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Getting Pregnant and Planning Hospital Birth
After 2.5 years of trying as well as a miscarriage in 2018, Susanna and Will found out they were pregnant with their rainbow baby in February 2019. They learned halfway through the pregnancy that Susanna would be induced due to high blood pressure. She went in at 39 weeks to be induced, hoping to avoid pain medications.
Things moved quite slowly and Susanna experienced very intense back labor due to her daughter being sunny side up. Thankfully, her mom and husband were both there to help support her through labor. They were invaluable! She spent a lot of time on the yoga ball and in the shower to help manage the pain. After about 24 hours of labor, her water broke and she was ready to ask for an epidural. Thankfully after a successful epidural her body was able to relax and fully dilate over the next 8 hours.
The baby turned over into a normal birthing position and after pushing for less than an hour, Will and Susanna welcomed their beautiful daughter Dahlia into the world. Following the birth, Dahlia had moderate jaundice which was carefully monitored each day with bloodwork. Within a week that cleared up and she is a healthy happy baby!
Susanna Birdwell Bio
Will and Susanna live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with their daughter Dahlia who is almost 7 months old. Susanna is a 5th grade teacher and Will is a paramedic who is also currently in firefighter school. Susanna is passionate about education, essential oils,toxin free living, and holistic health. Will enjoys music, strategy games, and shooting sports. They love spending time with friends and family, trying local restaurants, and cooking. Connect with her on Instagram @myketoteacherlife or via email at susanna.birdwell@gmail.com.
Resources
- Natural Hospital Birth by Cynthia Gabriel
- Betsy Bosom’s Baby Book: A Girlfriends Guide to Using Essential Oils from Bellies to Babies by Lucy Libido and Betsy Bosom
- HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method, 4th Edition: A Natural Approach to Safer, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing by Marie F. Mongan M.Ed. M.Hy., Eliza Foss, et al.
- The Birth Hour podcast
Crate & Kids
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