Pat got pregnant with her first baby, Liam, a couple of months shy of her 40th birthday. Despite the anxiety that the statistics for her age made her feel, Pat had a healthy pregnancy. Due to an OP baby and lack of support, a difficult five-day labor lead to a cascade of interventions. After getting stuck at 6cm and having the baby suffer decels, the birth ended on a c-section–– something far from the unmedicated birth she so much had prepared for and dreamed of. During her labor and stay in the hospital, she felt unheard and mistreated by some of the residents, which added to the trauma she carried from the birth.

When she got pregnant with her second son Oliver, she made sure to hire a doula and surround herself with the support necessary to try to have a different experience this time. This was also an uncomplicated pregnancy, despite being 42 this time around. She also switched providers to a specialist in VBACs. When the labor began, Pat recognized some of the same patterns in this labor (baby was also OP) and triggered some of the trauma, but with the help of her doula and rockstar husband, Pat headed to the hospital after two days of labor and she was already at an 8, which made her feel so proud of herself. This time, no residents were allowed and she had an incredible midwife, Rachel, who was a blessing. Although the birth ended up with a VBAC, something she had dreamed of and makes her feel proud of herself, Pat once more has struggled with the treatment received, this time from the OB, and is trying to process the experience and coming to terms with it. 

Pat Santana Bio

Pat Santana was born in Barcelona and moved to LA in 2013 to pursue the love of her life, her now husband Jesse, who he met at film school. They both work in the film and tv industry and have two kids–– Liam (2 years old) and Oliver (5 months old)–– with her dog, Yuna. Connect with her via Instagram- @patsantanaf or on Facebook- facebook.com/patbzz.

Resources

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