A Letter to All the Mamas

Today I read an article about how women are feeling guilty or sad about their birthing experience because other moms who are for natural birth. This article made me feel so sad and so I decided to write a blog post about my feelings.

I would consider myself someone who is "for" natural birth. I wasn't always this way mostly because I didn't education myself about birth until after I had my sweet little girl. As someone who has had experience giving birth both naturally and medicated, I want to tell all the mamas of the world that whatever decisions you made about your birth experience(s) as long as you feel empowered and happy about those decisions then there is no reason someone should be able to make you feel guilty!

I know when I share my feelings about natural birth I am in no way trying to hurt someone's feelings or make them feel bad about how they brought their little sweetie into this world. I just want so desperately for women to feel love and support and to know that THEY have the power to make the decisions. When I try to encourage others to learn more about natural birth I am not trying to say I am better then them or that what they have done is bad I just want to share my feelings about how amazing I felt after I gave birth naturally, I felt like I was on top of the world! I was able to get out of bed and shower probably less then an hour after I gave birth I don't know why, maybe I am crazy, but I think that is amazing! I just feel so empowered by how strong my body is and I want every mama to feel that way too! No woman should feel hurt, bullied, or any negativity when it comes to giving birth.
I had two very different birth experiences and I wouldn't trade either of them. After I had Emily I felt alone and hurt mostly because I hadn't prepared myself to have a voice and to be able to stand up for myself. I didn't know that feeling like that wasn't normal. I brushed my feelings aside and told myself that is just how it is and that I was being silly for feeling that way. When I finally learned that those feelings weren't "just how it was"  I was able to heal and learn about what I wanted the next time I gave birth and just because my decisions were for an un-medicated birth with no interventions doesn't mean that those decisions are right for you.
I was able to attend two births that weren't my own. One was a un-medicated home birth and one was a medicated hospital birth. They were very different from each other but at the same time they had a lot of things in common, the most important things were that they both had amazing support groups, that they knew what they wanted and they weren't bullied into making decisions they didn't want. If I described what I witnessed at these births you wouldn't be able to tell which one was medicated or un-medicated. I saw a husband holding his wife's hand with so much love and respect, I saw a huge smiles when the babies cried for the first time, I saw tears of joy and love. I heard "You are doing amazing!" and "I love you so much!" I heard care providers kindly give advice.
So mamas whether you had your baby at home, in a car, at the hospital, via adoption or gestational carrier, naturally, or medicated if you are feeling guilty or sad about your birthing experience please look deeper and deal with those feelings because if you don't you will never be able to heal or realize that you are amazing and that no matter how you brought those sweet angels into the world you did the right thing! 

Love a mama doing the best she can!!!  

Preparing For Your Birthing Time

I have been doing the home study hypnobabies course and I love it!!! I recommend it to anyone who is planning on having a baby! I have learned so much and it has helped me to really know what I want and how to get it.

I kind of thought maybe it would be a little weird or I wouldn't be able to do it but it is so relaxing and peaceful and I feel so much more prepared to give birth.

Check out their website and see if its something you would want for you and your family.

https://www.hypnobabies.com/

Why I Decided to Become a Doula

Why I decided to become a Doula...

I walked into labor and delivery at 5:30am on September 1^st, 2011, excited to meet my little girl but mostly terrified of what the day would bring. A week before at my last prenatal appointment my doctor told me I could be induced the next week if I wanted, not really knowing what that meant I agreed and went on my way excited to know the day I would meet my baby girl. 

 

I was induced and ended up feeling bullied by my doctor into getting an epidural I didn't want. When he came in at the end of pushing he seemed rushed and ended up telling me I wouldn't be able to push her past a certain point because of the shape of my body and that he had to use forceps. I was crushed and felt very overwhelmed by the whole thing so I told myself that we were both healthy and that is really all that matters. I was definitely in love with my new little one so it was easy to push pass the feelings of fear and pain I had felt from my birthing experience and let it pass as normal and just what happens when you have a baby.

 

A few months later I was scanning through Netflix and found something that caught my eye “The Business of Being Born” I watched it and also “More Business of Being Born” and I was changed forever. I realized that my experience wasn't okay and that having a baby doesn’t have to be scary or emotionally painful at all. Yes it is important that mom and baby come out breathing but giving birth is something a mother will never forget and it will change her life forever, it should be a positive and uplifting day in a woman’s life no matter what her choices are.

 

I later decided to take a three day Doula training. I learned so much and am so excited to get started on this step in my life. I want women everywhere  to be educated about their decisions and not afraid of such an amazing day.