posted May 03, 2012 12:40 PM            

Matt and Angela Monarch had their first child in November 2011. It was a raw, at home, completely natural, doula-free lotus birth.

From the event page:

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Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes-Monarch are popular raw food authors and founders of the online store The Raw Food World, as well as a YouTube channel and show of the same name. They specialize in the promotion of a wide range of raw food products, DVDs and books, accessories and kitchen appliances. Both Matt and Angela have written books in which they draw on their personal struggles to help other aspiring raw foodists succeed on their journeys. With the help of a balanced raw lifestyle, Angela managed to recover from morbid obesity, dropping more than 160 lbs of excess weight. Matt has been eating exclusively raw food for almost fifteen years.
The Monarchs have recently become parents, opting for an unassisted childbirth. Their baby daughter, Oria Berry, was born at home, after just 1 hour and 17 minutes of labor, without any intervention from a doctor, midwife or doula. The Monarchs also chose to have a lotus birth with Oria Berry, meaning that the umbilical cord was not clamped or severed after birth, but allowed to detach naturally from the baby, within four days of her birth.
The Monarchs have cited Laura Shanley’s book “Unassisted Childbirth” as the main inspiration for choosing this birth method. The Monarchs also choose to use the toilet training practice known as “elimination communication” with their baby, which means relying on timing, intuition and cues from the baby to take them to the toilet, rather than leaving the baby to go in diapers or linens that will then be pressed against their body.
The Monarchs live in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, on a 40+ acre ranch with organic gardens/orchards, nine horses, two dogs, kittens and a blossoming human population of conscious parents and their children.

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