Danielle Ford’s first birth happened when she was very young, not very educated in the process, and it included a long induction and an epidural. It wasn’t until getting pregnant 10 years later that she realized she carried a lot of trauma from birth number one. So what did she do differently the second time around to help her heal and have a much better experience? Check it out!
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What we talked about:
- High blood pressure leading to induction
- The problem with not self-advocating is you end up on your back for 29 hrs.
- Realizing the trauma your didn’t know you had
- Preparing for an intentional birth experience
- Facing another induction, even though blood pressure was fine
- Gathering herself and advocating to determine if induction was really needed
- Getting through a devastating prenatal appointment
- The joy of going into labor on her own
- Finding so much relief in water
- Connecting through gratitude with baby in the belly
- “Now I won’t be able to eat tacos!”
- Doing dishes and dancing (aka. ignore it until you can’t ignore it anymore)
- The power of a birth preferences worksheet
- And then there wasn’t a tub!
- Setting the stage
- To check or not to check…
- The sacred space of the “quietude”
- To break or not to break (the waters)…
- The unbearable urge that comes early!
- Letting her body decide the position
- What my body did vs. what was done to me
- Having the tools to navigate her postpartum mental state
Related resources*:
- Evidence Based Birth
- Spinning Babies
- Pregnancy and Birth Affirmations, from Desert Birth and Wellness
- What You Need to Know About Postpartum Depression, from Kindred Bravely
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
- Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR); Small for Gestational Age (SGA), from American Pregnancy
- Peanut Balls for Labor – A Valuable Tool for Promoting Progress?, from Science & Sensibility
- Wildflower Birth Support – Bridget Strub (my back-up doula partner! Yay!)
- Fuel for Fire protein squeeze pouches
- Huma PLUS hydrating Chia Energy Gel
Podcasts she listened to:
- Birthful (Duh! ;P)
- The Birth Hour
- Voices of Your Village
Related Birthful episodes:
- Preeclampsia, Eleni Tsigas
- Bed Rest 101, with Darline Turner
- Healing Your Birth Story and Birth Trauma, with Pam England
- The Induction Process, with Toni Golen
- Inductions, with Dr. Gene Declercq
- Birth Principles: Better than a Birth Plan, with Jessie Harrold
- Childbirth PTSD, with Cheryl Tatano Beck
- Postpartum Depression, with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
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BIRTHFUL POSTPARTUM PLAN WORKSHEET
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).