Anyway, do you remember Karen? Well, I bumped into her at yoga and she told me she had the same problem with her wife and told me about this marriage consultant called Fina Gord. She's expensive, but her methods are said to be really effective. Apparently, I just need to leave him to cry. That way Continue Reading
Devolution: Birth in 2073.
Fria and Hadies: The Ice & Fire Fria stands in the threshold to the kitchens, a bowl of fresh melon slices in her hand, scowling. She hates how these entitled girls order her around and she is very much enjoying telling the kitchen staff how annoying this one is, sending her off on wild Continue Reading
Birth in 2073: Episode 11. Demeter Reaches Down Into The Depths
A bead of perspiration runs down Persphone's temple. Stray hairs have escaped her high pony tail and are stuck to her face. She is half sitting, half lying in the huge hospital birthing-bed, mauve hospital gown twisted around her body. Fria the Birthnurse tuts and sighs. Every time this one writhes Continue Reading
Birth in 2073: Persephone Meets Haidies
This extract has a fair dues warning. If you feel it might be too difficult to read about birth trauma, lack of consent and assault, even in fictionised form, don't read on. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Walter sits in the Continue Reading
Birth in 2073: Persephone Enters The Underworld
Walter awakens before this wife this morning. He can feel her soft breath on the nape of his neck and her bump squashed up against the small of his back. He holds his breath, feeling the unmistakable movement of his daughter, stretching and squirming inside her mother. The movement wakes Persephone Continue Reading
Birth In The Year 2073: Alicia and The Municipal Birth House
Alicia slips out of her jeans and t-shirt and pulls on the green birthnurse uniform, corporate logo emblazoned in large yellow letters across her breast: 'MegaMaternity Inc'. She stows her clothes and bag in the locker, walks out of the staff room and down the corridor to her clinic room and picks Continue Reading
Birth in The Year 2073: Malina Has Her Baby
Derisa pulls her scarf up over her head as she hurries down her garden path and out onto the quiet, dark street. It is frosty; in the gardens icy fronds flash white in the light of a full moon, which is partly obscured by clouds pregnant with the possibility of snow. Once again Derisa reflects on Continue Reading
Frida’s Home Birth
This is a guest post by my lovely friend Izzy. I was honoured and grateful to be one of her doulas, alongside my wonderful friend Becky Talbot. This is long for a blog post, but if you are a doula, midwife or parent preparing for birth, I urge you to read it all. Izzy leaves nothing out, so her Continue Reading
Birth In the Year 2073
These snippets of fiction are written to help spread the word about our campaign #MarchWithMidwives 2022. I hope to paint a picture of how the absence of maternity care universally available, free at the point of contact, is so important. I hope to show how crucial midwives who are truly autonomous, Continue Reading
The eye is the lamp of your body
What did I not want to see, inside of me? What weeds grew, unnoticed, in fallow ground? What was pressed down into the soil of my soul? What seeds took root in the darkest crevises? What shoots twisted up towards the light? What spores grew in my muddy insides? Was it anger, self loathing? Continue Reading