An Open Letter to Birth Without Fear

At Birth Without Fear, we receive hundreds of emails on a daily basis. Many of them are birth stories, to which we say: squeee! Some of them are spam, to which we say: didn’t I create a filter for you? Some of them are hate mail, to which we say: Thank you for your feedback? And, also, I know I created a filter for you! And every once in a while, we get a beautiful prose piece from someone whose life has been changed by Birth Without Fear. Our response to this one is: silent awe. We are absolutely speechless with gratitude for the words that Brie H. from Cincinnati, Ohio, has shared with us.

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January,

I would like to personally thank you for the movement you have set in motion in our country, and around the world.  You have inspired and moved HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS!  How amazing is that to think about?  When we are young, so many of us don’t know what we want to do with our lives, but we know we somehow want to make a difference.  Well girl, you’ve done just that.  You will be able to look back over your life and know that you made the world a better place.  You changed something, and something HUGE.  You, January, have made a positive difference and moved mountains for people you have never even met.  You fight for us, and give us a voice that we never knew we had.  You, and the other wonderful people behind Birth Without Fear, have given us an education on our rights that we may never have had without you.  You have changed birthing outcomes and improved lives of women, families, and babies all around the world in doing so.  WHAT AN AMAZING IMPACT!

I want you to know that I appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made for me.  You have sacrificed time that you will never get back with your families, your husband, your children, your friends, and yourself, so that I know my rights.  So that I can be happy and have the best birth, pregnancy, and family life that I can humanly have.  January, I will never fully understand the frustration you must feel when you see that we aren’t supporting each other, or loving each other, or aren’t showing you and the entire BWF family the gratitude you deserve.  You have done everything for us, and have only shown us love, support and acceptance.

I would, above all else, like to say THANK YOU.  Thank you for the journey you took to bring us Birth Without Fear.  Thank you for the sacrifices you have made.  Thank you for the tears you have cried, the time you will never get back, and any hurt your hearts have felt in the process of making my life better.  I want you to know that you have made a difference, and none of it has been in vein.  I want you to know that I wish you every bit of happiness and joy this life has to offer, because you and your families have made my life so much easier and better because of the sacrifices you’ve made in the name of Birth Without Fear.

One day, I hope to be able to meet you, January.  I hope I have the ability to hug you, and tell you “thank you”, face-to-face, because you have made such a difference in my life.  I thank you with all of my heart, and I thank you from the rest of the BWF community who sometimes forget what you have given up to help all of us.

Sending so much love,

Brie Hammer
Cincinnati, Ohio

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Aw, shucks.