October 2013 monthly theme – birth story

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2012 Contributions March 2012 – Breastfeeding April 2012 – Parenting Styles June 2012 – Father’s Day: Then & Now July 2012 – Considerations on Family Building August 2012 – Screen Time September 2012 – Guilt & Grieving October 2012 – Obsessed With Babies November 2012 – Traditions December 2012 – Balancing Life, Work and Parenthood

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February 23, 2014

While discussing and sorting through monthly theme ideas with my fellow PAIL ladies I was SHOCKED to learn we haven’t done a monthly theme on Birth Stories! Now, the theme of birth stories is a little stagnant in the blogging world, but how your birth experience goes on to affect your parenting and future plans is an interesting and under-explored topic.

An idea I have just begun to realize is that part of my birth story instilled a fear and worry of health issues in me that I still carry a remnant of today, 15 months later. For my Stella’s birth we knew I was Group B Strep positive and needed to have two doses of intravenous antibiotic during labor, before she was born. Well, I was so tuned into my hypno-birthing process as I labored at home that I didn’t realize how far along I was. We showed up at the hospital and I was 9.5 centimeters dilated. They started pushing the antibiotics but Stells came out before they could get the second dose in.

I was warned about possible things to watch for to make sure she wouldn’t get sick (a possible rare complication, but it scared the crap out of me). When we were re-hospitalized for poor weight gain and jaundice, I was convinced that this was related, and my fault, for not getting to the hospital soon enough to get those antibiotics. Since then I have been worried about her health and weight. Stella gained slowly, and she has always been on the lower side of the scale for weight gain.

And so I have always been a worrier when it came to her health, panicking if a stranger grabbed her hands or touched her face (True story at church, TWICE, two different people stuck their fingers in my child’s MOUTH! Who does that? I seriously hyperventilated). Worrying about her getting enough food. Checking her temperature to check for fever more than I care to admit (we have a neat forehead scanner that is so easy to use, technology has enabled my worrying).

I’ve also realized that were things in my birth story that I would change, I would not let them rupture my membranes like they did and I would have insisted on being allowed to get in the birth tub even though they insisted there was no time (of course there wasn’t they broke my water which sped things up!).

This month’s theme ask you to examine your birth story from a new perspective, to see how it has impacted your parenting style and future plans. Below are some suggested prompts but feel free to write on whatever moves you. And for the adoptive Mamas, I got some love for you too, of course. See the prompts below for ways to participate (And forgive me any naiveté over my adoption prompts). Also if you created your family via surrogacy we would love to hear from you too on that perspective.

How did the birth experience of your child affect your parenting of this child?

If you adopted and were at the birth how did that affect you?

If you adopted and were not able to witness the birth do you think that affected your parenting? (ie, did you strive to have frequent skin-to-skin contact and other bonding measures as we did when we fostered an infant?)

How did the birth/adoption experience affect your future plans? Would you do it all again the exact same way? Change things? Decide to not have more children?

What sticks out in your birth/adoption experience that you still carry with you? (good or bad)

What type of birth did you have? (I love reading birth stories!)

Have you felt “judged” about your birth(adoption) experience, and has that affected your parenting or future plans?

As always, these questions are just a guide. Please feel free to write anything and everything you would like to on this topic in whichever way suits you best. If you have previously written on this topic, feel free to link away in your post, or submit any previous post on the topic as you see fit. And of course, if you do not have a blog of your own, we are happy to hear your thoughts in the comments and will link to your comment in the full post list for all to read.

Entries for this month’s theme are due Tuesday October 29th at midnight, EST . The full list of links will go live on Thursday, October 31st.

Please submit your posts using this form:

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J o s e y says: October 17, 2013 at 1:47 PM Reblogged this on My Cheap Version of Therapy and commented: CJ just introduced this month’s Theme Post topic over at PAIL. Check it out! You know I’m a sucker for birth stories, and this is all about birth stories – with a twist. We want to know how your birth experience went on to affect your parenting and future plans. I’m incredibly excited to hear what people have to say on this – I really hope you join in! Reply

Reblogged this on My Cheap Version of Therapy and commented:

CJ just introduced this month’s Theme Post topic over at PAIL. Check it out!

You know I’m a sucker for birth stories, and this is all about birth stories – with a twist. We want to know how your birth experience went on to affect your parenting and future plans. I’m incredibly excited to hear what people have to say on this – I really hope you join in!

findmynewnormal says: October 17, 2013 at 2:22 PM Ooh, this is a good one. It’s already got me thinking. I didn’t ever write about my daughter’s birth story on my blog because I’m not a huge fan of the birth story post. I did write my son’s birth story but mostly because he was stillborn and it’s the reason I started writing in the first place. But this spin gives it a depth that I really like. Reply

Ooh, this is a good one. It’s already got me thinking. I didn’t ever write about my daughter’s birth story on my blog because I’m not a huge fan of the birth story post. I did write my son’s birth story but mostly because he was stillborn and it’s the reason I started writing in the first place. But this spin gives it a depth that I really like.

slese1014 says: October 20, 2013 at 4:53 PM I think this is a great topic, but unfortunately I will not be able to participate, at least not on time. I’ll be sure to ping back when I finally am able to write my post. I look forward to some good reading on those who are able to participate on time!!! Reply

I think this is a great topic, but unfortunately I will not be able to participate, at least not on time. I’ll be sure to ping back when I finally am able to write my post. I look forward to some good reading on those who are able to participate on time!!!

chon says: October 30, 2013 at 9:50 PM This is a lovely topic. It makes me get all emotional! And clucky! Whilst this isn’t my birth story I read this today after a friend forwarded me the link and it is a really lovely gorgeous birth story. About how unpredictable labour can be and all that. http://www.documentingdelight.com/2013/10/30/meeting-florin/ I thought it would be a lovely story for those that had unplanned c sections. Chon x Reply

This is a lovely topic. It makes me get all emotional! And clucky!

Whilst this isn’t my birth story I read this today after a friend forwarded me the link and it is a really lovely gorgeous birth story. About how unpredictable labour can be and all that.

http://www.documentingdelight.com/2013/10/30/meeting-florin/

I thought it would be a lovely story for those that had unplanned c sections. Chon x

EJ says: November 4, 2013 at 4:03 PM This is such a fantastic topic. Thank you for choosing it! I wrote late but wanted to share my link too. http://journeywithendometriosis.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/pail-bloggers-i-have-a-birth-story-too/ Reply

This is such a fantastic topic. Thank you for choosing it! I wrote late but wanted to share my link too. http://journeywithendometriosis.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/pail-bloggers-i-have-a-birth-story-too/

The outskirts | a plus effort says: November 14, 2013 at 6:34 PM […] admit that I cried a little when PAIL Bloggers announced this month’s theme post. I like participating in their theme posts. I do not like talking about birth stories. I […] Reply

[…] admit that I cried a little when PAIL Bloggers announced this month’s theme post. I like participating in their theme posts. I do not like talking about birth stories. I […]

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