I'm Preparing for Labor So Keep Your Scary Birth Stories to Yourself!
Submitted by divaraven
When I got pregnant, I was initially so excited to tell my mommy friends the good news. But after sharing my joy with a couple of them, I began dreading it. It seemed like every one of them had some kind of terrifying pregnancy horror story—some awful thing that had happened, usually to "a friend of a friend of a friend." My ears were filled with tales of stillborn babies, NICU stints, amniocentesis-induced miscarriages and APGAR scores of one. I began having nightmares about my own baby, and she was just a three-month-old fetus!
After a while, I started questioning whether these women actually were my friends. Why would a gal pal feel the need to tell me such scary stuff, particularly at a time when I was supposed to feel ecstatic? My pregnancy was normal, everything was going along swimmingly, I was preparing for labor happily. What could these birth stories possibly have to do with me? Oh, my "friends" told me that they were warning me "just in case." Just in case what? My pregnancy turned into a nightmare?
Once my daughter was born (healthy and beautiful, thank you), I began making dates with all my friends to show her off. But I left those morbid mommies off my list. And yet, I feel guilty. Did they mean to offend me, or were they trying in their twisted way to be helpful? Had other mothers told them the same stories when they were pregnant and preparing for labor? And why didn't I tell them to shut up? Is it fair for me now to cut them out of my life just because they made a mistake?
Do you like hearing about birth experiences? Check out our birth stories and add your own!
After a while, I started questioning whether these women actually were my friends. Why would a gal pal feel the need to tell me such scary stuff, particularly at a time when I was supposed to feel ecstatic? My pregnancy was normal, everything was going along swimmingly, I was preparing for labor happily. What could these birth stories possibly have to do with me? Oh, my "friends" told me that they were warning me "just in case." Just in case what? My pregnancy turned into a nightmare?
Once my daughter was born (healthy and beautiful, thank you), I began making dates with all my friends to show her off. But I left those morbid mommies off my list. And yet, I feel guilty. Did they mean to offend me, or were they trying in their twisted way to be helpful? Had other mothers told them the same stories when they were pregnant and preparing for labor? And why didn't I tell them to shut up? Is it fair for me now to cut them out of my life just because they made a mistake?
Do you like hearing about birth experiences? Check out our birth stories and add your own!
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