"I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack to later find out it was a post-partum anxiety attack. I seen my OB the next day. Whom I must add has taken excellent care of me during all of this. It took me a few weeks to get back to 'normal' and I’m still not certain I’m…
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How a Loss Healed Me
This begins 12 years ago when I was 20. I was carrying a child I knew I couldn’t raise, so I opted for adoption. Her parents are fantastic people and we were lucky to have them in a position to come witness her birth. We thought H would be a boy, actually, but she surprised us, and from all accounts,…
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The Best Laid Plans Often Go Astray {I Am Strong}
“The best laid plans often go astray”. Those words couldn’t be truer when it comes to the pregnancy and birth of my second son, Daxton. In October of 2012, Matt and I made a huge decision – we were going to move to Texas. Both of our families lived on the west coast, in California and Las Vegas, where we…
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Grief And Guilt {The Birth Trauma Experience}
Trauma after the birth of a baby is a ‘special’ kind of trauma. It’s a bittersweet kind of trauma. It’s a silent kind of trauma. It’s an invisible kind of trauma. And if your baby is healthy, it is usually considered an unjustified kind of trauma. I suffered from birth trauma. It was agonising, painful, and heartbreaking. I was alone,…
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A Healing Hospital Birth {After a Delivery that Resulted in PTSD and Birth Trauma}
This birth story of my daughter Kayla was my healing birth after having suffered a traumatic birth experience with my son Alex in December of 2011. When I gave birth to Alex, it was a traumatic, intense birth to say the least. I struggled with PPD and PTSD as a result of his birth. I wanted Kayla’s birth to be different…
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Why Don’t You Write Your Birth Story? (Follow-up to Why Should I Write My Birth Story?)
About a month ago, I wrote a post about a topic near and dear to me: birth stories and the women who write them. I shared the words of BWF mamas who had written to me about some of the benefits of and their motivations for writing their stories. All so beautiful and insightful. These were women who had reached…
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Journey to a Peaceful Planned C-section {Twin Girls}
My story begins when I was just a child. Ever since I can remember, the one thing I wanted to be was a mother. Sure, I had other dreams and aspirations as well – but, while my idea of the perfect career and life was constantly changing, my goal of becoming a mother never once faltered or waned. That dream,…
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Infertility, Loss, Cesarean Birth, and PPD {A Mother’s Story of Two Births}
{Editor’s Note: This story comes to us from Rachel. This is the story of infertility, loss, and two Cesarean births – one which was not empowering, and a second that was positive and healing. This is also the story of two experiences with Postpartum Depression and the effects on bonding and motherhood.} My story starts almost five years ago, it…
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Part 1: A Labour Of Love And A Journey Of Trauma
This is the story of my labour and birth of my firstborn child, my beautiful daughter. It was a much anticipated birth, we had suffered a journey of infertility and loss and her arrival marked one of such anticipation and joy. But it was not to be. This is a story of birth trauma (may be triggering). The day that…