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Homebirth Transfer and Recovery from 4th Degree Tear

Posted on September 23, 2021 - 4:00 am by 1
Birth photo

Carolyn became pregnant with her first child in June 2019. Her pregnancy went well and was considered low-risk, and after learning more about out-of-hospital birth she was inspired to plan a homebirth with a local midwife practice. She enjoyed wonderful prenatal care throughout her pregnancy. She and her partner also opted to hire a doula.

Carolyn’s labor began on the evening of 41+6 following some gentle at-home induction methods. She labored at home for 24 hours before opting to transfer to the hospital due to exhaustion and slow labor progression. Many hours and a few interventions later, her son was born healthy after a long labor and pushing phase.

Unfortunately, Carolyn sustained a severe tear and postpartum hemorrhage during delivery, and despite feeling happy with how these events were managed (calmly and without fear), she found postpartum to be a very challenging time. She experienced pelvic pain for many months following the birth, and spent a year in pelvic floor physical therapy healing and regaining strength. In addition, Carolyn was newly postpartum when the world shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and she found her emotional and physical recovery hampered by the loss of outside support she’d hoped and planned for. She credits her ability to overcome these challenges to her amazing and supportive partner, as well as her therapist and team of encouraging and responsive medical providers.

Carolyn Schulte Bio

Carolyn lives in Portland, OR with her partner and 18-month old son. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist and enjoys running, word games, colorful jewelry, delicious meals, and spending time outside in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. You can connect with her on Instagram at @carolyn__hart.

Resources

Esembly

Today’s episode is sponsored by Esembly- a new diapering system for sustainability. Esembly provides EVERYTHING you need to to radically reduce diaper waste, from organic diapers and skincare, to upcycled storage bags and specially-formulated diaper-cleaning detergent. Their complete system, coupled with their 4 step wash instructions, make cloth diapering simple enough for any sleep deprived new parent to master. And just 44 of their reusable diapers is all you’ll need from birth to potty training- compared to 6500+ diapers if you’re using disposables! Esembly diapers don’t just save thousand of diapers from sitting in landfills, they save you thousands of dollars too! Not to mention, they are blowout-proof and insanely adorable.

Head to esemblybaby.com to learn more. And use code BirthHour15 for 15% off your first order. Also available on Amazon and Target.com.

Induced at 35 Weeks for Preeclampsia + Postpartum Preeclampsia

Posted on September 21, 2021 - 4:00 am by 1
preeclampsia

In 2019, Lana and her husband were ready to start a family shortly after they were married. After 3 months of trying, they were pregnant! Lana’s pregnancy went smoothly until she was 33 weeks pregnant. At that time, she started to experience excruciating pain on the right side of her back. After multiple trips to the hospital, including a two night stay to treat a bladder infection, Lana was unexpectedly diagnosed with preeclampsia with extreme features and induced at 35 weeks. After 13 hours after receiving pitocin, she delivered a healthy baby girl who was 6 lbs & 15 ounces. 

jaundice

After about a six night stay in the hospital, Lana and her baby girl were finally discharged. However, after being home for six hours, Lana was rushed back to the hospital because she was having difficulty breathing. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia. 

lana chavez birth story

Lana Chavez Bio

Lana is a 36 year old African American wife, mother, and special education teacher. She lives in Sacramento, Ca with her family. She enjoys spending time with her family & friends, traveling, eating out at new restaurants in town, and attending her local church. Lana shares her story in hope that it will bring awareness to preeclampsia and save a life. Connect with her via instagram @awaken_bylana.

Resources

The Birth Hour podcast

Ergobaby

Today’s episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Ergobaby is dedicated to helping families bond, grow, and thrive by creating premium baby products where function and quality are not compromised. Ergobaby has created a broad range of award-winning baby carriers, strollers, swaddlers, nursing pillows, and related products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably and safely. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet.


Birth in Saudi Arabia: Unmedicated Hospital birth vs Cesarean & Healing Diastasis Recti Postpartum

Posted on September 14, 2021 - 4:00 am by
birth in saudi arabia

This episode is shared in two parts.

