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Category: Natural Childbirth

The Delicious Smugness of Certainty

I’m not sure what tastes better than a big old bite of smug certainty. Go ahead, try to think of something. Chocolate? No. Artisan-roasted coffee? Uh uh (although my best friend does roast some amaaaazing coffee). A field of wildflowers in an alpine meadow? Not even. Watching a hummingbird drink nectar from a wildflower in an alpine meadow while sipping an artisan-roasted coffee and eating fair-trade chocolate? With fresh, organic raspberries? Hmm… that might be about on par with the deliciousness of smug certainty, but I do not believe it surpasses it. Certainty says, “do x and y will happen.” It says, “Do z and q will not happen.” It says, “oh, that bad thing only happened to you (other person/other people/other country) because you did x.” It feels superior because y has happened, because q has not happened, because of doing all the things. You know, the things you are supposed to do? To earn merit in heaven/the mommy forums/your family/your social group/on facebook/in the blogosphere? You know, the things you are not supposed to do? (Which hugely vary depending…

Multiple Perspectives on Warrior Girl’s Birth – Which is the Better Story?

Warrior Girl is 2 years and 3 months old now, and as I prepare for her sister’s upcoming birth, (did I mention we’re having a GIRL?!?) memories of Warrior Girl’s birth are fresh on my mind. It was one of the most incredible days of my life, because it was the day I met my daughter and the day I became a mother.  But in addition to that, part of what was incredible was the actual process of giving birth. Reader beware: the story below contains talk of cervix, dilation, etc. Oh, and one F-bomb. Because birth is messy, people. Turn back now if you don’t want the details. *** My water broke at 11:30 pm on August 4th. It was the full-on gush that happens frequently in movies and much less frequently in real life. I was suddenly confronted with many of my fears about giving birth and remember vividly thinking What have I gotten myself into? I laid in bed that night analyzing every cramp and twinge, waiting for labor to start. Was that a contraction? What the hell does a contraction even feel like? I got a…