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Yunji and her husband Kent had planned for a natural hypnobirth with a doula in a hospital. They spent weeks taking classes and practicing hypnosis at home, only to learn that their baby girl was breech at 36 weeks. Yunji did everything she could to get the baby to turn including acupuncture, moxibustion, yoga, special chiropractic treatments, handstands in the pool (yes really, every day!) and even an external cephalic version at the hospital. Nothing worked. She ended up having a scheduled c-section at 39 and a half weeks. Their baby girl Kaya was born on August 19, 2017, just over 8 pounds – her head was in the 98th percentile, which doctors told Yunji and Kent may explain why Kaya didn’t or couldn’t turn.

Yunji de Nies Bio

Yunji is a freelance journalist in Honolulu. Raised on the Big Island, Yunji is a graduate of Yale University with a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley. She is a former ABC News White House and National Correspondent, and spent five years anchoring the evening news at KITV, the ABC affiliate in Honolulu. Long before she was even thinking about having a baby, she interviewed Ricki Lake about her documentary, The Business of Being Born, a film that deeply impacted her and one she now recommends to all expectant mothers. Yunji loves being a mom and has been blessed to be able to spend most of her time at home with her baby, while still carving out time to stay engaged in journalism. She works for a variety of media outlets in Hawaii, including PBS Hawaii and Civil Beat. You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @yunijd

Resources

Ricki Lake’s documentary – The Business of Being Born
Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy
Everything written by Ina May Gaskin!

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