by Melissa Willets posted in Pregnancy

When I first came across a postpartum photo of a mom massaging her uterus just moments after birth while her older child cradled her moments-old baby next to her, and her placenta rested in a bowl nearby, I was deeply moved. Because that is birth. That is real. That is honest, and beautiful. Little did I know there was an incredible story behind this image that proves the power of a mother's intuition.
The photo, taken by Kim of Breathe In Photography, depicts mom Amy, who should know a thing or two about mother's intuition. This was her eighth baby after all. I asked Amy what she sees in this powerful image, and her answer surprised me. "In that moment I had a feeling something was off and my body told me to massage my uterus but all was fine. But my intuition kept telling me to watch for something." It turns out Amy was suffering from PPH, a postpartum hemorrhage.

She says from the start, something was different about this labor. "It was a lot longer, and she was posterior through the two-day labour."
Still, this amazing mama had the strength to deliver her own baby, a beautiful, life-affirming experience she described to BabyCenter via email:
"[While getting a tree-of-life henna tattoo], I held on for a few extra contractions before getting in the [birth tub]. My body was telling me she was coming, and my body was starting to push. I checked myself, and I could feel her head. I tried to avoid pushing, a...