Mary Catherine’s first birth, the birth of her daughter, was a traumatic, vaginal hospital birth. It was nothing like the unmedicated, peaceful, yogic birth she’d hoped for; in the end, it felt like an ER episode as she dealt with intense back labor, an epidural that only worked on half of her body, an episiotomy, and then her doctor using a vacuum extractor to pull her baby out of the birth canal under bright lights while surrounded by medical professionals.

Her second birth was exactly what she’d hoped for and ended up being a truly healing experience. She also had her son in a hospital, but his entrance into the world was swift and intense and allowed for the unmedicated, intervention-free birth she’d so hoped for the first time around.

hospital birth

Mary Catherine Starr Bio

Mary Catherine Starr is a mother-of-two and a graphic designer, illustrator, yoga teacher, and the artist behind the Instagram account @momlife_comics. Mary Catherine lives on Cape Cod with her family and her son’s large collection of plastic dinosaurs. You can learn more about her on her website, www.marycatherinestarr.com, or on her Instagram accounts, @marycatherinestarr (personal account) and @momlife_comics (motherhood account).

Resources

Motif Medical

This episode was sponsored by Motif Medical. Motif designs insurance-eligible products for busy moms. With a focus on innovation and empowerment, Motif’s line of breast pumps and maternity compression garments are sophisticated, yet discreet, and made to support mothers as they navigate new motherhood. Discover why moms are reporting more milk in less time with the Luna breast pump, and see how you can get it covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour

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