Jasmine dealt with constant nausea for the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, but after it subsided she started to focus on hynobirthing techniques, exercising and maintaining a healthy diet. She worked with her doula each week to prepare for the birth and hoped to have an unmedicated birth without interventions.
At 37 weeks, Jasmine went into the birth center for what she thought was a typical checkup. During the appointment the nurse reported her blood pressure was elevated at around 140/100. She was advised to go to the emergency room, where her blood pressure increased even more and she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia with severe features. She was admitted to labor and delivery where she discovered she was already 5 cm dilated. Due to the pre-eclampsia she was put on magnesium and could not leave the bed. This meant she could not utilize most of the pain management techniques she had been practicing during her pregnancy.
After 8 hours of seeing if her body would progress naturally, she ended up needing to be induced with pitocin and breaking her waters. After her waters were broken, she started to really feel the contractions and was able to breathe through each one with her husband. At 9 cm and a lip, she got the urge to push. The doctor manually moved the lip and she was able to start pushing.
She pushed for about 20 minutes and the baby’s heart rate started dropping, so she had to get the baby out a soon as possible. Soon after, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Listen to her husband’s perspective of their birth story here by becoming a Co-Producer and gaining access to our Partner Podcast!
Jasmine McFarlin Bio
Jasmine is a first time mom who lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Tom and daughter Louise, who is 7 months old. She recently left her job at a tech startup to care for her daughter full time.
Resources
- – The Business of Being Born
- – Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
- – Hynobirthing Home Study Course
- – Doula Match
- – The Birth Hour Podcast
- – The Birthful Podcast
- – Natal Podcast
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