You’ll definitely want a box of Kleenex for this episode but spoiler: Charlotte’s baby is doing just fine! A very low risk pregnancy became high-risk almost overnight when an irregular scan revealed a heart problem. This very rare condition meant her baby would be born with a partially-formed sternum and an exposed heart.

Eventually she delivered her daughter via c-section but before that she had to decide whether to proceed with the pregnancy at all. Termination was a viable option and she discussed it with her husband. However, it didn’t feel right. Charlotte is an ardent supporter of a woman’s right to choose and when it came time to make a decision about the path of her own pregnancy, she chose to continue. She has some really wise words for anyone going through the unpredictable parts of pregnancy so you are definitely going to learn something by listening to this powerful episode.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why childbirth education is important even for someone who works in maternal and children’s health like Charlotte
• How her care changed after the defect was discovered
• Why she had to make a very quick decision about the best course of action for the pregnancy
• What life circumstances made it possible for her to choose to continue her pregnancy
• What congenital conditions affected her baby and what they mean (even I had to look some of it up!)
• How a therapist and a doula helped Charlotte with her mental wellness
• Why you should make a birth plan even if you aren’t getting the birth you wanted
• What it means to consider “quality of life”

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Full website notes:https://drnicolerankins.com/episode202/

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