JUNE WRITING PROMPT
Share Your Birthing Stories
You don’t have to be a nurse — or a mum — to participate in this prompt
My youngest turns 22 on Saturday, a mere week after my eldest turned 27. Despite it being years since giving birth, each of my three deliveries occupies my long-term memory. It’s impossible to forget those moments during childbirth and meeting your precious little one for the first time.
One of the first stories I wrote was about giving birth to my daughter. It remains one of my favourites because it is raw and real.
Second-time around was much easier, mainly because I knew what I was in for. Be damned if I was doing all that again without any analgesia; as soon as I waddled into the birthing unit and was told I was 4cm dilated I asked for an epidural. The risk of being paralyzed seemed minimal to having to endure that torture again.
Hannah’s long, slow delivery also helped; James was 2 pounds heavier at birth than she was and yet he flew out in comparison. I’m convinced she paved the way for his relatively easy delivery — and Thomas’ 22 months later.
For all of you who have either given birth or witnessed this incredible feat, I’d love to hear your stories. If you have adopted a child, tell us about meeting them for the first time and the process involved. You all have unique experiences, whether recently or not.
How to submit
If you are not already a writer for Nursing Notes, email me to add you as one, or leave a comment on this story with your medium handle so I can find you.
Kindly use the tag ‘Sharing is Caring’ on each piece you submit. If you don’t, I will add or change a tag, as the publication files and displays stories based on this tag. The four other tags are at your discretion but should be pertinent to your story.
Writing guidelines
If you are new to Medium, please check out the following link for general rules on writing on the platform and how to format your stories.
Of most importance:
- All photos must be credited to the rightful owner, even if they are your own. There are many free websites available, with the most commonly used being Unsplash and Pixabay.
- Please check your work using a tool such as Grammarly. I will correct some of the more minor issues (e.g. if you don’t capitalize your title), but it will be sent back for you to fix if your work is plagued with errors.
- Refrain from using long paragraphs; readers tend to skim over stories formatted this way.
- Submissions should be at least 150 words. Stories that are 4–7 minutes long generally attract more readers than longer ones. You are welcome to submit poetry if you prefer to express yourself that way.
- Ensure you have checked the box to allow private messages on your submissions. Any messages about your work will be posted by this method.
Bring on the birthing stories!
