The Labor Line

Impassable Kidney Stone + 2-Day Induction | Tessa’s Birth Stories (PART 2)

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

Disconnected Induction + Redemptive Home Births | Tessa’s Birth Stories (PART 1)

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

Postpartum Anxiety + Choosing to Trust | Natasha’s Birth Story

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…

Standing Birth + Catching Her Own Baby | Summer’s Birth Story

This week I’m joined by my friend Summer, who gave birth standing up and caught her own baby! Summer takes us through how she prepared for her positive, unmedicated hospital birth, both physically and spiritually. She also gets real about the pain of back labor and how that affected some of her coping mechanisms, as well as the unexpected curve balls of postpartum, including recovering from a tear, postpartum depression, and a migraine that lasted 3 months! Despite the bumps, Summer seriously has the best energy towards birth and motherhood as a whole. I’m so grateful for the positive perspective she brought to the podcast this week! Chapters: 00:00:00 - Meet Summer 00:08:30 - Pregnancy: Prepping for Birth & Being Past Due 00:51:42 - Labor: Back Labor, Getting Vocal, & Catching Her Baby 01:13:49 - Postpartum: Learning the Purpose of Resting + Long-Lasting Migraine 01:23:43 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

Epidural-less Inductions + A Kidney Stone | Allie’s Birth Stories

This week I’m joined by my friend Allie, who endured passing a kidney stone while in her 3rd trimester!! Truly chilling stuff. But, beyond that, Allie shares her experience with high blood pressure near the end of both of her pregnancies that ultimately resulted in two positive, epidural-less inductions that she takes us through beat-by-beat. She also opens up about the difficulty of having a baby who refused to sleep through the night for a whole year and how that impacted her postpartum mental health. Her postpartum experience was then transformed through a few new friendships that serve as a beautiful reminder of the power of community. Allie’s story is truly uplifting and downright hilarious in many instances. If you’re looking for a motherhood pick-me-up, this episode is for you! Chapters: 00:00:00 - Meet Allie 00:10:18 - 1st Pregnancy: Inconsistent Periods, 5 Months of Trying, & High Blood Pressure Readings 00:14:57 - 1st Labor: Cervidil Induction at 37 Weeks, Unexpected Transition, & Unmedicated Delivery 00:32:58 - 1st Postpartum: Lack of Sleep, PPA, & Making New Mom Friends 00:48:35 - 2nd Pregnancy: Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction, Staying Active, & Passing a Kidney Stone 01:01:25 - 2nd Labor: Cytotec Induction at 39 Weeks, Rapid Dilation, & Planned Unmedicated Delivery 01:19:41 - 2nd Postpartum: Positive Sleep Training & Supportive Community 01:30:57 - To My Pre-Mom Self…