Feb 27, 2011 | Cervical lip, Empowered, First Birth, Home birth, Midwife Attended, Nesting, Overdue, Partner Attended, Yoga
My visceral desire for a child had consumed me for months leading up to my pregnancy. I intuitively knew that the process of growing and birthing a life would be a powerful healing experience for me– I had read Ina May’s Spiritual Midwifery when I was in...
Feb 27, 2011 | Bathroom birth, First Birth, Hospital Birth, Midwife Attended, Overdue, Partner Attended, Passing out, Pitocin, Tearing, Third birth
I am choosing to submit my story anonymously because, although this is my personal, true story, it also belongs to my children. I have their personal birth stories written down and stored in a special place to be shared with them when the time is right. I do not...
Feb 22, 2011 | Doula Attended, Empowered, Fertility Treatments, First Birth, Hospital Birth, HypnoBirthing, Midwife Attended, Planned Pregnancy, Ring of Fire
This is the story of the birth of my first child, my daughter, Elliot, on 30 November 2002. I longed for this baby. My life was everything I had ever wanted — great husband, education, dream job, lovely suburban house backing up to woods, money and time enough...
Feb 10, 2011 | Empowered, First Birth, Long Labor, Midwife Attended, Vocalizing
Sylvie’s birth. Outside the open window is the May dawn. There are pauses between contractions when life is so sweet, so light, and somewhere in the little world out there a blackbird has begun to sing. Through my unopen eyelids I can see the delivery room, pale...
Dec 16, 2010 | Empowered, First Birth, Midwife Attended, Waterbirth
I was two days past my due date. I’d been whispering to my engorged stomach for weeks, “Not yet, honey, not yet,” as I frantically tried to wrap up the last loose ends for work and get the nursery finished. (The ‘nursery,’ which was just a bassinet in the corner of...
