ActivismAlfieBirthEsmeOlivePeripartum Cardiomyopathy
This weekend we celebrate Mother’s
Day; my first as a mother of three.*Every Mother Counts - The #Every2 Campaign
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
In honour of this insane occasion
I want to join in with the Every Mother Counts #every2 campaign and do some reminiscing.
In 2009 I was born a mother after
what felt like an endless wait. It was a bittersweet moment for me birthing
under the influence of some heavy duty opiates and in a situation I very much
wanted to avoid. It was also the craziest trip of my life and, as my best
friend had promised, I spent a long time looking around me waiting for Alfie’s
real mama to arrive.
In 2011 I was born a mother of a daughter and shortly after nearly died. I went into heart failure (known as
PPCM) and spent a few weeks in hospital scaring the medical staff by refusing
to be a good patient. I made a full recovery, but there were some dark and scary moments where I stared down at my newborn baby girl and sobbed at the thought that I might not be around to see her grow up.
In 2013 I was born the mother of three in a beautiful and healing birth attended by a friend, fellow mother and
loving doula. I knew there was a threat of relapse hanging over me but I was
well supported and came through the hard work of growing a baby without
incident.
Many women aren't so lucky.
As I sit with my babies around me
typing this (I’ll edit it later to remove the keyboard smashes) I feel blessed
a thousand times over to be here. I enjoy every crazy making moment of being a
mama and my heart breaks for every family deprived of the chance to do likewise.
Every Mother Counts is working to reduce the instance of maternal death across the world. If you
can spare 2 minutes, you can get involved.
- UPLOAD 2 photos of the day you were “born” a mother on the EMC Facebook portal.
- RUN 2 miles using the Charity Miles app (which will donate $0.25 per mile to EMC)
- SHARE 2 facts about maternal health on 2 of your social media networks.
- DONATE 2 dollars to Every Mother Counts.
- GIVE 2 gifts with one purchase by giving a gift that also supports maternal health programs around the world.
- INVITE 2 friends to Take 2 actions of their own.
Becoming a mama is the work of ages.
When I gave birth to Miss Olive I finally felt that fabled connection with the generations of birthing women who had gone before me. It was wondrous and humbling and I was grateful to finally count myself as a part of this female narrative.
The tradition of birthing warriors can feel distant to mothers in the First World but those women are there, standing in the shadows, roaring us on.
For most of the planet, the shadows are longer and filled with the daughters and sisters and wives who are taken too soon, leaving a hole where the heart of the family should beat.
I like to think that it doesn't have to be that way.
*You lot in the UK have already had your Mother's Day obviously, but join in anyway!
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I am from Asia so I celebrate mother's day twice which is a blessing =) I support this cause as in my country a lot of mothers die cuz of lack of health services. I am just thinking of what to do amongs the list =) #mbpw
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you are doing anything at all is a great start! If you don't mind me asking I'm interested to know the reality of living in a country that has maternal health issues. I know what the press and official reports say, but I'd love to hear about how that translates when you are actually a part of that society.
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