Zahra’s first birth was an unmedicated hospital birth followed by a 5 day NICU stay. Her second birth was a Cesarean birth after a prolonged labor due to weak abdominal muscles. A few days after her second birth, she explains that her tummy “fell apart”. She is now doing rehab to heal an eight finger wide diastasis recti from the navel down.

Zahra talks about how birthing practices are different in Saudi Arabia than in the United States and wanted to shed light on the issue of diastasis recti and how this serious condition can affect your quality of life to a large extent. Also, many people might be surprised to hear that there is hope for fixing your diastasis recti through physical therapy rather than surgery even when, as in her case, your doctor might say that surgery is your only option.

Zahra Alawami Bio

Zahra lives in Saudi Arabia with her husband and two children. She lived in Milwaukee, WI for five years while studying psychology at UWM. She doesn’t miss the snow or the winter even though it’s been six years since she returned home. But she would love to visit Milwaukee during the summer anytime! She is very passionate about everything relating to child rearing and raising children (A degree in psychology is to blame!. She enjoys snuggling her babies, cooking, drinking coffee, listening to podcasts, and has recently picked up Sourdough baking at home!

Connect with Zahra on Facebook or via email at zalawami1990@gmail.com.

Resources

Motif Medical

Part I of this episode was sponsored by Motif Medical. Motif designs insurance-eligible products for busy moms. With a focus on innovation and empowerment, Motif’s line of breast pumps and maternity compression garments are sophisticated, yet discreet, and made to support mothers as they navigate new motherhood. Discover why moms are reporting more milk in less time with the Luna breast pump, and see how you can get it covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour. 

Wumblekin

Part II of this episode is sponsored by Wumblekin. Life’s busy and there’s a lot of noise out there, that can be especially true during pregnancy. Wumblekin breaks down pregnancy, labor and birth with evidence-based education and expert-curated products for mom and baby. Easily buy or gift single boxes, or subscribe to receive them throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Be informed and prepared by ordering Wumblekin pregnancy, birth and postpartum essentials, today! Get 15% off your first box by using promo code BIRTHHOUR at checkout. Visit wumblekin.com to order or subscribe, today!

Precipitous Unmedicated Hospital Birth at 36 Weeks

Posted on September 9, 2021 - 3:40 pm by
fast labor birth story

Daniela got pregnant very quickly after removing her IUD. She had a fairly easy pregnancy with the usual symptoms of waddling, weight gain, and a small bladder! She says that the silver lining of being pregnant during COVID was being able to work from home the whole time and in fact most of her coworkers had no idea she was pregnant.

Daniela was 36 weeks along when her water broke so it was a bit of a shock. Contractions began worsening as they ran around packing bags. They arrived at the hospital at 8:45 (just two hours after her water broke) and they admitted her into the triage room.

She felt that the nurses didn’t believe her level of pain and tried to test if her water actually broke but there was not enough fluid coming out.

They finally checked her again 45 minutes later and realized she was 6cm dilated. She was then rushed to the delivery room where she quickly got naked and on all fours and was roaring like a beast & began speaking in only Spanish for reasons unknown to her!

36 week preemie

Daniela felt the ring of fire and every single contraction and credits practicing diaphragmatic breathing during pregnancy with helping her cope. The nurses still didn’t take her seriously and her body started pushing by itself. No one had any idea she was pushing (of course that was the exact moment her husband went to go use the bathroom so he missed the birth!

The baby fell out onto the bed with no one was there to catch the baby right away. Everyone was in shock! They found out they had a baby boy, born at 10:25, just under 4 hours after water broke. Lots of tests were done since their baby was early and and he had jaundice but nothing super serious and they were able to go home after 3 days in the hospital.

