Podcasts about HELLP syndrome

Join us on this episode of the Birth Journeys as Emmy shares her first three births and about how she is intentional about planning a restful postpartum season. This episode covers Miscarriage, HELLP SYNDROME, induction and natural birth. Resources: Spiritual Midwifery: https://a.co/d/4x6gLaYContact Emmy: thebakerfolk@gmail.com

Sabina is one of our VBAC-certified doulas from Canada and is sharing her peaceful FBA2C today. While free birth comes with its own risks and benefits, we know that many women feel drawn to this option when they have no support or do not feel safe birthing any other way as Sabina did. We want to share all types of births after Cesarean and honor all stories! The way Sabina trusted in her body and in the physiological birth process after a traumatic experience with HELLP syndrome is truly inspiring. Among the many important messages from this episode, Meagan says: “If you are a provider listening and you perform C-sections, please, please hear what we are saying today. What you say to us while we are on the table in the most vulnerable position… impacts us. Every word that comes out of your mouth, please think about it. Please think about it because it impacts us…I'm getting emotional because I remember my provider talking crap like that and saying things like that. It impacts us longer than you will ever, ever know and it will impact us for every future birth. Please, providers. Please, please, please from the bottom of my heart, I beg of you. Watch what you say to people.” The VBAC Link Blog: VBAC with PreeclampsiaNeeded WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Meagan: Hello, hello Women of Strength. It is Meagan and I'm so excited to be recording wtih you today. You've probably been listening all summer but I've actually not been in the recording studio all summer. I record up until May until my kids get out of school then I take June and July off so I can be with my kids and save you guys from the screaming and the dog barking and all of that in the background. It's August and we are back in the studio and we have our friend, Sabina. Hello. Sabina: Hello. Meagan: I'm so excited to have her on today. You guys, she is one of our VBAC-certified doulas which is so exciting. She is also a mama of three. She is a FBA2C. Okay, you guys. F is a new one. We haven't been sharing a lot of F. We've had H and V and breech B so what does F stand for?Sabina: F stands for free birth which means I did not have any kind of provider with me during my pregnancy or during my birth. I just did it all by myself. Meagan: Yep, you did. Sometimes I feel like it's a mother-led pregnancy. Sabina: Yes. Yes. Meagan: This is something. We've talked about this a little bit before we got recording. The world, when we look at free birth, frowns deeply upon it. It's not for everyone. Sabina: No. Meagan: That's why a good majority doesn't. However, I think it's important to share these free birth stories. They are still beautiful stories and it doesn't mean because you didn't have a provider that your story doesn't deserve to be heard, right?Sabina: Right. Meagan: I think that it's also important to talk a little bit about the fact that so many people are not getting the support. You're going to tell us a little bit more about why you chose free birth, but the world as we know it is not VBAC-supportive in many ways, in most ways. Sabina: Still. Meagan: Yeah, as we know. You are in Canada, right?Sabina: Yep. Meagan: We know that there are some hurdles there too. Even here in Utah, over the last 10 years of me being a doula and having babies of my own, I've watched the VBAC support wane and actually wane in the less-ideal way which is really unfortunate. We have a lot of people who try. They try and find the support. They try and get what they deserve. You deserve support. Women of Strength, no matter who you are or where you are, you deserve support. Most people who choose to free birth ran out of those options and decide that they are still going to do what's best for them. That is what Sabina did and I'm excited for her to share her stories. In addition to free birth, we have some other little things in there. HELLP syndrome, if you've ever heard of HELLP syndrome you guys, or if you haven't ever heard of HELLP syndrome, we're going to talk more about that and what that looks like, the symptoms and things like that, and what it could mean. Then larger babies and then yeah, I want to talk a little bit more about VBAC doulas too because we love our VBAC doulas. I don't know. Are you serving right now? Sabina: I am, yeah. Meagan: You have a new babe, but you are. Okay, if you are in Canada– and where are you again?Sabina: I'm in Ottawa. Meagan: Ottawa. Okay, you guys, give her a call. You can find her on our website at thevbaclink.com/findadoula. Sabina: I don't have a website but my Instagram is @letsdoulathisvbac. Meagan: Let's doula this. We will make sure to tag her so just go to today's Instagram or Facebook and find her. We do have a Review of the Week so we will jump into that and then get into your beautiful stories. This review is by mitaya. I don't know. I think it's probably an abbreviation. I don't know. Maybe it's a name but it says, “I vote this place on over the speaker in every OB/GYN office.” I love that. It says, “I cannot even begin to describe what an encouragement these podcasts have been for me. I have completely binged on these in the past few weeks and they have grown my confidence for my up and coming baby. I cannot stop sharing everything I am learning and even helping to encourage first-time moms on how to educate themselves to avoid a Cesarean in the first place.” Ding, ding, ding. We're actually going to have an episode about that, y'all. So if you're ready to share an episode with a first-time mom, it's coming up. “Thank you so much for this no-B.S., truth-declaring, and empowering platform that I know has encouraged so many more than just myself. Keep being amazing. I can't wait to share our story in just a few short months. All of my love.”Thank you so much for your review and I hope that you had your VBAC and had a beautiful birth. If