As you read these memoirs, please keep in mind that birth is a time when women experience very intense emotions, and these strong feelings tend to fade slowly, if at all. Be mindful that the emotions elicited by birth are equally as important as the events themselves. How we remember our births impacts us for a lifetime.
These narratives will have both highs and lows described, possibly in very intense detail and equally intense wording. You will see positive narratives, negative narratives, and narratives that include both positive and negative elements. We ask that you read each narrative with an open mind and with compassion, remembering that each account is important, and also that no narrative can take away from your own experiences.
Without exception, all memoirs will be told in the author’s own words--sharing as much or as little as she has chosen to share--without any editing by BirthWise in Birmingham. The only editorial control we will exert is the timing and order of publication.
Although you may be familiar with the term “Birth Story,” we prefer the term “Birth Memoir.” For some, “Story” connotes a narrative that is fabricated. We want to give birth parents a place to tell their truth, in their own powerful words.