It is humbling to me to step outside of my own brain for a little while and see women who suffer in much more basic and devastating ways than I do. Mothers in Haiti right now are likely not very concerned about what their bellies look like or if they should save for a tummy tuck or not – they are trying to find places to live, clean water to drink, medical care for themselves or their families.
I believe we need to allow ourselves to be frustrated with the way our bodies look – to accept our feelings helps us work through them. But we should always be aware of the bigger picture – only the fact that we are well fed and clothed and have safe housing means we can look toward more superficial worries. We should take note of our blessings. And we should reach out and try to bless others.
Nature takes no notice when events like this occur – she sends mamas into labor with or without a trained birth partner nearby, she brings babies into this world without regard to clean drinking water for formula, or support for breastfeeding. I spent some time searching for and asking around about a charity we can give to to help out mothers like us dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti and I came across Midwives for Haiti, which could not be a more perfect match. You can read more about them here and donate here.
According to their website:
$25 pays for the medications and equipment needed to perform a safe delivery in rural Haiti.
$50 pays for the prenatal care of two Haitian women or provides emergency transportation in a medical crisis.
$75 pays for the books and scrubs for one new midwifery student.
$100 pays for the scissors, clamps and needleholder for one midwife’s delivery kit.
$120 pays for a translator for one week.
Take a moment and donate anything you can, then share here that you did. I hope we can make a difference together in this terrible time.
Interesting thought came to me while reading this- what if those moms saving for tummy tucks took that money and donated it to just what you wrote about? To helping mothers provide for their children? I gaze at my son who looks at me with such adoration, like I am truly holding the whole world in my hands and it breaks my heart to know some day he will realize I cannot protect him from everything. In his three and a half months outside of me there has not been a single problem mommy could not fix almost instantly… it hurts to know that will end.
What an AMAZING thing it would be to go to the beach in a bikini and say to people, ‘Yes, I saved up thousands for a tummy tuck- and then I decided to donate it to save lives instead.’ That would feel so powerful!