Daniela’s doula told her after the birth that this was the first time in her hundreds of births that nurses had treated a couple the way they had been treated which led them to send in a complaint.

preemie at 18 months

Daniela Hoag Bio

Daniela is 29 years old and has been married for two years to her husband. They both work in the tech industry and live in downtown Seattle. They have a 7 month old baby boy and a husky fur baby. @swaggy__dannyb

Resources

  • Atlas Birth in Seattle – Louis Perez doula
  • Diaphragmatic Breathing – Hannah Bower course on breathing
  • The Birth Hour podcast

Aeroflow Breastpumps

Aeroflow Breastpumps has helped thousands of new and expecting parents discover the breastfeeding and postpartum essentials covered by their insurance including breast pumps and maternity compression and postpartum recovery products, they take care of everything – including all paperwork, working with your insurance company, and explaining your options to get these free essentials shipped straight to your door.

Aeroflow offers all major breast pump brands including Medela, Spectra, Motif, Lansinoh, Ameda, Elvie, Willow and more.

All you have to do is go to the Aeroflow Breastpumps website and fill out their free and easy Qualify Through Insurance form. Be sure to go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/birthhour so they will know we sent you! Bonus — use the promo code “TBH15” in their online shop for 15% off all supplies and accessories.

Gestational Hypertension Emergency Induction + NYC Birth During Covid

Posted on September 2, 2021 - 4:00 am by
birth-during-covid

Ashley’s First Birth

During her first pregnancy, Ashley planned for an unmedicated hospital birth at her hospital’s natural birthing center. Ashley only has one kidney as a result of a Wilms tumor at birth and received close monitoring for pre-eclampsia due to gestational hypertension. She was induced at 39 weeks, 5 days due to consistently high blood pressure readings. She was induced with Pitocin and labored well for 15 hours with the support of her husband and doula. Her water broke on its own around hour 8. She didn’t know her son was posterior, which caused the nurses to be unable to successfully monitor his heart rate with the traditional monitor. After 3 failed attempts to place an internal monitor, the OB on call required Ashley to labor in the hospital bed. At that point, she requested an epidural after learning she was only 4-5cm.

Labor progressed fairly quickly at that point and she was ready to push around 3pm. During this time, the OB on call was rushing back and forth between Ashley’s room and the ER. Another patient of the practice had come in with an ectopic pregnancy and needed emergency surgery. This was rather chaotic and most of the 2.5 hours spent pushing was with the nurses and her doula. Due to his posterior position and the epidural wearing off, Ashley experienced excruciating pain during transition and pushing.

Because the OB on call ended up in emergency surgery, her OB rushed in from her home an hour away to come deliver her baby. The nurses didn’t think her OB would make it in time, so they called an attending and resident in to deliver Ben. They attending didn’t think Ashley could deliver the baby without help, so she received an episiotomy without her consent from the attending as her OB ran into the room. The baby was crowning at that point and he was delivered quite quickly. The resident nearly dropped her son as he was delivered. Ben was born at 8 lbs 4oz. Ashley lost as significant amount of blood and had to have retained placenta extracted manually. She also tore in addition to the episiotomy.

Ashley had a pretty rough recovery from the episiotomy and tears. Benjamin struggled to gain weight in the first few weeks home from the hospital. He was diagnosed with a lip and tongue tie when he was 2.5 weeks old. Ashley struggled with breastfeeding throughout the first year. We were blessed by donor milk and nursed until Ben was 14 months old. Between his traumatic birth and their breastfeeding struggles,  Ashley waited until Ben was almost 4 to get pregnant again.

one-kidney-pregnant

Ashley’s Second Birth

Ashley got pregnant with Cara in September 2019. The pregnancy was pretty similar to Ben’s with blood pressure issues, but nothing terribly concerning. We went into quarantine as Ashley neared the 3rd trimester. She feared her husband and doula wouldn’t be able to join her for delivery as many hospitals restricted visitors. She shared her concerns on Bryn’s zoom calls and received immense support from the Birth Hour community. Protocols changed regularly, but she was able to have her husband and doula attend Cara’s birth due to executive orders signed by New York’s governor. Ashley was induced again at 38 weeks 2 days for high blood pressure.

