On this episode, Nat Rolland, owner of Altered Senses joins me all the way from Queensland, Australia to share her journey to getting pregnant and her hospital water birth.  Nat didn't always want children until she found out she may not be able to have them and her perspective and feelings about it changed.  Though she was able to get pregnant quite quickly, she sadly suffered a miscarriage and this was the beginning of a very unfortunate series of losses.  She eventually saw an infertility  specialist who offered some very unique treatments including a poppy seed oil flush, a particular immune protocol, and a natural killer cell biopsy, among other things.  She explains the various steps taken and how she ultimately was able to conceive their son Onyx and have a successful pregnancy.  She then shares her birth experience and what it was like to not have her husband there since he works away and how they balance life as a FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) family.

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Anais from Pembroke, ON shares the stories of her two pregnancies and homebirths on this episode.  

Anais got pregnant for the first time after about 7 months of trying and enjoyed her pregnancy.  When she was a week overdue, she started worrying about needing an induction and tried various things to get labour started.  Luckily, labour ended up starting on it's own and she was able to have the homebirth she'd hoped for.  She talks about her feeding difficulties as a result of her baby having severe lip and tongue ties, as well as her challenges with the physical healing. 

Anais got pregnant for the second time quite quickly.  She felt more overwhelmed than expected and unsure of the timing but this feeling did pass.  The pregnancy was more challenging this time with much worse nausea/morning sickness.  She decided she wanted to have another homebirth but did feel a bit nervous.  She shares how labour started and how her second homebirth went and also opens up about experiencing baby blues postpartum. 

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Alana Matus from Langham, SK shares three pregnancy and birth stories on this episode.  For Alana and her husband Patrick, it was a very long road to getting pregnant after fertility issues as a result of PCOS.  After a couple of years of trying and several cycles on fertility drugs with no success, they were fed up and decided to focus on other things.  It was at this point that they were finally able to conceive.  Alana's first birth began with her water breaking but when things didn't advance much, she was induced and ultimately ended up needing an emergency c-section.   Getting pregnant with their second baby also took a while and after trying for several cycles on fertility drugs again, Alana saw a different OB who recommended trying a procedure called ovarian drilling.  She ended up getting pregnant right after this procedure.  She went on to have a successful VBAC for this birth but a very challenging postpartum.  Alana's third pregnancy was a bit more unexpected as they weren't trying.  She talks about being induced and the details of another successful VBAC as well as what postpartum was like as a mom of three.

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Jen Cox from Ottawa, ON joins me on this episode of Moony Birth Stories.  Her and her husband were able to get pregnant with their first child quite quickly and had a generally good pregnancy.  When Jen's water broke on her due date, they went to the hospital to labour and she got an epidural for pain management.  After pushing for three hours with no movement, they proceeded with a c-section and recovery went well.  They were, once again, able to get pregnant quickly with their second baby and though she'd hoped for a VBAC, Jen was considered high risk and after a consultation with an OB, decided to plan a c-section for this baby as well.  After this c-section is when things took an unexpected turn and Jen experienced some very rare and traumatic medical complications.  

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This episode of Moony Birth Stories has Mackenzie Basiove of Saskatoon, SK sharing the pregnancy and birth story of her son.  It took Mackenzie and her husband Mitch a while to get pregnant and once she did conceive, she had  a challenging pregnancy that she especially noted when looking back on it.  The pregnancy involved a lot of severe nausea and a diagnosis of irritable uterus.  As a result of that diagnosis, she experienced contractions early on in her pregnancy and prodromal labour.  She was ultimately induced and shares the details of her labour and delivery beyond that.  She also goes in depth about the feeding issues she encountered with her son during the postpartum period and the supports she used to overcome that challenge.

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This pregnancy and birth story is shared by Brooke Dixon of Calgary, Alberta.  Brooke and her partner Adriyel weren't actively trying for a baby when they first found out they were expecting, so they were shocked but very much happy and excited.   That pregnancy unfortunately ended in an early loss and it was a very sad time for the couple.  They decided to start trying, casually, by not preventing and they were able to conceive again.  Brooke's pregnancy was overall good but she struggled with a lot of nausea.  As birth approached, she was feeling really good about it and planned to have a waterbirth at home under the care of a midwife.  Brooke shares how labour started on the night of her due date and how things progressed ending in the successful homebirth she'd planned for.  After the birth story, she talks about her postpartum experience and her difficulties managing the exhaustion. 

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Anna Mbuyi from Saskatoon, SK shares her birth story on this episode of Moony Birth Stories.  Anna and her partner Kent were very surprised when they found out they were pregnant as she was on birth control and they hadn't been trying.  After getting over the initial shock, Anna went on to have a smooth pregnancy and was excited to meet her baby girl.  She didn't have any specific hopes or plans for her birth and went into it with an open mind, trusting her body.  Anna  shares the details of her labour and the smooth delivery of her baby.

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Leah Coghlan, from Havelock, ON shares two pregnancy and birth stories on this episode of Moony Birth Stories.  Leah and her husband, Evan, got pregnant with their first child after trying for three cycles.  Aside from some morning sickness, Leah had a good pregnancy and was excited for the experience of labour and was hoping for an intervention-free birth.  After multiple stretch and sweeps, labour started a couple of days after her due date and Leah gave birth in hospital, opting for an epidural in the end.  Leah talks about her struggles with postpartum and how she worked through that.   When they decided to try to get pregnant again, it happened quickly but very unfortunately, they suffered a loss.  A few months later, they began trying again and conceived on the third cycle again.  Leah went into this labour with an open mind and hoped to try again for an unmedicated birth.  She got her wish, but not quite in the way she expected.

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This episode features Makayla Wilson, from Edmonton, AB.  She shares two pregnancy and birth stories.   Her first pregnancy came with all of the symptoms and was a struggle for the duration.  It also involved prodromal labour beginning at 33 weeks and continuing through to the end.  This birth was very fast but Makayla was able to make it to the hospital in time to give birth.  Her second pregnancy was more manageable as far as symptoms went and though she had prodromal labour again, it didn't start until a bit later in the pregnancy.  She planned for this birth to be a homebirth due to how quickly her first baby had been born, but she explains why that didn't happen and how she ended up giving birth in a Jeep.

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Abigail Barth from Calgary, AB shares her pregnancy and birth story on this episode.  After initially suffering a miscarriage and processing a lot of grief, Abigail and her partner were able to get pregnant with their daughter.  The pregnancy was uneventful and though Abigail felt a little bit nervous, she was generally positive about her upcoming birth and hoped to experience it unmedicated with the support of her midwives and doula.  When her water broke at 3 days past her due date, it began the very long and difficult journey to meeting her baby.  Abigail shares the details of what that process looked like and the birth trauma that resulted.  She also shares her postpartum struggles with feeding and connecting with her baby.  As a result of her experiences, Abigail went on to open a private practice specializing in perinatal mental health, called Two Birds Counselling.

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