Home Delivery: A Midwife's Journey Through Motherhood and Other Miracles
Cara Muhlhahn
2008, 234 pages
For some reason I can't find this book on Amazon to link to - whenever I do find it, I'll include the link!
(Later note... An Anonymous commentor told me that the reason I can't find this book on Amazon is that it is the same book as Cara's book "Labor of Love" which can be found on Amazon. I have no idea why they would publish the same book under two different titles and covers, but the description of "Labor of Love" is exactly like "Home Delivery", and I can't imagine one midwife writing two almost identical books.)
This book immediately went on my "lifelong favorites" list. It is awesome!! I loved it and have read it twice already since I borrowed it from my midwife, both times in under 24 hours each. I can't recommend this book highly enough!
Being somewhat dense, I didn't realize until close to the end of this book that the author is the black-haired midwife featured in "The Business of Being Born," which I saw at a screening when it came out a year or so ago (and loved!!). That made an instant and fun connection with the author - I could immediately picture her vibrant personality and all of the fun shots we got to see of her in the movie.
"Home Delivery" covers Cara's life story, focusing on the paths that led her to become a homebirth midwife. It's a fascinating read. She begins in Oregon, apprenticing with a lay midwife, then moves on into nursing and then midwifery school, works in birthing centers and hospitals, and then opens her own private homebirth practice in New York. Quite a journey! I loved reading about it.
Other parts of the book include stories of her work, explanations of what she does and why she loves homebirth, problems in the modern maternity system, and introspection on all of the various facets of birth, including the reasons for homebirth and why it is as safe or safer than modern hospital birth (a fact that is repeatedly confirmed by statistics).
She also tells the story of her own pregnancy, labor and birth (a homebirth), and I loved how realistic she was about the experience. Birth is the biggest and most wonderful experience of a woman's life, but it is NOT easy, and it is (for most women) the biggest challenge we ever face. Here are some of her words:
"At that moment, the idea of a C-section seemed pretty good, or at least an epidural. I promised not to be one of those women whining at an ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) meeting about my unnecessary c-section. No, mine was justified. Too much pain!
".... I thank Miriam now for saving me from that, but in the moment, I wasn't exactly the picture of gratitude. She had blocked all of my escape routes, and the rest of the crew was banding with her....
"I got in the tub and just stared at the faucet. I don't know how long I looked at that focal point, but at some point it finally occurred to me: I couldn't get the section, and the pain of pushing was probably just as bad as the pain of staying right where I was, with the feeling of a rock covered in glass shards lodged in my a--. This was the epiphany I needed. I got up out of the tub, walked out of the bathroom and down the hall and got fully behind the idea of second stage labor, and the miserable pushing it required." (p. 100-101)
I was laughing out loud as I read this, because my experience was very, very similar. And so are our similes. I've been telling people ever since my own birth that it felt like trying to push out a bowling ball covered in broken glass shards.
This next quote cracked me up, because I had the exact same experience at my birth:
".... Miriam gently guided him into my arms. I wish I could say that I was overcome with bliss, overjoyed with the birth of my son. I'd love to paint a picture in which my face gracefully morphed from laboring Aztec birth goddess to beatific saint as I embraced my perfect child. I'd get there a few days later.
"But the truth is, right after birth, I was too completely traumatized by the pain and the whole ordeal. In fact, I think I might have called him a little bastard. He cried for twenty minutes after the birth, and I remember thinking, in my post traumatic stress disorder frame of mind, 'He's probably thinking his mother is a bitch.'" (p. 101-102)
(With apologies for the profanity.)
My goodness, I'm glad someone else had that experience other than myself! LOL
I also loved what she said about her own breastfeeding experience:
"When my delicious baby cried and needed to feed, I would have to put music on and ice my nipples to tolerate latch-on, and sometimes sip on a glass of wine or indulge in some ibuprofen. That lasted nine days. I knew I would get through that, and never considered stopping nursing, even though I now had a new understanding of how challenging it was and why so many women don't get past that stage if they're not deeply committed." (p. 104)
My friends, it is so true!!! Breastfeeding may be natural, as they say, but it ain't easy.
