The Power in Writing Your Story, with Jaime Fleres

There’s a unique healing power to writing your birth story, of not having an audience, of getting raw and going to the deep places, rather than just sharing the version suitable for light conversation. How do you get started, and is there a way to make the process a bit easier? What if your birth involved trauma? Jaime Fleres tells us more. Check it out!

What we talked about:

• Considering the master narrative that you (and your culture) have about birth
• What is the point of writing your birth story?
• The three layers to a birth story
• The healing power of writing
• Reporting vs. Reflecting
• What happens when you’re not writing for an audience
• What if you don’t know how to write?
• How to approach a traumatic birth story

Additional resources and mentioned by Jaime*:

• Birth Your Story: Why Writing about Your Birth Matters, by Jaime Fleres
• Birthing from Within, by Pam England
• Mothering from Your Center: Tapping Your Body’s Natural Energy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting, by Tami Lynn Kent
• Labor Day: True Birth Stories by Today’s Best Women Writers, by Eleanor Henderson and Anna Solomon
• Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers, by Kate Hopper
• Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives, by Louise Desalvo
• Opening Up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain, by James W. Pennebaker
• The Power of Vulnerability, TED talk by Brené Brown

Related Birthful episodes:

• Healing Your Birth Story, with Pam England
• Sharing Your Birth Story with Your Child, with Anika Rothfuss

Courtesy of Jaime Fleres

About Jaime Fieres

Jaime Fleres is the author of the new book Birth Your Story: Why Writing about Your Birth Matters.  She is a mother, writing coach, former college professor, doula, holistic healer, and embodied movement teacher. She is the founder of Santosha Birth and Wellness, leads workshops and retreats internationally, and offers her writing and services at JaimeFleres.com.

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).