In today's episode we meet Stephanie, who is a mother of three and a physical therapist. Stephanie had a cesarean with her first baby due to a sudden and severe onset of preeclampsia, which was followed by a 3 week NICU stay for her baby and an emotionally difficult postpartum recovery. With her next pregnancy, Stephanie hired the same midwifery group, but ended up being transferred to the on-call OB during labor when none of the midwives showed up for her. Despite having a VBAC, this was followed by another difficult postpartum recovery, both physically and emotionally. For her third pregnancy, Stephanie hired a home birth midwife and gave birth to her almost 10lb baby in her bedroom.

Join us as Stephanie shares her birth stories, how OBGYNs and modern medical care have their place when there is a true emergency, and how labor and postpartum recovery can differ in a medicated vs. unmedicated state. We also discuss how our bodies will protect our babies if we feel unsafe during labor, how our perceived level of pain during labor can be impacted by our surroundings, the impact that a doula or supportive birth partner can have, and the feedback loop that our bodies are designed with in regards to all of the hormones associated with labor, birth and postpartum recovery.

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Want to share your Home Birth After Cesarean (HBAC) story? Send us an e-mail at hbacpodcast@gmail.com to get in touch.

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