Labor went much quicker this time and lasted exactly 6 hours from the start of pitocin to Cara’s arrival. Pitocin began at 6:30am and her doula arrived at 9am. Her OB broke her water at 9:30am at 4cm and her husband arrived shortly thereafter. She asked for an epidural around 11am and it was placed by 1130am. Her OB checked her once the epidural was place and she was already 8cm. By noon Ashley was feeling intense pressure and thought her catheter wasn’t inserted properly. Her doula went to look for the nurse and her OB came running in and told her to stop pushing. It turns out the baby already was crowning. Cara was delivered in a few pushes and no tearing. Ashley hardly pushed and felt her body did nearly all of the work on its own. Cara was 8 lbs and 6oz.

Ashley had an easy recovery and felt amazing postpartum. They were discharged at 24 hours post-delivery as a result of Covid protocol. Cara ended up having jaundice and being admitted to the NICU for two days to get her bilirubin levels back to normal. Between Cara’s lip and tongue tie and the unexpected NICU stay, Ashley struggled again with breastfeeding. Thanks to the support of her amazing IBCLC and donor milk, they’re still nursing two weeks before Cara’s first birthday.

Ashley Espejo Bio

Ashley lives on Long Island, NY with her husband, five year old, Ben and almost one year old Cara. She also has a 19 year old stepdaughter, Darlene. She is a tax manager at a private equity fund in New York City. Ashley loves hanging out with her family, going to the beach, coffee and riding her peloton. You can connect with her on Instagram at @Mrs_espejo and on Facebook.

Kindred Bravely

Today’s episode is brought to you by Kindred Bravely. From adorable maternity wear to comfortable nursing bras, this mom-owned company has you covered.  See all of their comfy clothing at kindredbravely.com! I especially love their Simply Sublime nursing tank, their high waisted leggings (for pregnancy AND postpartum). Listen to this episode for a special coupon code and to hear about my new favorites in their summer line of clothing and loungewear!

Preeclampsia, Long Failed Induction and Emergency C-section

Posted on August 26, 2021 - 4:00 am by
preeclampsia 31 weeks

Cara and her husband, George decided they wanted to begin their family immediately after getting married in 2019. They were shocked at how quickly they fell pregnant in October. Cara is a medical student so during the beginning of her pregnancy, she was taking classes like human anatomy which involved dissecting a human cadaver all while being 10 weeks pregnant. 

Cara’s pregnancy was uneventful until around 28 weeks when her husband and parents all came down with COVID, which caused her to miss several appointments with her Ob/Gyn.

When she finally got back to the doctor, her blood pressure was high and they knew she was most likely developing preeclampsia. Cara was diagnosed with preeclampsia around 31 weeks of pregnancy. This led to her needing an induction at 37 weeks. Cara’s labor was long, and involved multiple interventions, like cytotec, a foley bulb, and epidural, until ultimately she went forward with a c-section due to suspicion of chorioamnionitis (infection of amniotic sac and placenta). Prior to the decision to go ahead with the c-section she developed a high fever which was indicative of an infection in her uterus. After 47.5 hours of labor, she and her husband welcomed their son, Lucas into the world on June 2, 2020 at 5:26 pm weighing 7 lb 10 oz and measuring 21.5 inches. 

emergency cesarean preeclampsia

Cara continued to struggle with an elevated blood pressure due to preeclampsia even after she gave birth, but was able to completely stop taking blood pressure medication at 12 weeks postpartum. 

Connect with Cara on Instagram at @caragrudziak___ .

Resource

Owlet

Today’s episode is sponsored by Owlet. Meet the Owlet Pregnancy Band, an at-home pregnancy monitor using innovative, passive technology to give you peace of mind and the reassurance you crave through daily insights into your baby’s well-being. You can listen to your baby’s heartbeat, see Baby’s trends through the night and over several days, track Mom’s sleep position, and read weekly gestational updates about your pregnancy all in the Owlet Pregnancy App. Right now get exclusive access to the Owlet Band in its beta program and save $100. Get yours now, before spots fill up, at owletcare.com/band.

