The birth of your baby is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will probably remain etched in your heart forever. But did you ever imagine that your story could inspire and empower other mums as they prepare to welcome their baby? However your baby’s birth unfolded, your story is one of strength and determination – and we’d be honoured to share it on the village.
“What I love about stories the most is the power they have to teach us of possibilities that might not occur to us without them.” — Ina May Gaskin
Send us your story however you like: use the form below, make a copy of this Google doc where you’ll find the below prompts, or stick it in a Word doc and email it to belgianbirthstories@thevillage.be.
Please feel free to tell your story in your own way. We’ve put some prompts below in case they can help you. But there is no obligation to use them.
- If labour started naturally, how did it start?
- If you were induced or having a planned cesarean, how did you feel as you made your way to the hospital?
- What were the contractions like? Were they like you expected? What helped to ease the discomfort?
- Who was with you during labour and birth, and did you feel supported?
- Do you have memories of how the hospital staff cared for you? Were you able to communicate well with them? Did you feel they explained what they were doing / what was happening?
- What do you remember about your baby’s actual birth?
- Overall, was your birth experience different from what you imagined it to be? If yes, how was it different?
- How were the first days after your baby’s birth? Did you feel well supported?
Other aspects we’d love to hear about, if you’d like to share:
- Had you done anything to prepare for labour and birth, e.g. prenatal classes, yoga, hypnobirthing, doula support? If yes, what did you do? How useful was it?
- If you previously had a baby in another country, how was your experience of pregnancy, labour and birth different than in Belgium?