Hi, I'm kristen mantell

When I got pregnant with my first child, birth was not on my radar, at all. I just went along with all the things you were “supposed” to do, I asked few questions, putting blind trust in my care provider, and just picked the closest hospital that delivered babies. I started my pregnancy as a passive participant in my care. As my pregnancy progressed I came to notice I knew more people around me that had a cesarean birth than a vaginal birth. Let alone a vaginal birth that wasn’t a “near miss” or a completely traumatizing experience. 

Something seemed off to me… 

I had this nagging question in the back of my mind, how did we survive as a species for this long if most women truly require major abdominal surgery and/or major medical intervention in order to give birth? I mean I know advancement in medicine has saved lives, but this seems a tad bit extreme… things didn’t add up.

I personally didn’t want major surgery or to be traumatized by the birth of my child if there was ANYTHING I could do to lower my personal risk of those scenarios. So I started doing my research. 

I stumbled upon a comprehensive natural birth class and to be perfectly honest was hesitant to take it. I mean why in the world would you give birth without an epidural?! That’s just what you do right?! After doing a ton of research I came to the conclusion this class was my best option to educate myself on the normal processes of birth and how to keep myself at the lowest risk possible for any “avoidable” complications. 

I thought, even if I take this class and end up wanting or needing an epidural or some sort of medical intervention, at least I could take some FEAR out of my upcoming birth, figure out how to handle contractions, know what to expect in general terms, and be a part of the decision making process.

Due to my personal tendencies to be “over-prepared” and my passion for learning EVERYTHING and always asking”why”, I not only took the independent comprehensive 10-week course but I also signed up for the 2-day hospital-sponsored birth class. 

Holy crap, was there a difference between the two… like night and day. If I would have just taken the hospital birth class I would have been more scared and not at all prepared. I would have made a good patient though, perhaps thats why that class exists? I am forever grateful that I took that leap of faith and chose to educate myself through other means outside of what the hospital provided or suggested. 

After all was said and done, I am 500% convinced that my comprehensive birth class saved me from an avoidable cesarean. Thank you Megan! 

It saved me from a lot of avoidable birth trauma. Looking back in hindsight on how my birth unfolded in its own uniqueness, had I not been informed and prepared going in, there is no doubt in my mind things would have ended up A LOT different. My hospital birth experience opened my eyes to the inner workings of how birth happens in this country. It started me down a path of intense exploration and learning ALL about birth, the cesarean epidemic, women’s rights in birth, women’s empowerment, and birth politics. 

I was like Alice falling into the rabbit hole. My eyes were now wide open and I just could not look away. It was like watching a car wreck, like a highway full of car wrecks, and everyone is too busy looking at their cellphones! There I was jaw on the ground, seeing this wide landscape of just a complete shit show. 

I learned that women & birthing people were being lied to and coerced. Seemingly “harmless” routine procedures were actually the direct cause of a lot of avoidable complications in birth. Technology that has been proven ineffective and harmful is still in use. That our cesarean rate was sky high and the high rate was actually causing worse outcomes not better. That black women were dying at 3-4x the rate of white women. That the United States is THE most dangerous places to give birth in the industrialized world. The United States, where the majority of births take place in hospitals with highly-skilled surgeons and doctors, with state-of-the-art technology… 

What in the world?! 

My old perception of what a “safe” birth looked like was turned on its head so fast, I think it’s still spinning.

I saw doctors, insurance companies, the media, mothers themselves, and hospitals blaming women for their own demise. Blaming women for this crisis. Blaming women for their own trauma. It just didn’t add up. The more I learned the more I realized our entire system is broken to its very core. I’ve realized the oath, “do no harm” does not seem to apply in maternity care in America today. Women & birthing people, babies, and families are being harmed on so many levels and many people don’t even realize that this is happening. It’s happening in very subtle and not so subtle ways and for those who are aware of the issues many are at a complete loss on what to do about it. I found myself in a tough spot. 

This problem is HUGE. It’s extremely political. It’s more than just “get the epidural” or “schedule a cesarean” or “hospital vs home” at the core, it’s about human rights, specifically birthing people and women’s rights. Many people have been fighting the fight to better maternity care for a long, long, long, long time. We are in a dire need of a total systemic overhaul! I saw a gigantic problem that was right under everyone’s noses. It blew my mind. 

This is at the core of why I started Wild World Mama: 

To do whatever I possibly could to help lessen fear and trauma surrounding birth. 

It’s not about one “type” of birth over another, its about women & birthing people being a part of the decision making process and not being run over by an abysmal system that doesn’t give 2 shits about them after they leave those doors… as long as they pay their exorbitant bill. Figuring out a way to do that, within my own resources and abilities, took some creativity on my part. 

How do we tackle this iceberg size problem, 1 chip at a time, until it eventually it cracks. 

I got certified to teach childbirth education classes. I got professionally trained as a birth doula. All while raising 2 young children of my own under 3 years old! I observed many other births which taught me how incredibly beautiful but different birth is for every single mama and every single pregnancy. I watched powerful women in their most vulnerable moments being manipulated. I educated myself on all sides of the issue, I tried to get to the core of what was the problem so I can hopefully understand what the solution might be and how can I help contribute to that solution. I wanted to also utilize my natural abilities and personal strengths. I didn’t want to not pretend to be someone I’m not or fit into a box of what someone who does this should be. I wanted to help support and further the cause of improving maternity care for all mamas. 

Birth in America is a business. In the US, the only way businesses change is when either the consumer demands something different or laws are changed. The consumers of maternity care in America are the mothers, birthing people, fathers, & families. My thoughts are, if you adequately inform and support expectant parents, they themselves (the consumers of maternity care) can demand better, when enough consumers demand better, when the voice is loud enough, the business of birth will have to bend to meet those demands. 

Through my quest for gaining more clarity surrounding what’s causing this maternity care crisis, I’ve made a list of some of the main issues: