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Today, Powerful Mothering celebrates mothers everywhere by showcasing their first born birth stories. We hope to enlighten and share with those who are not yet mothers as well as those who are on to their 2nd, 3rd and even 7th babies!

“Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers — strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.” ― Barbara Katz Rothman

Victoria from Busy House Big Heart

These stories are a reflection of the birth of my son AJ. I am trying to be as honest as possible about my experience. This may mean some items discussed are not swaddled with a clean blanket, but naked and may be too much information. Read Victoria’s 3 part “Birth Series” here.

Amanda from the UK

I was sent then home with paracetamol to try and progress on my own, I returned at 4.30am as i wasn’t coping well with the pain. Again the midwife sat with us and timed my contractions, they were irregular but very intense and lasting longer than 1min. Read Amanda’s “birth story” story here.

Marie from Marie Oliveira

The nurse kindly and sympathetically informed me that the contractions had to be five to seven minutes apart. At midnight I began to keep a good record of when the contractions started and ended. There really was nothing else to do so I thought I would at least see if there was some sort of pattern. Read Marie’s “Caleb’s Birth Story (2004)” story here.

Nicolette from Powerful Mothering

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. My pregnancy had gone almost perfect. There I was, 2 weeks until my due date and off for my last ultrasound. I would have never dreamt that my home birth would be scrapped in the coming hour. I had even booked the birthing pool! That had a non refundable deposit! Read Nicolette’s “A Birth Story – My First Born – The Breech Baby” story here.

Making a decision to have a child-it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” –Elizabeth Stone

Dina from Dina Farmer Photography

My original plan for my birth was to have a natural childbirth at the El Rio Birth Center in Tucson. But sadly that was not meant to be for me or my son. I remember clearly, it all started during my 28th week of gestation. I felt decreased fetal movement and I called my midwife and she sent me in to get an ultrasound. Read Dina’s “Thane Farmer 17 Oct 2011” story here.

Annie from Stowed Stuff

I had the most beautiful delivery ever. Chris says I was like a machine……I didn’t have much pain at all and during the delivery of the placenta I was saying, “that was a piece of cake….I’ll definitely be doing that again” and the doctor said that was the first time she had ever heard that said in labor and delivery. Read Annie’s “Emily’s Birth Day” story here.

Sarah from My Merry Messy Life

One a.m. Sunday morning, tiny contractions began. By Sunday night they had intensified, but still weren’t regular or very strong. My mom, Kevin and I spent the day walking, walking, and more walking to get labor moving. Read Sarah’s “My Almost-Natural, Quite Traumatic Birth Story” story here.

Heidi from Powerful Mothering

At my gynae appt at 38 weeks, I was told I was 1cm dilated, and she’d be expecting to see me by Wednesday (it was Monday that day) to have baby. I was so excited!! On Wednesday (clever doctor!) I lost my plug, but had no show, and my waters didnt break, so I sms’d the gynae to ask what I should do. She told me to come into the hospital for a checkup. Read Heidi’s Birth Story – Ethan (4 Feb 09) story here.

Jacquelyn from Little Owl Crunchy Momma

Pregnancy is such a vulnerable experience. I loved being pregnant but I felt like seeing pictures of what I looked like at that time could never come close to capturing how peaceful, excited, and anticipatory I felt inside. Read Jacquelyn’s “The Day She Was Born” story here.

Megan from Shaping up to be a Mom

Friday morning at 3:30am, I woke up to contractions. They were coming every 3-8 minutes and lasting between 35 and 90 seconds. I decided to keep track for at least an hour before waking Daniel, and an hour and 15 minutes later I figured it was the real thing… Read Megan’s “Welcome to the world, Carter!” story here.

Amanda from Natural Living Mamma

We went into the labor room and I hopped in the bath. Laboring in the bath was great. I was talking to my doula and we were laughing and joking when I was not breathing/moaning through the labor. I want to point out failure #1 I did not have a silent labor. In the hypnobirthing videos none of the woman made noise. Read Amanda’s “Life happens. About birthing, parenting, and expectations.” story here.

