Birth Story Circles

I attended my first Birth Story Circle last week at a local birth center in town. It was a wonderful 2 hours and I left feeling very privileged to have had the opportunity to listen to women share the stories of their most intimate memories of their birth experience.

So what exactly is a Birth Story Circle? I had never been to one and did not know quite what to expect. The Birth Story Circle is simply an opportunity for women to gather together and share the stories of their birth. It is very informal, and anyone who wants to participate in sharing their story can. One can also simply come and listen, if they choose. The circle I went to had about 10 ladies in attendance, and 8 out of the 10 shared a personal birth story. Sometimes the stories were long and very detailed; others were brief and to the point. But it was obvious that each woman sharing her story did so out of some desire to share her experience with others. The experiences shared were inspiring and empowering ... encouraging several of the pregnant women in the circle who had yet to give birth that their bodies were designed for this very purpose. One woman shared of a baby she lost when she was younger - and the joy she felt when her most recent baby was born on her first baby's expected due date. Another shared her fears of trying to deliver her second child naturally, after having a cesarean section. One mother shared how her husband helped deliver her fifth baby at home in the bathroom when labor progressed too quickly for the midwife to arrive.

Each story was remarkable and unique ... and at the same time, not remarkable - and not unique. And that is what I love about birth. It happens almost every second of every day, changing forever the lives of those welcoming that little one into their arms. For the rest of our lives, K and I will remember and talk about the night that Little Bear was born: when the contractions started, what time my water broke, the hot showers we took throughout the night to help with the pain, the crazy car ride to the hospital, and of course the moment Little Bear finally burst out and we got to see - for the very first time - the face of our daughter. Every 8 seconds this miracle occurs. Every 8 seconds a mother meets her child for the first time. And she will have her own story to share, different from anyone else, yet also so similar.

I believe that Birth Story Circles can help inspire mothers-to-be. They are wonderful reminders that roughly 97% of women can naturally birth their baby into this world with no serious complications. They help us to remember that we are not "special" or "unique" in that women all over the world have been birthing their babies for thousands of centuries. And yet they also allow us to share why our birth was special and unique, about how this universal experience affected us individually at an emotional, physical, even spiritual level.

Through the Birth Story Circles we can connect with women in our communities, share our vulnerabilities, and gain new strength.

If you are interested in attending a Birth Story Circle, call local birth centers in your area and ask if they hold one. And if they don't, ask if they might be willing to facilitate one. Perhaps you can even organize one of your own. They are a wonderful, intimate, and inspiring experience - one I urge all mothers and mothers-to-be to experience for themselves.