The Epic Birth Story That Every Mom Tells

I’ve been meaning to write the story of Simon’s birth for quite some time. I find myself elbow high in diapers, cuddling, washing bottles, laundry, making dinner and the time passes and I’m needed in 100 directions and I haven’t even showered or made myself dinner and lord knows I need to pump. Because if I don’t pump and produce milk I will have failed and failing at anything like falling to sleep with the baby in your lap is unacceptable.

The endless articles, Facebook pages of advice are enough to keep you up at night worried about your little one and before you know it you are back in the mix and feeding and changing and it repeats and you absolutely love it and feel guilty if you vent or mention how hard it is, after all you waited so long and you should love every second. I do, I love every second. I could worry less and probably feel a little more at ease. I worry if I am doing a good enough job, if I am missing any signs to tell the doctor. It’s as if I am waiting for the next shoe to drop. I don’t know if it’s because the birth and the stay at children’s felt so traumatic or if it’s the journey to become pregnant that brings the worry or if it’s normal new mom stuff. My girlfriends tell me welcome to your new life of worry.

But back to the epic story of Simon’s birth. Go to any ladies lunch, baby/bridal shower where there are mothers and I guarantee you will hear a birthing story. They all have a pretty similar nuance . And if you are pregnant or not yet a mother, the story often ends with a nod to the other moms. It’s as if they leave out the really bad part of the birthing story. You know how it goes. They either brag how they did the birth without an epidural or they brag how they waited to long and had to do it without the epidural or they had the epidural but it didn’t work or they had the epidural and it wore off. Seriously every birthing story has these components. They leave out the crazy parts. I don’t know if it’s because they forgot or have permanently blocked it out of their brain. Mom’s say all the time, “you will forget about the pain and do it again.” It’s like this tribe or club and rules and you don’t know them until you give birth. Lol. Everyone’s story is pretty much the same and really nobody gives a shit. Except you and your husband. It’s like going to war. You and your husband just faught the biggest battle of your life and you come home and nobody really wants to talk about it. In fact, you are expected to forget about it. How you do that is beyond me. The recovery after birth is never discussed. The story goes “oh yeah I tore” and then there is a nod amgonst the group. Like they all know something you don’t. And it’s fucking true. They know that you are going to be in misery for 3!weeks after birth and you will suck it up and find a way to care for an infant with a ice back shoved in your granny panties as your husband asking for dinner. Maybe this is why I haven’t written my birth story. If I write it I am going in hard. All the gory details. And if I write it, will anyone really want to read it. My friend told me to write it before I forget it. Forget it? It plays in my head like a Vietnam Vet’s PTSD. The only thing saving me is I have a beautiful baby staring back at me. Yes people I went to war that day!