Anyhow, I simply loved this book. If you're interested in homebirth, this is a great resource. Even if you're not, it's still a great read - a wonderfully casual style, with lots of information and a great story. Check it out!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Great Birth Story
I read this birth story and loved it! Check it out! Some lovely post-birth pictures, too.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Birth in Children's Literature: "The Bears' New Baby"
I haven't taken time to look into a lot of birth literature for kids yet - we've been relying more on birth videos and in-person explanations to explain our upcoming birth to our DS. However, my mom bought "The Bears' New Baby" for us, and it gave me a chance to peruse what's on the market - or rather, what was on the market, as this book was published in 1988. However, birth hasn't changed that much since 1988 (in public perception, that is), and I think it's probably a fair representation of what I would find in other modern mainstream children's literature.
Anyhow, it's a pretty standard book. Mama and Papa Bear explain to their daughter that a new baby is coming, and then they vanish in the middle of the night to the hospital, coming home a few days later with Baby Bear. Fairly standard. However, going over the specific birth parts of the book, I can glean the following lessons that are being taught:
(1) Birth happens in the hospital
(2) Birth is not for families (i.e. children) - only parents
(3) Birth is an emergency
I don't know if you want your kids learning these lessons. For me - NO. I would rather have them learn the following:
(1) Birth happens at home as well as in the hospital
(2) Birth is for families
(3) Birth is a normal life event
My readership may think that a mountain is being made of a molehill... but I don't think so. Social conditioning starts very, very young. The seemingly harmless lessons learned by children's literature set the base for deeply ingrained beliefs, acknowledged or not.
So, needless to say, I'll be looking for some better "baby is coming" children's books!
Anyhow, it's a pretty standard book. Mama and Papa Bear explain to their daughter that a new baby is coming, and then they vanish in the middle of the night to the hospital, coming home a few days later with Baby Bear. Fairly standard. However, going over the specific birth parts of the book, I can glean the following lessons that are being taught:
(1) Birth happens in the hospital
(2) Birth is not for families (i.e. children) - only parents
(3) Birth is an emergency
I don't know if you want your kids learning these lessons. For me - NO. I would rather have them learn the following:
(1) Birth happens at home as well as in the hospital
(2) Birth is for families
(3) Birth is a normal life event
My readership may think that a mountain is being made of a molehill... but I don't think so. Social conditioning starts very, very young. The seemingly harmless lessons learned by children's literature set the base for deeply ingrained beliefs, acknowledged or not.
So, needless to say, I'll be looking for some better "baby is coming" children's books!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Footage of a Footling Breech Birth
This was posted last year on the "Homebirth: A Midwife Mutiny" blog, but I just saw it for the first time recently - and it's awesome! It's footage of a homebirth with a footling breech - the hardest type of breech baby (when the feet are the presenting part rather than the rump). The mum and the midwife did an awesome job, and it was great to watch, and very instructive and encouraging. Check this video out here!
It's sad, but almost 100% of breeches now are born surgically in-hospital, and most doctors are not even trained in how to attend vaginal breeches safely (the technique is quite different and requires much more patience and "hands-off-ness"). Midwives are now some of the only maternity caregivers who have the knowledge of how to catch breech babies safely.
As a side note, I just noticed that I used the term "delivered" three times in the above paragraph. As I had JUST (not 5 minutes ago) made a new resolution never to use that term in my writing again, I went and replaced it with better terms! That decision was made after reading Kathy's blog entry "The D-Word" on why the term "delivered" is so demeaning to the birthing woman, as in "the doctor delivered the woman's baby for her" (Like heck he did! She's the one doing the work!). So just as I say "client" instead of "patient" (a pregnant woman is not sick and should not be under anyone's authority), I will now do my best to say "attended" or "assisted" or "caught" in reference to a care provider and "birthed" in reference to the mother. Let's give credit where credit is due!!
