Fierceness

Out pops his butt and then a leg…I feel a little relief as each part makes its way out. The midwife brings out his other leg, then his arms and shoulders. Lastly, I must push out his head. We are in the water for his birth, and so his body is buoyed, taking the stress off his head and neck. But his cord is compressed, and I must get him out fast or he will die. I feel his head making its way down, and the midwife must reach up inside me with both hands to help him out. I scream, but I must push. There is no hesitation possible now. I must be fierce, and so fiercely I push my little boy into the world…

Greeting cards give us many ways to express our love and appreciation for mothers on Mother’s Day. After the birth of my son, what I want to see is the card with the naked warrior woman, flecked in blood and gore, with her sword in one hand and her other holding her baby to her hip. I want to see the corpses of defeated demons at her feet. After birthing my son, that is motherhood to me.