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Lauren Jolly
Lauren is a birth photographer living in North Carolina with her husband, Vaughan, and son, Finn, who is almost two. She is passionate about sharing birth images in order to educate women about what birth can look like, and to empower them to take hold of their birth experience. You can connect with her on Instagram @laurenjollyphoto and @ncbirthphotographer or through her website: www.laurenjollyphotography.com
Birth Center Birth with Hospital Transfer
After months of research about unmedicated birth and creating a “birth plan” with her midwives, Lauren’s birth center birth didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped. Her long labor started with slow dilation and ended with a transfer to a hospital to get an epidural and a host of other interventions. While everything turned out fine and baby was born healthy, she dealt with many months of regret, guilt, and sadness related to her birth story. Lauren hopes that by sharing her story she’ll help other women to know that it’s important to educate yourself about birth, and if things don’t go as planned, it’s okay to grieve the loss of your ideal birth. You may just find community and empowerment through your experience.
Resources
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Babylist
Listen to me chat with Lauren about today’s sponsor, BabyList, at the end of today’s episode and check out my sample registry of some of my favorite items for pregnancy and postpartum!