I have always liked the quote in the image above. I wish more women were confident in their strength. I’ve found that while many know the shorter quote, fewer have read the full essay it comes from. The essay is wonderful! It was written in 1998 as a response to the idea that women should not tell birth stories for fear of scaring pregnant women. Sadly it is no longer available online in it’s entirety. (If I’m wrong, please let me know!) I absolutely love the final sentence, about giving birth to her twins.
“I do remember the pain of childbirth. I also remember the first time I
held two healthy babies, still warm from my womb, against my chest. If
you want to hear the story, I’ll tell you.”Laura Stavoe Harm
Some say the quote can be harmful to moms who do not have the birth they want, but in reading the full essay you see that the quote in context is nothing like that. Laura wrote the essay in the midst of a very difficult pregnancy. You can read her thoughts about the quote, 15 years later, in this blog post.