One Day

One Day, approximately.  This is the time it takes for a typical first-time labour to take place:  12-24 hours according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (www.acog.org) 

This is a fact I give to first time, and sometimes second and third time moms.  I say, “You can live one day in your life.  You have lived many days of your life up until now, and you can do this one too.”  Just these few words can give a new mother-to-be great relief.  It helps put things in perspective.

The thought of having a baby, especially when one has not had one before, can be overwhelming.  It can be scary and daunting.  Often, we as humans latch onto the worst-case scenario stories (and they are usually the ones that are shared and reshared) and don’t focus on the truth that birth is a normal human event, and you as a woman, have within you what it takes to live through that event!

The other truth is that your pregnancy WILL END! Sometimes the days and months seem to drag, and it feels like you will never get to that ‘One Day’.  But you will!  And you will live that day, give or take a few hours.  You can do it!

Meditation:

Someone once told me to ‘live life in day-tight compartments”, and not to worry about the future., something I do too often.   This is good advice, so good because Jesus himself said something similar.  A paraphrase puts it this way: 

Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.  (Matthew 6:34, The Passion Translation)

This is a great verse to meditate on, put on your mirror, and keep in your pocket.  Think on it often.

Doula tip:

Do you remember those little desk calendars that look something like this?

Perhaps get one of those so that you are only looking at today’s date, not tomorrow or next month.  Live one day at a time…. You will get through this pregnancy, and you can live through that one day or so of labour!