Having a C-section or getting an epidural doesn't mean you're less of a mother.

I don’t often think about giving birth to my son anymore. Now that he's almost two it's hard to even remember what it was like to be pregnant. But I recently came across a blog post from a women’s clinic in London that reminded me of one of the worst parts of pregnancy for me—the constant emphasis on the idea of a "natural birth." The post encourages pregnant women to have a "feminist birth," and claims that "the goal is normal vaginal delivery for all women."

It reminded me of the messaging I was inundated with before I had my son. Strangers on the street, other pregnant women, and even overzealous Instagram influencers would extol the virtues of a "natural birth," by which they meant an unmedicated, home birth.

While all the books I'd read had language that seemed rooted in empowerment (Women are amazing! Women are powerful!) they always felt to me like they were destined to lead to feelings of shame. Whenever I made the mistake of telling people I planned on getting an epidural, I almost always had to endure a lecture on the virtues of unmedicated labour and how incredible a home birth could be. Forget about if it was physically possible for me, if that was something I wanted to experience or not.

In the end, I had to be induced and I had an epidural to manage the excruciating pain. Twelve hours after my first contraction I had a vaginal delivery and went through the exact same thing every person who gives birth does: exhaustion, delirium, and transformation. The process of getting there, how the baby came out, and what amount of pain I was willing to bear had little to do with the end result—I now had a human being to care for.

https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/ne8wg8/the-term-natural-birth-shames-moms-its-time-to-lose-it

https://twitter.com/41Strange/status/1160948268416659456

...

Last month, a week after being denied bail on federal sex trafficking charges, Mr. Epstein was found unconscious in his cell at the jail with marks on his neck. Prison officials had been investigating that incident as a possible suicide attempt.

Mr. Epstein was housed in a special unit with extra security, but he was not under suicide watch, according to a prison official.

The authorities did not immediately explain why he was not under additional safeguards, given the earlier incident. The F.B.I. said it was investigating, and Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement that a special inquiry would be opened into what happened.

“I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody,” Mr. Barr said. “Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered. In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death.”

I just got off the phone with Q.

Was at car wash so bad connection, but here’s what I think they said.

Don’t quote me.

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide on 8/10/19.

8 + 10 + 19 = 37

The name Bill Barr has 8 letters.

37 + 8 = 45

Donald Trump is the 45th President.

https://twitter.com/andylassner/status/1160229214164942849

Has anybody seen JFK Jr hanging around the jail?

https://twitter.com/Rschooley/status/1160212173697589249

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1160186356393529344