Have you ever noticed when you tell someone a story from your life, they often share a story about their life with you? There are many benefits to sharing our stories (good or bad) with our family, friends, and communities or just writing it down so you can share it with your future self. Here are five reasons to generously share your birth story and photos today.
- Sharing your story helps you find your voice. The more you write or tell your story, the more comfortable you become sharing it with others and speaking about what you experienced. Good or bad – tell people about your birth experience so you can develop the skills to tell your story through your own unique lens.
- Writing out your birth story allows you to preserve that moment forever – what you were feeling and thinking at that moment. Birth can be such an overwhelming and transformative experience, making it difficult to remember all the little sounds, smells, images, and feelings that you think you will remember forever. Writing down your story can help you capture those important moments so you can reflect back on the experience – good or bad – and help you process those emotions.
- When we share our stories, we can learn from each other’s experience. Your story can serve as a warning or encouragement for other women.
- Your story can Inspire others to take action. Your story can give someone the confidence to take action they have been hesitant to take or redirect them from a bad decision. Whether it is taking action in their own birth decisions, deciding to get involved in advocacy efforts, or change careers – your story can have an impact on those decisions.
- We develop empathy when we hear other people’s stories and this can create a deeper connection between two people as humans. Connecting with someone who has had a similar birth experience to yours creates a special bond and can make you feel a sense of belonging and less lonely. We can build a better community one person at a time by sharing our lived experiences.
Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity that will take place on November 30, 2021. Aligning with the 9 months of pregnancy, each day FAM will share ideas and information on building community.