It's sad, but almost 100% of breeches now are born surgically in-hospital, and most doctors are not even trained in how to attend vaginal breeches safely (the technique is quite different and requires much more patience and "hands-off-ness"). Midwives are now some of the only maternity caregivers who have the knowledge of how to catch breech babies safely.
As a side note, I just noticed that I used the term "delivered" three times in the above paragraph. As I had JUST (not 5 minutes ago) made a new resolution never to use that term in my writing again, I went and replaced it with better terms! That decision was made after reading Kathy's blog entry "The D-Word" on why the term "delivered" is so demeaning to the birthing woman, as in "the doctor delivered the woman's baby for her" (Like heck he did! She's the one doing the work!). So just as I say "client" instead of "patient" (a pregnant woman is not sick and should not be under anyone's authority), I will now do my best to say "attended" or "assisted" or "caught" in reference to a care provider and "birthed" in reference to the mother. Let's give credit where credit is due!!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Details on Dr. Michel Odent's Visit to Phoenix
A free event with a world-renowned obstetrician and champion of natural birth and water birth speaking - what could be better? Check it out!
MICHEL ODENT, MD
World Renowned Obstetrician
Published in 22 languages
Author of 12 books and 50 Scientific Papers
Founder: Primal Health Research Database
Childbirth: Physiology to Practice
The Role of Catecholamines During Labor
Hosted by
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
World Renowned Obstetrician
Published in 22 languages
Author of 12 books and 50 Scientific Papers
Founder: Primal Health Research Database
Childbirth: Physiology to Practice
The Role of Catecholamines During Labor
Hosted by
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
April 29, 2009
7:30 AM Breakfast meeting
7:30 AM Breakfast meeting
Repeat at 3 PM
Goldman Auditorium (3rd Ave. entrance)
No Charge - Reservation only
RSVP : Margaret Lopez 602-506-6180
margaretlopez@mail.maricopa.gov
Presented by:
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
March of Dimes
The American College of Nurse Midwives
The Gladys T. McGarey Medical Foundation
The Greater Valley Area Health Education Center
Maricopa County Department of Public Health
(The Alliance for Innovations in Health Care and
The Arizona Pre and Perinatal Childbirth Think Tank and Task Force)
CMEs and CEUs available Upon Request
Goldman Auditorium (3rd Ave. entrance)
No Charge - Reservation only
RSVP : Margaret Lopez 602-506-6180
margaretlopez@mail.maricopa.gov
Presented by:
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
March of Dimes
The American College of Nurse Midwives
The Gladys T. McGarey Medical Foundation
The Greater Valley Area Health Education Center
Maricopa County Department of Public Health
(The Alliance for Innovations in Health Care and
The Arizona Pre and Perinatal Childbirth Think Tank and Task Force)
CMEs and CEUs available Upon Request
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers
In honor of the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, I thought I would like to write a quick note about why I do not appreciate abortion providers! It's only fitting.
Anyone who has read this blog for more than a couple of entries has probably gotten the idea that I am pro-life. Well, here it is officially: I am. I have not done a lot of abortion-specific articles simply because this is a natural birth blog rather than a right-to-life blog, but I want every part of this blog to be life-affirming. It is a bit intimidating to even write on the subject, just because I know that most natural birth blogs (being, as the movement is, wrapped up in feminism and patient/women's rights) are pro-abortion, and I know that I risk both negative backlash and lost readership. However, one must stand for what one believes is right, and it's time for some pro-life birth blogs. However, if you are pro-choice, know that I love you! If you would like to have a calm, respectful discussion, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back with you. If you would like to be incendiary and hateful, please don't bother leaving a comment. I've seen the abortion debate degenerate too often into a screaming match, and this does not do anyone any good.
