Happy 5th Birthday, Johnny: A Retrospective Birth Story

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 didnā€™t race to wake anyone in the house, I didnā€™t make any calls or send any texts. Since starting Bodies for Birth five …

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 …

PREPARING FOR LABOR AND DELIVERY: ALLIā€™S 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 Letā€™s start …

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 20ā€™s that I was in ovarian failure was a blow to the vision I had for my …

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 …

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 …

“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 ā€˜healthyā€™ …

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  …

Julia O’s Birth Story: Welcome, Elizabeth!

Julia Oā€™s Birth Story: Elizabeth Rebecca Orme was born Saturday, July 23 at 10:30 a.m. Ā I canā€™t thank you enough for helping me prepare for labor, and hereā€™s 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 …