Birth Story Brave, Reimagined: An Updated Guide for Reflecting on Your Childbirth Experience
Birthing a child changes your life forever. Birth takes many forms, and all are valid. In going through such a deeply important life event, we’re bound to create stories to tell ourselves about what happened or why. Often, we don’t pause to reflect on how we were changed and how the stories we tell ourselves about our experience impact our lives today.
Stories can both lift us up and limit us, and everything in between, poking at us throughout our days or whispering to us about what is and isn’t possible. A book for those who experienced an entire range of births, Birth Story Brave, Reimagined is an invitation for you to stand still with your birth experiences. Using gentle, non-judgmental prompts, this supportive guide walks you through reflecting on your childbirth experience so you can connect with the pieces of stardust that make up your story. In getting curious about these, you can dive into self-discovery, healing, and personal growth. Let’s look inside together.
What Readers are Saying
“As a Doula, Parent Educator, and non-binary parent myself, I recommend Emily’s book to ALL of my clients. I’m so proud of the work she did to reimagine an already incredible book for parents. This new edition has gender inclusive language (in the beginning, all of the questions, deep dives, and promts are worded to YOU, very personal and intimate) and a desperately needed chapter for NICU parents. This book should be at the top of every gestating person’s baby registry. It’s even great for doulas or parents who birthed years ago and are still working thru healing emotionally. In fact, I think it’s a great exercise for every doula in training to break down their own past experiences before supporting clients.
This book is so easy to digest because it isn’t full of unsolicited advice or fluff. It’s to the point to support your healing journey NOW without reading hundreds of pages of tedious nonsense. Emily is so thoughtful with her words and her questions for you reflect the wisdom and love she gives you her clients and community. Please do yourself a favor and buy this book! It’s best as a paperback so you can write directly in it like a journal. But the ebook is still so powerful. Much love to you all.” – Doula Ren (Review from Amazon.com)
“From the beginning of this book/guide, it is apparent that the author approaches this work from the perspective of someone who has worked with clients with widely varying stories, some of who may be experiencing and processing joy and are ecstatic with their experiences, and others who have experienced trauma and are processing how their stories didn’t follow their hopes and dreams. Emily Souder, LCSW-C makes space for all of those experiences and helps the reader feel safe in the pages she created. I love that throughout the prompts, she also includes tools for reflection, coping, and healing, and continually honors not only the stories themselves, but the person(s) whose stories are written in the lines, and the physical manifestations of those stories in our bodies. Although I am many years out from my births, her words helped me remember, acknowledge, and honor many important pieces of my own stories. As a doula and childbirth educator, I am definitely putting this at the top of my “must haves” list for new parents.” –Lindsay R. (Review from Amazon.com)
“With an intimate experience such as birth there is no right way to feel or a “one size fits all” solution for processing your birth. And that’s what makes this book such a welcome addition to the pregnancy, birth, & postpartum space. In it Emily has created such a beautiful guided journal to dive into your birth experience and learn more about yourself.
Emily has updated this “Reimagined” copy to make it more inclusive of all birthing people and includes a section for those whose children had a NICU stay. You can tell how much care and intent has gone into this and how well it holds space for a multitude of emotions surrounding your birth.
This book is excellent; grab a copy for yourself, add it to your registry, or give it to a loved one or to help support clients in the postpartum period.” – Maggie Runyon (Review from Amazon.com)