[Valeria Armstrong]

Najma, this was such a powerful story to read. I could feel the healing in it, especially knowing you had four cesareans before experiencing the homebirth you had prayed for. The part that really stayed with me was how many fear filled messages you had been given about your body, and then how your midwife helped you face those fears instead of feeding them. I also loved reading how supported you were by your husband, doula, midwife, and birth team while still being given the space to trust yourself and labor in your own way. The moment you reached down and caught your own daughter was absolutely beautiful. That had to be such an empowering feeling after being told for so long what your body could not do. And when you said birth is emotional, spiritual, and deeply transformative, I felt that. Your story is such a beautiful example of how deeply a birth experience can affect a woman beyond the physical part of giving birth. Thank you for sharing something so personal and powerful with us.