Giving birth. Bringing a new life into the world. What an experience!
Every mom has her own birth stories: natural births, C-sections, and the births closest to her heart. When, after so much anticipation, a little one is finally entrusted to loving parents who promise a future filled with love and security…
When a group of moms gets together, the conversation always ends up turning to childbirth. Especially if there’s a pregnant woman in the group. These unique moments are etched in our memories forever, and we love to relive those beautiful, glorious moments. (And the less beautiful and less glorious ones, too…) Some have horror stories, others have fairy tales. Some are afraid to go through it again, others would do it all over again tomorrow morning.
And you, new mom who hasn’t given birth yet, find yourself in the midst of all these stories, hoping to grasp even a small part of what might happen to you—of what will happen to you. To try to navigate familiar territory, you ask for advice on how to better manage the pain, positions to try, pressure points to massage, tips for pushing effectively…
The problem is that no matter how much advice all the moms in the world give you, they don’t really know: no two labors are alike; every birth is unique.
You’ll definitely be in a lot of pain and want it to stop. Maybe you’ll doubt yourself, your choices, and your ability to succeed in this role of a lifetime—that of a mom.
So here’s the only piece of advice I want to give you when (or if) you feel like you can’t take it anymore, that you’ll never be able to do it, and that you don’t want this life anymore:
Everything you’ve read, everything you’ve heard, all the advice you’ve been given: it’s all bullshit. Big time. Right now, in this very moment, as you’re going through a pain that’s hard to describe or compare to anything else, in a situation that makes you lose all your modesty and—let’s face it—your naivety, you have no one but yourself. You, your instincts, and your gut.
And him (or her). Him who’s holding your hand, who has no control over the situation, but who’s trying to rise to the occasion. No matter what happens, for the little one who’s tearing your lower body apart, you’re a team—his team—for life.
So, bring your energy down there, where it all begins, to that very first cradle, and push that beautiful baby right out. There’s definitely a doting grandma or “auntie” out there who can’t wait to cradle him or her. That’s the universal truth of childbirth: someone who can’t wait for it all to be over so they can come visit you and rock that brand-new treasure.
Oh! And to give you hope. Baby 1: 26 hours. Baby 2: 53 minutes… Just goes to show, no two are really alike…