Full Spectrum Family Medicine Doctor Shares Hospital and Home Birth Stories

Posted on August 24, 2021 - 4:00 am by
homebirth family practice physician

During her second year of residency Lisa and her husband decided to expand their family.  Her pregnancy was uncomplicated and she went into labor on her own.  Labor and delivery were also pretty uncomplicated for a first time delivery, other than a pushing stage of a little over 3 hours and a fever.  She was able to deliver without other complications and was surrounded by her co-residents.  Breastfeeding had a hard start though mostly from the baby having a tongue tie that was released at about 1 week, which greatly improved her nursing journey.   

After graduating and working as a full spectrum family medicine doctor in rural Maine, her family decided to try for a second child. This time she and her husband decided they would like to have a home birth. She again had a routine pregnancy.  Her labor started on its own again and progressed much more quickly this time.  After 3 hours of active labor, she experienced a fetal ejection reflex. She really enjoyed the postpartum recovery at home. 

hospital birth rural maine

Lisa Stout Bio

Lisa lives in rural Maine with her husband Jeremiah and their two boys, ages 7 and 5.   She practices full spectrum family medicine. Her husband stays at home with their sons.  Connect with Lisa on Instagram @stoutberger.

Resources

Esembly

Today’s episode is sponsored by Esembly- a new diapering system for sustainability. Esembly provides EVERYTHING you need to to radically reduce diaper waste, from organic diapers and skincare, to upcycled storage bags and specially-formulated diaper-cleaning detergent. Their complete system, coupled with their 4 step wash instructions, make cloth diapering simple enough for any sleep deprived new parent to master. And just 44 of their reusable diapers is all you’ll need from birth to potty training- compared to 6500+ diapers if you’re using disposables! Esembly diapers don’t just save thousand of diapers from sitting in landfills, they save you thousands of dollars too! Not to mention, they are blowout-proof and insanely adorable.

Head to esemblybaby.com to learn more. And use code BirthHour15 for 15% off your first order.

Positive Homebirth Birth Story After Two Miscarriages

Posted on August 19, 2021 - 4:00 am by
skin to skin

After two miscarriages, we used progesterone to get pregnant and continued it throughout the first trimester. This pregnancy was pretty uneventful, aside from some aches and pains of growing a tiny human. My mother had carried 4 of the 5 of us to 42-43 weeks, so I was prepared to go post dates, as well. We started at home induction methods at 40 weeks, but it wasn’t until 41 +4 when a castor oil smoothie kick started things!

As I cued up an episode of The Birth Hour, my water broke all over our living floor at 5:15PM. Our homebirth midwives let us know that with the smoothie things can be intense at first and then plateau. My husband stayed in touch with them and around 9:30 said he thought they should come. They arrived just before 11PM to find that I was 10cm and bearing down during contractions. My little dude had been ROA and asynclitic in utero, so we did a lot of different positions at the end of labor to help move his head and body through the birth canal. At 1:19am, just about 8 hours from when my water broke, he was born at home and changed our lives forever.

Alyssa Blask Campbell Bio

Alyssa is the founder of Seed & Sew. She’s an emotional development expert, mama, and podcaster. She pinches herself on the daily because she truly can’t believe she has the best job: sharing with committed parents, teachers, and caregivers like the tools that change how you show up with tiny humans every day.

Connect with her via website Seed and Sew or @seed.and.sew on Instagram.

Resources

Ergobaby

Today’s episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Ergobaby is dedicated to helping families bond, grow, and thrive by creating premium baby products where function and quality are not compromised. Ergobaby has created a broad range of award-winning baby carriers, strollers, swaddlers, nursing pillows, and related products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably and safely. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet.