you are still listening with us, let us know. Give us a shoutout on my email or on Facebook or Instagram. Meagan: Okay, Ms. Sabina. Are you ready to dive in to these beautiful stories? Sabina: I am. Meagan: Let's do it. Sabina: This is surreal because I've been picturing this whole pregnancy how I would talk about things if I was on the podcast. Every time I had a symptom, I thought about how I would say it on a podcast so it's very cool to actually get to do it. Meagan: Tell us all of the things. Here you are. Sabina: Okay. I'll start with my first birth. I was pregnant in 2019 and I had one appointment with an OB then realized it wasn't for me. I switched to midwives and had a perfectly uncomplicated pregnancy. I'm very athletic so I was in shape working out the whole time. No symptoms of anything other than heartburn and some rib pain. We had midwives who were great and then around 41 weeks, actually on 41 weeks to the day, we had our ultrasound just to make sure everything was going well. When we got there, I started getting a lot of pain in my right side. Again, I had rib pain so I just brushed it off. It's nothing. I had seen my midwives the day before and everything looked good. Blood pressure was fine. We were sitting in the waiting room and it just kept getting more and more uncomfortable. I started sweating and I asked my husband if we could just step outside for a bit then I remembered one of my friends saying that when she was in labor, she would put her arms around her husband and just dangle to open everything. I tried that hoping it would relieve some pressure and I just started panicking. My husband who was very naive at the time was like, “Oh, this is it. You're in labor.” I was like, “No. This is not right. It's not going away.” Meagan: Something's off. Sabina: Something's off. We went back in and I asked the receptionist if I could just go lie down. They brought me into a room and at this point, I couldn't sit still. We called my midwife and she asked if I was prone to panic attacks and I said, “No, I've never had one.” They checked the baby and he was totally fine. But my midwife was like, “Okay, I'll meet you at the hospital.” We called the ambulance and this is where it starts to get fuzzy. I was in shock. I couldn't remember everything but we took an ambulance and the only reason we took an ambulance was because I thought they would help but they didn't do anything. They just waited and took me to the hospital. I spent the ride on my hands and knees and when we got to the hospital, my blood pressure was 275/174. Again, we had just checked it the day before and it was totally normal, 121/80. My midwife was there and they asked if they could check my cervix just to see if it was a bizarre labor and I was barely a centimeter. I was still very posterior so nothing was really happening. I do remember my mom quickly poking her head in. My husband must have called her but then they were like, “Okay, let's do a C-section.” I don't remember a lot. I remember as soon as they gave me the epidural, I could relax. Everything just went away. I briefly remember seeing my husband and being like, “Oh my god. We're going to have a baby.”I remember hearing him cry. They showed him to me the first time. I also had a cyst on one of my ovaries so they showed me that. It was kind of cool. Then in the recovery room, I very briefly remember trying to feed my son and then I told them that my vision was jumping around and I couldn't focus so they handed him over to my husband and then I don't remember anything else. Basically, they never treated my blood pressure. They just–Meagan: Wait, they didn't do anything? They were just like, “We've got to get the baby out” type thing then they ignored the astronomically high blood pressure?Sabina: Yes. Meagan: Okay. Sabina: Even though the baby was fine because we had just had the ultrasound and checked everything, they completely neglected the blood pressure. Obviously, it dropped when I got the epidural because it gets rid of the pain so it goes down a bit. Later, I found out that they had the medication ready, they just never gave it to me. So as soon as the epidural wore off, my blood pressure shot right back up and I ended up having a seizure. My husband, I mean I don't remember any of it, but my husband was kicked out into the hall shirtless holding our newborn not knowing what was going on. My parents were down the hall and heard the code blue and just knew it was for me. Then I was just talking to my mom about it yesterday. She said that they were at the nurse's station demanding to know what was going on. They were telling her to calm down and they just sent them to see my husband. He was in a dark room by himself with a newborn who was crying because he probably wanted to eat or whatever. He just looked like he was a ghost. He didn't know what was going on. It was horrible. Even to this day, it hurts knowing that that was his entrance into parenthood. Meagan: And both of your experiences too. His entrance and both of your experiences. It didn't start off very positively. Sabina: No. Definitely not. I remember seeing my dad briefly and then I don't remember anything until the next day. I woke up and my dad was there and I just said, “What happened?” He told me I had a seizure and then the first couple days, I don't remember much. My son was in the NICU just because I couldn't take care of him and they would bring him to me once in a while so I could feed him. My mom said she noticed that every time he was with me, my blood pressure would drop obviously. It makes sense. She advocated for him to get to stay with me. I started breastfeeding even though I was honestly half-dead. They told my family the day it happened that the next 24 hours would determine which direction I went so it was pretty scary. Meagan: Oh my gosh. Sabina: Yeah. Pretty scary. We ended up getting a private room in the ICU and my son was allowed to stay with me as long as somebody else was there. My mom and husband just kept switching off. The nurses were phenomenal. Every nurse we had was great. They brought us a full cart of baby supplies because we had nothing. We didn't even have