Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Home Birth

I am having one of those emotional days. I talked to Lis on the phone and cried. I heard an interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross talking to Maurice Sendak and I cried and cried and cried.
I feel so tender and I am not sure why.
ANYWAY.
Jo, our Infantasia Woman, posted a video of a home birth today. The gist of it is that Daddy is far away in Afghanistan when the baby is born and that breaks my heart. But, the pictures are so beautiful and if you've never been to a home birth and wondered what one is like, here you go. The faces the woman wears throughout her labor and afterwards are the faces that I have seen hundreds of women wear as they went through their labors and then held their babies in their arms.
I have worn them myself. I am sure that an experienced nurse or midwife could look at just the mother's face and know almost exactly where in her labor she was.

In my tender state of mind, I am wishing fervently that all women could give birth so simply with so much love surrounding them and I wish that all of those women's partners could be with them as they deliver life onto this planet instead of being somewhere far away where their lives and others are threatened by war.

Home is a beautiful place to be and sometimes the very best place to be and war never, ever is.

Thanks, Jo.



From YouTube:

Uploaded by on Sep 16, 2011

Thank you to my husband and all the soldiers missing such important things as the birth of your baby while deployed. Thank you to Jessica Strom Photography http://jessicastrom.net for the beautiful pictures that enabled me to share these moments with him. And thank you to my wonderful family for being there for me. I couldn't have done it without you.

20 comments:

  1. So sweet, thanks for sharing this today. I had a homebirth 11 years ago today. My son just came over to see what the music was and I told him it was a homebirth montage. He went to look at his hamster and came back and told me that animals are born at home. Right on!

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  2. oh ms moon, now you've made me cry. tender. that is the word for this montage, and for this day. thank you.

    (and thanks for leaving a comment on my girl's blog. she was thrilled!)

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  3. Yes, exactly.

    This one's messing with everyone's hormones today, alright :)

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  4. It doesn't get much more beautiful than that.

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  5. I have no words. Thanks for posting it.

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  6. No wonder you're weeping at this Ms Moon. I am, too. It's so poignant, joyous and painful all in one. Thanks.

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  7. What a tear jerker! So happy, so sad!

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  8. Very sweet. What a beautiful gift.
    It's wonderful that so many women are continuing the home birth movement. And I wonder how I managed to do that by myself, though I guess lots of American Indians routinely walked into the woods, birthed their baby and walked back with their papoose!

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  9. I don't know anyone who has had a home birth in recent years. I suppose my mother was born that way. I was a C-section baby. A lot of women seem to be getting those. I don't think that is necessarily for the good.

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  10. Michele R- And are we not animals? Happy Birth Day, darling!

    Angella- My pleasure!

    Jo- Even my old hormones...

    Denise- Seriously.

    Photocat- Sacred.

    Jeannie- Yes.

    Elisabeth- All of that and more.

    Towanda- Happiest and saddest. Both.

    A- I am not sure how many women gave birth by themselves- ever. You are unique and amazing.

    Stephanie- I think so.

    Syd- Jimmy Carter was the first American president not born at home. I think.

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  11. you know I know...beautiful, powerful and so sorry Daddy couldn't be there with everyone.

    XXXX Beth

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  12. I will never, ever get tired of birth stories, videos, and pictures. Lovely, lovely photos.

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  13. So beautiful -- and I know I never looked so beautiful when I gave birth. That woman is a goddess.

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  14. Holy Crap. This is amazing. Brought to us in the blogosphere by an amazing woman.

    Who knows a thing or two about birthing babies.

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  15. lulumarie- Isn't that something? Isn't that one of the miracles?

    Beth- I do know you know. I love you to my depths for that.

    Lora- I will never get tired of them either. They are...well, the very bone and blood and air of life.


    Elizabeth- She was stunningly gorgeous. I certainly never looked like that giving birth either. But I have seen women who have.

    Omgrrrl- A thing or two. Not much more than that, though.

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  16. I just found your blog and was tickled to read what you wrote and the comments others left. My name is Jessica Strom and I am the photographer who captured this amazingly beautiful home birth. Thank you so very much for sharing the video this strong strong momma made and for sharing the beauty that is birth photography! Truly thank you! God Bless!

    Jessica Strom

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  17. Jessica- I am honored you came by here. Thank-you so much and thank-you for those photographs. THAT is what birth can and should be.
    Hopefully, though, with the partner not at war, but home. Safely home.

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