The People We Meet

An interesting thing about beginning my life as a birth worker is the amount of women I meet eager to tell me about the births of their babies. I've heard birth stories in the grocery store, at the mall, at parks, airplanes, everywhere. As soon as I mention I am a doula women are excited to share their stories with me. I am so grateful to have this effect on people as it is one of my favorite topics of conversation. I have noticed it can be very cathartic to discuss what went well and what went awry during a birth, also. My passing friends are sometimes very emotional discussing this extremely intimate part of their life with me. It reminds me of how connected women are on such a deep level. We are all holding these very interesting and personal stories close to our hearts, but, aren't necessarily sharing our heartache about our birth stories or our absolute ecstasy of it, either. These moments truly stay with us for the rest of our lives. I read an account of a woman with severe dementia who could still recount every detail of her children's births. It's ingrained in our very being once we pass through this threshold of motherhood. Birth is profound and life altering. The act of mothering is a whole different story, as it is also profound, but I'm talking about the actual labor and delivery of our babies. This can really make or break someone's perception of their own strength and their self esteem. It's such a personal journey that is unique to each woman, yet, we still share the humanity of the situation and are equally effected by the heaviness of the act of giving birth. I feel as though I am a sounding board for many women who don't usually find the time to reflect on the intensity of what they went through. It's so important to reflect on your journey. It is imperative to really analyze how your labor and birth made you feel. What did you like? What didn't you like? What would you change, if you could? It's healing to talk about these things with loved ones and friends, too. Find some time for yourself and think about your births. Think about what you went through and connect with other women over their birth stories. It's rewarding and helpful, but, it bonds us together. You definitely will find, as I have, that we are interconnected on a deeper level. Women have a sisterhood that we should honor and remember to grow with one another.