We women could talk about birth for forever, but we rarely get to talk to dads about their experiences. Birth can be just as powerful an experience for partners and I would love to hear from them.
Category: Forums
Share your opinions and stories!
Share Your Birth Story
Birth will change your life, whether you like it or not! I want this forum to be a safe place where people can feel free to share their good, bad, and fantastic birth stories.
PLEASE NOTE:
Birth stories need to be listened to without judgment…
Just as every woman is different, every birth story is different and we don’t do ourselves any favors judging people for the choices they made (or didn’t make) during birth. Believe me, I think women are the hardest on themselves! Sharing birth stories should be both empowering and healing. I think women who have had negative experiences should share their stories to help them process what happened. I also think that women should share their empowering birth stories with others without fear of making women with negative ones feel bad. Women have been taught to be terrified of birth and we need to share with others how amazing it can be.
Share your story!
Forum – What you wish you knew about POSTPARTUM
The baby’s here, now what? Share your thoughts about one thing that surprised you about bringing the bundle home.
I think the thing that surprised me the most the first time around was the short-term incontinence (fun fun!) and how HUGE my breasts got when my milk came in! Definitely do not buy your nursing bras until your milk comes in if you ever want them to fit.
Let us know what you think about POSTPARTUM!
Forum – What was the best thing you brought/had at your birth?
I’d love input from you about the best thing you brought to your birth! If it’s really fabulous I’ll even add it to my bag of doula tricks!
Anything that was relaxing, invigorating, tasty, or made the mood great, I’d love to know!
The best thing I had at both my births was my husband and my doula, they were everything I needed! I also brought a nightgown to my hospital birth since I definitely didn’t want to wear the uncomfortable, ugly hospital gowns.
Let me know your thoughts!
Forum – What you wish you had known about BIRTH
Here is a place where you can post comments about what you wish you had known going into birth.
The biggest things I learned about birth were:
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- Know your care provider and think deeply about what you want in a birth beforehand. Also know that it’s never too late to switch providers if something comes up that you don’t agree with! This is your body, your birth, and your baby and you deserve to make educated decisions about that fact. For more information go to Interviewing Your OB, Midwife, and Place of Birth.
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- Don’t be intimidated by family who may not approve of choices if they are out of the ordinary (ie water birth, home birth, etc). Do your homework and know your position.
- DON’T WATCH THE CLOCK!!!!! Just get into your birthing body, move with your contractions, get in the zone, don’t be distracted. Watching the clock can make labor seem like it’s taking forever and frustrate any expectations you may have.
- Be careful of having specific expectations of how labor will go. Personally, I had the expectation that my second birth would be much shorter than my first since that’s statistically what happens. When it was just about as long, I got immensely frustrated with my body and got very upset. If I had gone into labor thinking, “This is my baby’s birth, it is what it is and I will make the best of it” I could have really enjoyed a slower, steadier labor instead of a fast, intense one.
Mandala Doula - Gentle Birth Services 