Birth Stories in Color

Due to technical difficulties, you will hear from Sarah towards the end of this episode.

In expanding their family, Tauri and Sarah found that Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) was the route that felt best. And after finding out they were pregnant, being the planner she is - Tauri began preparing for their birth vision.

They wouldn't have even known they needed to prepare for dealing with pregnancy and birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the 20 week scan, Tauri and Sarah would soon find they would be experiencing their pregnancy amongst just the two of them. Coming to the end of her pregnancy, Tauri was trying all the techniques to get labor started. After a night of nothing happening with castor oil, Tauri found herself a bit restless. Feeling a shift, she went to the bathroom and experienced a movie-style breaking of her waters. She shared the news with Sarah and went back to sleep.

Into the next day, there wasn't much change, and after 12 hours, Tauri and Sarah headed to the hospital. With the support of Pitocin, contractions began coming intense and fast. Working through the night and into the early morning, Tauri started to feel a new intensity. When her midwife arrived, her body had already begun pushing, her baby already crowning. And following her lead, pushing when she felt ready, Sarah caught their baby, placing her on Tauri's chest with all her "cheesy vernix" goodness.

Resources:

Expecting Better | pregnancy preparation guidebook

The Birth Partner | a complete guide to childbirth for dads, partners, doulas, and all other labor companions

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding | nursing guide from preparation, pregnancy, expressing and storing milk

Spinning Babies | pregnancy preparation as well as labor activities to ease birth

Dr. Alicia Bonaparte is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College and trained as a medical sociologist specializing in reproductive health, health disparities, and female crime and deviance. Dr. Bonaparte is well known for her role as co-editor of Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy and Childbirth - a book that has ushered in a movement of Black Birth Workers across the diaspora. We had an opportunity to discuss Birthing Justice's origins and the far-reaching effects that have influenced policy, education, and birth narratives centering Black bodies.

In our conversation, we explore her work as a whole and ways in which history and community can serve as a powerful force in accessing our power to create change and birth liberation. We left feeling whole - it was full of lessons we will be taking into the continued celebration of Black Maternal Health Week 2021 and Black birth, Black life, and Black joy!

We share with you some of our favorite highlights;

There will be a second edition of Birthing Justice released in 2022!!!

"We cannot assume there is no historical precedent to the things we see today" examining our history allows us to "figure out necessary interventions to shift that paradigm so things can become better." ~ Dr. Alicia Bonaparte

The beauty of honoring our people (our community) when they are here with us earthside and giving them their flowers now. And not just in accolades and gratitude but showering them in their worth!

"Take really good care of yourself and focus on your joy and cultivating it." ~ Dr. Alicia Bonaparte

Resources:

Birthing Justice | black women, pregnancy & childbirth

Julia Chinyere Oparah | Birthing Justice co-editor, professor, and chair of Ethnic Studies at Mills College and a founding member of Black Women Birthing Justice

Jennie Joseph | British trained midwife, founder and executive director of Commonsense Childbirth Inc., and the creator of The JJ Way

The JJ Way | a patient-centered model of care

Perinatal Task Force | a program component of Commonsense Childbirth Inc. 

Black Mamas Matter Alliance |Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance. Centering Black mamas to advocate, drive research, build power, and shift culture for Black maternal health, rights, and justice.

Ayanna Pressley | U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district

Keisha Goode, PhD | NACPM Vice President

The Birthing Place | Natural Birth Services in Houston

Black Women for Wellness | committed to health and well-being of Black women and girls through health education, empowerment, and advocacy.

South LA/South Bay AAIMM | coalition focused on Black infant and maternal deaths/health in Los Angeles County

Meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while improving mood, resilience, focus, and a sense of well-being. Meditation is a gift... one that you can freely give to yourself. Affirmations are positive statements that can help you overcome self-sabotage, negative thoughts. Start with what you want to change. Both practices combined can help you achieve goals, manage stress, and have an overall better quality of life.

Kristen Hanna is a BSiC Storyteller that encourages mindful motherhood in her work and daily life. Kristen and her partner have started an apparel line, Be Free Apparel, as an opportunity to not only clothe the body but inspire and encourage others to break generational patterns and heal to live and love as freely as God intended. She has graciously gifted our listeners with an offering of meditation.

