Similes

Recent, brilliant birth analogies that I've heard:

"It's like doing Vinyasa yoga with the flu."

"Birth is for women what war is for men."

1. At a birth this past weekend. A determined mother with french braids and freshly painted toenails was in the tub beautifully rocking with intense contractions looked up at her mother and came up with this (later she added "on the rack" to the end of the sentence- I think that was probably around transition).
The midwife talked her through her labor with metaphors of surfing cresting waves.

2. At a friend's birthday party, speaking with a new acquaintance about how and when people talk about birth. She used this eloquent phrase to describe the fact that there is an innate desire for women to speak about birth and men about war. Her most interesting point was that even if a woman or man had not gone through the experience there was still a deep desire to take part in the conversation and listen to the stories. I think this speaks to the importance of "rite of passage"; through fear and bravery an individual becomes bonded to their community.