People told me having this many people at my birth would be too much. Too loud. Too overwhelming. Too distracting. But what they didn’t understand is this — no one was there to do anything. They were there to just be. To hold space. To stay quiet. To let me move, breathe, and labor in my own rhythm. Because birth, especially unmedicated birth, isn’t just physical. It’s deeply connected to your nervous system. And for me, I needed to feel safe in my environment, in my body, and in the people around me. That’s what this was. Not chaos. Not overwhelming. Just profound presence. And now, nearly 4 weeks postpartum, I find myself sitting with something I didn’t fully expect. Grief. Because as much as pregnancy is hard and labor is intense, this has always been my calling. This was something I felt so deeply connected to. And somehow, I got to live that dream four different times. I’m so proud of my body. So grateful for what it’s done. And also quietly mourning that I won’t get to d...