Hi, my name is Anna and I am a birth addict. I’m not sure exactly when it started, but it progressed rather quickly. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when pre-motherhood Anna sat around listening to women discuss all of their childrens’ deliveries and thought, “Hmm…how can these women talk about this for hours?” Hours. Upon hours. You want to get a room full of moms talking? Start an icebreaker question pertaining to childbirth. It’s bananas! I sometimes joke that I gave up all of my hobbies when I became a mom.
But that’s not true, because I have a new hobby: birth.
The funny thing about my self-proclaimed hobby/addiction is that it started somewhere between my two children. My first birth wasn’t as grand or wonderful as I had pictured. In fact, I came to realize over time that I was a little traumatized from it. After a year or so I started reading, researching, and watching all types of birth videos to figure out exactly what I wanted to do the next time around.
And that’s when it hit me- BAM! BIRTH IS MAGICAL. I couldn’t get enough of it- birth stories, pictures, videos, documentaries… Give me all things birth! I wanted to talk about my story and hear everyone else’s. I wanted to share my desires for future births and ask a thousand questions to the women who were 6 children in. I finally understood what all the fuss was about.
In the beginning I saw childbirth as a means to an end, but now I am captivated by the process. If you announce your pregnancy on social media, you had better believe I will be subscribing to those updates the entire way through. I want to see your first little bump, your gender reveal video, your name announcement, and the first picture of you and your little skin-to-skin. I will probably at some point invite myself to come watch your birth and convince you that I’m only kidding…
My addiction is now such common knowledge that I get tagged in the comments of birth videos. And I love them ALL. Give me a homebirth, a hospital birth, a c-section – doesn’t matter! I cry. Every. Single. Time. It’s that one moment that gets captured so perfectly, the look on a momma’s face of sheer joy and relief to finally meet the child they have carried for the better part of a year. Oh I could go on and on! (I even spent a good part of my visit to the State Fair coaxing a goat to deliver in my presence.)
But alas, my friends, we cannot continue to ramble on this post any longer. I would hate to be one of the women I never understood years ago- HA! If you love birth as much as I do then please share your stories! I would love to read, see, and discuss all the experiences you have had. Birth talk is a powerful way to connect with other women and I would love to engage with you readers on a more personal level. Comment away, ladies!
I had a VBA2C 4 weeks ago and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I shared my birth story for my birth photographer’s blog.
OH my word. GO GIRL! Thank you for sharing, your story is amazing.
Forgot to include the link! http://www.stephanierallsphotography.com/blog/2015/10/16/oklahoma-city-birth-photographer-ou-womens-center-jessicas-vba2c
I. Love. Birth. too! You just got me all excited about it again with your amazing post…it truly is a foundational connecting point for women. I’ve birthed 7 wonderful miracles and didn’t wanna go for the Guiness record for “oldest to give birth” so I stopped 🙂 Thanks for sharing this … birthing babies is a wonderful privilege and gift.
So cool Becky!! Glad I am not alone in my obsession 🙂
I also love birth! I love hearing about birth, I love seeing birth, I love talking about birth, and I loved giving birth to my 3 babies.