This episode of The Birth Hour features Nicolette Gawthrop who was on the podcast previously sharing her first birth story. You can listen to that birth story and read her bio here, you can connect with her on Instagram @ozarkmamadeer. Nicolette just had her third birth, another planned homebirth which was rather fast with baby Maribell arriving before Nico’s midwives arrived. They arrived shortly after and were there for the afterbirth care. In a lovely Instagram post after her birth, Nicolette talks a bit about how important midwifery care is and was to her even though in the actual moment of birth it was just her and her husband.
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“I hope that in sharing the fact that my husband caught our baby in our bathtub before the midwives arrived doesn’t read as if that’s all there was to it. I saw a midwife and an advanced nurse midwife throughout my pregnancy. I had risk assessments and all of the blood pressure checks, urinalysis, glucose/iron testing, palpation and measuring that you get in the medical world along the way. This was my third home birth and I still took all the child birth classes and learned a lot.
I did work with healers and yoga teachers that helped me get in a good headspace, and my baby to rotate into a good position when she was presenting posterior at 37 weeks. There was a lot of care and we definitely did not intend to be alone when the baby was born, although we were calm and I was never afraid or worried. All of this to say that I never want to misrepresent myself and perhaps using the term “unassisted” at any point was not the best word usage.
We were alone when the baby came out but that’s not something I’d advocate for because I believe in the sacred practice of midwifery and the model of care, and I believe in birth workers and I believe in Mothers and Fathers being prepared and educated and being supported in welcoming their babes. I believe in undisturbed natural childbirth, but I just wanted to make clear that what you’ve seen here was very much assisted, overall. I’m definitely proud and grateful for how the birth of Maribell went- it was a truly magical experience but I know enough to know that we definitely needed everyone who was on their way!”
This episode is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby and at the end of the episode, Nicolette talks about some of her favorite EMAB products which include:
Earth Mama Lip Balms – coconut, lavender and mint
Angel Baby Natural Non-Scents Baby Lotion
