A birth story.

My Mom never wrote up an actual birth story, and I've never once wished she had. Instead, there is a single photo from my birth that is absolutely etched in my mind. It is a photograph of my Mom seeing me for the first time. The look on her face summed up the inexplicable moment that is the miracle of seeing your own child come into the world. The moment when every worry of pregnancy is washed away in an instant. It is a moment so cosmic that there is not a word in any earthly language that can be used to appropriately describe the emotion. That photograph of my own Mother spoke the same words to me as a child that they do now.
I sat down tonight with every intention of writing a traditional birth story composed of detailed timelines and flowery,emotional language. However, as I sit here, I realize that I just don't have it in me. In short, my child's birth was not at all how I planned. Was it upsetting at the time? Absolutely. However, I am not going to spend the time re-hashing the course of events, making my mind go back to the corners of memories I simply do not need to recall. The reality is, despite the fact that it did not go according to my master plan, it was the most beautiful and perfect day of my life. And that's not just flowery language, that's the absolute truth.
As Kaia grows, I hope she is able to look back at the photos from her birth and see the pure joy and unconditional love that surrounded all of us- because in the end, that truly is the only set of details that matters.