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Shannon Tripp Birth Story
After Shannon found out she was pregnant with her first, there was no question that she wanted an unmedicated, untouched birth. The only questions were: where, and with who. Shannon decided to go with her gut and deliver in the hospital with an OB. Her water broke at 1:00am, and she labored for 10 hours to then be stuck at “9.5cm with an anterior lip and posterior baby” (per her nurse) for three more hours. Shannon vividly remembers the intensity of wanting to push, but that her baby wasn’t quite ready. She turned to ‘J-breathing’ and says it saved her! She remembers hearing the comforting words from the nurse to her husband “do you hear those sounds she is making, that means you’re about to meet your baby.” Her healthy baby girl was born at 12:35pm that afternoon; then things took a turn for the worse. Shannon severely hemorrhaged post-delivery and needed immediate OR intervention and blood transfusions. She doesn’t recall any of it…the only words that kept coming out of her mouth were ‘I want to nurse, don’t feed her a bottle.’ She was very grateful to be in the hands of medicine when she needed it most.
Shannon dreamed of having a home birth, but due to the risk of a repeat hemorrhage she decided to deliver her next babies at the hospital as well. Both beautiful births, but she talks about how both were learning experiences for her as well.
Recently, Shannon delivered a surprise baby BOY after three girls. It was getting late and she had been in early labor all day. That night, she tried to rest but the contractions started to wake her and get her out of bed. She told her husband it was time and they headed to the hospital where she met her mom, sister, and midwife. Shannon labored beautifully, and shares that this birth ended up being the most peaceful and spiritual hospital birth she could have ever imagined for herself. Her little boy was laid on her chest at 5:00am, and when her husband saw that he got his boy…no one in the room had a dry eye. Pure magic! Birth Video link
Shannon Tripp Bio
Shannon is a mother of four, wife to the love of her life, and a pediatric ER nurse in Salt Lake City, Utah. She feels that she has been gifted the most beautiful perspective on life because through her experiences as a mother and nurse. She has always been a passionate person, and finds her deepest passions within the realm of birth and motherhood. Over a decade ago, she spent time training as an L&D nurse in a hospital setting. During this time, her eyes were opened as she witnessed the “business” of birth in today’s hospitals, and how mainstream medicine offers countless interventions to women in labor that often seemed unnecessary. She began researching the process of birth extensively, along with educating herself on the many different cultural perspectives of birth. Shannon was awestruck at what she found. Her conclusion? In most cases, birth is best left untouched.
Shannon has successfully delivered all four of her babies unmedicated, within the walls of a hospital. She shares her passion on the topics of birth and motherhood on her social media platform. She encourages mothers around the world to educate themselves, honor their instinct, and enjoy the journey of motherhood—because she knows, first hand, that tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Ergobaby
Today’s episode was sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby is dedicated to building a global community of confident parents with smart, ergonomic solutions that enable and encourage bonding between parents and babies. Ergobaby offers 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. At the end of today’s episode I spoke to Kelly all about the new Embrace carrier from Ergobaby.