The Joy of This

The Birth Interview Project consists of 17 simple questions designed to help mothers process their birth story & share it with others. All mothers are invited to take part in this project. Born out of Joy’s desire to help women discover, process and express the  feelings surrounding their birth experiences, The Birth Interview Project strives to offer a platform for mothers and readers alike to share and be heard, to search and to discover, to identify and to heal, and to exhort and remember. The views and opinions expressed here are unique to each woman who takes part in the Birth Interview Project and may not always reflect the values of the blog author.

Destiny and I first got to know each other after she became engaged to my buddy, Jonathan.  She was pure Texas (and still is) and Jonathan is pure Belgium.  You can learn all about their life together in Belgium by visiting Destiny’s blog:  BELGEXAN.  Destiny is a prolific writer and shares her heart, always, with honesty, beauty and humor.

Destiny may not know this, but it was while she blogged in GREAT detail about her pregnancy and birth with her first baby, her daughter, Lyric, that I learned pregnant women have something disgusting called a mucus plugs and get this, it falls out!  I also discovered the horror of … postpartum bleeding (WHAT!).  Yeah, back in the day, when I was young and newly married and hadn’t given a single thought to birthing babies, Destiny’s blog posts about her pregnancy and birth rocked my world.  She left no stone uncovered, and when I became pregnant with my daughter, she was one of the VERY first friends I wrote to from Israel (where we lived and worked as volunteer workers) to tell.

I have a tender place in my heart for Destiny’s natural birth experience.  It did not go as planned. In fact, it went horribly (she won’t mind my saying so).  I have struggled with guilt over the idea that perhaps I sold Destiny on the idea of some euphoric, natural birth experience.  She swears to me and I quote, “You did not sell me at all! This was what I wanted to do ever since I almost did it with Shiloh. After I had him this was my big regret–not giving myself the shot to push myself to my limits. Now I have and I didn’t like it.”  I’ve started to realize through Destiny’s birth, and maybe you will too, that an un-medicated birth isn’t for every mother out there.

I have come to learn that what is most important are happy moms who love their birth experiences, and happy babies who get to snuggle up with their momma immediately after birth. Drugs or not, hospital, birth center or home, it doesn’t matter to me any more. I simply want Moms to have the birth that they want to have while supported and cared for by birth professionals.

Without further ado, I give you Destiny’s interview.  I think you’ll enjoy it.  Please feel free to respond and or voice your questions to Destiny in the comments.

(Destiny’s complete birth story can be read on her blog, here.  I highly recommend that you take the time to read her whole story to give you a sense of her journey.)

Please give a brief description of yourself, and what number baby/birth you’re sharing with us:

I’m a 28-year-old full-time mom and missionary in Belgium. I have a dashing European husband Jonathan, a 4-year-old daughter, Lyric and two sons, Shiloh (almost 3), and Valor (8 months).  I’ve decided to share my last birth with you although my other two were pretty awesome too, just with less screaming.

What was your due date, and what was your baby’s birth date?

I was due March 30th and Valor was born April 7th.

What was Valor’s weight and length?

6 pounds 11 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long.

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Tags: Birth Stories, Natural Childbirth, The Birth Interview Project, Traumatic birth experience