Giveaway is now closed! Jen Chendea is the winner!
I’m happy to host a holiday giveaway of Patsy Harman’s book, Arms Wide Open. To enter, just leave a comment sharing what giving birth taught you about yourself! I will draw the winner randomly on January 1.
An excerpt from my review of the book:
Harman’s writing style is lyrical and engaging as well as candid. The book is based on personal journals and reading it feels like eavesdropping on someone’s very private thoughts and feelings. The book is much more of a look at a woman’s feelings about her life, than it is a “manifesto” about birth or about the practice of midwifery. In this manner, I feel like you receive a much more complete picture of a midwife’s life and journey, rather than reading a sequence of birth stories. Patsy has a lot of life in addition to birth. While definitely not a “feel good” book, Arms Wide Open is a deeply touching and very honest exploration of one woman’s personal journey in life, love, motherhood, and midwifery.
via Book Review: Arms Wide Open: A Midwife’s Journey « Talk Birth.
Talk Birth 
Birth taught me that I am a goddess and stronger than I had ever imagined.
My second and third births taught me that each child brings with them enough love of their own to fuel the warmth of family life.
My births have taught me how to say the Great Yes to life….. how to allow myself to really feel with an
open wide heart.
My third birth taught me that above all LOVE is the most awesome medication for everything!
My birth taught me that me that my gut is usually right, that I have a knowing inside me that I need to listen to.
Ooh! I’ve had four births, but the first and the last were the most pivotal for me.
The first one set me firmly on the path of birth work/advocacy. It taught me that listening to myself/my body was paramount and that I could love my baby more than I had ever loved anyone but dislike the way she entered the world.
The last one taught me that my body can do AMAZING things! 🙂
The beauty and empowerment of a peaceful birth in the home with midwives is a profound experience of which to be a part! And I feel very blessed to be on the path to becoming a midwife.
My last birth taught me a lesson about it being okay not to know. I didn’t know my baby would come almost a month early – and it was okay. I didn’t know my midwife would be out of town and her back up would come instead – and it was okay. I didn’t know if my baby was a boy or a girl – and it was okay (actually, I didn’t know that with my other two, either, but . . .). I didn’t know my labor would be so short (4 hours) – and it was okay. I didn’t know what to do at one point and my birth assistant made a suggestion that worked – and it was okay.
Both of my births (a medicated birth and a drug-free birth) taught me different things. My first (medicated) birth taught me that it’s okay to be scared sometimes. And my second birth taught me that it’s okay to let go. I’ve taken away so much from both of my births and I am so thankful for the experiences I’ve had. They both have made me a better person, woman and mother.
My births taught me that I am in charge of my own body… but it is my job to research what I want, know what I want, and do it (and/or demand it). And my births taught me that when I know what I want, I CAN demand it.
I would love to win this book! When I birthed my son, I learned of a capacity to love that was absolutely life changing.
Birth taught me that I can survive anything, that being alive is full of FEELINGS, that I love being with people all the time, that I can really fully let go and be safe.
My first birth taught me how powerful & deep the love between mother and child is. My second birth taught me that sometimes the unexpected happens and that I truly know my body and never to give up on that knowing. My third birth taught me that my power was within me and that it is ok to let go.
Holy cow, birth taught me how to be… how to let go, how to be vulnerable, how to know that I am amazing. Also, my second birth taught me what it feels like to be high on drugs (I think?) because those first two days of her life I was so high, just floating around in bliss.
Drew numbers and you’re the winner!
Giving birth taught me to be flexible and open to whatever comes my way.
Each time I gave birth I realized I was stronger than the time before, but it was a different kind of strength. And each time I watch someone else capture their strength during their birth, I think I secretly build more strength as a woman and a midwife.
It taught me everything. That I’m strong. That I want to help give birth back to women. That there is so much work to do, and joy to experience.
My births taught me to trust myself–that I really will make the best possible decisions for my family and my children.