My goodness sweets - you really went through the wringer. The wet paper bag analogy had me wincing. You know, you've done so amazingly well to remain so positive and to be able to process this so rationally so soon after Freya's birth - it took me quite a while to be able to recognise how traumatised I was by Euan's birth and the recovery, and longer again to process it. And my experience or recovery was not a patch on yours.

It's so true though that we should be able to acknowledge the trauma we experienced whilst still celebrating the joy we feel at the birth of our child. And that an empowered birth can still be a traumatic one. And that part of it can be perfect whilst another part of it intensely unpleasant. And that difficulty in conceiving or carrying our babies does not negate the validity of the difficulty we experience during their births - admitting how distressing the birth was does not make a child any less loved, or wanted. And that the various and often conflicting emotions we feel about our births are not neatly compartmentalised, but all intermingled. And that for some people the only way to heal from the experience is to talk about it (or write about it). Even, and especially, the gory, mucky and gross bits.

You did such a wonderful and inspiring thing in bringing your beautiful Freya into this world, from start to finish. And we all know that you'll continue to inspire as she grows.