Yep. That’s a picture of me right after the birth of my son- right next to a picture of Kate hours after the birth of her baby. And guess what? WE’RE BOTH BEAUTIFUL.
I’ve seen so many posts on Facebook saying how her picture is unrealistic or unfair to “normal” moms who had “normal” births. So many posts making fun and bashing her for this photo. But why? Why do we do this? Why do we compare another woman’s birth experience to our own? Why do we make jokes about her and put her down for having a different experience than us? Why can’t we see each birth for the miracle that it is?
If there’s one thing I can tell you, it’s that childbirth is the great equalizer. Kate may be royalty, but on that day, she was a mama on her birthing day. Childbirth didn’t come wrapped up in a neat little box for her just because of her status. It was raw, and real, and emotional, and unfiltered, just as it is for all of us. We should be celebrating her and telling her she’s a badass, just like we would want people to do for us on our special day.
And yea, maybe she had someone come in and do her hair and makeup for that photo. Or maybe she did it herself because it makes her feel good to have her hair and makeup done. Either way, we should be celebrating that.
And yea, maybe she had a fast, straightforward, and uncomplicated birth. Maybe that’s why she looks so energized and awake and vibrant. Or maybe not... I birthed for 21 hours (many of those hours I spent on my hands and knees, moving my hips back and forth, and breathing and making moaning noises my husband has probably never heard before. Lol!). But after my baby was born I felt energized. I felt alert and high on all the oxytocin my body was producing. I felt strong and powerful. Birthing for 21 hours wasn’t easy, but because of HypnoBirthing, it was tolerable. And I felt really good afterward. Maybe she did too. Regardless or how her birth went, she birthed a baby. We should be celebrating that.
I can tell you that if her photo really causes you to feel distressed about your own birth experience, it’s time to do some healing. Contact me or another HypnoBirthing Practitioner and we can do a trauma and fear release session. Let’s heal and let go of what we need to within ourselves and begin to view birth in a positive light. Childbirth doesn’t have to be traumatic or horrible. And we, as women, should be lifting other women up and empowering them to have calm, gentle births so they can emerge feeling strong and proud.
listen guys, childbirth is different for everyone. Some people birth in the middle of the woods squatting on a rock, and some people have a c-section. It doesn’t matter. We all should emerge from our birthing day feeling like badasses. Because we are. And we should celebrate other women, no matter how they birth, or what they look like afterward.