My Story: The Transforming Power of Birth

In this column Henci Goer shares the stories of her two births and how those births shaped her life's work. With her first birth she believed that her caregivers knew better than she what was right for her. During the birth she was ignored. She was left feeling distressed and diminished. Her second birth was dramatically different. She was an active participant, listened to, respected and part of decision-making. She highlights that no matter how difficult the birth, whether things go as planned or not, the joy, the pride, the satisfaction with birth comes with being listened to, respected, and part of decision-making. This birth story is an excerpt from Henci Goer's recent publication, Labor Pain: What's Your Best Strategy? (2022).