This is a story of love, courage, and service. Birth and newborn photos by Christy Pellicer, of Doulananda and Bliss Photography. Mama writes, “Here is one of my all-time favorite pictures ever: me right after my hard-earned VBA2C, holding our precious baby boy. It was an unmedicated birth at a Naval hospital – my poor husband (active duty Navy) was…
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Our Sister’s Keepers
“That one-third of the world’s women are deprived of their right to bear girls is the biggest women’s rights abuse on earth. This is the true War on Women, and it deserves a passionate response.” –Reggie Littlejohn Two of my favorite people in human history were midwives. They lived long before anyone was debating home vs. hospital, and their courage…
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Speedy {Literally Outside of the} Hospital Birth
We received an email from Emily Robinson Photography last night about a wild birth she attended the night before that she thought we might like to share. YES! Wild is right! Mama didn’t even make it into the hospital (until after the babe was born)! The midwife was serendipitously right there when they pulled up and calmly caught the baby…
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Home Water Birth to 5th Boy {A Beautiful Journey}
{Editor’s Note: This story comes to me from a friend. This was her 5th baby – and 5th boy. She also blessed another family by being a surrogate for twin girls. Her journey comes to us not only from a place of perspective – having given birth in several ways and places – but also from a place of emotional…
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A Perfect Cesarean Section, Complete with Skin-to-Skin {A First For the Hospital}
From the outside, there is nothing special about my birthing story. No unbelievable twists that surely haven’t happened to other women. This is a special birthing story to me because it’s my birthing story. Birth Without Fear has helped me realize my story is just as special as anyone else’s and I felt compelled to share it with other women…
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{I Am Strong} Birthing a Posterior Baby with a Nuchal Hand
I am strong because I listened to my gut. Doctors told me that I couldn’t deliver a breech baby and that I had to have an epidural and induction or c-section. I was only 35 weeks pregnant and I refused to believe that the doctor had what was in the best interest for my sweet baby. I drove 10 hours…
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I Did It! {HBAC}
“A week ago I was able to have an awesome HBAC with my new daughter! Reading all of the wonderfully supportive comments on my first birth story that you published was almost like a virtual blessingway that close to the end of my pregnancy. My birth experience this time was all that I wanted it to be. I wish that all women…
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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…
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Unmedicated Birth Story {Pre-Labour ROM, Induction 48 hours Later}
My birth story starts with me meeting an amazing woman and deciding to start a family together. Which of course is not as easy as it sounds. First we had to decide who would carry said child as we are of course a same sex couple. Then started the hunt for a donor. We wanted someone who would like to…