Hey Mama in labor,
I want you to know it’s okay.
It’s okay to make as much noise as you want. Scream, curse, grunt, groan, moan – or be silent. Repeat birth affirmations, sing, chant. Turn on music, the ocean, or white noise. Turn off music, the ocean, white noise. Ask other people to be quiet. Ask someone to sing to you. It’s okay.
It’s okay to be ask or demand things. You need what you need and you deserve to be catered to. If you need water, if you need to lie down, if you need to walk, if you need an epidural, or if you need to be reminded that you don’t. You are not needy – you are in labor.
It’s okay to be afraid. You are entering the unknown and are at your most vulnerable during this time. That’s scary.
It’s okay to cry. Whether you’re in pain, panicking, afraid, or happy, it’s okay to express your emotions.
It’s okay to not let people into your room. Labor is not a spectator sport. It doesn’t matter that it means a lot to your father, or your mother in law expects to be there; this is yours and your baby’s birth, not theirs. It’s okay to kick people out. Maybe it was okay at first, but now you need your privacy. You are allowed to change your mind. Even if it’s your partner.
It’s okay to ask for things that go against your hospital’s standard procedure. Just because something is always done a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s right for you.
Remember mama, labor is hard work, and you deserve to do whatever feels the best for you.
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