In the past week, I've had the honor of attending three births, all of which were quite different from one another. However, in every birth, it was amazing how powerful each mama's mind was in controlling the outcome. One mama was surprised by the intensity of labor, and once self-doubt set in, she found nearly impossible to overcome. A second-time mama's labor slowed after she became hung up on a few words uttered by her provider, but later made a decision based on her intuition (not her provider's advice) that brought her baby into the world within the hour. She felt so healed and empowered after having experienced a traumatic first birth. The other mama had 100% faith and trust in her body, her baby, and birth, despite being labeled "high risk." Ultimately she experienced an amazingly short, uncomplicated birth.Working with expectant mamas and attending births, of course, makes me think of myself. Although I definitely have complete trust in the process, I also know how unpredictable pregnancy and birth can be and that things can change at any moment. Instead of allowing this knowledge to create fear, I am choosing to use the power of my own mind (along with the crazy things happening to my body) to stay positive. The lingering nausea, extremely dry lips--an odd symptom, not previously experienced, that has been remedied by Lansinoh (lanolin for cracked nipples that works fabulously on other body parts) and cod liver oil--and breasts that are on the verge of busting out of my "pregnancy bras," make me confident that my hormones and this little nugget have definitely taken over my body.