Birth Stories

First, we would like to give a special thanks to the women and families who have so willing shared their birth stories with us.  We recognize that it can be difficult at times to articulate such intimate experiences and share them. Yet sharing birth stories can play an integral role in empowering other women.  Here are a few words from Ina May Gaskin in her book Ina May's Guide to Childbirth:

      "There is extraordinary psychological benefit in belonging to a group of women who have positive stories to tell about their birth experiences...So many horror stories circulate about birth--especially in the United States---that it can be difficult for women to believe that labor and birth can be a beneficial experience...

...The best way I know to counter the effects of frightening stories is to hear or read empowering ones.  I mean stories that change you because you read or heard them, because the teller of the story taught you something you didn't know before or helped you look at things from a different angle than you ever had before....

Stories teach us in ways we can remember.  They teach us that each woman responds to birth in her unique way and how very wide-ranging that way can be...Birth stories told by women who were active participants in giving birth often express a good deal of practical wisdom, inspiration, and information for other women.  Positive stories shared by women who have had wonderful childbirth experiences are an irreplaceable way to transmit knowledge of a woman's true capacities in pregnancy and birth."

• Michelle's Birth Story - Second Time's A Charm

• Trista's Birth Story - Moving Forward 

• Keshia's VBAC - Patience, Love, Conquering