Today we’d like to introduce you to Flor Cruz.
Flor, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I became pregnant with my first child at the tender age of 20. And like most young mothers, I went into it just assuming that my wishes and hopes for the birth would be respected and ultimately I would come out on the other end with a healthy baby and a satisfying experience.
What I wound up getting was feeling a complete loss of control during my birth, feeling pressured to do things I did not want to do, a baby who stayed in the NICU for a week, a dissatisfying experience and very difficult breastfeeding relationship that lasted only a couple weeks. This experience opened my eyes to how women here in America are birthing. I was put on this conveyer belt of birth. Most of us are.
I was astonished to find that women were feeling very disempowered, babies were suffering, our cesarean rate is sky high, and our maternal mortality rate is the highest of any developed country. With these numbers only rising. Ive always been passionate and intrigued about birth. But my experience pushed me to become a birth worker in an effort to spread awareness, education, and support to families.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been a road with lots of twists, turns, ups, and downs. Once I put myself at the forefront, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the amount of unnecessary interventions, how women were being coerced to birth in ways that were convenient to everyone but the mother.
I found myself having to help mothers advocate for themselves and give them evidence-based information. Mothers were simply being told what to do and what was best for them. Essentially mothers were not given options and were not being given proper informed consent/refusal.
The lack of understanding of physiological birth in the maternal system is astounding. And I had to learn how to cope and navigate this system with the mother — trying to build proper communication between the mother and her provider.
Please tell us about BadAssMotherBirther.
BadAssMotherBirther was started out of necessity. Families need the option to have an educated support person by their side, and even easier access to loads of excellent childbirth education at the touch of their fingertips. I specialize in teaching about normal physiological birth, how to navigate the medical system, how to plan for all types of births, breastfeeding, comfort measures, and pregnancy.
I’m known largely for my social media outlets that offer stunning, uncensored content of birth, coupled with childbirth education. I’m most proud of families that utilize all the information and find a whole new way of looking at birth. Sparking fires within mothers to reclaim their bodies and their births has been very satisfying for me.
What sets me apart is my unwillingness to hide the truth about the system and birth. I can say things that people do not want to hear sometimes but its vital for us to openly talk and see everything about birth.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I spent so much time only bringing information to my clients and hiding it from the world. If I could go back, I wouldn’t waste the time that I did being scared. I was afraid of the repercussions and how the world would receive it. Until one day, I just couldn’t hold back anymore.
I wanted everyone to become educated. I spoke with a friend of mine and explained my fear, and she literally said to me “You have to put the information out there and let people receive it how they will.” That really stuck with me, and the next day I began posting away. It exploded and reached more people in a positive way than I ever imagined.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badassmotherbirther/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badassmotherbirther
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/badassmotherbirther
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