a hospital bag but I saw every other person in the hospital. It was incredibly frustrating. We saw residents. We saw random specialists who had nothing to do with me. We saw interns. I never saw the same doctor twice and I was there for a week.Meagan: Whoa. Sabina: Yeah. We kept being told by one doctor that, “Okay, if your blood pressure stays below this level for the next 24 hours, you get to go home.” Then the next day, a doctor would come on and I'd say, “Okay, it stayed below. Can we go home?” They were like, “Oh no, no, no. You're probably here for the next several days.” It was back and forth like that and it was incredibly frustrating. Eventually, I left against medical advice because I knew I couldn't heal in the hospital. I knew I needed to go home. We went home with two blood pressure medications and by day two, I had to stop taking them because my blood pressure was so low. Meagan: Whoa. Sabina: Obviously, I made the right choice. It got to the point where I could hardly get out of bed and I was so lethargic because of the blood pressure being so low. Meagan: Your body truly was responding. It was in that flight/fight mode where you're probably so tense the whole time you were there. Your body was not able to even try to recover. Sabina: Yeah. I mean, that was our first week as parents. It was in the hospital. Eventually, we got moved to the labor and delivery ward but still, we were not home. We weren't comfortable. We were bored because we were just there and then we're seeing everybody and their uncle at the hospital coming in because I was a unique case. It was super frustrating. I do want to mention with the HELLP syndrome that my kidneys were failing. I had swelling in my brain. I had to get one MRI or two CTs or the other way around. I only remember one of them. Meagan: Your liver obviously. Sabina: Yes, yeah. My liver was definitely not ideal. Meagan: That was the start of the pain. Sabina: Yeah, again, I thought that was the rib pain. Meagan: Kind of up there. Sabina: I was perfectly healthy. Yeah. I was perfectly healthy. I had worked out that morning. Meagan: Wow. Sabina: I felt totally fine. It was very sudden. Meagan: Did you have any other symptoms like headache, blurred vision, swelling, nausea? Sabina: Not until after that pain. After the C-section, my vision was jumping. Meagan: Yeah, you said. Sabina: Yeah. I couldn't focus and then the next two days, right here on my head on the right side had severe pain. Nothing would help. They were giving me pain meds and stuff and nothing was helping so eventually, I just stopped taking them. But beforehand, there was absolutely nothing. They didn't test my blood or urine because it wasn't routine to check it at that time and they had no reason to check it but it was very, very sudden and very severe. Because they didn't deal with the blood pressure, I still wonder to this day if they had dealt with it or tried. Meagan: Given you magnesium or something. Sabina: If it wouldn't have been as severe of a reaction or a problem. Meagan: Yeah. Sabina: It's very frustrating to look back. Of course, after that I had PTSD but I didn't know that I had PTSD and the support wasn't really there. My midwife was like, “Well, of course, you're going to have some hard times,” but that was kind of it. That was the only support I got. My sister actually was pregnant at the same time and was due a month later. She got induced because she just went past her due date and I was so upset when she was in labor because I was so jealous. It's a horrible feeling because you're happy for them but I was just so jealous. My midwife came over that day. Again, there wasn't really much support surrounding that. It was just like, “Yeah, that's normal. Move on.” My sister ended up getting a C-section just because she got the cascade of interventions. It was a typical story. For the next year, it was extremely difficult mentally. Any time I tried to talk to somebody about it, it was always like, “Well, you have a healthy baby,” so trying to justify that everything was worth it because the baby is healthy. Again, I didn't tell my family how much I was struggling but anytime like for example, I would talk to my mom about it and be like, “I missed all of those moments with him like the first night. I wasn't with him at all.” She would always say something like, “Well, he was taken care of,” because she was there. I'm super grateful that they were there, but it would crush me inside because–Meagan: But not by me. Sabina: It should have been me. All of those moments should have been me. Then toward my son's first birthday, we were talking about his birthday party and again, my sister did not mean anything by this because she just didn't know what I was going through but she was like, “Well, you didn't really give birth so we'll call it his removal day.” I just played it off like it was fine, but my insides just crumbled. Meagan: That would impact me. That just made me have a little bit of an ick. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm by that, right? But that just gave me the ick. Sabina: Yeah, she didn't mean harm at all. So I just would play these things off and smile and nod sort of thing, but inside it just crushed me. Meagan: I'm sorry. Sabina: I never thought that I would have a C-section. You just don't think that's going to happen to you. His first birthday was really hard and then after that, I just started looking forward to the next one which was good but also not good because I didn't really do any healing or recovering. I just was like, “Okay, it's done. Let's move on.” So my second birth was in 2021 and it was more of a classic unsupportive provider scenario. I went with the same midwife because she was amazing during our first birth and I had a lot of trust with her. She was amazing but she told me I needed to see high-risk as well. I went to see the high-risk doctor and he did not want to see me. He just was l​​ike, “You are a pretty low high-risk because it happened so late in your pregnancy. Take baby aspirin. Get some extra ultrasounds. We don't need to see you.” I said, “Great. That's perfect. I don't care.” But my midwife was