Today I was struck by the beauty of my breastfeeding relationship with my son. The light filtered through the window after our nap, the new crisp white sheets I had just put on the bed felt heavenly and looked so pure. My son’s hair – a golden blond – was moving in the breeze from the window and shining like…
-
-
40 Ways To Know You Are A L&D Nurse
We recently read a ‘note’ by a nurse and shared by many other nurses and even midwives. It was not just a ‘sense of humor, deal with our hard job’ list of how you know you are a nurse. It was rude, disrespectful and a perfect example of what many women find wrong with their traumatic hospital births. After this…
-
To My Little Sister
To my little sister, You’re 38 weeks pregnant now, and as you approach your ‘due date’, there are some things I want you to know. This time is sacred. I bet you hate hearing that, but it is. Right now your baby is listening to your heartbeat, sleeping and moving and safe within you. Women look at you, and envy…
-
My Gastroschisis Baby {Vaginal Hospital Birth}
I have had 5 1/2 years to reflect on the birth of my daughter. Our story is a story of loss, heartbreak, faith, triumph, perseverance, and love…. so much love. – Brienna I married my husband in October, 2006. We had both decided to wait a couple years to have children. Three short months later, I received one of the…
-
I Am Strong {Lampra}
People say I’m strong because when I was 6 weeks pregnant I left an abusive marriage because I couldn’t take the mental, verbal, physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse my husband had been doing to me and didn’t want my son to be raised in that environment. People say I’m strong because during my pregnancy I was homeless for a…
-
Home Waterbirth After Ovarian Cancer
Thank you Jess for your beautiful story! I had my first child in October of 2011 at home surrounded by my family and midwife. It was 18 hours of hard labor with 3 hours of pushing before he decided to finally show himself to us! He was perfect! 22 inches and 8.14 lbs!! It was probably the craziest, hardest, and…
-
Birth Attended by Peggy Vincent – Home Birth of Megan
The Birth of Megan I wrote this 25 years ago, I have revised it some but these are my words of that very special day. The day of your birth was a warm Indian Summer day, October 3rd. Somehow I felt within me that you would be born that day…. I awoke feeling contractions, yet thought that this was just…
-
I Am Strong {Casey}
[Trigger Warning: This story is about a micro-premmie twin birth and loss.] I am strong because I knew, at 26 weeks, I needed to go to the hospital despite not feeling a single contraction. When the doctor told me I was 9cm, baby a was stuck in my birth canal, and we needed to get to the OR immediately, I…
-
The Strength of Words
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” – George Orwell I woke up in a daze and headed to go to the bathroom for the 3rd time that morning. I couldn’t believe it was already the 3rd trip this morning, come on, I was only 12 weeks pregnant. The baby isn’t that big. I finish and go…