Unmedicated Birth Center Birth with Marathon Runner + PPD Discussion

Posted on August 17, 2021 - 4:00 am by
waterbirth

After becoming pregnant in January of 2020, professional marathon runner Sarah Crouch continued training at a high level throughout her pregnancy (listening to The Birth Hour every single day as she ran!) and pursuing work as a birth doula as Covid overtook the country and changed the landscape of birth work. Sarah was one of the 5% of women who go into labor on their due date and labored at home for several hours with her husband and her doula, Betsy, before traveling across town in the middle of the night to the Flagstaff Birth and Women’s Center.

A completely unmedicated 16-hour labor completely rewrote the pain threshold that Sarah thought she had maxed-out as a professional endurance athlete and finally, just before eight in the morning, her daughter Charlotte was born.

The next four months were the hardest of Sarah’s life as she battled severe Postpartum Depression, anxiety and insomnia that resulted in a trip to the Emergency room among other hardships. Sarah’s birth story is all about the process of relearning what the body is capable of and the power of accepting the new role of motherhood. 

Enjoying a 90-minute run while 9-months pregnant

Sarah Crouch Bio

Sarah Crouch, 31, is a professional endurance athlete and is one of the fastest marathon runners in America. She is also a running coach and a certified Birth Doula. Sarah currently lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband, Michael and their seven-month old daughter, Charlotte. You can follow Sarah on Instagram @sarahcrouch1989.

Resources

Ergobaby

This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh and new Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer that we discussed on the podcast!

34 Week Delivery + Challenging Postpartum Physically & Emotionally

Posted on August 12, 2021 - 4:00 am by
natalia hurt birth story

Natalia was camping when her water broke in the middle of the night at 34 weeks pregnant. She’d planned to birth at a birth center but instead had to go straight to the hospital, a place she’d avoided since the onset of Covid early in her pregnancy. She initially felt empowered & positive about the unmedicated birth that followed. After a challenging two-week NICU stay, her postpartum recovery seemed to stall. The physical results of birth — including pelvic congestion, hypertonic PF, urethral hypermobility & prolapse — have led to a slow journey of healing from birth’s physical & emotional tolls. 

Natalia Hurt Bio

Natalia met her husband a decade ago while backpacking in Nepal. He’s from Luxembourg & she’s half German, so they’ve lived in Europe for most of their relationship. They now live in Portland, Oregon, with their son Tristan & are excited to share the beauty of the Pacific Northwest with him. She’s not very active on social media but can be reached via her instagram account: @afarcorner. 

Resources 

Wumblekin

This episode is sponsored by Wumblekin. Life’s busy and there’s a lot of noise out there, that can be especially true during pregnancy. Wumblekin breaks down pregnancy, labor and birth with evidence-based education and expert-curated products for mom and baby. Easily buy or gift single boxes, or subscribe to receive them throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Be informed and prepared by ordering Wumblekin pregnancy, birth and postpartum essentials, today! Get 15% off your first box by using promo code BIRTHHOUR at checkout. Visit wumblekin.com to order or subscribe, today!

PPROM Medevac Birth and NICU Story in Alaska

Posted on August 10, 2021 - 4:00 am by
nicu alaska

After two years of no periods, countless doctors’ appointments and testing, Monica was told she and her husband, Alex, would need to pursue fertility treatments in order to have a biological child. Despite having always wanted to be parents, Monica and Alex decided to wait on fertility treatments and focus on other areas of their lives. It was devastating. Imagine their shock when a routine monthly pregnancy test came back positive only a few months later!

Monica’s pregnancy progressed normally at first, despite a rough bout of morning sickness. Their son, whom they would name Otis, was healthy. Monica finally wasn’t throwing up anymore. She dove headfirst into researching every type of birth possible, ultimately settling on a hospital birth at a regional hospital only 7 minutes away from their house. She found a midwife and OB-GYN she got on with and trusted. But something changed towards the beginning of her third trimester. She began to feel generally unwell, was gaining weight rapidly and swelling up. Her labs were normal, she had low blood pressure, and there was no protein in her urine. Fundal height measurements consistently 5-6 weeks ahead of where her baby was in growth and development didn’t seem to alarm her doctors.

