41 Comments
User's avatar
Llora's avatar

Congratulations Val and a most hearty and heart-felt welcome to your beautiful baby boy! Your essay is truly a gift. I am so touched by your deep and powerful sharing. It moved me to tears. So much beauty. I wanted to share that I am a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist and have had the honor of working w moms to be in various stages of their pregnancy. One of the things I have often been in awe of and felt Very clearly with each of them was a sense of a surround of support, layers of support, grandmother, yes, as well as, the archetypal mother & earth mother surrounding each of them. I have seen something v similar to your drawing actually around each of the mothers-to-be on my table. Blessed be. So sacred. I am deeply touched by your ability to share this so beautifully in writing and in your art. It’s feels like a kind of medicine, especially right now, to be reminded of the surround of unseen support that gathers when we need it the very most and is part of the very fabric of the entire process and, of course, just how profound and sacred the portal you and your baby boy have just passed through is. In awe of all of that and love! Thank you and bless your mending time. ❤️

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you so much for your kind words Llora, I teared up a bit myself reading your response. I'm just grateful to have you here and to care to read my stories. Truly, speaking of layers of support, I feel that this space and comments from folks such as yourself has been a huge piece of my rebuilding process in this postpartum phase. So thank you for that as well.

Expand full comment
Karen Morozow's avatar

congratulations on your new little star.

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Karen :)

Expand full comment
Eve Minson's avatar

WSZYSTKIEGO NAJLEPSZEGO MAMUSIA! JAKI CUDOWNY SYNEK. BRAVO! 😍😘😘

Expand full comment
Wrzos's avatar

Congratulations! I had a similar experience while giving birth to my first. I felt so connected with women across the ages. It surely is a shattering initiation. I wish you continued healing and strength during this wonderful but exhausting time. I know I couldn't have written something so beautiful postpartum as you have written here. You truly have a gift.

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Heather! I so appreciate the kind words, it's amazing how much clarity this entire transition can bring. I didn't realize what a strong thread of sisterhood is born out of motherhood until that night. It's an honor to be a tiny part of that web now.

Expand full comment
Nancy Bernardo's avatar

Congratulations !!! He is absolutely beautiful... his face a wise little soul...

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Nancy!

Expand full comment
Claire des Bruyères's avatar

Congratulations ! Félicitations ! And blessings to you and your little family :-)

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Claire!

Expand full comment
Sandra's avatar

Oh Val...how beautiful it is to read this. Congratulations and blessings on the birth of your beautiful little boy. Sending blissful blessings of love, wonder, and happiness. ❤ xoxo

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Sandra! Living in the love right now :)

Expand full comment
Stefanie Lorraine's avatar

This really moved me and opened my heart to read. I felt like you put words to the arc of pregnancy, birth, and becoming mother that I’ve been recently experiencing too (I had my Leo Sun, Gemini Moon baby July 30th 💛) and I gasped at your birth art image. Feeling the love of the eternal grandmothers through it. Thank you for sharing and happy motherhood blessings 🧸💐

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you, and congratulations to you Stefanie!! It's such an honor to join the motherhood club! Blessings on your journey down this path as well <3

Expand full comment
Archaic Joy's avatar

He’s beautiful, congratulations mum 💜

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you my friend :)

Expand full comment
Cari Nadeau's avatar

Congratulations! He's so beautiful ❤️ I've loved following your journey. He's a lucky little man to have you for a mom.

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Cari :) grateful to have you here my friend

Expand full comment
Ren's avatar

Absolutely magnificent! Congratulations Val ❤️

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Ren!

Expand full comment
Maeve Florissant's avatar

What a beautiful story to wake up to, and I have an Asher too (age 26, and living across the Irish Sea from me now). How well this reminds me of that liminal middle-of-the-night time when he arrived. Val, you’re a lovely gentle person whose writing touches my heart regularly, and I wish you and your new wee family so much happiness. ♥️

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Maeve, thank you so much for your kind words. And I LOVE that you also have an Asher! The name originally came to me from a character in a book I read, but I also love the original meaning of "one who lives near an ash grove", a tree that has a special place in my heart. So glad to have you here :)

Expand full comment
christine's avatar

Thank you for this beautiful message, and congratulations on your beautiful baby boy <3

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Christine!

Expand full comment
Lisa Auvil's avatar

Congratulations! Beautiful words, thank you for sharing your birth story.

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Lisa, for reading and for the kind words!

Expand full comment
BornAlive's avatar

welcome sweet lil god♥️🤎

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Erin Luring's avatar

Thank you for taking us along on your precious journey. Welcome sweet baby boy. Your words describe birth and beyond beautifully. 🤍

Expand full comment
Val Alcorn's avatar

Thank you Erin for the kind words and for coming along on the journey :)

Expand full comment