Download our FREE C-Section guide here:   CSX Guide     Rachel Somerstein is an associate professor of journalism at SUNY New Paltz. She has written for the Washington Post, Guernica, and Wired, among many other publications. Invisible Labor is her first book. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.  

 

 

Rachel Somerstein rachelsomerstein.com Invisible Labor harpercollins.com    

Journalist and author Rachel Somerstein joins Jen and Bethany to share her first-hand account of birth trauma during her unplanned cesarean section. Rachel’s story begins with a delayed epidural request during a painful labor, where she felt dismissed, unsupported, and labeled as “crazy” by her care team. When her labor ended in a c-section, her experience became even more traumatic.  She repeatedly told her OB she could feel the surgery, but was not believed. She was placed under general anesthesia only after her baby was born, but not before enduring the emotional and physical toll of inadequate neuraxial anesthesia.  Rachel’s story powerfully illustrates the importance of listening to laboring women, providing timely pain relief, and honoring patients' voices in the OR. 

 

Topics Discussed

• The lack of C-section education in standard prenatal and birth classes

• Delayed pain relief and being dismissed when requesting an epidural

• Inadequate neuraxial anesthesia during C-section

• Being conscious during surgery and feeling the procedure

• Having no memory of the birth despite being awake due to trauma and medication

• How trauma affects both the birthing person and their partner

• The importance of early recognition of birth trauma and early access to therapy

• Shame and isolation after a traumatic birth

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