In this episode of The Midwife’s Podcast, hosts Margie and Amy talk with Courtney—a birth worker and mother of three—about her first pregnancy and childbirth. At just 21, Courtney entered birth with little understanding of its depth and complexity, expecting a straightforward hospital experience. As her pregnancy unfolded, curiosity led her to explore birth options, interventions, and midwifery care.

Her first birth turned out to be far more intense than expected—a fast, disorienting hospital experience filled with interventions she didn’t fully understand at the time. Later, she realized that some of those practices contributed to her difficult postpartum recovery.

Now a doula, Courtney reflects on how her perspective has evolved. What once felt like a “good” birth experience has become a powerful lesson in the importance of informed choice, physiological birth, and self-advocacy. Today, she channels her own story into supporting others—helping parents ask the right questions, understand their options, and make empowered decisions for their births.