Fairview Press
I recall being scared out of my wits at a "friendly" get-together during third-trimester, when a bunch of moms had a ball sharing their harrowing tales of ineffective epidurals and staggering labor pains with nice, innocent, soon-to-give-birth me. Frightening.
But talking about labor and deliver doesn't have to strike fear in the hearts on moms-to-be. And now there's a book to prove it. Belly Button Bliss: A Small Collection of Happy Birth Stories (Fairview Press, $16.95) celebrates the "up" moments of bringing a baby into the world -- a welcome departure from the negative birth stories out there. It's sweetly designed (so it could make an adorable baby shower gift), and it reads like a joyful set of birth announcements, with profiles of 22 women who share their birth experiences, including hospital births, home births, C-sections, VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean), the birth of twins and the birth of an adopted child. I can honestly, say that I wish it had been around when I was pregnant -- knowing there are so many positive stories out there would have been wholly reassuring.
How did you prepare yourself -- mentally -- for labor and delivery? Chime in below!
