Unmedicated Hospital Birth Carolyn’s first pregnancy was unplanned, and like many first-time moms, she entered it with limited knowledge about birth. However, she knew her mother had three unmedicated births and felt determined to try the same. When she shared her plan with her provider, he responded with, “You know it hurts to have a […]
Aubrey shares her emotional journey through her di-di twin pregnancy, labor, and postpartum challenges, highlighting the importance of supportive care and the impact of her experiences on her mental health. She discusses the difficulties faced during labor, the NICU stay for her twins, and the emotional toll of feeling unsupported. Aubrey emphasizes the need for […]
At 41, Connie Rutherford became a single mother by choice, giving birth to twins via a scheduled C-section at 38 weeks. The delivery resulted in significant blood loss, requiring two transfusions. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the hospital nursery was closed, forcing Connie and her mother to care for the newborns alone in their hospital room—they […]
After four years of unexplained infertility that ultimately led to four children in the five years that followed, Roxanne and her husband Colin often reflect on how their family came to be. Looking back on each birth story, she carries a quiet sense of loss for what could have been. Her first and second deliveries […]
Allegra Gast carried her identical di/di twins to 39 weeks and 4 days, achieving an unmedicated vaginal delivery. This experience served as a deeply healing and redemptive birth story following her previous challenging and traumatic deliveries with her singletons. Both twins were born healthy, requiring no NICU care, and Allegra was able to initiate and […]
Meghan went into her first pregnancy equipped with knowledge about the many ways women around the world choose to birth. After initially establishing care at the local teaching hospital with PAs and OB-GYNs, she ultimately decided to pursue a homebirth for the birth of her first daughter. Meghan’s plans flipped on a dime when she […]
Days after learning she was pregnant, Carrie suffered an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in a ruptured fallopian tube and required emergency surgery. Only four months later, upon conceiving again, she soon learned that she had another ectopic pregnancy in her remaining fallopian tube. While she was fortunate to be able to be treated non-surgically this […]
Kayla shares both her birth stories today. Her first birth was in an international hospital in Bangkok, Thailand in 2022. Kayla worked to create a team to support her desire for a low intervention birth in a culture where heavy intervention is the norm. Kayla found out at just 7 weeks that she was pregnant […]
Morgan shares two birth stories in this episode. After finding out she was pregnant, Morgan got the double surprise that she was expecting twins. Deemed high risk, she was met with a series of interventions and extra monitoring throughout her pregnancy. Nevertheless, her pregnancy was mostly normal until the third trimester when one twin was diagnosed […]
Katy and her husband Andy welcomed their first daughter in February 2020, just before the world shut down. An uncomplicated and mostly unremarkable pregnancy, followed by a dreamy 3+ weeks early, mild, precipitous labor and unmedicated birth, led Katy to believe her story wasn’t “birth hour” worthy! That all changed when she got pregnant for […]
After two years of trying to get pregnant, Madelyn was eventually diagnosed with PCOS and began fertility treatment. With the aid of a trigger shot and timed intercourse, Madelyn became pregnant, and gave birth to her first son in June 2020. Her pregnancy was uncomplicated and joyful. As a trained doula, Madelyn had prepared for an unmediated hospital birth. Despite her […]
Melanie’s postpartum experience was wildly different than she’d expected. Giving birth 2 days after the UK went into lockdown, she spent her first few months with her twin girls in lockdown, physically isolated from family and friends. She dealt with repetitive mastitis, severe reflux and slow weight gain with one of her babies, and the general anxieties […]
