Your care provider. When you think of the person who will be attending your birth, what adjectives come to mind? Do you feel at peace, comforted and cared for, or do you feel bullied, manipulated and belittled? Hannah has experienced both ends of the spectrum, and I’m so happy to have her on today’s episode to share with you just how difficult, and then how beautiful birth can be.
Happy Homebirth Academy has an affiliate program for care providers. To enter yourself in a monthly drawing for a Happy Homebirth T Shirt (or Amazon gift card), tell your care provider about it! Take a screenshot of the text or email sending them to www.myhappyhomebirth.com/affiliate , and send it to katelyn@myhappyhomebirth.com with the subject line: Midwife Message
Hannah thought her hospital birth would be totally covered, as she was actually on two insurance plans. As it turned out, she was not, and her hospital birth was more expensive than her later homebirth.
One big red flag Hannah experienced with her OB, that she now wishes would have made her turn and run, was that when she gave the OB her birth plan, the response was “Oh, you’ll get the epidural. Don’t be a hero.”
Hannah urges mothers— if you’re experiencing obstetrical bullying, FIND ANOTHER PROVIDER!
She actually experienced her first labor contractions while camping at 40 weeks. The labor was long—beyond 48 hours, and she finally received pitocin, an epidural, and “purple pushed” for 2 hours.
When she became pregnant with her second child, she still felt somewhat traumatized by the first experience. Even though she knew she wanted a different experience, she wondered, “Can I do it?”
She chose a midwife, and the difference she notes is that she felt completely secure and completely safe at home
She felt her care provider was perfectly aligned with her.
During her second pregnancy, she and her husband communicated more effectively about what she would want during labor. This paid off, and he was able to support her perfectly.
Hannah also hired a doula, which she recommends to everyone.
She loved the book “Childbirth Without Fear,” and one of the biggest takeaways she found was this: In Genesis, we’ve translated the discussion of the fall as Adam toiling the land and Eve experiencing great pain with childbirth. However, the same Hebrew word is used in both: Toil. She discusses the idea that labor is an experience of toil, not necessarily an experience of pain.
Once her baby arrived, Hannah experienced “the birth pause” where all felt right in the world. She was overwhelmed with thankfulness and connection, where she recalls feeling completely out of it after her first hospital birth.
Her biggest takeaway from birth is that when you have the right care provider, you feel in charge, not managed.
Episode Roundup:
1.If your care provider is bullying you, FIRE THEM AND RUN. Remember, they work for you. Remember, you are your own and your child’s advocate
2. I want to bring back this discussion of pain vs. toil. I love this concept, and as I’ve said many times… I just don’t consider childbirth painful. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, and I love to hear all of the ways that others experience it. But toil… great work? Certainly. Remember that so much of our experience is often unknowingly wrapped up in our own expectations. If we’re expecting pain, well, pain we shall likely have. Coming into childbirth with an open mind and an arsenal of tools to provide comfort gives such a great chance at truly appreciating, if not downright enjoying, the experience.
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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