It is also difficult to write on the subject simply because with abortion, one risks descending into what can only be described as a diatribe - a derisive denunciation of the other side (think Ann Coulter) which generally gets people on one's side saying, "Yeah! That's right!" and people on the other side even more deeply divided and set against what you had to say. That is not the purpose of this article. My one purpose is to have pro-choice readers examine their views and question the goodness of what they are defending.
My history, for the record: I was raised pro-abortion and stayed that way, strongly, until sometime around early college, when I took a good look at what it was I was defending - and thereafter began the gradual journey into my current pro-life position. On the way I slid through most of the "in between" positions - "wrong except in rape/incest/fetal abnormalities," "wrong except in rape/incest," etc. Only when I finally came to the resting place of acknowledging all human life as sacred did I know true peace on this issue.
There are only two possible justifications for abortion: (1) Abortion is okay if the unborn child is not a human being, and (2) Abortion is okay if there are certain groups of human beings who do not have the same rights as other human beings.
As to the humanity of the unborn, let's get realistic. Either the unborn child is fully human and thus sacred from the moment of conception, or no human life is sacred (as one abortionist so aptly put it, "What exactly is it about passage down the birth canal that suddenly makes a baby sacred?"). All of the "non-human to human" transition points that have been thought up (such as "not human until the heart starts beating," "not human until the age of viability," "not human until breathing on its own") are purely artificial human constructions that have no basis in objective fact. From the moment of conception, the baby's hair color, eye color, personality traits, and an innumerable host of other characteristics are already determined. The baby is growing and developing from day one. All attempts to dehumanize the unborn infant (calling a baby a "fetus" or "products of conception") are just that - human attempts to reason away the humanity of an infant so that its killing does not seem so heinous.
And if an unborn infant is human, then the idea that some human beings just don't have rights is absolutely despicable. All human beings deserve the right to a natural, God-ordained (rather than humanly-ordained) lifespan which cannot be pushed aside for the convenience of other human beings who don't want to deal with the bother of an "unwanted" or inconveniently handicapped child.
The abortion movement has been wrapped up in some absolutely lovely, mouth-watering terms: Freedom. Choice. Every child a wanted child. Women's rights. Patients' rights. Privacy. But at the end of the day, what do we find? Do we find freedom and empowered women? No. We find the horribly mutilated bodies of countless babies (over 50 million since 1973) being thrown out with the trash in biowaste bags. And that is the literal truth. Go look at some abortion pics on the internet and tell me what you see - you will see dead babies. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no freedom - only death, in the most brutal way and visited upon the most innocent, vulnerable and fragile of all human beings, those who most deserve our tenderest and move loving care and protection.
I could write all day about this subject, going into the various reasons for abortion and defending my position. But I don't need to get long-winded. Maybe I'll cover some of those subjects later. For now, I just want the thoughtful reader to truly think.
Thus, if you are pro-life, get active! Participate in 40 Days for Life. Participate in the Red Envelope Campaign. Go find an abortion clinic and spend some time in prayer there.
And if you are pro-choice? Please spend some time in deep thought. Think past the rhetoric, the campaign slogans, the propaganda. Realize what "choice" means. And decide whether or not that "choice" is where you want to put your heart.
Closing with the words of Mother Teresa:
"Yours is the one great nation in all history which was founded on the precept of equal rights and respect for all humankind, for the poorest and weakest of us as well as the richest and strongest. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. I have no new teaching for America. I seek only to recall you to faithfulness to what you once taught the world. Your nation was founded on the proposition very old as a moral precept, but startling and innovative as a political insight that human life is a gift of immeasurable worth, and that it deserves, always and everywhere, to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect."
