Dave, I agree! I like the image of love as a cornucopia. Bountiful and colorful and everywhere.
And let's just remember, "All's fair in love and war..." (harhar)
Charles, I did expect something different! I guess I shouldn't have -- they are corporate, after all -- but I always heard they supported the same kinds of politics and causes I do. Guess that's no longer true.
rebablog and Nicole -- haha, I'm glad I'm not the only one! :) Thanks for posting comments!
Kate -- you're right, parenting starts as soon as we know we're pregnant. I like that you pointed that out. It's so hard, at least for me, to accept it when I make a choice and then something goes wrong -- even when that "something," in this case, was unrelated to the choice I made. This experience has been (and still is) a great lesson for me in learning that I can only do so much. I can try my hardest to do everything "right" and to minimize risk, and still, things can go wrong. That's life. It's a good thing to learn. Thank you for your comment.
infomidwife -- thank you for your comment, as well, and for your good luck wishes. I need it! :)
Oh, and just to clarify -- I don't feel guilty for my choice of a homebirth, thank goodness. I have had guilt about the sonogram, despite the fact that I still stand by my choice (no sonogram), I know why I made it, etc. I know August would have died anyway. His birth defect developed in week 3 of the pregnancy! So basically, he never had a chance. But I do feel lucky that I don't blame my midwife or the homebirth, etc., for what happened. I know many times, when bad things happen at a birth, the parents blame their health care practitioners. We really felt in such good hands with our midwife, and the doctor and nurses at St. Davids were just wonderful too.
To Anon -- I agree with you completely -- sometimes babies die, no matter the location or circumstances or interventions used to prevent that death. Thank you for hoping we don't feel too much guilt. From going through this grieving process -- and this is my first experience with something so sad and terrible -- it seems like guilt is just a part of the process. Our support group facilitators say guilt is anger turned toward oneself. I am really working toward letting it go! Because I know it doesn't help anything; it won't change history. Thank you for your comment.
To Nicole -- thank you so much for your sweet comment.
Thank you, Liz -- and I am so sorry for the loss of your daughter, too. What a terrible loss. I'm glad you've weighed in on the whole point of this essay -- that we all get to choose the birth that makes us feel best and safest. I hope nothing that awful ever happens to you again! Hugs to you.
Mary, this post brought me to tears. So beautiful and sad and moving.
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Catherine Avril Morris 
Creation