After researching the benefits of water immersion for labor and birth, I founded Waterbirth International in 1988. My own experience using water during pregnancy and labor gave me firsthand insight into the power of this gentle practice. I became an unwavering advocate, working tirelessly to bring waterbirth into hospitals, birth centers, and home births.

Since then, I’ve traveled to over 80 countries, training more than 25,000 midwives, nurses, doctors, and birth professionals. I’ve worked with hospitals, birth centers, and ministries of health to integrate evidence-based waterbirth practices into maternity care worldwide. Together, we’ve shifted protocols, trained teams, and expanded access to options that truly honor the birthing process.

I’ve helped design and consult on state-of-the-art waterbirth suites in hospitals worldwide, developed hospital protocols, and created comprehensive training programs for medical professionals. I’ve worked closely with ministries of health, midwifery organizations, and medical institutions across six continents to bring evidence-based waterbirth practices to the forefront of maternity care.

Through this work, I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of water to ease labor, reduce interventions, and create peaceful, gentle beginnings. Waterbirth isn’t just a method—it’s a philosophy of honoring birth as a sacred and physiological process.

My book, Gentle Birth Choices, has helped thousands of parents and professionals embrace a new vision of birth, and my teachings continue to reach birth workers around the globe. But my mission isn’t finished. I remain deeply committed to educating, advocating, and supporting the next generation of birth professionals as we work toward a future where every baby is born with dignity, love, and respect.

Because when we change the way we are born, we change the world.