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At 37 weeks, Katie went in for an induction due to an ICP diagnosis (thanks to learning about it from this show and Nicole Phelps’ story!) Katie hoped for a very low-intervention birth experience, and found the team of midwives and nurses at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass, were amazing in providing as gentle of an induction as possible.
It wasn’t until the fifth day of induction that Katie’s labor began. Using hypnobirthing techniques during the induction and early labor phases, Katie was full of positive affirmations and in a pretty relaxed state as she welcomed active labor. Once active labor began, she used a visualization poster and a carefully curated dance-music playlist to support her throughout the 12 hour thinning and opening phase. With the help of a doula and her partner, Katie successfully labored without an epidural and used nitrous oxide to manage the intense surges.
The birthing/pushing phase lasted one hour. Katie positioned herself on a birth stool, while her partner sat on the edge of the bed supporting her under the arms and using cool compresses on her forehead. Their baby girl crowned, Katie roared “BLOOMIFY!” one of the featured words from her vision board, and just one minute later, Tallulah Aventure entered the world!
Katie Friedland Bio
Katie is a public middle school French Teacher in Newton, Mass. Before getting pregnant with their now 12 week old daughter Tallulah, Katie and her partner had been struggling with infertility for 3 years. After Katie was diagnosed with Diminished Ovarian Reserve, they aggressively pursued Assisted Reproductive Treatments. After two failed IUIs, a cancelled IVF cycle, and a failed IVF, they switched providers and used Human Growth Hormone in their third cycle of IVF.
From this stim cycle Katie had just one egg, but the doctor retrieved it and it made its way into a 5-day frozen embryo. Then, they took a break from all treatments and spent the summer of 2018 in France. After being told that she had only 5% chance of getting pregnant with her own eggs naturally, that is exactly what happened. In August 2018, Katie had a positive pregnancy test for the first time! Sadly though, when she returned to the states, and on the second day of school, Katie miscarried. After mourning this loss, Katie’s optimism took over. She did fertility yoga, reiki and acupuncture, and amazingly 8 weeks after the miscarriage she was pregnant naturally AGAIN. And this time it stuck!
Katie can be reached on facebook through messenger, her name is listed as Katie Sara and it is noted that she is a French teacher.
Resources
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
- For women in the Boston region struggling with infertility
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