The Importance of Birth Stories

Many pregnant people spend time reading birth stories to help ease their fears about their upcoming childbirth. Ina May’s "Guide to Childbirth" is usually a favorite of many expecting parents, and is chock-full of magical tales of birthing women trusting their bodies, babies, and the process. Some birth stories come at pregnant people against their will- I’m talking about showing up at Target 39 weeks pregnant for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and a well-intentioned stranger tells you their horror story about birth and you are stuck nodding while your ice cream is slowly melting. People need to tell stories. There is great power in sharing your story. Rachael Freed, creator of life legacies, author of "Your Legacy Matters" says it perfectly, “Telling our stories is not an end in itself, but an attempt to release ourselves from them, to evolve and grow beyond them. We tell our stories to transform ourselves; to learn about our history and tell our experiences to transcend them; to use our stories to make a difference in our world; to broaden our perspective to see further than normal; to act beyond a story that may have imprisoned or enslaved us; to live more of our spiritual and earthly potential.”

What happens when our stories don’t turn out as magical as the birthing women from Ina May’s Farm? We might hide them. We might not think they are worth sharing. If not for others, taking the time to process your birth through writing is an incredible healing tool for yourself. We don’t hear the in-between stories. We need the “in-between” stories just as much because birth can be frightening as beautiful all at the same time.

Every Sunday, I’m going to feature a birth story on the blog. I’m going to call it Birth Story Sunday because I’m a sucker for alliterations and love sharing stories. Stay tuned for a candid tale that demonstrates just how unpredictable labor is, and how to roll with it.

If you have a story that you want to share, send me a contact form. I would love to feature it here so we can continue to learn from one another while growing in the process.

See you Sunday,

Hillary