Barbara Harper RN, CD, CCE
Nurse, midwife, doula, childbirth educator. Founder and Executive Director of Global Maternal/Child Health Association. Founder and Director of Waterbirth International Resource and Referral Service, has been researching and documenting waterbirth and gentle birth since 1983.
An internationally recognized expert, she lectures and consults within hospitals and universities. The Oregonian newspaper referred to her as “the Billy Graham of waterbirth”
Responsible for the contribution and institution of politics for waterbirth in 140 hospitals in the US, as well as abroad. Creator and teacher of the course for nurses and doctors on waterbirth.
In her new “Birth and Parenting Connection” resource center in Portland, Oregon, Barbara and her colleagues provide childbirth education classes, doula services, prenatal counseling, AquaNatal swim and exercise, pregnancy massage, prenatal yoga,a lending library and hours and hours of phone and email support to women throughout the world. Barbara has dedicated her life to heal the way we welcome babies into the world.
Producer of the most compelling and acclaimed Video on waterbirth “Birth into Being”, the Russian experience.
Author of the book “Gentle Birth Choices” translated into Spanish and Korean. The revised edition of this book was published in 2002.
Other publications include:
- Waterbirth International: Professional Survey Assessment — Journal of Nurse-Midwifery 34(4), 206-210 (1989)
- Waterbirth: Discovering the Benefits — Transformation Magazine, Los Angeles (1990))
- Waterbirth: An increasingly attractive gentle birth choice — International Journal of Childbirth Education, 9 (1), February/March (1994))
- Gentle Birth Choices, Vermont: Healing Arts Press, Inc. (1994))
- Highlights of the International Conference on Waterbirth. International Midwife, Issue No 3,4, 17 (1995))
- Russia: A new Hope, ICEA Journal 11(1), April/May, 20 - 22 (1995))
- Waterbirth Information Book. Portland: Global Maternal Child Health Association (1993))
- Waterbirth: a 10-year retrospective. Midwifery Today, 35, 12-13 (1995))
- Integrating Waterbirth into Maternity Care: An Agent for Change. Midwifery Today, 43, 35-36 (1997))
- Opciones para un Parto Suave. Lazer Press, Mexico City (1997))
- Waterbirth Basics: from newborn breathing to hospital protocols, Midwifery Today, 54 pp 20-28 (2000))
- Waterbirth Diary ABCnews.com website (1999))
- Birth into Being: The Russian Waterbirth Experience. Video (2000))
- Gentle Birth Choices — Korean Edition, Tae-Myoung, Seoul, South Korea (2000))
- Gentle Birth Choices, revised edition, Inner Traditions (2002))
- Waterbirth: Embracing the Miracle (in production) Inner Traditions)
Barbara has travelled worldwide teaching and giving conferences in England, Israel, Barbados, Trinidad, Russia, Portugal, Germany, Korea, México and the US.