So what happened?

I don't tend to share birth stories until months or years after they've occurred. Mainly because every birth belongs to the mother and I don't want anything ~ on my part ~ to color her perception nor do I want anyone else to have a piece of her birth until much time has passed. In this way should anyone she knows ever meet me they'll never have access to that part of her without her expressed permission to identify her.

Owning your birth story is important. I've seen mothers look to those who were there to affirm her birth experience. We can do that but the important word here is "affirm her birth experience." Let her tell the story. Often times she also wants to hear her partner's version of the story.

They are almost always two very different stories for time passes differently for each of them. She is in her own world and he is there in a very unique way: more intimate a presence than any other and with more love for her and her baby than any other could have for her. He too will hold the birth forever in his heart and mind.

Remember your birth experience. Claim it as your own. You will remember it as we do very powerful moments in our lives. A independent childbirth colleague and friend sent me this link to a woman who experienced an extraordinary memory and was able to recall it to help others. It's not birth related and I certainly don't intend it to have anyone compare birth with her health experience so please don't take a negative connotation but rather take away with you the power of her brain and body's capacity to use the experience for advancement.

What Have We Unleashed Here!

I made a promise to start this but I'm heading off to bed with two beautiful mamas laboring away over the night air.....I'll be ready when they call.  IF they call.....after all they can do this all by themselves if they choose.