In this episode, Lauren shares two birth stories on two continents, in less than two years. In our time together, we discussed:

-Navigating birth in your partner’s passport country 

-Returning to your passport country for birth 

-navigating perinatal care as a woman of color

-Feeling at home in your new country 

-Depending on the local and expat community 

-Investing deeply in local community 

-Finding local resources 

- slow-paced birth in Rwanda 

-Utilizing three different languages in care 

-A provider who stops practicing medicine in the middle of the pregnancy

-Hospital birth 

-Shared labor space 

-Hiring a doula

-A faster than typical first birth 

-Choosing to move in labor and the father being present for the birth even when not culturally normal 

-unmedicated birth 

-Bringing your own supplies postpartum

-Choosing what aspects of culture to embrace and what to do differently 

-Having 2 under 2

-Dad missing the second birth 

-Feeling unheard in American hospitals 

-A failed epidural 

-Traveling with a toddler and newborn

-the importance of mental health check ins

-Finding people who are navigating a similar journey 

-Sharing your birth story