In the early hours of May 7, 2019, I awoke to a gentle, but certain tightening of my abdomen, giving me the indication that I might be soon meeting our little one. Unlike labor with Will, I didnāt race to wake anyone in the house, I didnāt make any calls or send any texts. Since starting Bodies for Birth five years earlier, I had heard so many stories of women laboring quietly in the stillness of their homes in the …
MY BIRTH STORY AND EVERYTHING I LEARNED FROM IT
An original post from the blog, Mom Smart Not Hard.Ā Thank you for sharing with the Bodies for Birth community!Ā L was born on a late evening in early July. It was hot and I was very ready to be done being pregnant. I was so excited to have a little baby that I could actually hold after months of feeling her dancing in my belly. I diligently prepared myself for labor by trying to come up with exactly how …
PREPARING FOR LABOR AND DELIVERY: ALLIāS BIRTH STORY
An original post from the blog, Mom Smart Not Hard.Ā Thank you for sharing with the Bodies for Birth community! N was born on a Monday evening in late summer. Like many mothers, getting to the amazing moment of holding her in my arms for the first time was a long process, and quite different than I had envisioned.Ā Letās start at the beginningā¦ EARLY LABOR It being late summer, and me being very pregnant in a house without air conditioning, …
Alli’s Birth Story: Welcome, Margaux Grace!
Sweet Margaux Grace was born on March 28, 2017. My journey to becoming a mom is an unconventional one, wrought with much heartache and ultimate joy. I would be pregnant and give birth a thousand times if I could. Finding out in my 20ās that I was in ovarian failure was a blow to the vision I had for my life. I wanted a big wedding and five children. I imagined starting a family with my husband and the excitement …
Happy 3rd Birthday, Willie: A retrospective birth story
November 3, 2016: Three years ago today was my son, Will’s due date, so it’s only fitting that I sit to write his birth story; a task I’ve been meaning to get to along with so many others for…well, approximately three years now! Ā As I begin, I know that my story today is not the same one I would have told on the day he was born, or in the early months or even on his first birthday. Time has …
Carley’s Birth Story: Welcome, Finnegan!
I am one of the lucky ones. Ā I had such a great birth experience. Ā Moms-to-be out there will probably agree that it’s crazy how many horror stories you hear once people learn you’re pregnant. Ā As if there isn’t enough anxiety around giving birth for the first time! Ā Well – spoiler alert, my experience was amazing and I only hope to be lucky enough to do it all over again. It was a Thursday morning, around 6:30 a.m. and I was …
“Water Keepers”: A Guest Post by Meg Heather Ford, ICEA Doula
Water Keepers Exploring the roles of doula, midwife and obstetrician in childbirth I recently supported one of my doula clients through her second birth, and was reminded of the overlapping yet very distinct roles of doula, midwife and obstetrician. The overlap, of course, lies in our shared outcome, which is a healthy mother and baby. The exact definition of āhealthyā however, I think differs depending on your role. An OB might define healthy as alive and able to bear children …
Tara J’s Birth Story: Welcome, Conrad!
Tara J’s Birth Story: Again, my due date came and went.Ā I was eight days late with my daughter, so tried to keep up my normal routine.Ā I had finished my last day of work, so “normal” was entertaining my ever growing toddler and trying to get some exercise each day. Three days past my due date I began bleeding.Ā I had planned to go to yoga that morning so I called my doula to make sure she thought it …
Julia O’s Birth Story: Welcome, Elizabeth!
Julia Oās Birth Story: Elizabeth Rebecca Orme was born Saturday, July 23 at 10:30 a.m. Ā I canāt thank you enough for helping me prepare for labor, and hereās why. AtĀ 4:30 a.m.Ā on my due date, I started bleeding lightly and shortly thereafter having contractions 8 minutes apart for an hour. Throughout that day, I bled consistently and had contractions varying from 5 to 45 minutes apart, and they were painful! My husband, meanwhile, was sick and also in a lot of …