On this episode of High Risk Birth Stories, Phuong and Khanh Nguyen join Dr. Fox to talk about the birth of their twins. Phuong and Khanh are from Vietnam, and talk about navigating the US healthcare system as well as Phuong’s three week stay in the hospital before delivering her twins.

Chaya Kanarfogel tells the stories of both of her pregnancies and births. While both of her babies were born very small, her experiences delivering each of them were very different. Hear more about her first, short labor and her second C-section delivery.

Ruchie shares her story of delivering her fifth child. After two previous miscarriages, Ruchie chose a high-risk OB/GYN and took hormones through her pregnancy, but otherwise did not face complications. However, she began bleeding after the birth. She and a special guest discuss the decision not to perform a hysterectomy and what her treatment was like.

Cali, a listener of Healthful Woman and High Risk Birth Stories, volunteered to share her own story. Cali’s first baby was born unexpectedly premature. After months of nausea symptoms, Cali went into labor at 31 weeks. She shares her experience caring for her son, Jagger, in the NICU as well as her second pregnancy.

This episode of High Risk Birth Stories features Gina Hamadey, who wrote a book on gratitude including a thank-you to Dr. Fox, who delivered her second baby. She explains the different experiences between her first delivery with a midwife and no pain medications, after which she developed Strep A and sepsis, compared to her second baby delivered with MFM Associates.

Laura shares her High Risk Birth Story of delivering triplets and a complicated pregnancy that Dr. Fox says required “the kitchen sink” in terms of treatments. Laura recounts becoming pregnant through IVF, debating reduction after initially becoming pregnant with quadruplets, and complications with a short cervix.

Gila Block shares her High Risk Birth Story and the story of founding Yesh Tikva, a support group for women facing infertility. Gila’s story starts when she was married at 22 and wanted to start a family right away but faced complications from thyroiditis and infertility. She shares the traumatic experience of feeling misunderstood and judged, failed IVF cycles, and losing all of her embryos before eventually getting pregnant and having a daughter five years later.

Kerry shares the High Risk Birth Story of her first pregnancy in 2017. Kerry had pre-existing EDS and POTS, which caused hypermobility and issues with an irregular heartbeat and blood pressure. She explains how she looked for a team of doctors before getting pregnant, her plan to “labor down” during the birth, poor communication as she was giving birth, and the injury that she ultimately sustained.

In part 2 of her High Risk Birth Story, Dr. Nicoll tells Dr. Fox about her pregnancy and birth. Dr. Nicoll found out she was pregnant just before Covid-19 shut down New York, and eventually went into labor early with preeclampsia and had a C-section. She also discusses the meaning behind her son’s name and raising her baby through lockdown.

In part one of Dr. Linda Nicoll’s story, she recounts deciding to get pregnant at 40 using a sperm donor and IVF. She explains how she chose her sperm donor, the IVF process, and support from family and friends through the process of making her decision to become a mother.