May 7, 2013 | Breast feeding, Cesarean birth, Epidural, Long Labor, Pain, Pitocin
On Thursday April 18 at 8 am I had an appointment at my maternity clinic to check my blood pressure. I was feeling very uncomfortable and swollen, but when I woke that day my feet were so big I couldn’t even shove my shoes on! Austin sat me down, undid and...
Apr 26, 2013 | Cesarean birth, Doula Attended, Epidural, Hospital Birth, Long Labor, Pain
I have two daughters, so have two stories, but they are so integrally related and my first story defines my second and my second defines my first so importantly that they have become one story. Annabel Wren was born June 23, 2007 and Emaline Iris was born 4 years...
Mar 27, 2013 | First Birth, Grief, Long Labor, Marriage, Mourning, Stillbirth
At first there was hair. I could not believe there was hair! It was fine, like cobweb silk, and dark, the color of chocolate, like her father’s. Her head was coned shaped from passing through my birth canal after 12 hours of labor, with 3 hours of arduous...
Nov 28, 2012 | Breast feeding, Cesarean birth, Epidural, Exhaustion, First Birth, Hospital Birth, Long Labor, Overdue
Here is the birth story of our baby Ethan. My due date was 26th Oct, but I was overdue so we went to our hospital Tokyo Medical Center (Japanese public hospital) on 31st Oct for our planned induction. My husband and I arrived at the hospital at 8:30am, checked-in at...
Sep 25, 2011 | Breast Pump, Exhaustion, Fear, Guilt, Hospital Birth, Long Labor, Partner Attended, Premature
MOTHER NURTURE ~Why my less than perfect birth story matters. I am a recovering helicopter Mom. Whomp. Whomp. Whomp. You recognize us by the closeness in which we stand to our children at the park, by the flood of tears we shed on their first day of school, by the...
Jun 24, 2011 | Doula Attended, Epidural, Episiotomy, Exhaustion, First Birth, HypnoBirthing, Long Labor, Midwife Attended, Partner Attended, Vaginal Birth
Lauren, This description of how you arrived has been lying around for 30 years, but I don’t think you’ve ever read it. It seems a suitable time to hand it over to you. Enjoy! Lots of love, Dad. March 15th 2008 (Lauren’s 30th Birthday) DAD, 1978: This...
