Birth Matters

Today, Birth Matters alums Jess & Rich share the story of their firstborn son’s birth. Jess explains how super-prepared she was, reading up on everything she could get her hands on, hiring a doula in the 2nd trimester, focusing on eating nutrient-dense foods, taking prenatal yoga classes and childbirth education classes. She proceeds to share how, while she had very much hoped for a completely unmedicated birth, she and Rich were able to swing with the curve balls they were dealt toward a satisfying, great birth experience. They go into details about being induced at 41 weeks 6 days after refusing to be scheduled for several days leading up to that, and proceeding with an induction using cytotec, a foley balloon, and artificially rupturing the membranes. This story is an example of an induction in which pitocin wasn’t needed (not the most common road for an induction to take, but can happen), for which Jess was very thankful. They’ll also share about how they chose a doula, how Rich and doula Tia worked together optimally, and about early breastfeeding challenges and receiving the support of both Tia and then an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). Finally, they’ll share a couple of tips for the journey into parenthood.

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Today, Alicia shares details about her hospital induction, which she was able to manage without pain medications. Before she gets into that, she talks about the various ways she equipped herself with as much knowledge as she needed to feel confident going into the process of giving birth. Because her blood pressure read high and amniotic fluid looked borderline low at 39½ weeks, the decision was made to induce labor. She describes the many hours that proceed from there, how their doula provided comfort measures, and how praying helped center her through to the pushing stage. Alicia also shares some details of early breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and her tips for expectant parents on building support and a knowledge base.

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In today's story, Nicole shares about an unexpectedly brief, 6-hour, unmedicated first labor in a Long Island hospital with midwives and with the support of her husband and a doula. Before she goes into her birth story, she describes her background as a child life specialist in a hospital setting as well as her love for teaching prenatal yoga and pursuit of education in aromatherapy. She also details the ways she learned to really listen to and honor her body in slowing down, reflecting and journaling to connect with her baby. Listen to hear how, after her water breaks at home, Nicole decides to calmly make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast for not only her and her husband, but for a house guest from Japan whom JP brings home from the airport the very morning she goes into labor. They join up with their doula for the hour-long drive out on Long Island to their hospital, arriving simultaneously with their midwife pretty much just in time to push and give birth. She goes over newborn protocols and special requests she made and provides details about early challenges she and her baby faced in breastfeeding. Learn about a model of care that Nicole found to be super supportive, whereby a lactation consultant was in-house at her pediatrician’s office. Finally, Nicole shares about the benefits of prenatal yoga from the perspective of both a yoga teacher as well as from having continued the practice as a pregnant person.

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Today, Desire shares her son’s birth story just a few weeks after the birth, which was a 3-day long hospital induction at Forest Hills Hospital in Queens. She was determined to do it without pain medications and was able to do just that. Also determined to breastfeed, Desire shares the varied experiences she had with hospital staff trying to support her in breastfeeding, and how disempowering language was not helpful. With some perseverance and professional lactation support at home once she and baby were discharged, she details how things improved fairly quickly. Desi explains a few ways that her mother expresses strong opinions, and how Desi has to be confident and do what she believes is best for her baby. She shares about her very unpleasant early first experience trying to change her son’s diaper and breastfeed at a shopping mall, and how she identified a store that was a much better environment for young families. Finally, she’ll provide some smart insights on speaking up when you need help and regularly checking in to be sure your partner is doing okay in early parenthood.

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Today Ellen shares the birth stories of her two daughters, who were both born prematurely. We discuss the benefits of midwifery care and why Ellen chose midwives for both of her births, as well as some of the insurance challenges that we face when attempting to choose midwives. She details how both of her daughters were not only preemies but also how her bag of waters broke as the first sign of labor both times. 

You'll hear Ellen describe a difficult 2nd pregnancy and how seeing a chiropractor who was expert in this phase of life helped eliminate all of the severe pain she had experienced. She also shares coping strategies for her second (induced) birth that really helped her cope in a way that enabled her to opt out of the epidural. She discusses the various ways that her midwives advocated for her in both births to avoid a cesarean in the first birth and to push the way she wanted to her in her second. 

