[Birth Stories] When Place-Of-Birth Policies Keep You Thinking Instead Of Birthing

Emily Salahuddin set out to have an unmedicated birth at a birth center, but trying to remain within the risk boundaries of that facility turned into an all-consuming mind game, bringing with it an onslaught of non-medical interventions. Ironically, it was after being transferred to the hospital that she was able to have a more hands-off experience… until the baby was born. She shares with Adriana how it was then that she and her husband had to lean into their advocacy skills to minimize unnecessary interventions for both her and her baby.

Related resources*:

• Centering Pregnancy website
• Membrane sweeping for induction of labour, Cochrane
• Can You Use a Breast Pump to Induce Labor? Healthline
• The Evidence on: Group B Strep, Evidence Based Birth
• Use your B.R.A.I.N. for informed decision-making
• Emily Oster’s books (Expecting Better, Cribsheet, and The Unexpected)
• The Calm Birth Method: Your Complete Guide to a Positive Hypnobirthing Experience, by Suzy Ashworth
• Haakaa colostrum collection kit

Related Birthful episodes:

• Understanding Acupuncture From A Physiological Lens (And Why You Shouldn’t Fear The Needles!)
• The Problem With Due Dates
• Evidence Based Care, Castor Oil And More
• Real Talk About Vaginal Tears And Episiotomies
• What You Need To Know About Birth Models (Birth What?!)
• Have A Happier Pelvic Floor (And A Happier You!) During Pregnancy
• Talking Pelvic Health With A Physical Therapist
• All About Your Pelvic Floor
• Newborn Sugar Levels And Breastfeeding
• Healing Your Birth Story

Image description: Emily, who is a white woman with brown hair, holding her newborn daughter Amani in a hospital bed, with her husband Daniel next to her, who is a Black man with long dark hair in a protective style, wearing glasses.

About Emily Salahuddin

Emily Salahuddin (she/her) lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her partner, Daniel, and their daughter, Amani. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the role of behavioral health therapist, Emily specializes in topics related to sex and sexuality, and currently works with individuals living with HIV and people who identify as LGBTQIA+. Building community has been a longtime core value of hers, and motherhood has presented new opportunities for growth and re-imagining community in this new context.