Hey Mom, What's my Birth Story?

Listening to Oprah's "Masterclass" with Jeff Bridges (starts at 15:07), I learned of a concept that made fireworks go off in my mind. It was about "rebirthing" which Jeff said was the idea that "the way people dealt with their birth (or how they were born) is the same strategy of how we approach all our challenges in life." He went on to say that if you know your birth story, you can superimpose it onto your life story and to see how you deal with difficulties throughout life to discover where there are parallels.

Hearing that, I immediately craved the knowledge of how I was born. I knew it was in the late morning, because my mom always said that's why I loved sleeping in, but not much else. I had known so much about my sister's birth story because she was "the queen of premies" in her hospital and often referred to as a miracle baby. My sister's birth was a magical thing and I always felt how special she was because of all she overcame in her great challenge of coming into this world. But still, I never thought to inquire about my own story. So, this idea sparked me to jump on the opportunity to ask my mother about my birth story.

She shared that the labor and birth process was nothing out of the ordinary. Except for something significant happened after I was born, that led her to panic. Shortly after I arrived, she didn't understand where I had been taken. The new moms around her all had their babies and she did not. So after multiple attempts to inquire about me patiently, she finally told the nurses to bring her baby to her! Relived that I was back, she later learned that I wasn't returned because I was being passed around the nursing station. I was so calm and engaging with everyone that the staff just wanted more time with me before bringing me back to my mom. My mom smiled looking back at it, saying what a beautiful baby I was. 

When I heard this being retold, with the rebirthing idea in the back of my mind, I just about spit out my water! I had no idea any of that had occurred! And it felt like such a fascinating and delightful thing (well, not so much for my mom at the time) to learn about my first few moments in this universe.

And now superimposing that birth story on how I deal with conflict...

Well for starters, my personal life's mission is to create spaces where voices are heard and stories are released. Those stories are often connected to deep conflict and life challenges. Professionally, I am hired to engage the people in organizations to discuss conflict and open up to me about their greatest fears and needs at work. And in my personal relationships, I tend to lean into face time when an issue arises so we can clear it up as meaningfully as possible.

So for me, that birth story was a direct link to how I experience challenges and conflict in my life. It was so powerful to know! 

Maybe it is for you too? Or maybe not? Either way, I think it's a beautiful thing to consider and get to know yourself better through.

On this mother's day, if you're fortunate enough to have your mom in your life ask her, "What was my birth story? Will you tell me everything you remember from that day and how I came into the world?"

Listen and consider what that might tell you about your life today. 

And then thank that goddess for bringing you into this world and doing the best she could with what she had. Happy Mother's Day!