As a young woman not yet initiated into motherhood, I am both excited and frightened by the thought of giving birth. I can imagine nothing more amazing, and yet I recoil at the thought of labor. But standing here in Rancho Grande, Nicaragua, I must admit that my fears seem kind of absurd. After all, if I give birth, I will have the benefits of modern medicine at my fingertips – drugs, experienced doctors and sterile and well-equipped delivery rooms.
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