how pivotal these relationships were to the organization’s founding. After moving to Montreal in 1995, she sought the support of the parents’ committee at the Côte-des-Neiges birth center. “I met some fantastic women there, and from our discussions came the idea of founding a local activist group in favor of the humanization of childbirth that would bring people together,” explains Cynthia. Alexandrine Agostini had a similar experience when she joined the group in 2008, “I was overwhelmed by its humanity…the desire to weave bonds in a supportive and friendly group to support the chaotic and dazzling daily life of being a mother.” These shared stories and journeys inspire our work, recognizing our connected human experience.

Women’s empowerment supports each individual’s unique journey, making the transition to parenthood as smooth as possible. For Josée, her third birth at home was transformative. “I was able to give birth at home in an extraordinarily healing way. This enabled me to experience a ‘happy birth’ for the first time, reclaiming at last the act of giving life,” she shares. Cynthia echoes this sentiment, describing her childbirth as a tool for self-knowledge: “That morning at dusk, I gave birth to myself, not just to my eldest son. It’s important to promote home birth as the perfect setting for transformative experiences, free from intrusions into one’s most intimate self, helping women reconnect with their personal power.”

As the Mouvement pour l’Autonomie dans l’Enfantement embarks on a fresh chapter with a new website and branding, we are excited to enhance our ability to support our community. Our revamped website* will feature a variety of new resources, informative articles, community events, and support networks. Our goal is to create new opportunities for connection, knowledge sharing, and awareness through our new platform. The essence of the Movement lies in activism and sharing an alternative vision of births through the active support of mothers and families in Quebec. We appreciate your support and are thrilled to take these next steps together. Stay tuned to our newsletter for exciting updates and articles in the future!

*This project was funded by the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund.