We are 248 World Wide Women.
We are all ages.
Some of us gave birth vaginally, with and without drugs or anesthesia, and some by cesarean.
Some of us gave birth in hospitals, some at home, and one in the car.
Some of us breastfed our babies, and some of us bottle-fed.
Some of us are married, some single, some partnered with men, some partnered with women.
Some of us are raising our children, some of our children are being raised by others.
Some of us have grown-up children, and some of us have grandchildren or great-grandchildren.
We come from 7 different countries.
But we want to include the experiences of thousands,
from dozens of countries.
Join us! Tell your story here.
What REALLY Helped Us During Labor
Labor support from our spouses, partners, midwives, doulas (labor support professionals), doctors, nurses, and moms was the thing that helped us the most in labor. They didn’t have magical powers, but their love, gentleness, respect and encouragement made all the difference in the world.
Next came…water! A bath or shower really helped a bunch of us.
A whole lot of us loved moving freely, like walking, dancing, rocking, swaying our hips, climbing stairs, even crawling.
And loads of us loved to try different positions, like squatting, hands-and-knees, kneeling, standing, sitting on a big rubber “birth ball,” being on all fours with our upper bodies on a birth ball or other furniture, leaning over, side-lying, pulling or hanging on a cloth hung from the ceiling. Several of us loved sitting on the toilet – we hate to tell you this, but birth really does have a lot in common with pooping.
Lots of us felt good when we made a lot of noise. Moaning, chanting, humming, screaming, yelling, swearing, singing, roaring, oh, ah, and that thing that horses do with their lips.
As noisy as we were, a lot of us liked solitude. We just wanted to be left alone and not told what to do.
But we appreciated being reassured that everything was fine, since labor is so intense, and so unlike anything else.
Anything that helped us relax was great.
A number of us loved counter-pressure: somebody pressing as hard as they could on our lower backs or bottoms.
Focused breathing is a famous labor technique that many of us liked, though toward the end of labor it wasn’t always enough.
We did best when we kept a positive attitude of confidence, intention, determination.
A lot of us just decided to stop fighting it and surrender to labor, and then it felt easier, even if physically it got harder.
A lot of us were amazed by our intuition and instincts. How smart we were when we trusted ourselves and listened to our bodies!
Many of us prepared for birth by learning as much as we could from classes and books. We were inspired by great birth stories and videos. We liked understanding what was going on in our bodies, and we were inspired by other brave, strong moms.
Some of us were deeply grateful for epidural anesthesia, cesarean section, pain medications, and other medical interventions.
Those of us who made informed decisions are a lot happier than those of us who felt like our doctors or midwives didn’t respect our dignity, our capabilities, or our wishes.
Some of us got in touch with our wild animal nature. One of us roared “like a cave woman,” and it was great.
Some of us thought about the many generations of mothers who have come before us: if they can do it, so can we! We appreciate them more now.
We also loved massage and self-massage, although some of us felt so busy laboring that we didn’t want to be touched.
Some of us depended on our spiritual selves. We prayed or meditated or worked on staying in the present moment.
Some of us were glad we stayed home for a large part of labor, or even the whole thing (typically, with skilled midwives to keep us safe).
Some of us loved listening to music. Jazz, classical, mellow, or peppy!
Some of us liked heat or ice, darkness or sunshine.
Last but not least, some of us repeated mantras over and over:
If Mum did it, anyone can!
My baby’s size is perfect for my body. We birth easily.
Breathe in peace, Breathe out baby. Breathe in breath, Breathe out baby.
The only way out is through.
Oooooooopennnnnnnn…
Sweet Jesus, help me!
This is happening, now. [attention to this moment instead of “what’s next?”]
Relax your face, relax your shoulders, relax your hands.
My butt hurts!
Keep the energy moving!
[to the baby:] Run for the light!