Liberating Homebirth Transfer to Hospital, with Julia C.

Julia is the daughter of a midwife, who grew up immersed in birth culture. For as long as she can remember, she had hoped for a home water birth. What happens when labor has other plans, that include a transfer to the hospital? Check it out.

 

 

What we talked about:

• Growing up in a birth-y environment
• Romanticizing birth?
• Midwifery shortage and benefits of having midwifery care
• Suspecting a posterior baby
• “Can I get into the birthing tub now?”
• Horrible back pain the entire day
• Feeling heartbroken by the idea of going to a hospital
• Feeling liberated by deciding on accepting pain options
• Freeing herself from expectations and “shoulds”
• Mom around to “take her wrath”
• Getting her sense of humor back with laughing gas
• Nervous about placenta
• “I wasn’t able to manage pain with mantras and in the end I did feel very much out of control and overtaken by the pain.”
• “The power from labor has just come from doing it at all and having experienced it in all the kinds of stages and all the kinds of ways that I did.”
• “The power of birth is not something to master, it’s just something to be in awe of.”
• We can do hard things
• The importance of advocating for midwifery

 

Related resources*:

• Spiritual Pregnancy: Develop, Nurture & Embrace the Journey to Motherhood, by Shawn A. Tassone and Kathryn M. Landherr
• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
• Double Hip Squeeze – What Is It And How Is It Used?, by Sam McCulloch Dip CBEd from Bellybelly
• Online prenatal class by Holliday Tyson (3 parts – YouTube video)
• Contact information of Nova Scotia minister of health and wellness, Randy Delorey
• Access and Integration Maternity Care Mapping (AIMM) Study (mapping collaboration across birth settings, and impact of increased access to midwifery care)

 

Related Birthful episodes:

• Baby’s Position and Labor Flow, with Gail Tully
• Waterbirth, with Barbara Harper

 

 

All photos used with permission, courtesy of Julia C.

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About Julia C.

Julia C. lives in Halifax. Nova Scotia. Canada. with partner Pete and 7 month old baby Phoebe. She’s a lawyer, off on one year parental leave. Her mom is a midwife mom (delivered 3000+ babies), and Julia grew up around birth and midwives her whole life.

 

 

 

 

 

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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).