In today's episode we meet Melanie, who is a mother of two. Melanie experienced the cascade of interventions after an induction for being “overdue” with her first pregnancy, and after her birth trauma and a difficult postpartum time, beginning with her son spending some time in the NICU, she immediately knew that she wanted something different the next time. For her next pregnancy, Melanie went on to plan an HBAC and gave birth to her baby at home.

Join us as Melanie shares her birth stories, how connecting with and talking to other women who have gone through similar experiences has helped heal her birth trauma, and the emotions she has experienced when looking back at her first birth after having her HBAC. We also discuss the importance of every woman having options and choices in regards to where and with whom she gives birth, the differences between OB and midwifery care, how prodromal labor can actually be beneficial in preparing your body for labor and birth, the difference between contractions produced via Pitocin vs. natural contractions, the importance of having a supportive provider and birth team, how hospitals are set up to make the doctor look like the authority in birth and give the illusion that women cannot say “no” to anything, and how belittling and diminishing the saying “at least you have a healthy baby” is after experiencing birth trauma.

***As a disclaimer, Melanie does discuss some of the birth trauma that she experienced with her HBAC. It is very important to bring awareness to and provide support for the fact that birth trauma can occur with any type of birth, however, if this is upsetting to you it may be best to skip over.

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This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace advice from qualified medical professionals.