Hi all! The Bay Area Homebirth Collective – a rad group of local midwives that I’m very involved with – is hosting a Birth Stories Potluck on Sunday, 10/28. If you are local and interested, especially if you are pregnant, please think about coming. Five stories will be told, some homebirths and some hospital births. Partners are totally welcome as it’s important for everyone to hear, be witness to, and support people telling their stories. Plus you learn so much about birth and postpartum! I’ve been doing this for year, have had babies of my own, and I’m still learning new things from families! It’s like a free childbirth education class.

But what’s the big deal with sharing birth stories? Well, how many of us were there when our siblings or cousins were born? We’re missing these stories of how powerful we are when birthing, the ways in which we support our partners and sisters and friends, and all that birth prep. Sharing birth stories empowers us with knowledge of our possibilities, limitations and how we can make the best plans for ourselves and our families. It isn’t a competition of who has the best birth but acknowledging that birth has many possible outcomes and supporting each other in however it all goes down.

Plus we can hear what the heck birth is all about!