Anyone who has read this blog for more than a couple of entries has probably gotten the idea that I am pro-life. Well, here it is officially: I am. I have not done a lot of abortion-specific articles simply because this is a natural birth blog rather than a right-to-life blog, but I want every part of this blog to be life-affirming. It is a bit intimidating to even write on the subject, just because I know that most natural birth blogs (being, as the movement is, wrapped up in feminism and patient/women's rights) are pro-abortion, and I know that I risk both negative backlash and lost readership. However, one must stand for what one believes is right, and it's time for some pro-life birth blogs. However, if you are pro-choice, know that I love you! If you would like to have a calm, respectful discussion, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back with you. If you would like to be incendiary and hateful, please don't bother leaving a comment. I've seen the abortion debate degenerate too often into a screaming match, and this does not do anyone any good.
It is also difficult to write on the subject simply because with abortion, one risks descending into what can only be described as a diatribe - a derisive denunciation of the other side (think Ann Coulter) which generally gets people on one's side saying, "Yeah! That's right!" and people on the other side even more deeply divided and set against what you had to say. That is not the purpose of this article. My one purpose is to have pro-choice readers examine their views and question the goodness of what they are defending.
My history, for the record: I was raised pro-abortion and stayed that way, strongly, until sometime around early college, when I took a good look at what it was I was defending - and thereafter began the gradual journey into my current pro-life position. On the way I slid through most of the "in between" positions - "wrong except in rape/incest/fetal abnormalities," "wrong except in rape/incest," etc. Only when I finally came to the resting place of acknowledging all human life as sacred did I know true peace on this issue.
There are only two possible justifications for abortion: (1) Abortion is okay if the unborn child is not a human being, and (2) Abortion is okay if there are certain groups of human beings who do not have the same rights as other human beings.
As to the humanity of the unborn, let's get realistic. Either the unborn child is fully human and thus sacred from the moment of conception, or no human life is sacred (as one abortionist so aptly put it, "What exactly is it about passage down the birth canal that suddenly makes a baby sacred?"). All of the "non-human to human" transition points that have been thought up (such as "not human until the heart starts beating," "not human until the age of viability," "not human until breathing on its own") are purely artificial human constructions that have no basis in objective fact. From the moment of conception, the baby's hair color, eye color, personality traits, and an innumerable host of other characteristics are already determined. The baby is growing and developing from day one. All attempts to dehumanize the unborn infant (calling a baby a "fetus" or "products of conception") are just that - human attempts to reason away the humanity of an infant so that its killing does not seem so heinous.
And if an unborn infant is human, then the idea that some human beings just don't have rights is absolutely despicable. All human beings deserve the right to a natural, God-ordained (rather than humanly-ordained) lifespan which cannot be pushed aside for the convenience of other human beings who don't want to deal with the bother of an "unwanted" or inconveniently handicapped child.
The abortion movement has been wrapped up in some absolutely lovely, mouth-watering terms: Freedom. Choice. Every child a wanted child. Women's rights. Patients' rights. Privacy. But at the end of the day, what do we find? Do we find freedom and empowered women? No. We find the horribly mutilated bodies of countless babies (over 50 million since 1973) being thrown out with the trash in biowaste bags. And that is the literal truth. Go look at some abortion pics on the internet and tell me what you see - you will see dead babies. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no freedom - only death, in the most brutal way and visited upon the most innocent, vulnerable and fragile of all human beings, those who most deserve our tenderest and move loving care and protection.
I could write all day about this subject, going into the various reasons for abortion and defending my position. But I don't need to get long-winded. Maybe I'll cover some of those subjects later. For now, I just want the thoughtful reader to truly think.
Thus, if you are pro-life, get active! Participate in 40 Days for Life. Participate in the Red Envelope Campaign. Go find an abortion clinic and spend some time in prayer there.
And if you are pro-choice? Please spend some time in deep thought. Think past the rhetoric, the campaign slogans, the propaganda. Realize what "choice" means. And decide whether or not that "choice" is where you want to put your heart.
