I agreed to Chinese postpartum confinement mostly because it felt easier than arguing about it. I didn’t expect it to change how I understand rest.

I used to believe hospitals were the safest place to give birth. Over time, I realised hospitals aren’t bad, but they aren’t neutral.

Some of the most important shifts don’t happen loudly. They happen mid conversation, when certainty loosens just enough to let something new in.

I’m here because I keep having the same thought, over and over again, usually at inconvenient times. You can have the birth you want, but wanting it isn’t enough.