5th time's the charm: What my last birth taught me about unconditional love

"Low lights, warm room, a calm atmosphere. These are some things that come to mind when we think about creating an environment conducive to labor and birth, whether it’s at home, in a birth center, or in the hospital. When I went into the hospital in labor with my fifth child and second daughter (plus one miscarried baby), I didn’t expect that unconditional love would be the secret ingredient I would need to bring her into the world."

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"I thought, if I could just know when the contractions would start up again, I would feel less bad about inconveniencing others. And after that thought came one of fear: When will they start pushing me to have my water broken, to try Pitocin, to accept some intervention?...."

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"Unconditional love is something we read about, what we vow on our wedding day, but I’ve always thought about it as something difficult to give, not as something challenging to receive. And yet the posture I was invited into during that labor was one, with the Blessed Mother, of receptivity, of waiting, of trusting. My husband and doula waited and trusted with and for me that my body would eventually relax enough, feel safe enough, to release this baby."

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I was 28 weeks along with Cecilia when I had professional headshots taken. :)