My Birthing Story + What I Learned

I can’t believe we welcomed Madelyn into this world 6 weeks ago today. Her entrance into this world was anything but fast. After 35+ hours of induced labor (my water broke) and 3 hours of pushing, she made her arrival. Those days in the hospital were incredibly challenging, exhausting, and scary. There was a point where I just wanted to get a c section to get her out. But the body is an amazing thing and the support provided to me during the whole process was incredible. My husband, the nurses, and my doctor gave me this feeling that everything would be okay no matter how scary or challenging it got.

I share this story not to scare those pregnant ladies out there, but for 2 reasons:

1) Every birthing story is beautiful whether it’s according to your plan or not. I look upon my experience with gratitude for not only bringing my child into this world but for the love and support I received. All you nurses and doctors out there are truly angels.

2) Our bodies can do the most incredible things. Growing a human was one thing but then getting it out was a whole other story. I’ve never wanted to appreciate my body so much. I’ve never wanted to be so compassionate and take care of myself so much before. I’m hoping today I will get the clearance to exercise and slowly (very slowly!) get into my running and yoga practice again but if I need more time that’s okay too. Self-compassion has never been so present for me before. We don’t need marathons or training plans or practicing yoga every day to prove that we’re strong or worthy, we already are.