You're listening to episode 105 of the Happy Homebirth Podcast.
How long did you wait to tell your friends and family about your pregnancy? No time? 8 weeks? 12 weeks? What about 6 months? Today’s episode with Alissa covers an incredible array of stories, and she bears her soul with her experience. I feel so honored that she shared her stories, and I know you’ll feel the same when you hear them. I do of course like to mention when stories contain especially difficult situations, and I will aware you that she did have some very traumatic events occur at the hospital, and we will discuss a miscarriage. These topics are so important to discuss, but of course I want to be sensitive to those who are approaching birth or who are in a place where they would prefer to wait until a later time to listen. Otherwise, enjoy this amazing woman’s stories.
Show Notes:
Alissa’s first experience of pregnancy came at the age of seventeen. She herself did not realize she was pregnant for quite a bit. In fact, she ran an entire season of Cross Country and began the basketball season before anyone knew. The realization of her pregnancy, however, came in a very public way, as she danced during a half-time show with her dance team. Her shirt came up, and all saw that she was pregnant. She hadn’t even told her family at this point, and she was 6 months pregnant.
Alissa says that no one gave her a hard time about her pregnancy, and everyone stood by her.
Once everyone found out, she and her child’s father went to planned parenthood to receive care and figure out where to got an OB. They measured her belly and told Alissa there was nothing they could do to support her.
Her first labor was incredibly fast, and she was actually only at the hospital for about 15 minutes before her baby arrived. However, in that time she received both an episiotomy and had a vacuum delivery. Immediately following, she was simply proud of herself for having an unmedicated birth and knew she would do so again in the future (she’s highly afraid of needles—no way she’d have an epidural!)
13 years later, after marrying her husband, she became pregnant again. They were in Texas for the majority of the pregnancy, and were planning a birth center birth with a midwife.
Their anatomy scan showed bilateral choroid cysts, which had her very stressed. Apparently it usually self-resolves, but when it doesn’t it can be fatal. There’s nothing to be done for it, so they decided to remain calm and not do any additional testing.
Around 28 weeks pregnant, they moved back home at the end, and decided that they would give birth in the hospital with a community OB who was greatly recommended. She seemed to be comfortable with natural options.
She went into labor at 41 weeks, when her water broke, though there was no fluid. She had another traumatic birth experience where no one listened to her requests— even the ones the doctor had signed off on. She was only in the hospital an hour before baby was born, but her rights were trampled on constantly. The next morning, they planned to leave, but the doctors told her that her Hep B results came back as positive, and they couldn’t leave the hospital without giving the baby the Hep B injection. She refused, and knew that the results were incorrect. She told them again and again to recheck, and they wouldn’t budge. Finally they signed papers “allowing” them to leave, although legal action was threatened. A week later, her doctor called to tell her the original results were wrong—they’d given her someone else’s results. During that phone call, Alissa’s milk finally came in.
Alissa’s 3rd birth was a heartbreaking miscarriage at 10 weeks. They learned that the baby had stopped growing at 6 weeks, and she wanted to miscarry naturally at home. This happened over the span of a week, which she was very surprised about. After losing a large amount of blood, they went to the hospital and found out that a small piece of placenta was adhered to the cervix. Once the piece was removed, she stopped bleeding. Alissa wants to shed light on the fact that miscarriages are labor and birth, and they should be treated and understood as such.
She became pregnant with her rainbow baby two months later, and her family was thrilled. She finally had the beautiful, peaceful homebirth that she deserved.
Episode Roundup:
Ep 183: Here’s How We Swap Anxiousness for Peace About Our Homebirth in 12 Short Weeks
Ep 182: 4 Warning Signs to Re-Prioritize HB Prep
Ep 181: Remove Anxiety From Your Homebirth Preparation
Ep 180: Increase Attachment With Baby Prenatally
Ep 179: The 3 Reasons You’re Not Feeling Confident About Homebirth
Ep 178: Here’s the Unexpected Secret for How to Have a Peaceful, Empowering Birth Experience
Ep 177: The Intimacy of Homebirth: Using Birth to Strengthen Connection
Ep 176:The Midwife’s Visit: How to Involve Your Children in Pregnancy and Birth With Kelly Jenkins, CPM
Ep 175: The Gillespie Approach: How Craniosacral Fascial Therapy Can Optimize Health for Your Infant
Ep 174: An Interview with a Homebirth Convert, Becky Zale
Ep 173: Is Homebirth Still Safe After a Diagnosed Disability?
Ep 172: The Ring of Fire
Ep 171: Parenting and Birthing Gently with Caitlyn Doerksen
Ep 170: Cross-Country Homebirth
Ep 169: Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhood with Jenna Dodge
Ep 168: Birth on the Road: A Missionary’s Birth Experiences
Ep 167: ”What if it’s painful?” Getting Comfortable with Discomfort
Ep 166: Uncharted Euphoria: Rose’s 3 Homebirths
Ep 165: Homebirth on Historic Family Land
Ep 164: How to Release Your Fears of Transporting
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