As I approach my fourth birth season with the Whole Mama Collective I am in reflection mode big time! I am so thrilled to be working with such an amazing team of women and to be providing empowering services to our community so this week I thought I’d take us back to my first ever birth with the WMC…
My first birth back in Moncton with WMC felt a little like coming full circle.
The very first birth I ever attended was back in 2017 at the Moncton Hospital, at that time none of the nurses even knew what a doula was. After living away and working in Toronto and Vancouver for years, May 28, 2024 brought me right back to where it all began. And what a lovely way to return!
L’s birth unfolded almost exactly to plan. Mom laboured at home, and I joined her once things had started to intensify. We spent another two hours labouring together before making our way to the hospital, where baby arrived just two hours later. It was a beautiful first birth back in Moncton. Things moved along relatively quickly, the birth followed the plan more or less perfectly, and Mom carried such a lovely sense of confidence throughout it all. Because this family had found me fairly late in their pregnancy, Mom and I had managed to meet beforehand, but I hadn't yet had the chance to meet Dad. Normally, I love having that opportunity before birth, so that everyone feels familiar and comfortable with one another. Instead, Dad asked my name when we first arrived at the hospital. I remember telling him, "Well, I won't be the most exciting person you meet today, but my name is Taylor…" I thought it was funny at the time. I still kind of do.
Of course, every birth is its own story. No matter how many births I attend, I always come away having learned something new. And I continue to be amazed by the incredible power, determination, and wisdom of the women I have the privilege of supporting. Each mother takes her own unique journey through birth, and I find that every experience seems to highlight a different aspect of feminine strength and beauty. For L's birth, the word that keeps coming to mind is steadiness.Both Mom and Dad carried such a calm determination throughout the experience. There was a quiet confidence in the way they approached each stage, a willingness to trust the process and, most importantly, to trust Mom's body and its wisdom.
It was beautiful to witness.
I will say, this was baby #2 for this couple which can make a big difference in how quickly things happen and how confident parents feels navigating each hurdle- once you’ve done it once you may feel more confident about doing it again or you may be scared about things that were unexpected last time. Interestingly, my first ever birth was also a 2nd baby and I would say the two mom’s involved in these stories had opposite reactions to their first birth. In 2024, L felt so sure of herself and her body’s ability to birth her baby since she had already done it two years prior and she used that experience as fuel and encouragement for her second labour. On the other hand, in 2017, R was anxiously anticipating the arrival of her second baby having had a long, difficult labour 4 years earlier she was nervous about repeating the experience and wanting to find redemption in a more peaceful second attempt. Just goes to show that nothing about birth is standardized, everyone is going to experience their own labour as an individualized journey.
There is something so special about watching a woman feel free to move, respond to her instincts, and labour without feeling the need to perform or fit into anyone else's expectations. To simply be in her body, follow its cues, and birth her baby in her own way.
This birth was such a lovely reminder of what an uninhibited birth can look like. A calm, confident mama. A steady and supportive partner. A baby arriving in their own time. And for me, a sweet reminder of where this journey began, and how meaningful it is to find yourself back where you started, seeing just how far you have come and how much beauty there is in every new beginning.