The intention of this meditation is for reframing and centering as you prepare for and navigate your birth. The hope that this pause allows you to tap within yourself. And the affirmations curated from snippets of BSiC community storyteller's own experiences cover you in support. Pause. Tap in. Listen.

Jefri had always wanted a homebirth and be supported with midwifery care. When she found out she was pregnant - it also fell in line when she began her work as a student midwife. This would allow for a unique perspective, as working through her course work, she learned through her own body. Connecting what she was learning to what was happening for her throughout her pregnancy. For Jefri prepping for birth mentally, emotionally, and spiritually was of high importance. Tapping into her intuition and "reconciling her relationship with pain" based on conscious and unconscious thoughts around it. She wanted to be able to trust herself throughout her whole journey, an aspect of preparation that was key for Aigbokhai as well—finding a way to stay out of his own head so that he could be "in the moment, present and available" to support Jefri in whatever way she needed.

When labor began, Jefri felt as though it wasn't time. As things started picking up, she still disregarded the shift but followed her body's request for movement as she worked through contractions. After some time, she found herself returning to the toilet, her body signaling to her that their baby would be arriving soon.

With a sense of haste, she instructed Aigbokhai to call their midwife, and they both began hurriedly preparing for the baby to come. With their midwife still a bit of way from their home and things moving fast, they placed her and Jefri's mother on facetime. Both of them providing support and encouragement as the baby began crowning. And with another two contractions, their son was born into Jefri and Aigbokhai's hands.

When pregnant with her second child, the physical aspects of the journey were familiar. Still, Chanel knew to prepare herself for the unfamiliar fully, and she would need to educate herself and build a birth team that she could trust, which would fully support her in moving forward with a VBAC. And while moving through those parts, she would also find that her personal healing would be just as important, this pregnancy being a light for that and teaching her patience and the power of releasing control.

Since her son had arrived early, Chanel was convinced that she would have the same experience for this pregnancy. At 41 weeks and one day, Chanel was starting to feel challenged mentally, but contractions would start developing some consistency, and she took that time to rest and move throughout her day. Their doula supported them in the early shifts and then transitioning to the birth center as things intensified. The birth centered provided Chanel with a sense of peace. Feeling like the "center of attention," which made her "feel covered, and protected and safe." A pivotal moment she expresses during her birth was as she was shifting into transition, feeling fatigued she took to solitude in the shower. She was spending an intimate moment in prayer with God, asking and reflecting on strength to continue. The moment she recalls fully surrendering - her baby arriving soon after.

Resources:

A Werking Mama | birth support, education & advocacy

For Jordan and Rufus, knew they wanted to spend the first year of their marriage focused on just the two of them. And by year two, they were ready to expand their family, but as time moved throughout that year and they were still not pregnant, they began getting a bit concerned that maybe something was wrong. After a visit with their doctor and receiving the news that nothing seemed to be wrong, Jordan made a call to her mother-in-law, who had had a similar experience. She was able to express her concerns and fears. Her mother-in-law holding space for her at that moment, reassuring her that she would get pregnant when it needed to happen, and the following month that assurance came to fruition.

And as they were riding the wave of joy, they would soon find themselves shifting to grief. Jordan was very close to her grandmother and was heartbroken with her passing a week after discovering they were pregnant. Jordan felt her close - the intuition that she was going to have a daughter, which they found out about on the day of her other grandmother's birthday, March 13th. Their presence deep throughout her entire journey.

Two days after her estimated due date, Jordan started feeling contractions and immediately about five minutes apart. Wanting to labor at home as long as possible, she found relief in the tub. And as things intensified, Rufus encouraged her that it may be time for them to head to the hospital. When she arrived, she found out that she was four centimeters dilated. Rufus and Jordan felt very supported in the hospital, and when labor slowed down at nine and a half centimeters, her birth team encouraged many positional changes to help her daughter make her way. And after 15 minutes of pushing, she arrived earthside, with Rufus catching the perfect photo and her extended family watching via Facetime.

