The dress.

Oh my god, this dress.

The level of fury produced by this piece of fabric will surely go down in internet history.  You think Kim Kardashian broke the internet? HA! Leave it to some silk and lace to have people in a raging fit.

White & Gold? Blue & Black? Or as my (color-blind) husband said “I see red and purple!”

No matter your perception of the color of this dress and the science behind it, we are all staring at the same image. The same dress.  And yet we all have something entirely different to say about it.  Hmm, you see where I’m going?

Birth is beautiful. And big. And can be scary. And unexpected. And amazing. And for women and their partners all over the world, they can stare at this same human function, birth, and have something different to say about it.

Epidurals? “They’re evil.” “Mine calmed me down enough to help me dilate.” “It prevented what could easily have been a cesarean.” “They’re frivolously overused.”

Homebirth? “It’s unsafe!” “It’s freeing.” “Things can turn for the worse so quickly.” “It made me feel at peace and helped me focus on my labor.”

Cesarean? “It’s terrifying and the recovery is too hard.” “It saves lives.”

Placenta encapsulation? “Yuck!” “It helped prevent my postpartum depression.”

The list goes on!  There are a million opinions for each option.

We all have our own perceptions, despite staring at the very same thing. And just as with this dress, no one person is right or wrong. (Although some of you would argue otherwise.*wink*)

This is why it’s so important to find a supportive birth team who will hear your perceptions, your goals, and not tell you that you’re wrong.  Or that you need to see things differently.

You deserve to hear “I understand what you’re seeing and I will be by your side to support you through that.”

We will do that.  No matter if you see white and gold or blue and black. Or cesarean birth or home birth for your birth experience.  We hear you and we support you.

Authored by: Lacey Bauer