02 May
A Bounty of Birth
Now that our house is clear of guests I have a bit more computer time, which means I can finally sit down and finish my novel of a birth story. And when I say novel, I really mean it. Throughout my pregnancy I read many, many birth stories, ranging from those that detailed how much the woman hated the experience to those written by women who considered their labor and delivery momentsto be some of the most beautiful and joyful of their entire lives. Some seemed to emphasize the bad, others wrote in such an idealistic way that I wondered if there might be more to the story. As I started to write I realized that I wanted to try to convey what the entire labor experience was like for me, both on a very practical and emotional level. This has caused my story to become a bit longer than almost any other I have ever read, but I’m seeking to preserve the experience in its entirety, not only for myself, but also because I passionately believe that birth can be one of the most postive transformative experiences of a woman’s life and I hope some of you will see that after reading my account.
Tuesday I’ll begin posting the birth story in parts, and as I haven’t finished it yet I have no idea how long it will last. After the story is posted in it’s entirety I plan putting up a question and answer post, giving those who have birth and labor related questions a forum to ask them and a place for me to answer them all in one place. Once Kelli is done editing the birth photos I’m going to show you some of my favorite moments, a series of posts that will be broken up into parts, likely lasting over several days as well. At some point I hope to post a video as well, since Kelli was not only photographing, she was filming! No worries about vag shots though, as everything I post will be reviewed by TH beforehand to prevent any oversharing my overly extroverted self might be prone to otherwise.
After that, it will be time to move on. I hope you will enjoy the recounting of my experience (through multiple mediums) as much as I look forward to telling it. After that I’ll be gushing over how adorable my son is, attempting to explain why it is so impossible to get anything done with a newborn, and detailing my attempts to lose the baby weight so we can do this pregnancy/labor/birth thing all over again.
I can’t guarantee that birth related posts won’t go up every once in awhile though. I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed junkie now.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Ah! I’m so excited for this! Can’t wait!!
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1I really appreciate that you’re going to share the story with us! I’m very excited!
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2Really excited, cant wait to read all about it!!!
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3I’ve been looking forward to it!
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4Yay! I can’t wait to hear it all.
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5I CANNOT WAIT!
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6Yay!! I can’t wait till Tuesday!!
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7I agree with everyone else. Can’t wait! I love reading birth stories but I suspect yours will be a masterpiece especially with the gorgeous photography and the beautiful subjects (you and T1). I’m due in September and I want to go natural so I guess I’m interested in all the details from an informational (as well as aesthetic) perspective. Squee!!
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8I definitely look forward to it. It’s something my husband and I are seriously considering (once we try to TTC) and it’s always good to read other people’s experience, even if each birth is different, there is something to learn from each one of them.
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9Added thought: do you think TH would agree to share his feelings about the birth of his son? I think it would be interesting to have an “outsider” opinion too.
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Jessica Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
So excited to read your story Jenna! And see it, etc.
I agree, I’d love to hear TH’s perspective as well.
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Heather Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 3:39 pm
totally agree, dear. Hearing TH’s perspective would be really cool. As well as Kelli’s and anyone else - even if it’s just a few sentences - while I’m most excited to hear your birthing experience getting this insight from the other “participants” in the birthing would be really interesting!!
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I can’t wait to read it!
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11Yea! What I’m looking forward to most is the honesty I know you’ll bring to the story.
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12I’m so excited to hear about it and see all the pictures of T1!
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13Hey! Came across this blog and it made me think of you. The title of the blog is “That Girl”.
http://www.laurenbiggs.blogspot.com/
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14I cannot get enough of birth/pregnancy/baby stuff, myself, and isn’t that the beauty of a blog? Just like with an online literary magazine, length isn’t a problem, because the availability is (virtually) limitless!
I’m so excited to read your birth story and see more photos. Your son is truly beautiful and I just love your positive approach to all of this. Thank you for being such a great birth advocate!
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15Very much looking forward to your story!
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16I’ve totally been waiting for this! Can’t wait. Thanks so much for sharing.
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17I’m very much looking forward to reading your birth story, and am exciting that it’s going to be so long.
I just read cjane’s account and was like “that’s it?” It was three huge posts! I’m a selfish jerk.
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schmei Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I’m sure I’m exciting also, but I meant to say “excited”… way to edit, Schmei
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Can. Not. Wait!! So excited for the birth story!
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19Jenna,
I so appreciate your dedication to presenting a thorough, detailed birth story rather than telling a horror story or a virvana story and leaving us wondering on the details in between. I look forward to following this series and I can already tell that when I finally get pregnant, this blog will be my first stop for a dose of reality mixed in with inspiration and hope.
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