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…
Tag: hospital
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…
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…
Di’s First Birth – June 8th, 2009
Here is my first birth story. It is as I wrote it at the time. I know it’s absurdly long – and you already know there’s a baby at the end, so I’ll understand if you don’t read the whole thing. 😉 But hey, the labour was absurdly long, so there you go. And I…
Welcome to MotherGather
Thank you for being here! I hope you find what you came for. Here is the story behind MotherGather. When I was first pregnant, I asked practically every mother I could find to tell me her birth stories. I wanted to hear what birth is really like, not the hypothetical situations you read about in…