We catch life at the threshold.

We believe

Birth is not a medical event to be managed. It is a rite of passage — the oldest human threshold. Every person who crosses it deserves to be held with reverence, skill, and love.

The work of holding that space is sacred. And those who do it — doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, birth photographers, pelvic floor therapists, postpartum chefs, mental health specialists — we are not luxuries. We are essential.

We refuse

We refuse to be disposable. To have hospitals ban us from rooms. To watch insurance companies pretend we don't exist. To move states and lose everything we've built. To compete for scraps while undervaluing our labor.

We refuse to burn out alone, to absorb the trauma of this work with no one holding space for us. To watch colleagues struggle while we stand isolated, independent, scattered.

We refuse to accept that this is just how it is.

We are building

BU is our refusal made real.

Not a company. Not a credential mill. Not another platform extracting value from our labor. BU is a commons — a network owned by its members and shaped by their participation.

• Portable credentials — Your training, your experience, your reputation travels with you. Verified by peers, owned by you.
• Mutual aid — When you're struggling, there's a safety net held by people who understand. Not charity. Community.
• Collective voice — When legislation threatens, the network mobilizes. When the system comes for one of us, it meets all of us.
• Local autonomy — Circles govern themselves. Your community knows what your community needs. The network provides infrastructure, not mandates.

We practice

Power flows up from members, not down from executives. Every major decision passes through consent-based governance. Anyone can raise a principled objection. The table is round.

Trust is built through relationships. Attestations from peers who've worked alongside you carry more weight than certificates from institutions. Reputation is earned face to face.

Transparency is default. The treasury is visible. Disbursements are logged. Governance happens in the open. What affects everyone is decided by everyone.

We remember

In every community, there have been those who held us together. The practitioners who connected newcomers with mentors. Who organized informally. Who made sure no one fell through the cracks.

When they leave — when they move, or burn out, or pass on — the connections dissolve. We scatter. We become independent again.

BU is built so that doesn't have to happen. The connective tissue isn't one person anymore. It's encoded in structure. It's us, together, choosing to stay connected.

We invite

If you've ever felt isolated in this work. If you've been underpaid and told to be grateful. If you've watched hospitals treat you as disposable. If you've burned out because there was no one holding space for you.

This is for you. Built by people like you. Shaped by your participation.

We've got you.