Childbirth. It’s ironic how the very first moment in becoming a parent is the one that we have the least control over. So much emphasis is put on creating a birth plan, and while birth plans are certainly important, no one can perfectly predict their childbirth experience due to all the variables and complications that can occur. In addition, there is so much pressure on pregnant mothers to have the “perfect” birth, but everyone’s definition of the “perfect” birth varies greatly – and it certainly is not what happens for many women. For our inaugural Share Your Story event, we encourage both women and men to tell the story of their experiences bringing life into the world, so we can share your voices across the world and help future parents do their best to prepare for the unforgettable and unpredictable moment that is childbirth.
How to Participate:
Submission Details for Sharing Your Birthing Story: If you have experienced the miracle of bringing a new life into this world, consider sharing some part of your story: Was your birth experience everything you had hoped it would be, or did everything seem to deviate from your plan? What do you wish you had known before your (or your partner’s) birth experience? If you have had multiple children, was one childbirth different from the other(s) and if so, in which ways? Regardless of whether you had the ideal childbirth or one that was less than perfect, there is a place for you in this blog event.
Giving birth is one of the most defining moments in life. What advice would you share for a woman about to give birth for the first time and/or her partner? Share Your Story!
Deadline: Monday, August 4. Fill out the web form (click on the link or fill out the form on the bottom of the page) and email your submission by 5:00 p.m. Pacific time to office@kidsinthehouse.com
Event date: Monday, August 11. Before you post your story, we will send you an email with a little blurb in html to paste your submission that will introduce the Share Your Story event. You will publish your post on August 11 and email us the link to your post if you haven’t done so already. As soon as everyone’s posts are published on August 11 by noon Pacific time, we will send out a finalized list of all the participants’ links to generate lots of link love to help promote your site! We’ll send you the full instructions in the email we send before the posting date.
Please submit your details into our web form: This will help us to compile the links list. The web form can be found at the bottom of this post, or else click here to enter it on a separate page: Birth Stories – Share Your Story participant form
Please do: Create a well-written post that is brand new and on topic. The Share Your Story event is not meant to be exclusionary. We encourage birth stories from all perspectives such as spouses, partners, and adoptive parents. If your inspiration stretches beyond a regular blog post (though those are more than welcome!), feel free to write a poem, photo essay, screenplay, or anything else that is considerate of the Share Your Story event’s intent.
Editors’ rights: We reserve the right to edit your piece or suggest edits to you. We reserve the right to courteously reject any submissions that are inappropriate for the Share Your Story event.
If you don’t have a blog: Feel free to send us your post anyways. If we like it enough, we may even contact you about guest blogging for Kids in the House. However, if you have a great story you would like to share – we highly recommend that you start your own. StartBloggingOnline.com is a great place to start and walks you through the entire process step by step. If you’ve considered starting your own blog before, watch our video from Tsh Oxenreider, Author and Blogger of theartofsimple.net, in which she shares her advice for aspiring bloggers and writers.
If you have questions: Feel free to contact us at office@kidsinthehouse.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.
