The First Adjustment
Provided By The ICPA
We are entering an era of change and remembrance. As trust in systemic healthcare fades and a deep desire grows to return to what makes us most human, birth has become a sacred threshold of reclamation.
Salutogenic Birth is a paradigm of birth that honors the innate capacity of the mother, the process of birth itself, and the resources available to her and her partner to build the skills and confidence to bring life into the world. In this model, it is not about location—home, birth center, or hospital—or the expertise of a medical provider, midwife, or doula; it is about recognizing that the ability to create and give birth to life innately and purposefully exists in the hands of the family.
It is a return to the original blueprint: trust in the woman’s body and support that empowers her to cultivate the skills, confidence, and coherence for birth. The concept of salutogenesis—the creation or birth of health — reminds us that health is a living continuum, not an outcome. For mothers and fathers alike, what matters most is the process: preparing the mind, heart, and body for the profound experience and activity of birth.
While setting and professional services matter and many families are choosing home as the most congruent birth location, the deepest meaning arises from the sense of coherence and connection developed and shared by the mother, baby, and partner. In the salutogenic model of birth, families cultivate their skills, resources, trust, and confidence long before the activity begins—and rather than depending on a specific outcome, location, or provider, they remember the innate intelligence woven through the process.