10 Things My Midwife Said To Me About Labor And Delivery That Were, Thankfully, True
bySabrina Joy Stevens
"No, you won't be pregnant forever. I know it feels like it right now, but one way or another, all babies come out eventually." As a first-time mom, I wasn't entirely convinced, but I listened. In our one-on-one and community care sessions, there were so many things my midwives said about labor and delivery that, thankfully, turned out to be true (as hard as they were to believe, especially at the time).
In our society, there's plenty of storytelling that promotes fear about giving birth. What makes midwives so great is that they swim hard against that (sadly) pretty popular and powerful tide. They believe in the power and strength of women’s bodies, and that belief guides everything they do and say. For women having low-risk pregnancies, midwives are amazing to have in your corner, because it's hard not to believe in yourself and your body when you're surrounded by other people who do.
Though I obviously can't speak for all moms, all labors, and all births, the following was absolutely true for me when I had my son. In hindsight, it shouldn't have surprised me that the things my midwives said would be true and would eventually make sense to me; they basically eat, sleep, and breathe all things pregnancy and birth for their whole lives. Still, I'm really glad that I was fortunate enough to have a healthy pregnancy and labor, glad that the following things my midwives told me turned out to be for real, and unbelievably glad that I somehow figured out how to listen to it, so I could have the birth experience that I wanted.