I am woman, hear me roar

We girls have incredible bodies. We can run, swim, race, hurdle, climb mountains, swing between uneven parallel bars, and carve snow with the best of them. But, for me, the most amazing thing our bodies can do is give birth. It's raw and real and hard, but extremely rewarding, work. Our bodies change and grow, often in exciting proportions, and then, through all kinds of different methods (from scheduled caesarean sections, to medicated hospital births, to birth centers, and natural birth in our own homes), we deliver this baby we were able to grow and nourish inside ourselves.

To quote Jim Gaffigan, one of my favorite comedians, "Truly, women are amazing. Think about it this way: a woman can grow a baby inside her body. Then a woman can deliver the baby through her body. Then, by some miracle, a woman can feed a baby with her body."

Doesn't that make us sound pretty dang incredible? Never, have I felt more powerful and more in touch with the person that I can be than when I'm in labor and then holding my newborn child.

In a society that often causes us to question our bodies and our abilities, midwife Ina Nay Gaskin inspires me to believe in myself and the power of women. A few of my favorite quotes are below:

We are not lemons. Just as we can train to run that 10K or even to swim the English Channel, we can train do this birthing thing.

Me after having baby number five this September.

What's your favorite thing we, as girls, can do?