"How?", some of you may ask.  Well, that's funny.  Perhaps you were never born yourself and can't imagine that being born had an impact on any mother or child.  Perhaps you think I'm being snarky, and perhaps you're right.

As you may suspect, I don't remember being born, but I do remember giving birth to William just over 19 months ago, on the first of January in 2012.  Wonderful day for birth, don't you think?  New Year's Day is always so fresh feeling, and like it's the perfect day for beginning something.

Sweet little William, just 2 days old.
I had taken Hypnobirthing classes from the lovely Lauralyn Curtis and felt, if not prepared, at least like I had done something to prepare!  Something is better than nothing.  My mom had told me at the New Year's Eve party the night before that I looked like the baby's head was down near my pelvic bone, like I was just about ready to give birth, and I laughed at her but she was right.

The next morning, after realizing that I was maaaaaaaaybe in labor, my husband and I leisurely started our day with some cuddles and jokes, as we are wont to do.  An hour or so later, quite unexpectedly, my water broke all over our bed and we had to make some decisions, and fast.  Did we decide to move things to the hospital?  Yes!  Buuuuut we thought we probably had hours and hours of labor ahead of us, so I didn't move very quickly.  Then it was too late to go anywhere unless someone carried me because transition hit like a prize-fighting bull on top of a freight train.
After being transported to the hospital, we were transported into different clothing.

The urge to push was overwhelming, and it felt so good to curl up on our guest bed, moan like a cow, and just relax into my body and do whatever it wanted to do. It was incredible, so empowering and awe-inspiring.  I felt like I could have done anything in that moment, had I wanted to--and yet there was nothing more that I could do or wanted to do then focus inward and try to work with my body.

Just a little after noon, my baby was born on my guest bed, into my husband's hands.  He cried out, "Little dude!!" and handed him immediately over, both of us in wonderment at this little person.  The paramedics were pounding at the door, and from that day forward has been a bit of a blur.

My sweet, sweet boy.
I still marvel at my body, and how it was able to foster this little egg and help it grow into a beautiful baby, and then know how to adapt and change to get that baby out, intact.  It was the most incredible experience, ever--and it opened up my eyes to my own potential, and the potential of all living things.



That statement might feel a little grandiose, that from one morning's work of going with the flow, I was able to come to a vast appreciation for the universe and everything living and growing within it, but that's really how it felt.  It's too big to contain in just one person!  It was wonderful and empowering and so, so joyful.

Holding a 3-day-old William on the bed where he was born.
Let me tell you something.  I did NOT think that birthing a baby would be such a life-changing event.  I expected that having a baby in my life to take care of would be a monumental task, I expected that birthing would be hard and hurt, and I expected that it would be a lot of drudgery and pain.  I did not expect the experience to be the most intensely happy, gloriously liberating experience I'd ever have!!  It was truly amazing.

Now, I know there are a lot of people whose births are hard. They struggle, and pay for their experiences in blood, sweat, and tears (both kinds.)   I know women who thought they were going in for an empowering experience, who did everything right and prepared themselves, and despite all that had traumatic experiences.  For these women, my heart aches so dearly.  I'm so sorry, my sisters.  I have every hope that these women are able to heal from the trauma, and find freedom from those shackles by finding a soft place to heal their hearts and wounded bodies, to stitch themselves together and come back stronger than ever.

This is what Empowering Fearless Birth is all about, people.  Either experience.  ANY experience.  We want to help women be educated in their choices and then validate whatever choice they make.  We want to gather up the wounded women, give them a safe place, and encourage them to show their strength again.  We want babies to be born in the best way possible for the mama and for the baby.  We want so, so much!  And with a lot of incredible help, we are trying to make it happen.

http://www.empoweringfearlessbirth.com/index.shtml

September 21st of this year, we're holding our second event--the first one sold out, so we know it's something that's wanted and needed in the community.  We want to help mothers see the different choices for what they are, and not for what the media portrays them as.  We want to support all mothers, from women who are planning on a scheduled c-section to women who want to do a home birth in their backyard.  All of it, all the between too.  We love you and we want you here with us.

Rachel holding fresh fruit of her womb--doesn't that look say absolutely everything?  The joy, the love, the overwhelming sense of awe and accomplishment?
(Image courtesy of Katie Loveless)