Call for Pregnancy and Postpartum Stories

I am so grateful for the many women who have shared their birth stories with me (keep sending them) and for all the support that I'm receiving for this project. However, I have been so focused on birth stories recently that I don't think I've put enough emphasis on the big picture. Labor and delivery is just the climax of a year-long physical, emotional and spiritual journey. Since my book touches all aspects of pregnancy, birth and beyond, I am also looking for other kinds of stories. Below. I have listed some of the topics/chapters that still need a personal story or two. If one of these topics resonates with you and you have something you'd like to share, please email me. And feel free to pass on this call for stories to other LDS women. Anyone who considers pregnancy a spiritual journey, regardless of how they birthed, should feel free to share their stories.

I am looking for personal stories about the following topics:

Bridging gaps - How has pregnancy or motherhood healed relationships in your family or in other areas of your life?
Prayer - how you used it during your pregnancy and beyond
The Scriptures - how your reading of them changed with pregnancy and motherhood
Morning Sickness - What if anything was gained or learned from morning sickness?
Meditation - How do you meditate? How did you use meditation during your pregnancy/postpartum?
Miracles - Great and small--that specifically relate to your pregnancy/birth/postpartum time.
Priesthood - in what ways did it work in your life?
The Atonement - how your understanding of the atonement changed, how you used it during the child bearing year
Your Own Birth - I would like to know if/how knowing the story of your birth (you as a baby) effected the labor and birth of your child.
Changing the Pattern - women who chose to birth differently than their mothers
Motherless Mothers - I am a motherless mother and I would like to hear from other women who went through gestation and birthing without a mother in this world.
Birth as Rebirth - I am interested to hear from people who have been dramatically transformed by motherhood. Tell me what you were like before/what you're like now.
Body Image - how did your spiritual knowledge inform/affect/change your body image during pregnancy.
Healing After Miscarriage - How did you heal physically and spiritually?
Constant Nourishment - How did you nourish yourself spiritually during your pregnancy
Ancestors - How has your understanding of your ancestors evolved?


This is not a complete list by any means, so if you have a story about something important to you that is not on this list, don't hesitate to send it to me. If you are planning to send a story, please do it sooner than later. I'd like to have all these chapters squared away before Christmas. You can email me at ldsbirthstories@gmail.com.

Love and light.