Birth Stories > How to Write Your Birth Story

Birth story guideline:

 

Introduction:

A little bit about yourselves – a brief profile if you wish

Was the pregnancy planned / unplanned or sort of?

How did you feel about becoming pregnant?

What was your experience of each trimester of pregnancy?

What was the reaction of your family and friends to your pregnancy?

The choice of birthplace and caregivers:

Was it what you had hoped or expected?

How could it be improved?

Would you choose that care again or change next time?

Would you recommend it to others?

Your relationship with your partner during the pregnancy:

How did it grow, change and develop?

Changes you've both noticed?

Changes within yourself:

Changes you noticed as a woman moving towards motherhood?

What did you expect – how did it meet your expectations?

Labour and birth:

How did you spend your time during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy?

What would you recommend to other pregnant women during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy?

How was your pre-labour?

How did you know you were in labour?

Length of labour?

How would you describe the contractions?

Your feelings during labour?

Your partners help and support?

How would you describe the midwife / midwives supporting, assisting and caring for you? 

Any other medical staff?

The hospital delivery suite or birth centre facilities, or did you birth at home; how was the experience?

The policies procedures and rules?

Conditions of the hospital?

The way women, partners, support and family are treated?

The birth of the baby:

How it felt physically and emotionally?

The birth of the placenta?

The first breastfeed?

Bonding and the first few hours after the birth – how did you feel physically and emotionally?

Coming home:

What happened during the first few days?

How did you feel?

What happened during the first few weeks?

How did you feel?

What happened during the first few months?

How did you feel?

Looking back:

Anything you would do differently given the chance to do it all again?

Advice you would have liked someone to give you?

Advice you would give to someone else expecting their first baby?

Anything more you’d like to add….