like, “Nope. You need to see him every month if you want to continue with us.” Meagan: Was that the protocol of their staff or was that just her opinion giving her comfort of you seeing an OB?Sabina: Yep. I think it was her comfort because she said that then if something did happen, we had him on hand sort of thing. Meagan: Okay. Sabina: I still wanted a home birth. I wanted a home birth with my first. Obviously, it didn't happen so I still was totally comfortable. I knew it wasn't going to happen again. We were going to take every precaution but my midwife was like, “Nope. It's too risky because you are a VBAC and you've had that happen, we can't support you in a home birth.” Again, I didn't know all of the red flags at this time and I just trusted her too much to think otherwise. I pretty much left every midwife appointment crying because any time I had tried to be positive and be like, “Okay, well if I can't deliver at home, I'll deliver at the hospital,” they'd be like, “No. You can't deliver at this hospital. You have to go to a higher-level hospital.” Those were the ones where I stayed in the ICU for a week so I didn't want to go there. Meagan: Triggering. Sabina: Yeah, and that's where I had to go for the high-risk too. I was going there once a month and then 2-3 times a month toward the end of this hospital where we had been through all of this trauma. Eventually, I asked if I could do the appointments over the phone because you'd get the ultrasound then you'd have to wait 2-3 hours to see the doctor because they were always so behind. I checked my blood pressure. I was just like, “Can you just call me?” That was fine so it made it that much easier. Yeah. Eventually, my midwife said that if everything was fine by a certain point, she would talk to the OB at the hospital that I wanted to deliver at and see what they thought. Ultimately, they said I had to transfer to OB care if I wanted to deliver there. It was stupid. Again, another red flag. I had to be induced and yada, yada, yada. There were all of these stipulations and everything needed to be what they needed. We saw the OB once and I did not– we were in and out in 5 minutes. I did not like it. She could not have cared less about me. It was very obvious. My midwife said that starting at 38 weeks, we should try and do stretch and sweeps every few days to get things going before my due date. Meagan: She really wanted you to have a baby before that 41-week mark. Sabina: Yes, exactly. She was more scared than we were. Even my husband wasn't as scared and he is a very anxious person. Yeah. We started doing the stretch and sweeps and again, I should have refused but you don't know what you don't know at that point. I found The VBAC Link when I was 37 weeks so I wish I had found it earlier so that I could have done the course and saw all of these red flags and had taken things into my own hands. Eventually, we kept going in to get induced but we got sent home because there were no beds. Again, I was like, “Why are we doing this then? I'm obviously not high on their priority list.” Eventually, we went in. They broke my water. We waited to see if anything would happen and nothing did. They started Pitocin. For the first 6 hours on Pitocin, I was able to handle it but my husband and I were so uncomfortable in the hospital room mentally, physically, and emotionally. We didn't want to be there. We were never in the room alone so we couldn't be ourselves because there were strangers there. I eventually asked for the epidural. I told my midwife that if I asked for the epidural, try everything else first, then do the epidural. As soon as I asked for the epidural, she was just like, “Okay, let's do it.” No pushback, so that was super frustrating as well. We got the epidural then 2 hours later, a different OB came in, checked me, and was like, “No. You are not dilating. It's not working. You need a C-section.” Again, I didn't know this at the time, but she said there was no progress but I had dilated a centimeter. I had fully effaced and– yes, fully. Not just a little bit. Fully effaced. Meagan: If everybody could see my face right now, I'm like, what? That's not change or progress?Sabina: Then my cervix had come forward too. Meagan: Big changes all around. Sabina: Big changes. Big changes, just not fast enough for this doctor. I knew it wasn't necessary. I waited for my midwife to come in and fight for me and she just went along with it. I was like, “What? No.” I didn't know I had the right to just say, “No, I'm not doing that.” Neither did my husband. Meagan: Even though you had the right, it's still very hard. Sabina: It's very hard. Meagan: It's a very difficult thing to be like, “Actually, no. I've got two medical professionals here telling me what I should do but I think no and how do I say that?” Sabina: Yeah, and you're already in such a vulnerable state then there is all that negative energy too which really affects me. I'm a highly sensitive person so energies really affect me. Meagan: You were proof in your first birth too. As soon as that doctor walked in, I could feel that negative energy. I knew she didn't care about me. She wasn't in this job for the right reasons. I bawled and my husband tried to comfort me. He was like, “It's going to be different. We're going to remember everything. We know what's happening this time.” I just kept saying, “Yeah, but we don't need it. The baby is fine. I'm fine. It's just not necessary.”Anyway, eventually, we had the C-section and I just laid there on the table sobbing. I did obviously remember everything but I was just miserable. I was pumped full of every drug so I was exhausted. I think it really affected the bonding experience between me and my baby. That first night with my son, I wanted him constantly. I wanted him on me. I didn't want anyone to take him with her. I wanted her to sleep separately so I could sleep which is very unlike me. I really think all of the Pitocin and everything blocked my natural hormone releases. While I was lying on the table, my husband and the baby got taken away to the recovery room and I was just trying to rest. The OB was like, “So do you want more kids?” I was like, “Yeah.” She