This episode is all about being pregnancy and birth with multiples! Our guest Ashley Stetson is a Certified Birth Doula, San Diego HypnoBirthing Educator, and Doula Match Facilitator at the Birth Education Center of San Diego. She became a mother to spontaneous triplets in 2011. Their birth inspired her to join the childbirth community and help families achieve the birth experiences they deserve. She is a highly trained doula with much experience in high risk pregnancy, multiples pregnancies, cesarean births, and induction.Here's what we covered in our chat with Ashley:

• Ashley's experience getting pregnant with spontaneously conceived triplets, including what it was like to see THREE babies on the ultrasound at her first doctor's appointment
• What it means to have 'spontaneously conceived' multiples and why you should never ask someone whether their babies were conceived 'naturally'!
• What her triplet pregnancy was like and how her birth options changed significantly upon discovering she was pregnant with three babies
• The highlights of Ashley's birth story – the plan to have a vaginal birth, an induction at 37 weeks + 4 days (with 3 head-down babies!), an unexpected complication during labor followed by a cesarean birth, and a very short NICU stay for the babies
• A few words about how challenging it is for families who have babies in the NICU and what it was like for Ashley to go her entire pregnancy assuming/being told that she would almost certainly have preemies who'd need to spend time in the NICU
• The different types of multiples and how that's determined by the number of placentas and amniotic sacs in relation to the number of babies
• Some of the risk factors with multiples, including things like twin to twin transfusion syndrome
• An explanation of what determines whether twins are identical or fraternal
• Some tips from Ashley on how to go about preparing for delivery with multiples, including choosing a good care provider, getting education about your options, and hiring a doula
• The studies and resources that Ashley mentioned throughout the episode:
  • Twin Births: Vaginal Delivery Safer Than Cesarean
  • Triplets: Vaginal Birth is as Safe
  • The Birthing Multiples Naturally Facebook Group
  • Twiniversity
  • Multiples of America

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