Perspective?
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006
To all the expecting women that I terrified with my birth story, my apologies and prayers for a grace-filled delivery. Life is unscripted sometimes, and I do my best to be honest. But if you think about it, our stories could always be worse. You could– after all– be a porcupine…
Womanhood– particularly the part that involves mothering– can be a bittersweet calling. 
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Cute…but Ouch!
Comment by melissa (March 21, 2006 @ 1:29 pm )
Amy,
Don’t feel bad. You didn’t scare me. I got to witness my SIL give birth to her son, and it was great. I’m also going to a 5 star maternity hospital to give birth. I’ve heard nothing but good from every person I’ve spoken to about it. So, I feel great! Only 5 weeks to go!
Comment by ladyscott (March 21, 2006 @ 2:41 pm )
Are those porcupines or hedgehogs???
Comment by Shelly (March 21, 2006 @ 2:49 pm )
Wow that is an amazing picture.
Comment by Leslie (March 21, 2006 @ 2:54 pm )
Are they even real?
Comment by Theresa (March 21, 2006 @ 7:23 pm )
It wasn’t just your story, Amy, but I just got to thinking that I have been expecting this labor and delivery to be much like my last three - slow to start, then go quickly with a not so bad delivery. Then I thought, but I do not know how this one will be and what IF it is a horror birth? I mean it happens, right? Your story is a very good example.
Two weeks and counting…..
Comment by Theresa (March 21, 2006 @ 7:27 pm )
Now that sounds like owie to me!
And I thought your birth story was great in a way because you were so transparent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about it since you posted because if that was hard for you, then it’s okay if things are hard for me, too. I hope that makes sense.
I hope you’re enjoying all your busy blessedness or blessed busyness:)
Comment by Shannon Miller (March 21, 2006 @ 8:44 pm )
OH MERCY! Now that’s suffering for motherhood! I can only hope those quills are nice and soft for now!
John Piper spoke a Mother’s Day message a few years back titled, “Motherhood: a Call to Suffer”.
We’re all in this together. You’re honesty was a blessing, and enabled us to pray for you. And that’s a good thing.
Just to add to the tally: I have 3 weeks to go…
Comment by Karen (March 21, 2006 @ 9:33 pm )
(A lurker comes out of the closet…)
As a new mother who is expecting her first baby in November, there are times that I get caught up in the myth that “oh as long as I trust God and my body and try to go naturally everything will go great”. Sometimes that’s just not how things go.
Don’t apologise for sharing your story
And it’s always good to have a reminder that no matter what, it’ll all work out in the end.
Comment by Sarah M. (March 22, 2006 @ 8:06 am )
Amy, I just wanted to drop in real quick and congratulate you on your newest arrow! It looks like our babies were born about a month apart. My labor didn’t exactly go as I had dreamed about either. However, I thank God that He is in control as I know you do also! Anyway, congratulations to you on your beautiful son!
Comment by Laura in KY (March 22, 2006 @ 9:22 am )
WHERE did you find this photo? It’s got an unbelievable “Awwwwwwww!” factor.
Comment by Mrs. P. (March 22, 2006 @ 10:18 am )
How cute are they!!!!
I’ll keep that in mind in 9 months……
Comment by Eryn (March 22, 2006 @ 1:28 pm )
Thank goodness we don’t deliver babies w/ spikes! We’d surely have less children in the world. By the way your story was not bad, lol.
Blessings!
Suzi
Comment by lucyplusfour (March 22, 2006 @ 1:32 pm )
Oh, don’t apologize! I think we need a dose of reality sometimes. When I had my first, no one had told me things could go wrong, and I wish they had.
It didn’t stop me though, and I have three blessings to cherish, they were worth ALL the pain and suffering, and I think that was the real moral to your story.
Leni
Comment by Leni (March 22, 2006 @ 4:20 pm )
OH!! That is SOOOO cute!! Those are adorable…….but then again, I didn’t have to give birth to them!! I think that it was refreshing to have someone tell the truth about their birth story. IT IS painful……..and sometimes not such a wonderful journey…….but the end result is amazing!! I am so sorry that it was so hard for you though………..and I hope that it was worth it now,
Comment by Candi (March 22, 2006 @ 4:33 pm )
Funny, I too wondered if they were hedgehogs.
Comment by Roberta (March 22, 2006 @ 11:44 pm )
It was one of those forwarded email things… Said they were porcupines, and it was subtitled, “Gives new meaning to labor pains.”
I read up on the subject and learned that while porcupines can have up to 30,000 quills, they are softened for labor. They harden an hour afterward. But telling you that part would ruin my post.
:) 
You never know…
Is that an announcement, Eryn??????????? (I know Eryn in real life, and haven’t heard the news. Wondering if we should spread any rumors?)
Shannon, there are a lot of things that are hard for me.
Another example would be nursing (have I got some stories). Us mothers have to stick together and encourage one another, remembering that we are all striving to do the best job we can. Thank you for saying that. Perhaps it will give me courage to admit more often my weaknesses, of which there are many.
My husband, in true devotion, bought a set of CD’s with that message in it a few years back.
Very much so!
He is lying next to me sighing and squeaking and smiling in his sleep. Oh, the sweetness of a newborn!
Comment by Amy Scott (March 23, 2006 @ 6:34 am )
Oh, and one more thing, to all the expecting women…
Go, girl, go!
Comment by Amy Scott (March 23, 2006 @ 6:36 am )
And, just another thing…
Congratulations, Laura Lu! I just checked out his pic, and he is beautiful!
Comment by Amy Scott (March 23, 2006 @ 6:55 am )
Hi! New to the blog! Loving it and all the archives! We are expecting baby girl #5 in July. It is so funny how your perspective of “labor” changes. It changes not only with each child but with the veteren mothering in us!
Thanks for the great site! Keep up the great work!
Totalgirls!
Comment by Totalgirls (March 23, 2006 @ 7:10 am )
Thanks for the laugh!
I don’t know about the three months adjustment though… My baby is 5 months, and lets just say, please don’t stop by my house unannounced. Yikes!
Comment by Rebekah (March 23, 2006 @ 8:17 am )
I am neither confirming or denying anything, Amy. Yet.
Comment by Eryn (March 23, 2006 @ 11:50 am )
Oh how cute - kinda! Can’t imagine pushing one of those through! YIKES! I have enjoyed your birth story. It was wonderful and not horrible. I am not preg. but it makes me want another one - oh, that new born sweetness!
Comment by Loni (March 23, 2006 @ 4:53 pm )
Submitting a kind yet demanding request. We need more pictures!! (of Charles that is)
Comment by KS Milkmaid (March 23, 2006 @ 10:09 pm )
I’m off to the grocery store this morning, but I will try to get some up this afternoon. I keep thinking about it, but the days seem to slip away too fast.
Comment by Amy Scott (March 24, 2006 @ 5:46 am )
Thanks for being real, Amy.
~Angela
Comment by Angela (March 25, 2006 @ 9:15 am )