Birthing Stories

So Suzie was 8.9 months pregnant and of course she had her overnight bag packed, her stop watch on her vanity counter, and ice in the freezer. She had one last appointment with the Ob/Gyn before the big day. When she entered the waiting room, there were three other women waiting. She smiled cordially, sat down and picked up a magazine. “How far are you?” said a lady with a rough voice. Suzie looked up: “Um, almost 9 months”. Strangely the lady looked like Rosie the Riveter with a bandana and rippling muscles. She flexed. “I had all 3 of mine natural” then spat in a cup. “It was the worst pain of my life…you should do it too!” Then the second lady with a soft timid voice chimed in: “I had an epidural. They insert a super long needle—I mean that thing was really lengthy! It goes up through your spine and then you don’t feel a thing…until two hours later when your legs get numb and you can’t walk. And I can’t forget the shivers, the nausea, the difficulty peeing, the…

Suzie darted her eyes over to the 3rd lady to hear what horrifying contribution she had to share. Though lost in her own thoughts, the 3rd lady raised her eyes to Suzie’s and stated: “My baby was stillborn…”

Suddenly all of the other forms of pain faded in comparison to the distress that this woman had experienced. Suzie could only imagine how difficult it could be for this woman to be exposed to the joyful plight of others who had at least experienced victory in childbirth. Imagine going through a whole nine months and the extreme effort to deliver, only to welcome silence and incredulity. Suzie went over to her and embrace her tightly, as tears flowed.

As Suzie anxiously awaited the birth of her child, she determined that she would reach out to women who have lost their children either through a miscarriage, a still birth or as a sudden unexpected/unexplained infant death.

-Lyrics by tia 2011


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