Six years ago today, at this very minute, I was on an operating table having what I referred to for many years as an “unnecessarean.”  My daughter Amelia, who is joyously celebrating her sixth birthday today, was extracted from my body in a most degrading manner after a series of unnecessary medical interventions.  More than 20 people “handled” my body during that pregnancy, labor and delivery, and I left the hospital a physical and emotional wreck.

There is no more “sting” in my recollection of the cesarean.  A little grief at what was lost (for both of us) is all that remains.  Today, I am the proud mother of three amazing children.  I have had two VBACs (vaginal births after cesarean), the most recent one at home just three weeks ago.

More pervasive in my memory now is the respectful and supportive way that I was treated by the two people present at my recent homebirth; that is what will remain ingrained in my memory, in the cells of my body, as what childbirth was for me.  The rest is history.

Happy Birthday my dear Amelia.  I can now rejoice in the celebration of your birth and I thank you for being the catalyst for all I am today.