In this episode we meet mother of two and registered nurse and midwife Emma who lives with her two boys and her husband, also a nurse, in Queensland.
After working in hospitals and having exposure to a variety of emergency situations Emma had decided that she would elect to have a maternal-assisted caesarean which she describes as a fantastic experience. Emma has an underlying heart condition called POT Syndrome (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia) which caused her some perinatal anxiety as well as a fear of natural birth and seeing the situations at the other end that can go wrong. Emma hid the majority of her anxiety from her private obstetrician, coworkers, and family while working as a midwife during her pregnancy.
Emma is certain she had undiagnosed postnatal depression after her first birth. She was advised to wean her baby from breastmilk after struggling to breastfeed and this gave her somewhat of a crisis of confidence in those early weeks with her newborn. Miraculously her baby then showed interest again in latching so Emma saw a lactation consultant and ended up re-lactating to a full milk supply. She takes us through this experience in the hope of informing others who may not know that this is an option.
After falling pregnant again she was sure she was going to have another maternal assisted caesarean, however she changed her mind in her third trimester and became intent on trying for a VBAC. Emma shares with us that she tested positive for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in this pregnancy then retested herself and got a negative result - this was despite her obstetrician not being supportive of her desire to retest.
Listen to how Emma overcame all the anxiety and fear she had during her first pregnancy and birth to experience a swift positive VBAC with an epidural.
~ Notes ~
Perinatal anxiety/postnatal depression:https://www.panda.org.au/
**VBAC Birth Stories features women’s lived experiences. It is not intended to replace medical advice. Should you have any concerns during your pregnancy please always consult your healthcare provider.
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