[Birth Stories] When The Curveballs Come Before And After The Birth

Mandy Alexander got pregnant at 40, having had bariatric surgery seven years before that. During what she describes as her “bariatric-geriatric” pregnancy, she worked through her fear of childbirth and ended up with the unmedicated and collaborative birth experience she was looking for. However, breastfeeding was a whole other beast. Mandy was prepared for many difficulties… but not that her body might just not make milk.

What we talked about:

• Her bariatric surgery seven years before pregnancy
• Finding love, getting married, getting pregnant… all in two years!
• “I’m comfortable with surgery. Give me a cesarean.”
• 180-degree turn, and figuring out how to prepare
• Figuring out how her bariatric circumstances affected her pregnancy care
• The Glucose Tolerance Test after bariatric surgery, and “dumping syndrome”
• Overcoming the fear of the unknown
• Then, the baby was breech!
• Doing all the things to “flip a breech,” plus a New Kids on The Block concert
• High blood pressure at 39 weeks
• Being heard during the induction decision-making process
• Cervidil does the trick: full-blown labor with contractions, shakes, feeling cold
• In and out of labor land
• “She’s right there!”
• “Stop telling me how to push”
• The unexpected finger in the anus
• An onslaught of breastfeeding difficulties
• Meeting with a doctor in lactation (after many IBCLCs)
• Realizing when to stop

Related resources*:

• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
• The Business of Being Born website
• HypnoBirthing International and Hypnobabies (two different hypnosis approaches to birth)
• Outcomes of Pregnancy after Bariatric Surgery, NEJM
• Supplemental Nursing System (SNS), by Medela

Related Birthful episodes:

• Why A Midwife Might Be Just What You Need
• Self-Hypnosis For Pain Management
• Shaking And The Primal Nature Of Birth
• Diastasis And Tummy Fitness
• Gestational Diabetes Explained
• [Breastfeeding] When You Have A Low Milk Supply
• [Breastfeeding] All About Pumping!
• [Breastfeeding] How Does Milksharing Work?

Courtesy of Mandy Alexander

About Mandy Alexander

Mandy Alexander and her husband Jason have been married since July 2018. In May 2019, they welcomed their daughter, Hazel Ruth, followed by her brother, Oliver James, in March 2021! Mandy works as a sign language interpreter in Indianapolis. She enjoys experiencing life with her young family, from quiet “just hang out” weekends, to family vacations… and everything in-between.