A word I wish I knew before giving birth

Have you ever heard of the term iatrogenic?

I hadn’t either until recently, but it is soooo relevant to modern birth. 

Iatrogenic simply refers to harm that happens as an unintended result of medical care. Not because someone made a mistake or had bad intentions, but because every intervention has ripple effects. Medicine is powerful, and sometimes the very things that help in one way can create new challenges in another. (Think of the long list of often really devastating side-effects on every drug commercial…)

One of the things I really appreciate about this term is that it gives us a way to talk about modern birth without all the shame that so often gets tied to these conversations.

Because this isn’t really about a mom making the “right” or “wrong” decisions.

It’s not about whether you accepted an epidural, agreed to an induction, or ended up with a C-section. And it’s definitely not about blaming providers who are working hard and doing their best inside a very complex system.

It’s about understanding that the system itself is often set up in a way that creates ripple effects, even when everyone involved has the best intentions. That’s just the reality of how modern medicine works. We solve one problem, and sometimes that solution creates a new problem that then needs another solution. Birth is a dynamic process, and interventions change the physiology of labor. Once the physiology changes, the path can change too.

When we start looking at birth through that lens, the conversation shifts in a really important way. Instead of getting stuck in the question, “Did I make the right choice?” we start asking more thoughtful questions about how decisions interact with the body and the baby and what the tradeoffs might be.

If we want to change birth outcomes, not just medically, but emotionally, we have to be willing to look honestly at how the system functions, including the unintended consequences that can come from well-meaning care. Not to reject the system or avoid interventions all together, but to understand how they work and how they fit into the bigger picture of birth.

Lately, I’ve found myself wondering what might shift if more mothers understood this concept before they walked into birth. How might conversations with providers feel different? Would decisions feel less rushed? Would confidence grow simply from having a clearer understanding of what’s happening and why?

That kind of clarity is really what preparation is about. It’s not about memorizing information or trying to control birth. It’s about learning how to understand what’s happening in the moment, ask thoughtful questions, and stay connected to yourself even when things don’t go according to plan.

And understanding that if your birth derails from the plan you were dreaming of, it’s not your fault. That alone can make a huge difference in how someone feels about their birth afterward, regardless of how it unfolds.

We’re so curious to hear your thoughts about this. Had you heard this term before? Knowing what it means, how do you see this showing up in our modern birth world, and what can we do to correct some of it? 

Always in your corner,
Kayla & Leslie

PS– If you’re wanting to go deeper into understanding how birth actually works (physiologically, emotionally, and inside the system), we quietly released a self-paced version of our Birth Prep Circle that you can move through in your own time. You can explore it here.