When I was pregnant I wanted as much information as I could get about the next year of my life. I learned very quickly that not all information was helpful. And most of it was based on fears. I just wanted real information from real women.
I love birth stories. We all have so much to learn from them. My daughters were not able to attend the home waterbirth of their little brother, but they have seen the photographs and they love to hear how they and their brother were brought into this world. I keep to the story as best as I can remember. It is so important that our daughters have an understanding of the natural physiology of childbirth. If we don’t pass our stories on there will be a disconnect. This isolation can breed fear. The fear of the unknown for a first time mother can be overwhelming. If that same first time mother knows that her mother, aunt, sister, or friend gave birth naturally then she won’t be so alone.
We are all here because someone gave birth to us. Every birth has a story. There are many sources for birth stories my favorite birth story book is Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. Also, there are many stories available to read on the internet.
One site I love is birthdiaries.com . This site is exactly what it sounds like. Lots of moving birth stories. What I love the most about this website is the graphic rating scale. You can choose the modesty of each birth story. This makes it easy to only read what you are comfortable taking in.
We want to hear your birth stories. I will compile your stories and create a new categorie on the Everything Birth blog. So write them down and e-mail them to me. jessica@everythingbirth.com
I can’t wait to hear from you!