You're listening to episode 86 of the Happy Homebirth Podcast.
Pain-free childbirth is a myth.... right?
Show Notes:
Laura is a mother of 3, and she and her husband were newly married when they became unexpectedly pregnant. They had recently moved, and found themselves moving back into Laura's parents' house as they got their finances in order.
Because she had never spent time around babies, Laura took a nannying job for a newborn during her pregnancy. When he napped, she would read books. A family member gave her Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and at 35 weeks her entire outlook on birth shifted. She even considered a homebirth, but soon realized this would not be possible in her family's house.
Laura switched to midwifery care within the hospital and had a beautiful natural birth. She wanted to give birth in the water, which she did.
When she became pregnant again 11 months later, she prayed for a shorter birthing time. That's exactly what she got-- though the experience left her reeling and feeling out of control, even slightly scared of birth. She did have a natural birth, and it was short, but it was quite stressful for her.
During this postpartum experience, Laura struggled immensely. She had an incredibly emotional time and leaned on her faith like never before. She learned about grace on a personal level, and worked through many problems and emotions that had previously never seen the light of day. Finally, she felt like she could see the light at the end of the tunnel....
And then Laura found out that she was pregnant again. This came as a massive shock to her, as she and her husband were not planning for this. While the realization that she was carrying new life initially thrilled her, once the thought set in, Laura began to panic with fear that she would have to go through all of this postpartum pain and suffering again. She worried that she was nutritionally depleted, and that this third pregnancy would cause more depletion.
Laura continued to rely on her faith and her husband, and she prayed about her upcoming birth. She was finally going to be able to have a homebirth, and she wanted this experience to be not only spiritual, but also pain free. She dedicated time and prayer to this end, and she created space for this to happen.
When Laura had her third baby, all were shocked to see her raising her hands in worship during her contractions. When her baby crowned, and then the head was born, Laura truly did not realize it had happened. Her birth was 100% pain-free.
Laura emphasized the fact that this can be the case for anyone-- creating space for this type of positive outcome is so important.
Episode Roundup:
I wanted to touch once again on this idea on creating space for the positive experiences. I love that Laura cleared her fears when necessary and focused on the notion that she could indeed have a beautiful, pain-free experience. It's a great reminder for us all: Clear fears and create space for the beautiful experience that birth can be!
Ep 264:The Opposite Of A Traumatic Birth with Regina Lowenfield
Ep 263: VBA3C?! You’re Not High Risk Until You’re High Risk with Jan DeAngelo
Ep 262: The Body-Mind-Birth Connection with Errika Horner
Ep 261: A Beautiful Shoulder Dystocia? With Coco Brown
Ep 260: A Failed Epidural and a Victorious Homebirth with Brianna Peters
Ep 259: Responsive Sleep for You and Your Baby with Taylor Kulik
Ep 258: How To Turn Your Passion For Birth Into A Full-time Career As A Doula with Kyleigh Banks
Ep 257: From Questioning Yourself to Questioning the Birth System with McKenzie Ulmer
Ep 256: From Changing Care Providers to Midwife Continuity with Shayna Piva
Ep 255: Deep Familial Connection Through Homebirth with Anna Rivera
Ep 254: From Interventions to Undisturbed with Bree Darby
Ep 253: Finding Joy While Experiencing Secondary Infertility with Shyla Brown
Ep 252: Minerals, Lymph, Fascia, Oh My! With Margaret Barry
Ep 251: A Deeper Understanding of the Transformative Power of Birth with Karey Hoffmann
Ep 250: Coming Into Your Own and Advocating for Your Dream Birth with Cortney Steffensmeier
Ep 249: Surrendering to Physiological Birth and Motherhood with Jessica Livengood
Ep 248: Game-Time Birth Decisions with Katelyn and Thomas Fusco
Ep 247: Making Birth Choices From a Place of Empowerment with Leigh Anne McGiff
Ep 246: Birth in Captivity to the Freedom of Homebirth with Esmeralda Carrillo
Encore: Birthing Instincts With Dr. Stu
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