Birth Rites on the day she was born a small black bear emerged from tall lime green grasses as I rushed to arrive my blood rushing too no one to tell or see, but me 55-years-old and alone this, my first bear in the wild world of my tame life on the day he was…
Author: diblog
The Birth of Arwen, July 1974
It was the summer of 1974. I was 24 years old, married for one year. I was pregnant for the second time, but this was going to be my baby to keep. My pregnancy was fairly uneventful. The only craving I had was for fried shrimp at 2 in the morning. The closest I could…
Meghan’s Birth Story
Before giving birth, I tried to be as open-minded as possible about my options. I did my research, looking into homebirth, drugs versus drug-free, etc. I was open to the idea of an epidural – but not set on it unless I felt that I needed it. We were prepared for the idea of a…
Birth
(First written June 11, 2007: a doula’s perspective.) G’s labour was my third attendance at a labour not-my-own. I am struck by the fact that, should I have been raised in a farming community far away from anywhere else, I would probably work very hard to become a midwife. I really enjoy being in support of…
Birth Story of Thomas, May 2004
At 3:45 a.m., May 19, 2004, my son Jackson (2 ½ years old) woke me up by coming to our bed. He said, “Mummy, I’m sore.” When I felt him, I realized that he was burning up. We went back to his bed and I lay down with him for a few minutes. I realized…
The Birth of Jenny Rebecca, February 14th, 1972
In the summer of 1971 I was 21. I discovered that I was pregnant. I was single and had just finished my second year of teaching. I was visiting my step-brother and his wife in Niagara Falls when I found out. I knew right away how I was going to handle the situation. I knew…
Shannon’s Birth Story
This was my first pregnancy. My birth story isn’t idyllic, but it’s a story I love. During an early appointment, my midwife made a comment that stuck with me: “Some births seem so straightforward and beautiful and the woman feels disappointed; other births are downright violent and the woman is still so happy. I think…
The Birth of Zadyn
Zadyn Pele was due on September 11th, 2009, and didn’t arrive until September 20th, 2009. I had chosen to do a natural homebirth with my two amazing midwives T and C. After Zadyn’s due date came and went I started to feel very antsy. The discomfort of late pregnancy was really getting to me. I couldn’t sleep through the night…
Ripley’s Birth – February 6th, 2002
Like many things to do with pregnancy, it’s odd how much women’s stories can help other women more than any of the books out there. I learned that labour doesn’t necessarily happen like in the books – I was four centimetres dilated (beginning of active labour, right books?), but having 2-minute contractions every 2.5 minutes…
The Birth of Jackson, November 2001
This is how I came to decide on homebirth, and why it was the best choice for me. I have a friend who was studying to be a midwife when my husband and I were first married. She was the one who first started talking to me about the physiology of birth and how hospital…