“Endless moons, an opaque universe, thunder, tornadoes, the quaking earth. Rare moments of peace; forehead up against my knees, arms around my head, I though, I listened, I longed not to exist. but life was there, a transparent pearl, a star revolving slowly on its own axis.” ― Shan Sa, Empress

Natasha from South Africa

You experience so many emotions when you find out you pregnant, your happy, excited, then suddenly nervous, scared all in one, just by looking at that little stick “shouting” +. Then suddenly dawns on you, you are caring a little human being, growing, developing, alive in you, and all the nervous, scared feelings disappear. Read Natasha’s “My Preemie Miracle” story here.

Julie from Mommy the Iconoclast

People’s reactions to learning that I was planning on having a natural birth varied. A lot of people thought it courageous (read naive) to choose to endure that kind of pain. I had heard the horror stories about the intense pain, seen the women on television blaming their husbands as they screamed in agony. Admittedly, it did not look like a lot of fun. Read Julie’s “The Story of Maya’s Birth” story here.

Kat Biggie from No Holding Back

My first born… my son. It took 28 hours from the time I had my first contraction until the time they were finally able to suck him out (literally). I had a really easy pregnancy. I felt great, I was only a little nauseous, but never had major sickness. I should have known it was too good to last! Read Kat’s “28 Hours” story here.

Cheryl from Birth of a Mum

Once I got home I did everything I could to just get through each contraction. I used the TENS machine, which was strange and didn’t seem to help much. I took about 100 baths, tried to rest and listen to my yoga music, rocked on my birth ball. The contractions were increasing in intensity but still weren’t regular. Read Cheryl’s “my birth story – nathan william” story here.

Heather from The Caterpillar Years

Alright, so on Wednesday of my 37th week, at my normal pre-natal appointment, we discovered that sneaky miss Adelaide was not in the perfect head down position, but was in the head-up breech position. This was a suuuuppper big shock and disappointment because its very, very, very difficult and dangerous to deliver breech babies vaginally, which is how we planned our birth. Read Heather’s “Labor and Delivery” story here.

Illiterati from Mothering

After a very easy pregnancy where the biggest bother I had was heartburn (apparently that would mean Isaac would have lots of hair) I was wondering if my luck would hold out or if the universe would decide to balance things out with a horrible labor or some other type of bad luck. I was also convinced that the baby would come late, or you know, not at all and I would just be pregnant forever. Read ‘s “Isaac’s looong, slow,very gentle birth’ story here.

Redditerrrr from Baby Bumps

On Monday 12/31 I went to my doctor for an NST since Wesley was 10 days overdue at that point. I had a feeling that they left me hooked up long enough to find a reason to induce me, and sure enough, that’s what happened. After 30 minutes or so, I had an unusual contraction – very long and drawn out. Read Redditerrrr’s “Wesley’s Birth Story – my New Year’s baby” story here.

Dani from OK Dani

John laid beside me and we just talked lovingly during the down times and I worked out my process during the pain times. At this point, the pain was worse than any period cramps I’ve had before but blowing them away forcefully both physically and visually worked well. As did relaxing all the muscles in my body simultaneously. Read Dani’s “Rohan’s Birth Story” story here.

Shortest Birth Story

SweetRight from Baby Bumps

Short birth story.. Went in to be induced Friday night was slow starting had my water broke in the morning. I think I slept through everything except the pushing part because I don’t remember anything lol. Read Sweetright’s “Meet Madison” story here.

Most GRAPHIC Story. {You have been Warned}

Blue Bear Wood

First Portrait” story here. {graphic pics} Apologies if these photo’s offend anyone but they are a set I am very proud of and as soon as I saw this weeks ‘The Gallery’ I knew that I was going to join in. These aren’t technically my photo’s. They were taken by my talented mum. But I was present … body and soul! Proceed to Blue Bear Wood’s “

A Little Prayer & Hope Story

Erica from We Three Crabs

Two years later I began praying for a baby. We had been married for 5 years and people started to ask when we were going to have kids. In March of 2007 I was told by my OBGYN that both of my fallopian tubes were blocked and I would not be able to conceive without Invitro. Read Erica’s “Do You Pray?” story here.

A new baby is like the beginning of all things – wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. – unknown

Thank you for stopping by and reading this beautiful collection of motherhood. We would love for you to add your story in the comments as well.

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