Day 4: An Experience That Made You Who You Are Today

Not surprisingly, the most life changing experience of my life was the birth of Leo.  It was life changing in so many ways.  The most obvious is that before his birth I was just me, and immediately afterward I became mommy.  I became wholly responsible for another person's care and happiness, which is an incredible privilege and responsibility.  I am loving (almost) every minute of it and am very excited (hopefully!!) to do it again in November!

In addition to that, going through labor and giving birth naturally (no IV, no meds, nothing) helped me to realize just what my body is capable of.  I have always thought of myself as weak and possessing a low threshold for pain.  Turns out, that's not the case.  Yes, it hurt.  Yes, I screamed and cried and said I didn't want to do it anymore.  But - I made it and I am still incredibly proud of myself and my body's abilities.  I have my mother to thank for always making childbirth seem like a natural thing and for encouraging me to do it naturally, just as she did with all three of us!