Last Minute Switch to a Home Birth, with Kara Fransted

Kara Fransted and her husband had never considered having a home birth, but as the pandemic hit and there was a real possibility of her husband having to miss the birth of their third child, they looked into it. Never mind that she was already 38 weeks pregnant. Check it out.

What we talked about:

• The beauty of having a “pregnancy mentor” friend
• Intentionally preparing for an unmedicated birth
• Winging the second birth and realizing winging it wasn’t the answer
• Setting up a game plan with her husband for #3
• Feeling ready, right before the pandemic hit
• How her stress increased with every weekly COVID change
• “You always stall when you get to the hospital,” as they evaluate doing a home birth
• Asking all the questions, making sure it was a safe choice for them
• The practical logistics of having a homebirth
• The upsetting nature of prodromal labor
• Intentionally moving into the mental space of labor
• “Take the kids; I need to relax.”
• Things ramp up, she starts to cocoon
• Getting to 10 and waiting for the body’s signal to push
• A big baby, a small tear
• The joys of sleeping in your own bed
• Suggestions for minimizing perineal tearing
• Minimizing COVID risks during a home birth
• Experiencing less postpartum mood disorders from having her husband around longer

Going into laborland

Resources mentioned and other helpful links*:

• An Open Letter to the Birth Community Regarding COVID-19 and the Increased Interest in Homebirth, From The New York Homebirth Collective
• Prodromal Labor: A Survival Guide, by Emily Landry
• Hypnobirthing.com

You’ve got this!

Related Birthful podcast episodes

• Birth Doulas, with Sharon Muza
• Self-hypnosis for pain management, with Julietta Appleton
• Rethinking the Pushing Stage, with Whapio
• Virtual Doula Support, with Jakki Devereaux

Filled with love.

Weighing the new baby

About Kara Fransted​

Courtesy of Kara Fransted

Kara Fransted graduated from Villanova University and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy in 2011. Her first assignment was USS COWPENS (CG 63) in Yokosuka, Japan for three years where she served as Combat Information Center Officer and the Air Defense Liaison Officer for CTF 70, Battle Force 7th Fleet. There she was in charge of Air Defense Operations and Planning for the 7th Fleet Pacific theater of operations. Her next assignment was USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) in San Diego, California. There she served as Training Officer as well as the Air Defense Liaison Officer for Carrier Strike Group One, deploying for ten months to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf doing Operations and Planning in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Kara resigned from the Navy and joined KMH Financial Services as the Operations Manager in January 2016. She has worked her way up to Chief Operations Officer and holds Series 7 and 66 securities registrations with LPL Financial.

Outside of the office, Kara uses her time to speak about leadership to young girls and women. Kara is married to their husband Matt and they have two daughters.
 

 
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).