Monica trudged on into the 30th, 31st, and 32nd weeks of her pregnancy feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and ill. At a friend’s wedding the last week of July, people were shocked to learn that despite looking like she was due any day with twins, Monica wasn’t due until the end of September. None of the books she had read, or research she had so meticulously done, had prepared her for how sick and self-conscious she was feeling in the moment.

preeclampsia life flight

On August 6th, a Tuesday, Monica’s membranes ruptured at 33 weeks and 1 day. The regional hospital wasn’t equipped to delivery preterm babies, so she was medevaced by helicopter to a larger hospital an hour away. After three days on strict bedrest, she delivered a healthy baby who spent two weeks in the NICU. 

Despite her original birth plan (which included going into spontaneous labor and laboring at home as long as possible before heading to the hospital) being completely throw out the window (in this case, taken away in a helicopter), she felt safe in the care of her new doctors and nurses and found a network of support in the NICU that she would lean on for months to come. 

Monica Giannulis birth story

Monica Giannulis Bio

Monica lives in Palmer, Alaska with her husband Alex and their rambunctious almost two-year-old son, Otis. Both she and her husband were born and raised in Alaska and are thrilled they get to raise their son in such an incredible place. When Monica’s not cleaning up the aftermath of Otis’s latest adventure or discovery, you can find her family taking walks along the Matanuska River, riding their bikes around town, or hanging out at their favorite brewery. You can follow her on Instagram at @monicagiannulis. 

Resources

  • The Postpartum Circle Podcast by Maranda Bower (@postpartummaranda *Instagram*)
  • HM4HB (Human Milk for Human Babies) network (facebook  groups by region, for breastmilk donations)

Aeroflow Breastpumps

Aeroflow Breastpumps has helped thousands of new and expecting parents discover the breastfeeding and postpartum essentials covered by their insurance including breast pumps and maternity compression and postpartum recovery products, they take care of everything – including all paperwork, working with your insurance company, and explaining your options to get these free essentials shipped straight to your door.

Aeroflow offers all major breast pump brands including Medela, Spectra, Motif, Lansinoh, Ameda, Elvie, Willow and more.

All you have to do is go to the Aeroflow Breastpumps website and fill out their free and easy Qualify Through Insurance form. Be sure to go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/birthhour so they will know we sent you! Bonus — use the promo code “TBH15” in their online shop for 15% off all supplies and accessories.

Beautiful, Redeeming Birth Story After Difficult Pregnancy

Posted on August 5, 2021 - 4:00 am by
hospital birth story

At the 35 week mark, Joelle, her husband, and her birth team made the mutual decision to transfer her care away from a home birth practice to a midwife-led OB/GYN practice that her midwife also practiced through due to concerns about mental health & preparation for home birth. From that point on, she experienced some regular episodes of prodromal labor. At 38 weeks and two days on January 19th, Joelle unexpectedly went into spontaneous labor. She tried some lower pain interventions including hydrotherapy, partner support, counter pressure, and IV pain medication. In the end, due to exhaustion, Joelle opted for an epidural and went on to deliver her daughter shortly after noon on Inauguration Day.

Joelle hamilton birth story

Joelle Hamilton Bio

Joelle Hamilton lives with her husband Ben and daughter Iris in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When she’s not studying or making sure Iris gets her daily conversations with the mirror in, she loves playing video games, journaling, crafting, writing, and experimenting with tarot, astrology, and all sorts of other weird stuff. Connect with her at @hamilton.joelle on Instagram.

Resources

Babylist

Today’s episode is sponsored by Babylist. The people at Babylist believe that you should be able to get exactly what you need for your unique and growing family. That’s why their baby registry easily lets you add any item from any store. Plus, Babylist helps you each step of the way with their customized checklist, product guides and reviews, and personal registry consultants. They’ve even got group gifting! Start your registry today to be eligible for a free Hello Baby Box of goodies for baby worth over $100 while boxes last.