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Weaving birth: interdependence and the fungal turn

Summary

This article explores how childbirth can be understood through the metaphor of fungal networks, which emphasize connection and interdependence rather than isolation and control. The authors compare two contrasting birth experiences—one marked by feelings of abandonment and the need to defend oneself, the other by trust and surrender—to show how different care models shape birthing experiences. Like fungi that thrive through interconnected relationships, positive births flourish in environments of love, safety, and collective support rather than standardized medical protocols.

Background

Childbirth experiences vary significantly based on care models, from highly medicalized approaches that emphasize control and intervention to humanistic models that prioritize connection and trust. Different conceptualizations of pregnancy—such as the ‘fetal container model’—reflect and reinforce assumptions about autonomous, isolated subjects rather than interdependent beings.

Objective

To explore childbirth through the lens of the fungal turn, using fungal mycelial networks as a conceptual and metaphorical resource for rethinking birth as a relational experience of collective care that emphasizes interdependence, porosity, and interconnectedness rather than autonomy and control.

Results

The analysis demonstrates that positive birth experiences are characterized by feelings of safety, support, and interconnectedness rather than autonomous control. The fungal metaphor illuminates how birth unfolds within dense networks of biological, social, and ecological connections, and how trusting care environments allow birthing persons to surrender rigid control while feeling fully supported.

Conclusion

The fungal turn offers a powerful framework for reimagining childbirth as a transformative, relational process that resists neoliberal individualism and industrial technocratic models. By understanding birth through fungal principles of mycelial interdependence, porosity, and collaborative care, we can foster obstetric environments that prioritize love, connection, and the essential vulnerability and interconnectedness of birthing subjects.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Global Women's Health,
  • Study Type:Theoretical/Conceptual Analysis,
  • Source: PMC12457297, PMID: 41001247
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