was like, “Well, they'll all have to be C-sections,” while I was laying on the table after sobbing that whole time. It was just horrible. Meagan: I don't want to interrupt you but I do because I want to point out to everyone that especially if you are a provider listening and you perform C-sections, please, please hear what we are saying today. What you say to us while we are on the table in the most vulnerable position– some of us are strapped down to a table– what you say to us impacts us. Every word that comes out of your mouth, please think about it. Please think about it because it impacts us and it impacts us longer– I'm getting emotional because I remember my provider talking crap like that and saying things like that. It impacts us longer than you will ever, ever know and it will impact us for every future birth. Please, providers. Please, please, please from the bottom of my heart, I beg of you. Watch what you say to people. Okay, sorry. Keep going. Sabina: That's okay. I totally agree with you. The lack of bedside manner, especially for VBACs because when you've gone through a C-section, even if it was planned or whatever, it still can be traumatic and they just don't get it. She even told me, “I had 3 C-sections. Once your baby is out, you won't care how it happened.” It's like, good for you but not everybody is the same as you. Maybe you don't care about birth experiences but lots of women do. It was super frustrating. We stayed one night in the hospital and then left. Of course, the PTSD came back. The midwives all tried to tell me that the C-section was necessary because her hands were up over her face so she wouldn't have come out anyway but their stories weren't the same so I realized that they were lying and were just trying to justify that it was necessary. Meagan: Yeah. That's unfortunate.Sabina: Yeah. The PTSD came back and I it got to a point– I can't remember how many months my daughter was but I was visiting with a neighbor and I was talking about my experiences and I was like, “Next time, I'm going to have a VBAC. I'm going to do whatever it takes to have a VBAC.” She was like, “Why would you even try that?” I was like, “What do you mean?” She was like, “Well, there's the risk of rupture so why would you even do that when you could just have a C-section?” It broke me. I came home. I bawled to my husband and a few days later, I was still really upset about it. He didn't know how to help which is fair and he was just like, “Maybe you need to see a therapist.” I'm sure there are some out there, but I couldn't find any that fit here and therapy is not something that I thought would help me. I know it helps lots of people so I started looking up my symptoms and things. I found out that it was PTSD. It got to a point where I was like, okay. I need to fix this for myself. I took The VBAC Link Course which already was super helpful just because I felt empowered going forward. I knew that my potentially both C-sections weren't necessary but definitely the second one. I knew the risks and benefits of having a vaginal birth after two C-sections. I had all of the proof in front of me. Then it also pushed me to become a doula. I've always wanted to be in the birth world. I became a nurse to work in obstetrics but then left nursing after 4 years because it just wasn't for me. I was like, “This is what I'm meant to do.”I wish I had known about doulas for my other two births. I took a doula course and then I took The VBAC Link Doula Course and within a month of starting my doula page, I already had a VBAC client who reached out which was super exciting. She got in with the midwives that I had, with the particular midwife that I had. I was like, “Okay. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe I can teach her about VBACs.” The first appointment, she was great apparently then after that, it was constantly, “Well, you have this so maybe we should do a hospital birth or you have this.” Every time she saw them, they were trying to push her to a hospital birth. She ended up having a free birth with me which was really cool. Meagan: She did? Really? Sabina: I told her from the get-go, “If that's something you want, I'm here for you. I'm totally comfortable with that.” Her original plan was just to maybe not call the midwives unless she felt something was wrong but then after some of those appointments, she was like, “No. They're not coming. We're not calling them. If we need help, we'll just go to the hospital.” Yeah. She had a free birth and it was awesome. It was great to be there. I was 14 weeks pregnant at the time so it was great for me. I actually met my doula a year before we even tried to conceive because I wanted to be prepared. She wasn't a VBAC doula, but she was newer and very open to the idea of having a home birth after C-sections. We became friends to the point where I actually attended her birth 3 months before she attended mine. Meagan: Oh my gosh, so cool. Sabina: Yeah, when I got pregnant with this one, I pretty much knew right away that I wasn't going to have a provider. It wasn't for me. I did apply to the midwife groups but every one of them either refused or said I was on the waitlist but I wasn't. As soon as they saw I wanted a home birth after two C-sections, that was thrown out. I mentioned it to my husband once and then the second time I mentioned it, he was fully on board which was mentioned. Meagan: Really? Because you said he was anxious about things yeah. Sabina: Anxious, yeah. But I had been educating him along the way too with everything that I learned. Any time I told him stories of other women who had difficult births or my client who was having these horrible appointments, he would get angry too so yeah. He really had become pretty educated on the topic which was amazing. He was very comfortable with our doula as well. He was like, “She's really knowledgeable.” We had a plan in place for if there was an actual emergency and if I wanted to transfer for whatever other reason. We had it set up and most other things I felt like I could handle myself unless it was one of the few very serious emergencies. My mindset going into this birth was amazing. I