#informedpregnancy

More wisdom from Jenna on #milktrails podcast, episode 23. The same truth goes for your pregnancy. There’s an unexpected hard spot somewhere along the journey of becoming a parent — for everyone. And as @brittabushnellphd once said, you just don’t get to choose when/where it shows up. For Jenna, it was pregnancy and again postpartum. Hear more at link in profile!

Wise words from a mother of 4…

Samara is a 42-year-old mother of 4, yoga instructor and zumba teacher. She gave birth to all of her children at home with her youngest just 9 months ago. In addition to co-managed care with an OB-GYN and her midwife, Samara’s trust in her body’s strength, wisdom and capabilities trumped all concerns she heard around pregnancy over 35. However, like every birthing story, there’s a turn in ‘ the labyrinth’ one doesn’t expect and even for a seasoned mama, Samara ultimately had to do what every birthing person has to do — surrender to the journey.

As I prepare to welcome my second child into this world, this episode feels especially appropriate and a good one to temporarily sign off with. Renee Morrison, a mother to two beautiful children earth side, entrepreneur, and creator shares her birthing stories – one at a birth center and one at home. Get ready for a rich and inspiring 2-hour journey as we speak about birthing life, loss, grief, and gratitude and how all of it has informed the personal work Renee does within herself and thus the way she mothers and nurtures her children and family.  

Sometimes one can feel the natural urge to push prior to complete dilation. One reason your care provider would encourage you not to push until the cervix is completely out of the way of the baby is the potential for cervical injury. While this is good reason, encouraging someone to essentially stop a freight train coming through their body is not so easy. It can take someone out of powerfully working with their body to painfully working against it. But with the proper physical and emotional support of knowledgeable birth workers and optimal laboring positions, homeopathy and hydrotherapy, it can be achieved. All this to say, assemble your labor and birth support team now — either virtual or in person — as it can be vital to your experience and outcome.

Subsequent labor and births can be very redemptive in reclaiming one’s power or control that was lost the first time around. The body has muscle memory and typically* (there are exceptions, of course) the birthing process is shorter overall and thus there is less need for interventions from the care provider. The mind is also more prepared to cope with the intensity and experience of giving birth. However, it’s still important to work with a care provider and birthing team whose philosophy and skill sets are aligned with your needs — physically and emotionally. Ally talks about finding her wonderful midwife, Beth, who allowed Ally to birth her way. Tune into #milktrails podcast to hear latest episode! 

In episode 20, Cianna discusses the grave health disparities in the outcomes of Black mothers and babies in this country and how she prepared for and protected herself from this reality. 

The body’s urge to bear down and push is unmistakable, uncontrollable, overwhelming and powerful. Some birthing people love the pushing phase - to get to work with their bodies and DO something with the contractions. Some find it the hardest part - to push into an already intense sensation. Cianna was very intentional about using her body’s innate power (and not feeling scared by it) to help her push as much as she could with the energy she had left to welcome her daughter into the world!