Take for example when my severely allergic son started kindergarten four years ago.  I went in to meet with the principal, school nurse, and teacher to discuss how his allergies would be handled at school.  I requested a 504 plan which protects children with disabilities (and puts more liability on the school).  The staff assured me that my son’s safety was their top priority and that a 504 plan was not necessary.

As I pushed the issue they informed me that 504 plans did not include food allergies nor had they ever done one for a child with allergies.  At that moment I assured them that they had never met a mother like me and that there was no point in trying to convince me otherwise.  I had done my research and knew the best way to keep my son safe and the school on their toes would be to implement a 504 plan.

Once I educated them on the coverage a 504 plan provides to children with food allergies (of course I had an entire file with me, as I was prepared for this) they continued to assure me that all we needed to do was an individual healthcare plan to keep my son safe.  Were they not hearing me?  Did they not know that I would not go away until we had a 504 plan in place?  After being overly assertive and insistent I finally got what I came in search of ~ a 504 plan.  It did not come without a push and at times it would have been easier to simply back down, but I knew that what I was requesting was not unreasonable.  My son’s safety was my number one priority, not appeasing the staff at the school.

As a mother I find that I am constantly advocating for my children’s best interest and as they get older I am teaching them how to do so more and more for themselves.  I want them to feel confident in knowing what they need and how to ask for it.  I especially want my daughters to learn that getting what they want does not mean being a bitch, rather being informed of their options and aware of how to negotiate effectively.

~ Amanda

In that spirit, we found a name that is lovely on the ears, yet fierce in the soul: Lula – “famous warrior”.

And we added a B. The B represents the butts, bellies, boobs, bottoms and every other glorious thing God gave us to be good mamas. We’re childbirth educators, of course we love talking about these things. Lula B ~ Judith and Amanda. Fierce warrior mamas.

I would love to think that the day-to-day existence with young children is easy, breezy and nothing but (shits and) giggles. We’ve got plenty of each of those in their own right, but there is also another, often less glamorous side to raising a family and managing a household. A side that gets your adrenaline pumping. Your intellect running. And your mama bear instincts roaring. You know what I’m talking about. That warrior side of yourself that comes out sometimes in the strangest of settings. That fierceness of heart when you realize you would do anything for these little beings you’ve created.

In the early years of parenting, both Judith and I were dealt medical diagnoses for our children that at times have been overwhelming and scary. Some days, the most hope came from hearing from other people who have gone before in forging the path of courageous parenting. Other days, there were divine successes that needed to be shouted to the world. Considering this golden path of sharing and receiving, we thought it would be fun to host a blog where ladies and gents from all walks of life share their stories of finding the fierceness within.

We have many stories of being fierce women and will share them from time to time, but we want to hear from you, all of our amazing iBirth fans!  We will begin hosting Fierce Fridays on our iBirth blog. Every Friday we will post a story from you that inspires the rest of us to get our Lula B on.

Tell us a tale. Anything that inspires the inner Towanda! Guys we want to hear from you as well, tell us something about a fierce woman in your life.

We will be accepting stories throughout the week and we will pick one to post every Fierce Friday.  We’re looking forward to hearing from ALL of you. Send your tale to us at blog@ibirthapp.com.

The question remains, why do we not feel the ability to advocate for ourselves with the same gusto when it comes to being pregnant and giving birth?  So often women feel intimidated at their physician’s office and simply nod their heads in agreement to what is being said. That loud voice which has been cultivated over the past century somehow becomes a soft whimper in the presence of a white coat.

What are we afraid of?  Do women even realize that they have a choice?  Are women being encouraged to be a part of the decision making process?  Or is all of that seen as disrespecting the physician?

It is time for a change.  The healthcare choices that involve me and my family DO require my input.  And SHOULD require intelligent questions with logical lines of reasoning. Women CAN take a stand and demand that their voices be heard for the health of themselves and their babies.  It’s all about education and knowing not only what to advocate for, but how.

So what exactly is our message you ask?  Good question.  We were tired of hearing story after story of women talking about being pregnant and giving birth like they’ve just come back from a war zone.  As close girlfriends and childbirth educators we quizzically looked at each other and wondered what in the world happened in our culture to make women feel so unhappy and disconnected to the pregnancy and birth process?  We could not take it any longer.  So we decided to shake things up a bit. Our intent is that pregnant women and their partners will use iBirth to reclaim the glory of the process of bringing new life into the world.

Every woman deserves the right to actively engage in her pregnancy and birth.  It seems that this has somehow been forgotten as we’ve moved into the technological era. More and more, cultures around the world are handing over the power of THE most natural thing on the face of the planet — to machines and numbers and cords and medicines. We’ve observed that instead of embracing this normal phase of life, our society as a whole has become frightened of it. Just give me a baby and we’ll call it good.

It is time for all pregnant women to not only feel sexy and powerful when they are pregnant, but to own their bodies and the life growing inside of them.  It is a time to be ultra responsible for the life you have created and how it is birthed into this world.

Until next time……….