read daily affirmations to myself before bed and then I would listen to her heartbeat. I could hear it with a stethoscope around 15 weeks so every night I would listen to her heartbeat and I just felt so connected and so in tune with my body and my intuition which was something that kept getting shut down with my other births I found. It was the most stress-free pregnancy. We didn't do any tests. We got a couple of ultrasounds just because I like seeing the baby and I'm a very visual person but that was it. Both me and my husband were like, “This is amazing. We're just living our lives normally and not these stipulations and all of these worries being pushed on us.” I was checking my blood pressure but I just eventually was like, I don't really feel like I need to do this. It was very low. It was 90/50 for most of the pregnancy so I was like, I'm fine. I was still taking the aspirin just as a precaution but that was it. I wasn't in a rush. I wasn't like, baby has to be out at a certain time. I was just like, let's let things happen because we didn't get that opportunity with the last two. I had my mucus plug start to come out around 39 weeks and 4 or 5 days which was very exciting but I told my husband that it doesn't really mean much. Things are happening as they should. A couple of days later, the bloody show came out as well. Again, I was like, “We are fine. This could be going on for weeks. Whatever.”Then that night, so it was actually the morning of my due date, I had prodromal labor. I started feeling contractions and of course, I got excited but it started I think at 4:00 in the morning. I just sat there and breathed through them. They weren't intense. They were very easy to get through then me and my husband got everything ready when he got up then it stopped. I was like, “Okay, whatever. My body is just practicing.” For the next week or so, the mucus plug kept coming out throughout the week just in little bits. I didn't have any other contractions until– I have it written down here– the night of July 3rd into the morning of July 4th so probably 10 hours. I had prodromal labor overnight then it stopped as soon as I got up in the morning. I tried doing the Miles Circuit and both times it stopped the contractions so I was like, okay. Whatever. At least I know how to stop them. Meagan: Sometimes Miles Circuit does stop them because a lot of the times prodromal is a positional thing. Baby is trying to figure it out so the Miles Circuit helps with position and if it moves baby, it can stop them. Sabina: Yep. I was a little bit frustrated that day because I was like, I'm losing sleep now. I don't know if I should rest during the day because I still could be weeks away from giving birth. I was like, “We need to stay busy. We need to have plans for every day just so I don't feel like I'm rushing.”Meagan: Take your mind off of it. Sabina: Yeah. We kept busy that day then we were sitting after dinner. Around 8:00 PM I started feeling them again and I was like, “Great. Another night of no sleep. Okay, whatever.” The second night I had them, they were stronger than that first time but I could still breathe through them and stay lying down. That night they were even stronger which is odd because usually prodromal labor is the same. Meagan: It's monotone, yeah. Sabina: But these ones, I couldn't lay down which was really frustrating because I was so tired. I had to keep getting up. I tried doing the Miles Circuit and it didn't help so I was like, “Okay, I guess I'm going to stay awake all night.” In the morning, I got up and I was waiting for them to stop. I tried to have a hot shower and they were still going. It was 10:00 in the morning at this point and the other ones had always stopped at 8:00. I was like, “Okay. Maybe this is something.” My husband was like, “Get Jess here.” I was like, “Well, I'm fine though. I don't need the help.” But I texted her to let her know what was going on and then for my husband's sake, told her to come because I knew he needed that comfort. We called her and we called our friend who was going to come watch the kids. For the whole day, I was contracting and dealing with it beautifully. I was breathing through it no problem. I was excited every time I got a contraction. I wasn't timing them because I felt like that was stressing me out. I felt like they needed to be a certain length and a certain time apart. I stopped timing them and it was just really nice. Our friend was taking the kids swimming. Me and my doula were mulling around the house and she would play with the kids too. It was like we were all just hanging out. It was so peaceful. Then around 4:00, she does reflexology, my doula, so she got me to lay down and did some acupressure stuff on my feet. While she was doing that, I had a really big contraction and after that they pretty much stayed. I think that was the shift into active labor. My husband made everybody dinner which was nice and I was just in the kitchen picking up the food while going through contractions. Eventually, the kids went to bed and our friend left. At this point, it was 8:00 at night. I had the TENS machine on. I had been going back and forth from the toilet because the toilet is the dilaton station. Any time I had to go to the bathroom, I would stay there for 4-5 contractions. Again, I was still fully in control and mentally fully aware. I was happy in between contractions so around 9:30, I decided to get in the tub because they were still increasing. My husband and doula were both there. My husband and I really got to connect during this labor and he was so present. I had asked him after my previous births if he was proud of me. He was like, “I don't know if I would say proud.” He didn't mean it negatively, but it just hurt that he wasn't. So throughout this labor, anytime I looked at him, he'd tell me how proud he was of what I was doing or he would tell me how amazing I was and it was just so nice. He could hold me and we could just be ourselves without feeling the pressure of people watching. So then around 10:30, transition hit. I struggled. I was so mentally tired because I hadn't slept in three nights of no sleep and my mental