Empowered Birth Awareness Week

This week has been Empowered Birth Awareness Week! https://www.facebook.com/danielle.braden#!/event.php?eid=119031084860920

I am thinking that an empowered birth must mean several different things to different people because when it comes to birth there are so many WAYS.  And everyone thinks their way is the best, right.  I have actually had it two different ways, with a third new and different way coming in October :) 

My first birth was just that, the birth of my beautiful daughter.  I love her more than anything in life, but I do not love her birth.  Her birth broke me emotionally and left me feeling broken physically.  For my second birth, it was the birth of my first son, a beautiful boy that again is my world, but also the birth of a new me.  I changed the day I VBACed my son.  Not only was a new tiny man welcomed to the world, but a new woman in me was born too.  Now that is what I call empowered!  I empowered myself in his birth to TAKE BACK what had been stolen from me the first time I birthed.  Sometimes I think I would change the way my daughter was born, but other times I realize that if that was changed, I would not be where I am today.  Everything happens for a reason and I needed to be shown something that day.  I am so thankful for the lessons I learned during my first very medicalized, traumatic, surgical birth.  Because what I learned is that I didn't want or need ANY of that.  I trust my body and my baby more than anything or anyone else.  I do not need any doctors or nurses telling me what my body can do.  I will tell them what my body is capable of, and they will watch and learn.  My birth is just that, mine and my child's.  I refuse to ever again let someone else have control over the natural beautiful miracle that is BIRTH.

Please educate and empower yourselves for your own births!  Whatever that means for YOU.  Just remember always that YOU are in control, not the medical professionals.  You can always say no, you can always look for other options, you can always walk away.  Be EMPOWERED and your mind, body and spirit will thank you for it later.