Birthing beauty (#BOAW2018)

One Woman

Giving birth, all women become

One Woman.

 

There will be blood.

There may be tears.

There will be fear, and also wonder.

 

This particular woman sweats

trembles, grunts, vomits.

I offer a cool cloth for her forehead

best if dipped in a bowl of ice water

so cold my fingers ache.

 

I offer a shoulder where she can bury her head

a place where she can rest her weary body

for a moment before labor claims her again

before she must go on.

She cannot go on.

She must.

 

 

I travel beside her.

I cannot take away her fear or eliminate her pain.

But I see her.

I hear her.

I say

you are beautiful.

 

My “day” job

I began working as a birth doula in 2003. Since then, have accompanied nearly 200 women on their journeys to becoming mothers. At first, the awe I felt at witnessing life come into the world was all-consuming. “Wow,” I’d say to myself, surprised every time, “There’s a baby!” Now my focus has shifted to the women.

Babies are cute, but women are where the true beauty resides.

 

 

This post is part of The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest VII! To read more entries, and potentially win a fun prize, visit the fest page on August’s McLaughlin’s site between today and 11pm PST March 9th.