strength had been what was keeping me going the rest of the time. I was struggling. It lasted 3.5 hours so it was a long transition. Of course, I had the moments of “I can't do this. I'm not strong enough” or whatever and my doula just went, “Okay, if that's how you feel then we need to talk about the alternative.” I was like, “No.” I shut it down. I can do this. We're not going anywhere so that was great. All she needed to say was that one thing. I felt my water break at 12:30 which was amazing because I'd never felt that before and it gave me that push then a couple of contractions later, my body started pushing on its own which again, was amazing. It was very intense and I just couldn't stop it. Every time I got a contraction, I couldn't stop myself from pushing so I just went with it. I could feel her. I reached up inside me and I could feel her head around 1:40ish which was so incredible. How cool is that? So a couple of contractions later, I could feel her crowning, and my husband– I sat up and my husband was like, “Oh my god. I can see the hair.” He was so excited. It was adorable. It took me another 20 minutes to get her head out. I had a lot of pressure in my back and on my right side so I was like, “Maybe she's posterior,” but I didn't know. Once her head came out, she wasn't posterior. Meagan: Was she looking sideways a little?Sabina: I think she was asynclitic because all the pain was on the right and I ended up tearing only on the right side so I'm pretty sure she was crooked. Her head wasn't really coned either so that's what I'm assuming. That's my guess anyway. Meagan: Yep. Coming down a little wonky. Sabina: Her head was out. I got to feel her. We didn't know the gender of this one either which was very exciting. We were 99% sure it was a boy so I kept referring to her as “it”. “Oh, I can feel its ear. It's turning.” I felt her turn too which was cool. My doula took videos. In the video, right before she came out, I said, “She's all gooey,” which is crazy to me because I thought it was a boy but in the moment I said “she”. It was very cool. I'm pretty sure that was all intuition. Meagan: That is crazy. Sabina: I had a 3.5-minute break between when her head came out and the next contraction then on the next contraction, I pushed 3 or 4 times. I felt her come out. I sat back and got to pull her up to my chest. I just looked at my husband and I was like, “We did it. We did it. She's here.” His reaction was everything. I don't think he realized she was out because I had been moving around so when I sat back I think he thought I was just readjusting then all of a sudden, I pull her out. He had a huge smile on his face. He put his hands on his face because he couldn't believe it. He started bawling and it was just, oh my god, incredible. She cried. The second I took her out of the water, she squawked and was moving around and everything. It was the best moment of my life. It was everything and even though it felt like a dream because I was so tired and of course, you're in shock that this actually happened, but it was incredible. She was totally healthy. I got to feel her cord pulsing. I didn't even get to see the placentas with the other two even though I wanted to so then we just stayed in the tub for a bit. I was extremely sore. Once that initial high wore off, I was like, “Holy crap. My crotch.” Meagan: I just had a baby. Sabina: I was like, “My crotch hurts.” My husband ran the other tub for us and we got to see the gender too which was super fun and a big shock to both of us. I got up to switch over to our shower tub and I was like, “Oh, there's a little bit of pressure.” I grunted and the placenta came out which was very cool because I didn't get to experience that the other two times. We went to the other tub and I got to do the placenta tour by myself. I got to let her latch by herself. I love those videos of babies finding the nipple themselves so I let her do that. She was coated thickly in vernix. For a 41-week baby, it was super thick. I think it was intentional for me because I always wanted that gooey baby and she was extremely gooey. I have photos of it all over my face, all over my nose. It was just everywhere. Yeah. Then we transferred to the bed. We got to cut the cord. I made a little cord tie because I hate those plastic chip clip things. I made her a cord tie and I got to put that on. When the kids woke up in the morning, they just got to come in the bedroom and she was there so it was the best. My doula was great. She did counterpressure and she helped my husband any time he was having moments of panic. At one point, I said, “What's taking so long? Is she stuck?” That's his trigger. For some reason, he's terrified of the babies getting stuck. You can see in the video that he looks over to my doula all panicked. I didn't know because she just calmed him down without me knowing which was great. Sabina: I did tear. When I was in the tub, I looked down and I saw something floating. I was like, oh is it gunk? But it was a piece of my inner labia that had ripped off. Meagan: So what did you do about that? Did you let it heal naturally? Did you do the super glue thing?Sabina: I've never heard of the super glue thing but I wouldn't have tried that. Meagan: Yes, super glue. There are some midwives here in Utah, birth center and home birth midwives who when there's a little bit more tear that would maybe make them say, “We need to do some stitches but not too bad,” they would superglue it. It's pretty minor, but they would superglue it. They just say that it causes more trauma to put a needle in, a needle in, a needle in, yeah. Sabina: I originally told myself that if I tore, I would just let it heal, but I couldn't actually figure out where it attached to. We even got a mirror and we were trying to figure out where it had actually ripped off of so I was like, “You know what? We're going to have to go in.” There's a really small hospital about 20 minutes from us. We went to the emergency room and told them, “I just gave birth. I don't have midwives. I need to be stitched up.” They sent us to the OB unit. The doctor really took his time and he stitched up every little tear that