Closing with the words of Mother Teresa:
"Yours is the one great nation in all history which was founded on the precept of equal rights and respect for all humankind, for the poorest and weakest of us as well as the richest and strongest. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. I have no new teaching for America. I seek only to recall you to faithfulness to what you once taught the world. Your nation was founded on the proposition very old as a moral precept, but startling and innovative as a political insight that human life is a gift of immeasurable worth, and that it deserves, always and everywhere, to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect."
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A Book Giveaway Party! Pay Attention!
Kathy Peterson, of Woman to Woman Childbirth Education, my all-time favorite childbirth-ed blog/website (check it out!), is celebrating her 100,000-blog-hit anniversary (congratulations, Kathy!) with a book give-away! The book is (drumroll, please).....
a copy of the book Breastfeeding with Comfort and Joy: A Photographic Guide for Mom and Those Who Help Her, by Laura Keegan!
Check out the book at its website here!
I unfortunately have not yet had the chance to read this book, but I hope to do so soon! I definitely could have used it. As a lot of you know, breastfeeding is NOT easy. My early days of breastfeeding were fairly disastrous. I had an unhappy baby who was losing weight, continuous blocked ducts (couldn't clear one up before the next one started) and multiple milk blisters. (If you don't know what a milk blister is, count your blessings. Nursing with a milk blister feels like baby is biting hard - all the time you're nursing! Aah!!) Thankfully our pediatrician was able to set me right on technique, but many women understandably give it up as a bad job. I am so thankful we were able to work things out, because long-term nursing has been great for us. Any book that promotes successful breastfeeding has all of my support!
So visit Kathy's website here and learn about what you need to do to enter!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Upcoming Arizona Birth Events!!
Here are some upcoming birth events in the Phoenix Valley Birth Community!
Global Midwifery Client Reunion Picnic
I'm writing somewhat guiltily, as this event started (ahem!) five minutes ago. Yes, I know - no one reading this will have time to plan on it anyhow! But think about it for next year! This is a great time for Global Midwifery's clients, current and former, to gather, meet other homebirth parents, say hi to our wonderful midwives and student midwives, and have a picnic/playdate/hangout time. 10a-2p at Sirrene Park in Chandler. I'll be there in half an hour!
Infant Loss Memorial Service
This is being put on at Chandler Bible Church in Chandler (480-786-3124) by a friend of mine, Jennifer, who lost twins in a miscarriage this past fall. The service is being held to honor and remember all infants lost before birth due to any cause - miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic, abortion, etc. Check out her website here! Attending or not, you can still have your child's name and/or due date and/or conception/loss dates included in the bulletin.
Michel Odent is Visiting Phoenix!
Yes, really! This is the pioneer of waterbirth in France and an amazing author, speaker and obstetrician who stands up unashamedly for natural birth and safe birthing practices. He will be speaking at St. Joseph's hospital on April 29th. Here's the information:
"Yes, he is speaking at St. Joes at two different times on April 29, 7am and 3pm. The topics are: "The Role of Catecholamines During Labor" and Childbirth: From Physiology to Practice". For information contact: Alyce-Anne Meadows, 602-506-6347 Alyce-AnneMeadows@ mail.maricopa. gov. RSVP Margaret Lopez 602-506-6180, margaretlopez@ mail.maricopa. gov"
I probably won't be able to go due to babysitting issues, but I hope that lots of people can make it!
Cheers! I'm off to the picnic!
Love,
Diana
Global Midwifery Client Reunion Picnic
I'm writing somewhat guiltily, as this event started (ahem!) five minutes ago. Yes, I know - no one reading this will have time to plan on it anyhow! But think about it for next year! This is a great time for Global Midwifery's clients, current and former, to gather, meet other homebirth parents, say hi to our wonderful midwives and student midwives, and have a picnic/playdate/hangout time. 10a-2p at Sirrene Park in Chandler. I'll be there in half an hour!
