[Birth Stories] The Power Of Having A Strong Advocate When Her Plans Derailed

What does a self-described Type A do when her birth plan derails? Tara Langsdorf (who finished her second master’s degree and took a promotion managing a team of 25 while pregnant!) shares with Adriana how leaning on the structures and support she’d set up during pregnancy allowed her to go deep into her labor process, despite her starting to develop preeclampsia and having a cascade of interventions.

What we talked about:

• Lots of pre-pregnancy planning
• Listening to all the things
• First surprise: an arcuate uterus!
• The value of a CenteringPregnancy group
• Creating a birth plan AND birth goals/wishes
• Second surprise: blood pressure creeping up
• Third surprise: when you cough, and your water breaks…
• A delicate balance between letting labor progress and hurrying it up to lessen risks
• Fourth surprise: preeclampsia diagnosis
• Magnesium sulfate, epidural, Pitocin, IUPC… all the things!
• To cesarean or not to cesarean
• The need to eat!
• Pushing with affirmations
• “You can feel his head!”
• A rough start to breastfeeding
• Conquering the obstacles with support

Related resources*:

• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
• Arcuate uterus, Cleveland Clinic
• Placenta Previa, Healthline
• CenteringPregnancy website, about group prenatal care
• Intrauterine Pressure Catheter for Fetal Monitoring, VeryWellFamily
• Evidence on: Eating and Drinking During Labor, from Evidence Based Birth®
• Clinical Protocol #3: Supplementary Feedings in the Healthy Term Breastfed Neonate, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
• Homemade Supplemental Nursing System, Breastfeeding Support
• Hand Expression of Breastmilk, Stanford Medicine
• Clinical Protocol #26: Persistent Pain with Breastfeeding, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine
• Medela Tender Care Hydrogel Pads

Related Birthful episodes:

• Birth Principles: Enhance Your Birth Plan!
• Preeclampsia Essentials
• HELLP Syndrome
• The Induction Process
• Evidence And Eating During Labor
• [Breastfeeding] Epidurals And Breastfeeding, What’s The Connection?
• [Breastfeeding] How Does Milksharing Work?
• Dealing With Family And Visitors

Image description: Tara Langsdorf and her husband pose, each with one of their boys carried on their shoulders

About Tara Langsdorf

Tara Langsdorf, her husband, and their two children live in the Midwest U.S. Tara brings her therapist background into her behavioral clinical management work.