I have been blessed to be acquainted with many great and wonderful women. I am frequently inspired and motivated by many of the women I come to know and befriend. My journey in natural childbirth all began with one such friend.
I was the mother of one and enjoying each and every new stage. Another child was definitely in the near future but the time hadn’t come to try for a second child.
I was visiting with a friend who had recently had her first baby, a baby girl. As we were chatting I asked her to tell me her little girl’s birth story.
To say that I was in awe really doesn’t suffice. My friend had her first baby without any intervention and in a birthing center no less. The story was beautiful and my friend couldn’t say enough about what a wonderful experience it had been.
Her experience was nearly the complete opposite of mine with Gavin. I do my best to respect the opinions of others and I honestly was sincerely glad that my friend had had such a wonderful birth experience. The thought of that ever being a possibility for me was out of the question. I was too weak, the epidural was the only way to go for me.
Fast forward a few months and baby number two has been announced and I have another conversation with my friend about her birth experience, this time probing a bit more. My friend suggested that I read “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” by Ina May Gaskin a legendary midwife. I figured it couldn’t hurt.
After reading this book my tiny ember of interest turned into a blazing fire. The empowerment that I gained from reading that book was remarkable. I learned things that completely changed my frame of mind surrounding childbirth. Never before had I had so much respect for women's bodies and the miracle that is childbirth. I became ravenous for more knowledge regarding childbirth absent of intervention.
At this point, I finally had the courage to say “I want a natural birth."
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