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 Giving Birth to Gabriella
by Kate Kennedy
On Wednesday night at midnight, my water broke. I was sound asleep when I woke up thinking I had to pee, which usually happened at least once a night. But when I stood up, there was this gush of water. At first I wasn’t sure what was happening, but then I realised my water had broken! I was surprised because it was two days before my due date and, when I had my prenatal appointment the day before, my midwife had said, “Most first time Moms go overdue, and you don’t seem that close yet.” I’d been so disappointed, because I was sure things were starting to... [read more] |
 The True Strength of a Man
by Rob Shandler
Almost five years have passed since I learned the true meaning of helplessness. An evening that started with a romantic comedy and some popcorn quickly turned into an emotional prizefight in which I was being battered. Learned instincts tell men to fight back in these types of situations, but there was no opponent to be seen. My inability to fight this invisible adversary was forcing me to break my first parental oath as “protector” though I hadn’t yet met my firstborn. My child was in danger. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Our battle with preterm labour was just... [read more] |
 Humour in the Home Stretch
by Sheri Tarrington
Were you unlucky enough to have the experience of being well past your “due date” with no signs of baby coming soon? Take comfort. You are not alone. Here is one mom’s humourous personal account of overdue-land, as expressed through emails to her... [read more] |
 From Freedom to Fatherhood
by Jeff Larsen
How do I write a little story about becoming a father? I suppose I could start with how terrifying it is to write anything at all; I guess that’s normal for everyone. What’s a normal feeling for an expectant father? Now that’s a question. I’ll probably disappoint my wife a little with some revelations, but I have to be truthful. As I grew up I can’t exactly say matured; my wife will agree I haven’t gotten to that stage, quite yet, I enjoyed my freedom. I enjoyed being married, but I was really comfortable with it being just us. I was reminded often how badly my wife wanted a child. So as much as I didn’t want to change things, I loved her too much to refuse trying to give her life’s... [read more] |
 The Power of Words
by Jennifer Shehata
There are many aspects of my birth that I celebrate and many things I learned from, but the one thing that stands out above all else is the amazing power of spoken words – whether positive or negative. I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy, not easy, but nothing delving into the realm of endangering my health or my baby’s health. I was venturing into week 42 and not too happy about it! I was okay with the fact that I was not having a... [read more] |
 Blessing Light the Way: Sequoia's Birth
by Karine Elhashemi
My son Sequoia was born Sunday, February fourth at 10:44 pm in our home. The labour begins with a dream…. A group of women are sitting in a circle. We are all pregnant and wanting our labour to start. There is a ritual we must do. You cross your arms and rub the earlobes of the two people sitting on either side of you. Margot and Sasha (my dearest friends) are on either side of me. We rub each other’s earlobes and... [read more] |
 Rising Son
by Lindsie Bruns
My second son was due August 25th. I complained a lot about the summer heat and how I had chosen the worst time of year to be nine months pregnant. But really, I had an ideal pregnancy with no complications. I just hoped that my baby would decide to come on his own sooner rather than later. I wanted to avoid the possibility of induction in hospital, as I had when my first son Kian was born. I was planning a home water birth with midwives and... [read more] |
 When You Know Better, You Do Better: Sawyer Eleanor's Birth
by Jen Pinch
During a very raw time in my life, after my husband and I experienced the loss of three unborn babies due to miscarriage, I began to develop a real thirst for knowledge about birth. My daughter Hayden’s birth had been challenging and, in retrospect, there were things I would have done differently. Now, after my miscarriages, I found I could not get enough information about birth. Ironically, while struggling to have another child, I found... [read more] |
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