After becoming pregnant in January of 2020, professional marathon runner Sarah Crouch continued training at a high level throughout her pregnancy (listening to The Birth Hour every single day as she ran!) and pursuing work as a birth doula as Covid overtook the country and changed the landscape of birth work. Sarah was one of the 5% of women who go into labor on their due date and labored at home for several hours with her husband and her doula, Betsy, before traveling across town in the middle of the night to the Flagstaff Birth and Women’s Center.

A completely unmedicated 16-hour labor completely rewrote the pain threshold that Sarah thought she had maxed-out as a professional endurance athlete and finally, just before eight in the morning, her daughter Charlotte was born.

The next four months were the hardest of Sarah’s life as she battled severe Postpartum Depression, anxiety and insomnia that resulted in a trip to the Emergency room among other hardships. Sarah’s birth story is all about the process of relearning what the body is capable of and the power of accepting the new role of motherhood. 

Enjoying a 90-minute run while 9-months pregnant

Sarah Crouch Bio

Sarah Crouch, 31, is a professional endurance athlete and is one of the fastest marathon runners in America. She is also a running coach and a certified Birth Doula. Sarah currently lives in Spokane, Washington with her husband, Michael and their seven-month old daughter, Charlotte. You can follow Sarah on Instagram @sarahcrouch1989.

Resources

Ergobaby

This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. 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. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh and new Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer that we discussed on the podcast!

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