We started trying to have a baby in October 2003. By July 2004, my doctor was concerned and sent us for testing at a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). The appointment was on our wedding anniversary. “You will never have a child naturally.” “There is a 99.99999% chance that you will never conceive a child on your…
Category: 2000s
Tasha’s Story: The Birth of Zack
Dear Zack, Here is the story of your birth. Peter (Daddy) and Tasha (Mommy) were interested in having a baby, but Mommy lost her period for a year due to a medication she was on, so she was really worried about infertility – she didn’t know what had happened at first. They kept waiting for…
Lachlan’s birth – January 2000
It was January, 5 days before my due date, when it all started, and I was not really sure what was going on. Remembering the midwife’s message of “it can take a long time” we thought we would head out and go shopping… let nature take its course… that way I could keep moving and…
Tracy’s Birth Story
I didn’t really have concrete expectations before I gave birth. My idea of what a birth would be like was glorified. As a nurse, I had seen two births that were not at all scary: one was a smooth birth with epidural, and it looked all beautiful and happy, just like you would hope it…
The Birth of Athena, August 2009
A Perfect Birth As Remembered by the Doula Tania was referred to me in her last month of pregnancy. She felt that, had she received the right kind of support for her first delivery, it may have gone differently and less traumatically. After 3 prenatal visits and a refreshed course, Tania and Lorin were prepared…
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…
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…