sweet sweet sleep

I just put my firstborn daughter down for the night. I almost went to sleep myself rocking her. Her rhythmic breathing made me forget everything in the world but her. In my mind before she was born I pictured every night like this one: warm, sweet and cozy, never exasperating, never hurried. Now these nights are a treasure, being few making them worth every minute of every other night's sleep deprivation.

There is a new world of motherhood unfolding. I am beyond interested in the workings of other families. Who is breastfeeding? Who is determined to give birth naturally? Who wonders whether or not their child has had enough mental stimulation for the day? Who out there is dedicated to the practices of doulas and midwives? My questions are many, my answers limited. I want more for my community; I loathe that mothers here settle for less than they and their babies deserve because not enough light on this new world has been shed here. No questions, no doubts, just acceptance of what is doled out to them in pregnancy, birth and beyond.

I want more. I want more education, more love, more questions, more listening, more grievances against those who forsake women in labor and birth, more strength, more heart. I want this for my community, I want it for the world. Here's to a litany of articles, reflections and heartfelt diatribes pointed in the direction of a new beginning.