Rufus expressed that one area he wasn't prepared for was the transition of postpartum, which was made more challenging with the restrictions of COVID. They couldn't fully tap into their community; being in sync with each other throughout it all continues to help them find and share in the joyful moments.

Resources:

Holy Labor | scriptural exploration of common conceptions about pregnancy and childbirth

Jocelyne, a homebirth parent, and co-creator of Homebirth.com shared her story and the origins of those unexpected titles. Jocelyne and her partner had been planning their wedding when they discovered they were expecting. They made a pivot and married ahead of schedule. The next obstacle was finding alignment with a provider that would honor their wishes became the most challenging aspect of the pregnancy. They switched providers from an OB/GYN to a birth center with midwifery care. The stars seemed to align, but an unexpected closing once again thwarted their plans. Three months before her expected due date, the birthing center she and her husband had planned to welcome their baby closed. Homebirth became an option that was strange to them and required a mental adjustment to help keep them out of the hospital. Hospital birth felt like pregnancy was a medical issue, and that didn’t match their thought process unless a medical challenge presented during the birth. They quickly researched their options and connected with midwives they trusted. Their family was able to prepare for and have the birth they envisioned in their own home.

Jocelyne’s husband, midwife, and parents surrounded her in love and support as labor ensued. Her midwife assisted her in maintaining movement and naturally stimulating her contractions. And her parents stepped away to allow for space and time. Jocelyne was able to progress and focus on the task at hand. They were able to achieve their homebirth after not even seeing this as a possibility for their family.

Homebirth.com was created in their response to wanting to share the beauty and joy of their homebirth story. Homebirth.com holds space for story sharing and helps others who wish to Homebirth find the birth teams that can help meet their birthing goals.

Resources:

Homebirth.com | providing knowledge and resources centered in homebirth

Being a maternity nurse, Courtney knew the lack of focus on preparing for the fourth trimester. For her, a vital part of preparation when pregnant was anchoring into how she would support her healing and bonding during that time. This encompassed building a full birth team - a midwife aligned with her vision, a lactation consultant, a pelvic floor therapist, and ensuring her husband was empowered as well.

When early labor began at 38 weeks for Courtney's first birth, she spent most of that time in the sense of denial. As she moved about her day, her body and baby showed signs that his arrival would be soon. It took encouragement from her husband and midwife to help shift her mindset that the time had come. As she was having a homebirth, Courtney moved about her home and different positions to help with progression. It was a pivotal moment for her to feel her son engage in her pelvis, prompting her to have her husband get her birth pool ready and have her midwife join them. Being able to lean into her husband for support and having space to trust her body entirely, they welcomed their son soon after.

When she found herself experiencing the signs of labor again 16 months after her son's birth, the sense of familiarity with her body's response was strong. This progression was much faster, a surprise to Courtney, when she began pushing her "body, grabbed onto the energy," and her daughter began making her way.

For both of her births, early postpartum planning would be pivotal. After her son's birth, the time allowed her to take the pauses she needed and process her full experience. With her daughter having suffered with baby blues, she focused her care on herself, being honest with herself about what she needed, and knowing that in the moments when she wasn't ok, that was ok!

Resources:

The Equipped Mama | birth and beyond services

After about four years into their marriage, Ashley and her husband were ready to expand their family. And when they found out they were expecting, being the planner she is, Ashley began preparing for her pregnancy and birth. Understanding maternal health for black women, having a black doctor and OBGYN was essential to her. With her background as a chef, staying nourished with the right foods and diet was also at her forefront.

Knowing her mother's birth stories - all of her children's birth from start to finish being 4 hours, Ashley envisioned she would have a similar experience. So when her water broke three days after her estimated due date, she arrived at the hospital ready for the journey to be swift. Settling into the hospital at 9 am, Ashley was 2cm dilated, and by the afternoon, was told had progressed to 8cm. To her surprise, once her doctor arrived and did a cervical exam, she expressed that Ashley was only 5cm. Ashley was, of course, disappointed but knew that she had to stay in a serene and positive mindset. As she labored through the day and progression remained in the same spot, Ashley, her husband, and birth team tried many options, finally deciding that her son's arrival would be a surgical birth.

