Now I am reading the third book on my list: ”Real Birth, Women Share Their Stories” by Robin Greene. I was a little nervous to read it but felt compelled to learn about actual stories so I would know what I was getting myself into.  The book is divided by categories:

• hospital births,
• the birthing center births,
• birth at home,
• delivering in unusual places,
• women on their own,
• when problems occur, and
• two or more.

Each of these chapters discusses unique birthing situations such as the woman who had her baby while riding in a car in the tunnel, or the woman who had to have an emergency c-section at the hospital.  There is even a story about one woman who went snowmobiling which caused her to go into labor and she had to be airlifted out of the remote area.

Even with such stories given, I enjoyed this book because the stories were real yet they were written in a way that was not overly frightening.  Some of these women had difficult labors and some gave birth after only 15 minutes.  But the underlying common thread was the love that they had for their baby and the fact that they were happy to have had a healthy child.

So this is where I need your help.  I want to hear more real stories.  And they don’t have to be “exciting” (I realize very few people deliver in a car) or extreme.  They can be very “normal” and drama-free.  I just want to know from someone who has gone through this before – how did you have your baby?  Were you in a hospital or a birthing center or at home?  Did you have a natural childbirth or did you go for the epidural?  Was a C-section involved?  Did everything go according to plan?  What would you do differently?

I would love to hear your stories, so please, feel free to share.  And if you don’t feel comfortable leaving comments, send me an email (fromsingletomarried@gmail.com) instead.  I can’t wait to hear from you.

Image: Istock Photos

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