This week, we are AGAIN joined by my friend Tessa, a mom of five! In this episode, we are wrapping up her story by walking through her last 2 birth experiences.

While pregnant with her fourth child, Tessa developed a kidney stone so large that she was unable to pass it!! She had to wear a urostomy bag to drain her kidneys until she was 6 weeks postpartum. This physically complex pregnancy caused her to transfer her care from her home midwife to a hospital, where she eventually had a successful, epidural-less induction at 39 weeks.

Following this difficult experience, Tessa was motivated to finish out her childbearing journey on a high note. Thankfully, her last pregnancy went smoothly, and she was able to have yet another redemptive birth at home, surrounded by her four other children.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Podcast Announcement

00:11:36 - 4th Child: Kidney Stone Complications + Epidural-less Induction

01:11:22 - 5th Child: Calm Pregnancy + Redemptive Home Birth

This week I’m joined by my friend Tessa, a mom of five! In this episode, we walk through her first three birth stories, and next week she’ll be back to share the final two.

Tessa’s journey started on what she calls a medical conveyor belt, where she didn’t feel like she had much say in her own birth experience. Fortunately, for her next two babies, she was able to connect with a wonderful community of moms, birth educators, and midwives who empowered her with the tools she needed to have two redepemtive home births.

I can’t wait for you to see how each one of Tessa’s five babies gave her the opportunity to grow. It is seriously inspiring to see how she embraced each new challenge and became a more intentional, empowered version of herself with each birth.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Tessa

00:13:30 - Miscarriage

00:15:31 - 1st Child: Induction, Group B Strep, Epidural Delivery, & Breastfeeding Struggles

00:47:30 - 2nd Child: Empowering Community, Positive Home Birth, & Positive Breastfeeding

01:23:17 - 3rd Child: Physically Taxing Pregnancy, Diastasis Recti, & Emotional Home Birth

This week I’m joined by my friend Natasha, who had to overcome some fears about labor and motherhood before she felt ready to become a parent. After a positive pregnancy and a long labor that included forceps after 4 hours of pushing (!!), she once again had to learn to trust herself and God to manage her postpartum anxiety.

Although her mental health has continued to play a role in her experience, Natasha is a huge advocate for adding positivity and hope to the conversation surrounding childbirth and motherhood. Her episode offers such a wonderfully balanced and uplifting perspective to anyone who has ever wondered, “Can I really do this?”

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Natasha

00:11:56 - Pregnancy: Positive Pregnancy After Overcoming Fear

00:35:53 - Labor: Epidural, 4 Hours of Pushing, + Forceps Delivery

00:46:03 - Postpartum: Mental Health Struggles & Finding Joy in Her Son

01:22:29 - To My Pre-Mom Self…