Leaving the hospital and returning home was tough; Ashley was managing her physical healing from a surgeryshe hadn't expected, working through nursing challenges and also the mental toll of this new transition. Creating with food had always been an outlet for Ashley; during her pregnancy, she prepared ready-made meals for postpartum that would be easy for her and her husband to make—having food in this way assisted with her body recovery and recovery mentally. But even with that, Ashley felt like she wasn't allowing a release for her thoughts or feelings from having postpartum anxiety and baby blues. Not finding what she needed, she decided to create a guided journal. A space that she could communicate her feelings with no pressure or judgments. A safe space serving as self-care, a reminder that as a birthing parent, "you are important.." and all parts of you "have a space in your baby's life."

Resources:

Chef Ashley Shep | simplifying meal time with tips, tricks, and ideas to make the most out of mealtime

New Mom Thoughts | guided keepsake journal

Sponsors:

March of Dimes | education, research, support & advocacy for moms and babies

March of Dimes, the leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, is observing World Defects Day on March 3rd. This is an annual event in which March of Dimes partners with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to generate awareness among women of childbearing age and families about actions they can take to help prevent birth defects. Join the conversation about World Defects Day by following hashtag #Best4YouBest4Baby on social media and by visiting March of Dimes at marchofdimes.org/BSiC.

Natalie Nicole joined us to share the birth story of her rainbow baby. After experiencing a miscarriage on New Year’s day of 2014, she was terrified of being pregnant again. So that June, when she found out she was pregnant, she was fearful about the same outcome. But in January 2015, her son was born, and answering her prayers and showing her strength.

Natalie entered this pregnancy, being concerned about what happened to cause her miscarriage. She nervously started sharing her news as her family and friends expressed their excitement. She experienced the typical symptoms of pregnancy, but the pregnancy was without challenges. Natalie wanted to take it one day at a time with minimal planning.

During her 38 week appointment with her doctor, she had a cervical exam and learned, to her surprise, that she was nearly 10 cm dilated. She had labored over the weekend after she lost her mucus plug. She didn’t experience intense contractions over the weekend but had challenges sleeping. Things moved quickly to get her settled in the delivery room. Natalie still had her bag of waters intact, and she received a pitocin drip as recommended by her provider to speed up labor. After laboring with pitocin, Natalie knew she wanted additional support by way of an epidural. Reflecting on her birth and the speed of it, Natalie found herself wishing she had more of a plan. She was receiving medication; she couldn’t recall why she was taking it or what it was called. Her family arrived in full force, and she began to feel uncomfortable as the room was crowded and overwhelming, which deterred her focus and ability from being calm. Her birth space had made what could have been a smoother process complicated by the use of forceps, suctioning, and an episiotomy.

Natalie’s body had carried her child to term, she had naturally labored at home, and once she shifted her environment and mindset so swiftly, her ideal of a calm birth had started to slip through her hands.

One week into postpartum, Natalie found herself feeling depressed. She had limited support at home as her partner had to work, and her mother had been with her for the first week. Intrusive thoughts and breastfeeding challenges led to a lack of sleep and anxiety. She became suicidal and sought help. Natalie shared her feelings and thoughts with her partner and family. She began using antidepressants, but it wasn’t enough as the anxiety and highs and lows continued. Natalie was admitted to a mental health facility to protect herself. Listen on as Natalie shares her harrowing journey through postpartum depression, anxiety and how she was open to not just therapy but medication and continued support.

Resources:

Shades of Blue | breaking cultural barriers in Maternal Mental Health Globally

Postpartum Support International | provide current information, resources, education, advocate for further research and legislation to support perinatal mental health

Mindfully Well Rooted | mental health and lifestyle blog

Sponsors:

March of Dimes | education, research, support & advocacy for moms and babies

March of Dimes, the leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, is observing World Defects Day on March 3rd. This is an annual event in which March of Dimes partners with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to generate awareness among women of childbearing age and families about actions they can take to help prevent birth defects. Join the conversation about World Defects Day by following hashtag #Best4YouBest4Baby on social media and by visiting March of Dimes at marchofdimes.org/BSiC.