Infant Loss Memorial Service
This is being put on at Chandler Bible Church in Chandler (480-786-3124) by a friend of mine, Jennifer, who lost twins in a miscarriage this past fall. The service is being held to honor and remember all infants lost before birth due to any cause - miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic, abortion, etc. Check out her website here! Attending or not, you can still have your child's name and/or due date and/or conception/loss dates included in the bulletin.
Michel Odent is Visiting Phoenix!
Yes, really! This is the pioneer of waterbirth in France and an amazing author, speaker and obstetrician who stands up unashamedly for natural birth and safe birthing practices. He will be speaking at St. Joseph's hospital on April 29th. Here's the information:
"Yes, he is speaking at St. Joes at two different times on April 29, 7am and 3pm. The topics are: "The Role of Catecholamines During Labor" and Childbirth: From Physiology to Practice". For information contact: Alyce-Anne Meadows, 602-506-6347 Alyce-AnneMeadows@ mail.maricopa. gov. RSVP Margaret Lopez 602-506-6180, margaretlopez@ mail.maricopa. gov"
I probably won't be able to go due to babysitting issues, but I hope that lots of people can make it!
Cheers! I'm off to the picnic!
Love,
Diana
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Pausing for a Shameless Website Promotion!
While doing research for this blog, where I have just started a new sidebar for positive and affirming support for parents of babies with poor prenatal diagnoses, I ran across one of my very favorite blogs, "Bring the Rain," which I have been following for the past year or so. This blog is so good, and has had such a profound effect on my life, that I just had to put in a little plug for it.
If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to check it out!"Bring the Rain" is a blog started last year by a mother who learned, halfway through her pregnancy, that her baby had severe birth defects and would not live past birth. Though encouraged to choose abortion, she carried her baby to term and was able to spend several precious hours with her little one before she died.
This is not an easy read, but it is extremely powerful. Start at the beginning and prepare to grow!
Bring the Rain
If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to check it out!"Bring the Rain" is a blog started last year by a mother who learned, halfway through her pregnancy, that her baby had severe birth defects and would not live past birth. Though encouraged to choose abortion, she carried her baby to term and was able to spend several precious hours with her little one before she died.
This is not an easy read, but it is extremely powerful. Start at the beginning and prepare to grow!
Bring the Rain
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
New Features
I have added some new features!
#1 - I am drastically expanding my list of Arizona doulas. If you are an Arizona doula with your own business and/or website, let me know! I'd love to add you to the list.
#2 - I have added a pregnancy & birth photography sidebar! If you are a professional photographer in Arizona who does pregnancy and/or birth photography, please feel free to email me your website!
#3 - I have added a new sidebar for websites that support parents during poor prenatal diagnoses. If you know of any great websites on this topic, feel free to email me! Too often parents today are only given the option of "It's not healthy, so kill it and save us all a bunch of bother" and are not told of the incredible blessing of carrying a baby to term and being able to hold her during her last moments rather than the hideous alternative. Parents need to know their options!
Thanks everyone for your support on this blog! I am having so much fun expanding it and learning more through the experience, and I appreciate your support and comments.
#1 - I am drastically expanding my list of Arizona doulas. If you are an Arizona doula with your own business and/or website, let me know! I'd love to add you to the list.
#2 - I have added a pregnancy & birth photography sidebar! If you are a professional photographer in Arizona who does pregnancy and/or birth photography, please feel free to email me your website!
#3 - I have added a new sidebar for websites that support parents during poor prenatal diagnoses. If you know of any great websites on this topic, feel free to email me! Too often parents today are only given the option of "It's not healthy, so kill it and save us all a bunch of bother" and are not told of the incredible blessing of carrying a baby to term and being able to hold her during her last moments rather than the hideous alternative. Parents need to know their options!
Thanks everyone for your support on this blog! I am having so much fun expanding it and learning more through the experience, and I appreciate your support and comments.
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