Ellen tells how her husband, Lo, almost missed the 2nd birth when he ran out briefly to grab food. She also shares details on having both babies in the NICU for jaundice and ways she advocated for her daughters, along with the nuances of being a pediatric nurse as a new parent and how that dynamic played into the advocacy. 

Ellen describes specific ways she coped with the challenges of labor and how her training as a prenatal yoga teacher and meditation habits as a couple informed her strategies. Finally, she shares about early breastfeeding challenges and both of her daughters’ diagnoses with and treatment for tongue tie.

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In today’s episode, Ann shares details of her experience giving birth for the first time. Her labor progresses more quickly than most first labors, and she explains how they called an ambulance when she thought she felt the baby’s head. She’ll describe that she was, indeed, very close to pushing upon arrival at the hospital, though not quite as far along as she had thought. After she shares her birth story, she’ll also explain how her birth inspired her to move into birth and postpartum doula work as she relocated to be closer to family in southwest Florida. She also talks a bit about her Christian faith and her favorite song for labor, which is linked in the show notes for this episode at birthmattersshow.com.

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Today, Stephanie, who’s an attorney for an organization called Protect Democracy, shares the story of her daughter Kimathi’s birth, which was an induced labor that Stephanie was able to move through without any pain meds and with the support of a doula. She shares how she chose a doula who was Latina as she wanted someone who could understand her background and experience as a Puerto Rican woman and help her most effectively advocate for herself as needed. She also describes some of the creative ways she found much-needed support through social media, especially after birth, and will also touch on the challenges and changes in the nature of her relationship with Kimathi’s dad toward co-parenting early on in their daughter’s life and how much more support she needed as a result.

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Today Kate & AJ, the dear friends whom Dee & Sam mentioned meeting in birth class in the past couple of episodes, share their 2nd daughter’s birth story. Following a challenging first birth, Kate shares the specific ways that her 2nd pregnancy and birth was very healing. As Kate has a bit of a long, confusing early labor, they share details of a visit to both Trader Joe’s and to a chapel near their hospital, as well as multiple modes of transport including an Uber Pool, a ferry, another Uber, and a couple of subway rides. They also share the ways they received more optimal support this time around, including from not only the hospital staff, but also their doula, toward the uncomplicated, unmedicated vaginal birth Kate had hoped for. Hold on to the end to hear a few great tips they have for expectant parents regarding building in support, staying flexible, and equipping yourself with information during pregnancy.

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Today we have part 2 of Dee’s & Sam’s 2 birth stories. They’ll share about an even more premature birth of their second daughter, Luna. Due to the identification of an intra-uterine hemorrhage in late pregnancy, the decision is made to induce several weeks before the due date. Hear Dee share how surprised she was that she was able to cope with her induced labor without requesting the epidural, which was something she never thought she’d be able to do. She’ll also share how the use of a squatting bar helped her in the pushing stage and will detail the amazing sense of euphoria she had when her daughter was born. Then Dee & Sam will reflect on Luna’s 2-week stay in the NICU as well as provide some tips on staying flexible in labor and birth. Finally, they’ll discuss the special friendship they made in birth class and how having the support of friends has been essential, particularly during the NICU stay when they had another little one at home.

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For today's and next week’s episodes, we have another 2-parter for you as Dee & Sam share their two daughters’ preemie birth stories. You’ll hear these two soulful parents share some pretty incredible details about their two hospital births. In this episode, labor begins prematurely, several weeks before the due time, and soon after one of the biggest snowstorms New York has seen in many years. I might add it happens all while Dee’s husband, Sam, is having fun down in Austin for South by Southwest with his brother, and he makes it back in the nick of time. Hear how Dee’s best friend comes up to visit while Sam’s away thinking they’ll get some girl time, but little did they know her girlfriend would be a labor support partner until Sam could get on the next flight to return! Due to the amount of bleeding she had, they ended up admitting her earlier than they normally would. Dee’s water breaks right around the time that Sam arrives from the airport, and her contractions immediately get much stronger, which leads her to opt for the epidural, which she always thought she would opt for. Hear how she details the ways in which having a doula made a huge difference in how her labor went, especially in light of having so much back labor due to the baby not quite being in an optimal position. She also describes how quickly the pushing stage went for her, and Sam will give a few of his reflections on being present for the birth. 

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