January and Brandon are discussing the ups and downs of healing mentally and emotionally from life’s (often) unforgiving shenanigans. They discuss shifting expectations instead of lowering them, setting and then enforcing boundaries, and speaking positively to one’s self. Healing takes time, and this episode reinforces that mantra through and through. So grab a cup of coffee, find a quiet place…
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Surviving a Tubal Pregnancy: A Story of Hope
Disclaimer: A tubal/ectopic pregnancy carries serious risks. This is one woman’s experience and is a rare outcome. Nothing shared here replaces medical advice or reflects any other woman’s experiences or needs or outcomes. I wanted to be a mother from as far back as I can remember. But I suffered from an eating disorder and as such, I had irregular…
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Healing Through Birth
I’m writing this in hopes that it will help with my healing. It’s been two months since my son came into this world and I feel like my story needs to be shared. A little back story: My husband and I got married at the ripe old age of 20 after only dating for a year! I found out I…
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Margot’s Water Birth Story – {Part II}
Well, this story takes off where Part I ended. In Part I, I recounted the story of my daughter Margot’s birth – an intervention-free natural water birth, which was far and wide the most profound and empowering experience of my life. I had an iron will and a driven outlook on a woman’s body’s capability to rise to the challenge…
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Deep Rooted Faith Leads to a Healing Second Birth
Surita Carstens from South Africa described her first baby’s birth as, “…one of the most traumatic experiences in our lives.” We published that story in 2012 and it moved many of us to tears with its senseless cruelty. At the end of it she wrote, “I hope that one day I can have a VBAC to empower me and feel…
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Hospital Trauma and Healing at Home: A Story of Two Births (Part II)
Pregnancy and/or Parenting Through Adoption/Infertility/Loss blogger Sarah Robertson-Barnes shared the story of her first birth yesterday – a hospital birth which left her feeling guilty, dehumanized, and depressed and which she chronicled on her blog, Little Chicken Nuggets. Today, she shares the victorious, redemptive experience of her second birth, midwife-attended and completed at home. You can read the first part of her…
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Together as a Family, Part V
This is the final installment of a five-part series about loss and healing. Written by Shannon from Brisbane, AU, this powerful story outlines her experience of three miscarriages followed by the healthy pregnancy and birth of her son, Jasper. Yesterday, we shared her account of early labour; today, you get to read the happy birth story in its entirety! “We…
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Together as a Family, Part II
This is the second in a five-part series about loss and healing, a story shared by Shannon from Brisbane, AU. Yesterday, she shared about her first two miscarriages. Today she writes about coping through them, and her next. Check back tomorrow to hear how she worked through the fears that arose when she conceived – and found spotting – again. “One…
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Together as a Family, Part I
This is the first post in a five-part series about loss, healing and motherhood. Our story comes from Shannon, a photographer and mother in Brisbane, AU. Shannon’s story sent shivers down my spine when I first read it. It also put tears in my eyes. With three miscarriages and one healthy, full-term pregnancy, it is a story that can break…