Anna began trying to conceive shortly after getting married. After trying for about a year, Anna attempted a few cycles on Clomid and Letrozole without success. She moved to a Fertility clinic, where she was incorrectly told that she is too thin, and the doctor won’t do anything until Anna gains at least 15 lbs. After a journey to gain weight and stop running, 3 failed IUIs, and many months of constant stress from a poorly run clinic, Anna moved to another fertility clinic, scheduled her IVF cycle, and got pregnant naturally while waiting to begin her cycle.
Her first pregnancy was largely unremarkable, except for severe nausea that caused her to lose 10 lbs in the first trimester and an episode of preterm labor at 31 weeks. Anna planned for an unmedicated birth, but chose a hospital called “Baby Factory” in Atlanta, because that’s where her OB delivered. Her labor started on her due date, and by the time she arrived at the hospital, she was 7 cm dilated. Unfortunately, staff in this hospital rarely see unmedicated births, and didn’t know what to do with her. Anna was asked to stay in bed, and at some point, pushed back to bed by the nurse when she tried to get up in the middle of a contraction. After about 2.5 hours of pushing, the doctor cut an episiotomy without informed consent, and the baby was born. Anna suffered a further 4th-degree tear. She fell in love with the baby right away, and that feeling helped to get over many interventions after the birth, including repair, catheter, and the rule that mom can’t hold the baby during the move from the L&D floor to the Postpartum floor. The baby was a great nurser too, and continued nursing for 35 months.
For her second baby, Anna had to reduce the frequency of feeding to get her cycle back on track and choose to track her cycles herself. She discovered that she ovulates later than most women and got pregnant on her third try. She switched her care to the midwifery group in the same hospital. For her 20-week ultrasound, she was sent to the MFM clinic and was diagnosed with complete placenta previa. When Anna asked what that meant during the ultrasound, the doctor said: We will schedule you for C-section at 39 weeks, and if anything changes, we can talk about it. After a few days of in-depth research on placenta previa, Anna reached out to the only doctor in Atlanta she could find who practiced family-friendly C-sections. He performed an ultrasound at 24 weeks and was already confident that the placenta would move. It was confirmed at 28 weeks. By then, Anna hired her doula and decided to switch care to yet another midwifery practice in the hospital near her home. Her main goal for this birth was to avoid severe tearing and to be placed on her back for pushing. Her labor began at 39 weeks, on Saturday morning, but contractions would not progress until her 3.5-year-old son left the house. A few hours later, she left for the hospital and was 7 cm dilated when she was checked in triage. She spent 13 minutes in the labor room before she was ready to push. Unfortunately, the midwife asked her to lie on her back, and Anna didn’t object. The baby was born after only two pushes. Anna had 2nd second-degree tear but was happy it wasn’t more severe. She was left with the feeling that her power was taken away after this birth. Anna also struggles to connect with the baby. He was crying all the time. After they went home, Anna noticed blood on the skin on his butt, but the pediatrician didn’t think much about it. Later, she saw a projectile vomiting. He was crying without stopping, 24/7. At some point, Anna was in the doctor’s office every day, but since he was gaining weight, no one else was concerned. At 2 months old, her milk supply tanked, and Anna went on a power pumping routine for 10 days. At that point, a friend who is a pediatric dentist diagnosed the baby with four severe ties. After the revision and power pumping, the milk supply returned. A few days later, Anna noticed blood in the baby’s stool. Pointing to Milk Soy Protein Intolerance. Anna removed all dairy and soy from her diet, and within a week, she had a different baby. Happy and smiling. Unfortunately, at that time, her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed before Theodore turned 1.
Anna remarried a few years later and wasn’t eager to have another baby after her experience the second time around. However, she and her husband decided to try for 6 months before making the decision not to have any more kids. They got pregnant on 3rd try. Anna had a difficult time connecting to this pregnancy but was hopeful that she could have an empowering birth. She experienced very severe nausea this time, losing 15 lbs before the end of the first trimester. She also had a rare symptom of increased saliva production, which made her nausea worse. She ended up needing multiple IV hydration sessions. For this pregnancy, Anna began care with the same midwifery group as last time. But I was also searching for a homebirth midwife. After several interviews, one body shaming episode from a midwife who told Anna she has to gain 45 pounds or more if she wants a healthy baby, Anna found her perfect provider – A CNM who practiced in a small hospital and backed home birth midwives. Anna began having prodromal labor around 35 weeks, and after 39 weeks, she had many false starts. She tried acupuncture, Miles Circuit, curb walking, and Sweep and Stretch. Anna was convinced that the baby’s position was not perfect. At 40+4, Anna went to an acupuncture appointment and asked for a good nap, instead of inducing labor. She slept for 1.5 hours, and when she woke up, she talked to her baby, telling him that he is loved, and it is safe to come. She then went home, did an inversion, and went for a walk. Construction started after 5 minutes of walking and didn’t fade away.
Anna called her provider after about 3 hours of steady contractions, and they decided to meet at the office at 9 pm. Julia, her midwife, checked Anna in the dark, quiet office, confirmed that she is 5-6 cm dilated, and the baby is on the way. They headed to the hospital together. When Anna arrived, Julia was hanging twinkle lights in the room even before Anna’s doula, Jess, arrived. This is when Anna knew this birth would be different. For the next few hours, Anna, her husband, and the doula were largely left alone. The hospital allowed intermittent monitoring every 4 hours, so Anna was free to move. Her contractions would stop every time she tried to lie down, so she kept moving for the next 4 hours. She was handling contractions well using the birth comb and TENs unit and didn’t need much support from anyone until the next monitoring session, when she asked her husband for a hip squeeze. After the 20-minute monitoring session, Anna requested Julia to check her, and everyone was surprised to know she was 8 cm dilated. After a few more contractions, Anna’s water broke, and she immediately felt that her body began pushing. She was standing at the feet of the bed, climbed to a hands and knees position, and with the next contraction, the baby was born. Anna didn’t push at all – she just had to let her body do the work.
The baby was born with a nuchal hand, holding his cord, confirming Anna’s feeling that the position was to blame for her prodromal labor. He was also covered in meconium. After 19 minutes with Anna, the nurse asked to take him to the warmer, because he was struggling to breathe. Dad went with the baby, and a respiratory therapist was called. Anna asked Julia to finish the repair (superficial tear), and walked over to the warmer right after that. The baby was on the CPAP and was being evaluated for NICU stay. Before taking the baby to the NICU, the baby’s nurse asked the therapist if the mom could hold the baby. Anna took him in, and the baby immediately recognized her, started to root, and Anna begun nursing him. This showed the therapist that baby can manage breathing and eating at the same time and they were allowed to stay together. This was also a moment Anna felt in love with her little peanut, born 6 lbs and 7 oz. Baby latched and nursed for the next 1.5 hours. Anna and Mike asked everyone to leave them alone, and spend rest of the night with their baby. Her postpartum journey was so much easier this time around, feeling empowered, heard, and cared for.
Anna Kleshnina Bio
Anna lives with her husband and three kids in Marietta, GA. She works in IT. Anna is an amateur runner and an aspiring world traveler. When not busy with activities and work, Anna and her family can be found exploring nature and engaging in various outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, biking, and swimming. She avoids social media, but can be reached via email at anna.kleshnina@gmail.com.
Resources
- Birth Stories on The Birth Hour Podcast
- LoveSteady Maternity & Postpartum Support Bloomers
- Floradix Liquid Iron
- Microwave Heating Pad/Cooling Pad
- Hibiscus Flower Tea
- Birthful Podcast (Especially episode on Rethinking Pushing Stage)
- Two Doulas and You
- OB2me
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