why you should write your birth story
no matter what your birth experience was like, there are so many benefits to writing down your birth story. this post explains why you need to write your birth story and how to do it.
why should you write down your birth story?
this is a great way to remember the birth. there can be so many little details you might forget about in the future: the ice chips, the song that was playing, the name of the nurse who made you feel so strong, or the first thing you thought or said when you held your new baby. these are all things you’ll want to remember.
writing down your birth story will help you to process it. whether you had the most beautiful birth that went exactly according to plan or the complete opposite, writing it all down is a great way to process the emotions you felt and maybe talk to your partner or support person about it.
having the entire experience written down is incredibly awe-inspiring. this is an essential way to feel empowered. you can look back at it and see how strong you were to go through it, that you brought your baby/babies into the world.
research shows that writing down your birth story will help you to recover faster. the act of writing the story and reading it back will help you to do everything i’ve mentioned: remember, process, and feel empowered, all while helping you physically recover.
how can you write down your birth story?
create a calm environment (as much as you can with a newborn.) light a candle, play some relaxing music, and sit in a comfortable chair.
to start, just journal about the experience. what do you remember? it doesn’t have to go in order to resemble a perfect story at first. just free-write.
if you need to, meditate after writing about it. journaling might bring up a lot of emotions that you didn’t expect, so take a step back and just process it all.
ask others who were present about what they remember. this can remind you of things you forgot or show you a different perspective.
put it all together to create your birth story.
what can you do with your birth story?
write it and have it printed and framed
keep it to read when you need strength or a reminder of how strong you are
write it and give it to your child or read it each year on their birthday
create an email address for your child and email to them
if you’ve given birth, have you written your birth story? DM me to let me know!
Hi! I'm Gigi; I'm a postpartum doula, mother to three toddlers, including twins, and a wife to my high school sweetheart.
As a former teacher, I bring realistic, evidence-based, and actionable advice (and LOTS of handouts.) I help families get all the tools they need to prepare, so once baby arrives, they can focus on resting and bonding instead of researching or stressing. I’m here to streamline the newborn learning curve and help birth parents, partners, and other family members. There isn’t ONE way to have and raise a little human. I’m here to guide parents to find THEIR way so that they can thrive in the fourth trimester and beyond.
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