Hope Is Giving Birth in the Face of the Dragon by Beth Bartlett

Syrian Baby

The image of the baby born under the rubble of the earthquake in Syria has been haunting me. So has the image in my mind of her mother, giving birth to her baby while trapped after the building, where she, her husband, and their children were sleeping, collapsed.  The baby’s uncle, when digging through the debris hoping to reach his brother and family, found the baby alive, her umbilical cord still attached to her mother. When he cut the cord, the baby let out a cry.  Tragically, her mother had died after giving birth, as had her father and siblings.

Continue reading “Hope Is Giving Birth in the Face of the Dragon by Beth Bartlett”

Birth Matters by Karen Leslie Hernandez

karen hernandezI don’t talk much about giving birth, but when I do talk about the birth of my daughter and I give details, I am met almost assuredly with looks of disbelief and outright contempt for my birthing experience. In that, I am reminded, as women talk of their beautiful birthing experiences, mine was anything but that.

I also feel that I don’t need to focus on those days that were filled with unorthodox delivery practices and harmful words, when I can just focus on what came after and what is now – I have an amazing, beautiful, grounded 25 year old daughter.

Yet, there is something to it. Something that should be said. Something to share. And, what I find quite often, is that as a former military wife delivering in a military hospital, many other military spouses have similar stories. Continue reading “Birth Matters by Karen Leslie Hernandez”

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