I Love Death

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a mum. The more I learnt about birth, I was determined to birth at home. Family is important to me. Being a parent, I believe, is the most important job in the world.

Also, for as long as I can remember I have said, “The one thing guaranteed in life is death” not to be morbid, rather realistic. Once we are born, we know one day we will die. Therefore I haven’t feared death, it’s inevitable. That doesn’t mean I am ready to die or that when the time comes I may take a while to find a deeper peace with dying, but I accept it’s a part of life.

Becoming a mother was a moment that changed me, for the better. I studied birth before I even met my daughter’s father and loved reading and listening to podcasts on the topic. Having worked at hospitals all around the country, deciding to have a home birth came easy for me. I felt totally prepared and supported for labour and birth, and despite my 36 hour labour, never once did I question my determination to birth at home.

Unfortunately, I can see now that I wasn’t so prepared for everything to come post birth, but I have shared that story with you previously. In recent months, having the honour to be a part of families lives as they farewell a loved one from Earth, I am deepening my peace around death and my appreciation for life.

Birth and death are so intricately linked, I now deeply believe that in order to give reverence to birth, first we must fully accept death. Birth is wonderful, magical, hard, challenging and everything in between. As is death. In order to celebrate life, we can therefore give ourselves permission to celebrate death and all that it brings. We can’t have life without death. We can’t have death without life.

I love birth and all things to do with birth. I love death and all the things it unveils for us to discover or rediscover. Death can bring families together, it is a time for sharing stories and memories, a time for celebration. It also begs us to reflect upon our own life and how we live. How do you want to be remembered?