[Birth Stories] Two Inductions and an Undisturbed Birth, with Margot Strauhull

Margot Strauhull shares her three evolving birth stories. First up is hospital induction with an OB, followed an induced hospital birth managed by midwives, but overshadowed by her “history of macrosomal infant”. And then her third birth, where she switched providers at the beginning of the 3rd trimester and gave birth at freestanding birth center with midwives, and finally had the undisturbed physiological birth she was hoping for.

What we talked about:

• Best European souvenir one could have!
• Wanting to have a natural physiological birth
• Is it true that giving birth is easier for yoga instructor?
• Breaking water once… isn’t enough?
• Great postpartum and excited of having a second baby
• What is macrosomia?
• Why is it important for both parents to prepare for birth
• Building trust with you doula
• What’s a pendulous uterus and how to deal with it?
• Feeling sadness and grief about the birth experience
• Her path to becoming a Yoga Way to Birth instructor
• Incredible feeling of taking a hypnobirthing class together
• Why it’s necessary to have informed consent!
• Let your body do the pushing work for you
• “Birth is not a bully.”
• Focusing on the spaces in between contractions
• Your placenta doesn’t have any bones
• You don’t birth with your mind, you birth with your body

Before the big day!

Related resources*:

• Macrosomia – 5 Myths About Big Babies and Birth, by Maria Pyanov
• Belly Binding for Optimal Fetal Positioning, by Khadijah Cisse (on pendulous uteri)
• Abdominal lift and tuck, from Spinning Babies
• Shoulder Dystocia, from March of Dimes
• Naturopath training and holistic pelvic care, from Tami Lynn Kent
• The Yoga Way to Birth
• AlmaMidwifery.com
• UpToDate.com
• Anterior placenta, by Spinning Babies
• Hypnobirthing classes taken by Margot
• Labor Love and Liberation, by Tina Lilly
• The Red/Purple Line: An Alternate Method For Assessing Cervical Dilation Using Visual Cues, by Mindy Cockeram, LCCE
• One Strong Mama classes

Prenatal care at the birth center

Related Birthful episodes:

• Prenatal Yoga, with Deena Blumenfeld
• Rethinking the Pushing Stage, with Whapio
• Birthing like a Rock Star, with Gena Kirby & Lesley Everest
• Gestational Diabetes, with Lily Nichols
• Informed Consent, with Cristen Pascucci
• The Induction Process, with Toni Golen
• Diastasis and Tummy Fitness, with Bethany Learn

Margot in laborland

Meeting baby!

Breastfeeding high!

Weighing baby, birth center (and homebirth) style!

Delicious birth center breakfast

Margot and her boys

All photos used with permission, courtesy of Margot Strauhull.

Courtesy of Margot Strauhull

About Margot Strauhull

Margot is a mama to 3 boys, a medical social worker, a prenatal yoga instructor and childbirth educator for the Yoga Way to Birth. When not playing with her wild boys or helping patients in a public health clinic, she can be found enjoying the outdoors, hugging trees, drinking coffee and trying to stay awake to all the precious moments of life.

Learn more at margotyoga.com or follow her on Instagram (@margotyoga) and Facebook (@margotyogapdx)

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).