Inspirational Birth Stories

A lot of first time mothers ask me, "What does labor feel like? Where can I find real birth stories?"

Well, here's one great compilation of stories by Sheri L. Menelli :
Journey Into Motherhood - Inspirational Stories of Natural Childbirth.

Sheri Menelli was a childbirth educator. She decided to invite moms who had recently had their babies to classes to describe their positive birth stories. Of course all the expectant moms found that very inspirational, but what she was surprised by was that those groups of clients had much lower rates of interventions than groups of clients who had not heard positive stories by other moms.

This was so striking that she decided to compile some inspirational stories so that moms everywhere can learn from each other's wisdom.

The book is filled with real life experiences that will touch your heart and makes a great gift for pregnant moms anywhere. Here's a quote from the book I like,

"My first sight of my son will never leave my memory. As I
write this, tears are welling up in my eyes. Only at that moment did
I really unconditionally love. I had never known the feeling in my
life. His beauty radiated within my husband’s heart and mine. His
first cry was like a psalm, and his scent was just as heavenly. He settled
quickly to my voice and looked at me with the most loving
stare, and then closed his eyes and rested peacefully. I would labor
and birth a million times over just to see my son for the first time
again. It was incredible! I have entered into a part of my life that
only the hearts of other mothers know, and it is unexplainable."

The book is available in hardcopy at
and now a free e-book is available. Here's a note from Sheri :

"Yes, it is true, I have a very special treat for you. I"m giving away the electronic copy of Journey into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth.

I have planned to do this for years and so here it is.

I have had so many people ask me why I would give this book away. I have 2 reasons:
1. My dream was to make this book as popular as "What to Expect When You're Expecting" which isn't one of my favorite books as I see it usually get moms into a panic. So really, this is a different kind of What to Expect When You're Birthing because it is 47 real women telling their births stories (48 total stories).

2. I believe the stories in this book are so amazing that anyone reading it would want a physical copy to give to their friends and family who are expecting. I can say that they stories are amazing and not be bragging because I did not write the stories. I only chose them and had my editor clean them up with grammar and punctuation. They changed my birth (I gave birth a few months after the book was finally published). The stories left me empowered. I had the most unexpected of circumstances a very rare set of twins and extremely high risk (Ironic isn't it?) but I had an amazing birth because I felt empowered and I decided to take charge. I know I wouldn't have had that courage if I hadn't been able to draw from the experiences of the women in the book.

I have hundreds of books at my husband's office - I decided to cancel my distributor's contracts. So, if you are moved and would like 1, 5, 10 or even a case. Please feel free to contact me at 760-930-0913. They are only $5 each plus shipping.

They have been popular with several midwives, childbirth educators and doulas who give them out to their clients because they have seen the difference it makes at the birth. Thank you Gerri Ryan, Colleen Salazar, Kara Spencer, Dawn Thompson, Carol Yeh-Garner, Vivian Giles, Jenny West, Sheridan Ripley and Kerry Tuschhoff. (If I forgot you, let me know).

Please feel free to download this book of Journey into Motherhood and pass it on to other birth workers and expectant women.


Love and Light,

Sheri Menelli
Author of Journey into Motherhod
Director of The Birthing Business Institute
www.birthingbusiness.com
760-930-0913

PS - Feel free to post this link on your website or favorite newsgroups, etc. I really do want to get it out to as many people as possible to read the stories.

PSS - If you are on Facebook, please link to me. You can find me by searching for Sheri Menelli. You can also put in the book title and become a fan of the book. "

Hope you Enjoy the book!!!

Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting - Welcome Message

Hi,

Welcome to my new blog devoted to moms, dads, families and moms and dads-to-be worldwide!
Let's share our common threads and interesting differences in this crazy journey from pregnancy to parenting and beyond.

Before having kids of my own, I was not the type to swoon over babies, and could never imagine myself being pregnant or looking after a newborn. But after the birth of my first child, I was hooked. The birth journey was such a profound experience in my life - revealing to me the depths of my soul that I had never before seen. I wanted to talk to everyone I met about this strange and magical feeling I had experienced, but could not understand why no one else seemed to care. Why wasn't birth headline news everyday?

And then there was the newborn. Evey newborn a magical creature in and of itself. At first glance, they may seem to be helpless, unmoving blobs. But spend a few moments queitly in their presence and you may notice the peaceful serenity that surrounds them. I found myself, day in and day out, staring at sleeping newborns, wondering at their exquisite beauty. It didn't matter how exhausting and chaotic looking after them was while they were awake, and believe me, it was exhausting and chaotic. Once they fell asleep, the magic was evident. Never again will we be able to sleep with such complete and perfect peace as we do when we are babies.

It's been many years since life first initiated me into life's mysteries, but I still have infinitely more to learn. I know that mothers and fathers everywhere have a world of knowledge in their own stories and journeys. We can learn so much from each other. I feel so priviledged to be a mother, and to be admitted into the world of mothers. Once when I was working as a crisis worker, there were clients from Russia, Iran, China, Native people and so on. As soon as they found out I was pregnant, all the women who were mothers instantly came to offer advice and tell their stories. I felt so touched that this common experience could connect us across cultures and languages. And yet every birth is so different, every family so different, every story so different - each one magical in its own way.

I know parents usually don't get enough credit or support for the unpaid work that they do. But usually get all the criticism. :>
And they're own knowledge and experience is usually not listened to, next to the voices of "the experts".

I want this blog to be a place for moms and dads to share their wisdom and respect.
I am looking forward to receiving your stories of pregnacy, birth and parenting. What is important to you? What have you learnt? What would you wish if you could do it over? Tell us the joyful, the funny, the downright crazy, the painful, the sad, the angry, the wonderous, and the magical stories.

I hope you savour every moment of the journey!

With Love,

Kaurina