Our favorite birth stories from around the web

As you might have guessed, we’re a huge fan of reading birth stories around here. If you’ve been toying with the idea of sending us your birth story for our Birth Day blog, but can’t just find the time or motivation to do it, look no farther. We’ve shared some of the funniest, most moving, best-written stories of delivery day from our favorite bloggers. Settle in, pull up a box of tissues, and delve into these amazing tales. You might just find yourself inspired to pen your own babe’s arrival story.

“Waiting for the subway to take us home, Scott kept examining my face and asking me if I was all right, if I was nervous or excited or what. My face was slack with fear and I couldn’t move my lips. The train arrived. We sat down on the 2 train going express to Brooklyn. Castor oil, I thought, And my body said, oh no you don’t, and promptly went into labor.” —Three years one month and ten days ago from Finslippy

“There is even a very tempting notion to not tell the story at all. It’s a simple story, but highly unorthodox, one that could be misunderstood and misrepresented before thousands of readers. But throughout the entire pregnancy I knew I would write it and post it, only because there might be someone like me out there who shares the same ideas and thoughts about labor and delivery and who would like to hear from someone like me. For that one reader (or more than one reader) I hope this is helpful.” —Erin Caroline’s Birth Story from C. Jane Enjoy It
“What happened next was really strange: I heard myself ROAR. I didn’t know I was going to. But I just took a huge breath, squeezed my eyes closed, and put every bit of strength I had into pushing with all my might—and roared like an animal! And then, whoosh! The baby slithered out like a slippery fish. It was such a funny, unexpected, amazing, thrilling feeling.” —Our birth story from A Cup of Jo

“Shower cap secured haphazardly to my head, I climbed up on the operating table and parted my hospital gown for the RN. The anesthesiologist looked like Mr. Miyagi and kept asking me if this was my first baby. ‘Third and fourth, actually,’ I said.” —A Birth Story in Three Parts (One) (… and parts Two and Three) from Girl’s Gone Child

“I knew the minute I saw her that she had Down Syndrome and nobody else did. I held her and cried. Cried and panned the room to meet eyes with anyone that would tell me she didn’t have it. I held her and looked at her like she wasn’t my baby and tried to take it in. And all I can remember of these moments is her face. I will never forget my daughter in my arms, opening her eyes over and over … she locked eyes with mine and stared … bore holes into my soul. Love me. Love me. I’m not what you expected, but oh, please love me.” —Nella Cordelia:ABirth Story from Enjoying the Small Things
“10 p.m. My water breaks in a big disgusting gush, ruining my stolen bathrobe. Moving from a prone position takes superhuman effort, but I make it to the toilet and find that sitting upright is the most fantastic thing in the world. Filling the birthing tub takes a while and the hot water heater is quickly emptied. Jack happily begins to boil water, just like in the movies.” —Jackson’s First Birthday from Fussy

“Do you think it’s possible to mentally shut down labor? To stop contractions with your brain because you can’t wrap your head around the day? I think that’s what I did.” —June’s Birth Story from Design Mom

“I have sat down to write this post so many times and abandoned the effort because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to summon the words to describe what a sacred and spiritual experience labor was for me this time around. Yes. Sacred and spiritual. Words you never thought you’d hear from someone who can talk about breakfast cereal and hemorrhoids in the same sentence with the hemorrhoids being the part that didn’t make you throw up.” —The labor story, part one (… and parts two and three) from Dooce
Psst … feeling the urge to put your own story on paper? Email us at birthstory@pnmag.com to submit your experience for sharing on our Birth Day blog!