After two straightforward, unmedicated births (one hospital birth with an OB, the other a homebirth with a midwife), Grace planned another homebirth with a midwife. Those plans changed immediately when she noticed her baby had stopped moving at 41 weeks and her birth quickly changed to an emergent hospital induction. She was able to have a vaginal birth after a host of interventions to bring her son into the world safely. Despite the change of plans, Grace didn’t feel traumatized or even really disappointed after her son’s birth, because she was educated and understood that a hospital induction had to happen, because she was part of the decision-making process and was treated with respect throughout.
Her experience taught her a lot which in turn has helped her be a better doula and childbirth educator as she can speak with firsthand experience about undergoing interventions, and she can also sympathize with moms having to make choices they didn’t foresee after setting large portions of their birth plan aside.
Her experience of delivering her son safely after he stopped moving led her to become an ambassador for Count the Kicks in her home state of Mississippi to help educate other parents on the importance of fetal movement to monitor their baby. Read more about the important role paying attention to her baby’s movements played in the outcome here as well as how to use the Count the Kicks app.
Grace Greene Bio
Grace Greene is a wife and mom of three who lives in Jackson, MS where she is a childbirth educator, birth doula, and the Mississippi Ambassador for Count the Kicks. She became interested in birth work when she was pregnant with her first child, and has been doing birth work in some capacity since 2013. She became passionate about the work of Count the Kicks after the birth of her third baby in 2019 when she noticed decreased fetal movement and spoke up so that he was born safely. She wants all moms to have the knowledge and support she has received, which is why she loves teaching childbirth classes and working to advance the work of Count the Kicks in Mississippi as a state-wide ambassador.
When not trying to keep her children occupied during the pandemic and help her second grader finish virtual schooling, she likes to run, do CrossFit, read, participate in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), cook, and decorate her house. She really wishes she were more organized and motivated to clean. You can find her on Instagram at @graceinbirthing (her account for birth work) and @gracebgreene (her personal account). You can also check out her website or birth video here.
Resources
https://spinningbabies.com (especially the Daily Essentials yoga)
https://www.countthekicks.org
https://www.plumtreebaby.com
https://evidencebasedbirth.com
https://www.thebusinessof.life/the-business-of-being-born
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.