A Birth Story

The story of my son's birth is a memory that I hold on to like that of the feeling you get when you finish a good book or when a dear friend or loved one says or does something so wonderful your heart bursts. Sometimes at night, when I am lying in bed anxious and cannot sleep, I think about the morning of Liam's arrival and I just feel at peace. Birth, in all of its complexities, is one of the most sacred times in our lives. Prior to having a child, you are only someone's daughter, seeing the world through the eyes of that which has been protected. Upon giving birth, and I like to think we give birth to not just a baby but ourselves as mothers, we come to the realization that we are now the protector, the lioness shielding her cub. I also began to look at others differently; everyone has a mother, we were all part of someone's birth process. A reminder that we are all individually, universally part of something bigger.

In the spirit of this universality, I am honored to have been asked by my friends at Dar a Luz Network to create We Birth, a blog celebrating the amazing finale of the unpredictable journey we as women embark on during pregnancy. This blog space acknowledges the commitment and value of a woman throughout the birth process and encourages women with all birth experiences to share their memories of bringing new life into the world. Our blog's motto is "Every Woman, Every Birth, Every Story" and I hope that inclusive spirit creates a community that is inviting and welcoming to women as mothers. We are changed by birth, in so many ways. Sharing that story can be a wonderfully cathartic way of honoring those changes. I encourage you all to visit and share your story, or stories as the case may be.