Today I’m switching it up with some birth stories! Laura Brandenburg’s placentas tend to steal her birth shows. She’s here to tell us how this prompted a transfer from birth center to hospital for her first birth, and how she got the last word during her second birth by delivering both baby and placenta at home. Check it out!
What we talked about:
- Exploring what type of care she wanted to receive (and where!)
- A perfectly timed and clear start to labor
- How what she thought would bring her comfort, may not do that at all
- How the mind and feelings can keep labor from progressing
- The exhaustion of a long pushing stage
- Thinking she was done, and then having to transfer to the hospital
- The immense vulnerability of being alone in a strange environment
- Doing things differently the second time around
- Not wanting to start mothering from a place of exhaustion
- Setting up a team that will be with you no matter how labor goes
- Learning to trust herself with the small things and the big things
- How her placentas tend to steal the show
- Benefits of a sibling doula
Related Birthful epsiodes:
- Third Stage of Labor, with Dr. Sarah Buckley
Birth photos by Jennifer Mason Photography

About Laura Brandenburg
Laura Brandenburg started her first business in 2008 and experimented with consulting, personal coaching, training, and writing. In 2011, shortly after her first daughter was born at a local birth center, she landed on a mix of digital product offerings that have enabled her to build a 6-figure business while working part-time from home, so she could spend a lot of time with her now two young daughters (the second was born at home).
Now, Laura is focused on empowering women to build momstyle businesses – online ventures that nourish their creative spirits, generate significant revenue, and allow them the flexibility to be the moms they want to be.
Connect with Laura by joining the Momstyle your Business Facebook group, or learn more at LauraBrandenburg.com
Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).
Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, from the Free Music Archive / CC BY (edited for length).