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Katie Vigos Birth Stories
Katie Vigos is a mom to three boys and wife to her husband of nine years. She shares her three birth stories: a hospital birth, homebirth, and her most recent birth which was a planned unassisted home birth that ended with an emergency c section.
Her first birth was in a hospital and was an unmedicated, vaginal birth without complications but she didn’t feel supported by the staff and felt pressured to get interventions she didn’t want. Determined to create a more positive and comfortable birth experience when she became pregnant again, she began researching homebirth options. After attending her sister’s homebirth witnessing firsthand the midwifery model of care, she knew it was the experience she needed.
In 2010, her second son was born into her arms at home. His birth was everything she hoped for – “a spiritual awakening, a sacred rite of passage, a rebirth as a stronger and more powerful woman.”
Empowered Birth Project
It was after his birth that Empowered Birth Project was born as the midwives left and her husband and newborn were asleep next to her. The oxytocin surged through her postpartum body, and she replayed the birth over and over in her mind. She immediately felt an overwhelming desire to share her birth experience with others, and wanted to help create a world where all women feel supported, empowered, and comfortable when giving birth.
The Unassisted Homebirth Plan
When she became pregnant with her third child in 2013, she planed an unassisted homebirth, meaning that she wouldn’t have the assistance of a trained medical professional. During her pregnancy, she and her husband immersed themselves deeply in preparation to give birth to their baby at home. She started sharing her journey on Instagram and making plans for a documentary film about the experience.
But things didn’t go as planned.
Katie’s due date came and went. As she approached 43 weeks, it was obvious that something was wrong. Her baby gave was in distress and in a dramatic turn of events, her son was born by emergency C section.
Katie felt broken and defeated as her vision of empowerment through birth had failed. But, as she shared the process of postpartum recovery online, she began to heal from the trauma of her birth and realized that so many other women had been where she was and longed for support through their journey.