baby talk

it has been a week full of baby love for me!! my amazing, inspiring, courageous and beautifully STRONG friend Lana gave birth to her second incredible little babe last week, AND my dearest and oldest friend kyleigh (since we were 3 and 5!) gently welcomed her first little darling son into the world! WOW! I am so filled with love at the thought of these wee babes and the amazing families they have been born into! just WOW!

a quick note before reading the rest of this post - i want to say that my views and beliefs on a lot of things in life are not often in line with the status quo - perhaps you have noticed that, but i also feel like i maybe soften a lot of the opinions i express on this blog - it's not always the appropriate venue for meaningful conversation or back and forth. i have strong opinions and ideas around a lot if topics, some fairly contentious, however, i am always respectful of people with differing viewpoints or ideas- so long as it is coming from a place of love and education and not a place of ignorance. i realize the topic i am about to embark on may be one of these contentious ones. i want to say i am in no way trying to offend, question or pass judgement on ANYONE by posting about this - every woman is different. every birth is different. every one is different. i fully acknowledge there is a time and place for just about everything with regard to the birth experience. we all deserve every right to be able to choose what is best us and our babies, but also to feel immensely proud of our experiences - no matter the path that was taken to get there. my only wish is to share information and resources with anyone looking to learn more - much like myself 3 years ago.

when i found out i was pregnant with finn, i knew there were a few things i wanted for our birth - most of which surrounded the idea of having a natural and unaugmented birth experience. in the beginning i wasn't quite sure WHY i wanted this experience or what made me feel so strongly about it, and to be totally honest, i wasn't fully convinced i had the strength (or more likely, enough knowledge) to carry through with the idea.

finn in my belly - around 9 months

i personally am a huge google-er. i research EVERYTHING to no end. it started with a bit of reading about midwifery (i knew i wanted one, but couldn't fully verbalize why) which led to further reading- breastfeeding, natural childbirth, babywearing, attachment parenting, vaccination, circumcision... like i said - ENDLESS! a friend of mine had suggested watching the movie 'the business of being born' - (sidenote: if you haven't seen this film, even if you aren't planning on giving birth anytime soon (or ever), i highly recommend you take the time to watch it. it is SUCH an eye opener to the way birth has changed in north america, and how different our society is from the rest of the world.)  i remember sitting in bed with jeff, watching this movie with tears pouring down my cheeks. i kept saying to him over and over 'we HAVE to get a midwife.' to say this movie was a tipping point for me and my views on natural birth almost feels like an understatement. it changed my life forever. it gave me starting points and a lot of the answers i needed to engage in dialog when people asked me why i wanted a natural birth (of course a lot of wonderful books, our prenatal classes and many other amazing women helped with this too). i felt strong, courageous and empowered - fully capable to have any birth experience i chose, but also the knowledge that in my choice, i was giving finn an amazing gift to start his life with.



ever since my own birth experience, i have had this excitement and fascination with birth in general. i eagerly hang on every word hearing peoples birth stories- each one so unique, so personal. a courageous tale of the beginning of life and our experiences in new motherhood. i love this seemingly new commonality and awareness around midwifery (and doulas), or at the very least, an eagerness and openness to learn more about it. i love that more woman breastfeed (again, no judgement passed on those that could not or would not) - that seeing a mother breastfeeding her child in public is absolutely normal - her right. it will always bring a smile to my face. i think mostly though, i love the endless possibilities that a small 'revolutions' like this brings. that the more we talk about it, the more women get together and share their experiences, the more movies made, the more we connect, love, share, write, read and research - we are all part of something so much bigger than just having babies. simply put, what an incredible time we have been born into!

* the business of being born has also come out with 4 additional films called 'more business of being born' - last night i watched the first of the 4 episodes - an interview with ina may gaskin - pioneer midwife and absolutely amazing human being! the level of knowledge and understanding she has around birth in its purest form and infant and maternal health is absolutely astounding - i have no other words to even describe how incredible the things she has done for women and their children all over the world. just an amazing woman! (you can watch this talk with ina may online for $3.99 via paypal HERE)

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