he saw which I didn't really want but I didn't know any different. At one point, I asked, “How many stitches are you putting in?” He was like, “You've kind of got a zig-zag tear up.” That was part of it and then beside my urethra. “I'm trying to fix it but I'm also trying to make it look aesthetically pleasing.” I was like, “Okay, I appreciate that. I want it to look decent afterward.” We did have some issues with her. They wouldn't leave her alone even though we didn't want her looked at. There was one doctor in particular who just really caused a lot of problems and threatened to call child services and stupid stuff like that. In hindsight, I would have just let them call child services because she was perfectly healthy and they would have come here. They did end up coming here even after we did what they wanted and she was like, “Why am I here? This is so unnecessary and such a waste of my time.” In hindsight, that's what we would have done. Anyway, the stitching was fine then we came home. I healed. The stitches were the most uncomfortable and sore part. With everything else, I healed relatively quickly. I was back to working out just after two weeks which I know is very quick. Meagan: Whoa, that's really quick. Sabina: That's just me. I did that with my C-sections too. Meagan: You felt really good. Sabina: After the C-sections too, I was back after two weeks with light stuff. I worked my way up. I didn't just go back to the intense stuff. My husband even said that it was the best experience of his life and he would gladly do that again over what we had been through. It was amazing. It was amazing. Meagan: I'm so happy for you. I can see the joy. I can see this cute little one right here. Oh my goodness. I am so happy for you. Sabina: Thank you. Meagan: I'm happy you had that support. You had that team. You even had support for your kids. You had everything planned out and I'm so, so, so happy for you. Sabina: Thank you. I should point out too that she was our biggest baby. Meagan: Was she?Sabina: Our other two were 6 pounds, 14 ounces and she was 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Of course. Meagan: Okay, that's definitely a lot bigger of a baby. I wanted to talk about that too. It's actually going to be in another episode where we are talking about big babies. Did people ever comment on your pregnancy like, “Oh,” and did that ever impact you like, “Oh my gosh, maybe I'd have too big of a baby?” Sabina: I honestly instinctively knew it was going to be our biggest baby because I knew that I was going to deliver vaginally. With the other two, their heads were in the 5th percentile and they would have slipped out. I knew it was going to be challenging and I knew that I was meant to have the biggest challenge that I could basically. She was very fluid-filled so she lost over a pound after birth. She dropped down to the low 7s so I don't know if the vernix had anything to do with that, but I looked the exact same as the other two pregnancies, maybe even smaller. It just looked like I had a soccer ball stuffed up my shirt. I was not big at all. Meagan: Okay, okay. That's good. Sabina: Yeah, we never really got comments about a big baby or anything. 8,5 is big but not crazy big. Meagan: It's not but it's bigger than 6 pounds. So many people are being told, “Oh my gosh. You're so big.” All of these things. Don't let people get to you, Women of Strength. Believe and understand that your body is going to make the right-sized baby.Sabina: Yep, exactly. Just because you're big doesn't mean your baby is big. You could have lots of fluid. It could be how you're carrying. It's all so silly. The ultrasounds are silly. Meagan: Torsos. Sabina: Yeah, exactly. If you have a shorter torso, you're going to stick out further which makes sense. I weighed myself before and after birth just out of curiosity. I had gained 18 pounds during pregnancy and I lost 16 of it with her coming out. So 16 pounds of baby, fluid, and placenta is a lot. Meagan: That is a lot and that's amazing. People have a hard time bouncing back like that. You just bounced back right after the baby was born. I also wanted to talk about HELLP syndrome a little bit because there are people who worry about it happening with future pregnancies. You had mentioned that your provider was like, “Well, you are a low risk because it happened so late in pregnancy.” According to the Preeclampsia Foundation, HELLP syndrome, there are two L's in this and is it hemolysis?Sabina: Hemolysis? Meagan: I'm like, I never know how to say that. Elevated liver enzyme levels so that pain that she was describing in the beginning was her liver. It was her liver. Anyway, we've got symptoms of blurry vision, pain or sharpness in that upper-right middle part of the belly, headache– and she mentioned it was on her right side but these are things that are common with preeclampsia. A headache, blurry vision, overall not feeling well, fatigue, sweats– I only had one client who had HELLP but she had night sweats. She would wake up and was just Iike, “I just was so wet then I would feel yucky.” Sabina: I had a lot of that in the recovery of HELLP syndrome. I was very sweaty at night. Meagan: Very, very sweaty at night, yeah. Super nauseated that continues to get worse. Nose bleeds are kind of a weird thing but that can be a symptom and they can have a hard time stopping. You keep getting nosebleeds. And seizures. They are the last and most serious and weight gain and swelling. Sabina: Yeah, the major one. Meagan: But according to the Preeclampsia Foundation, women who have had HELLP syndrome in previous pregnancies have a 2-19% chance of getting it again. 2-19% is pretty low.Sabina: That's the range. Meagan: Women who experience HELLP before 29 weeks of gestation in their first pregnancy may have an even higher risk though. So where your provider was like, “It was 41 weeks,” you had a lot of a lower risk. Just know if you have had HELLP syndrome, could you get it again? Yes. Will you get it again? Maybe, but your chances are lower than if you got it earlier on. Sabina: Yeah, and there are a lot of precautionary things you can do to prevent it. Meagan: That's what I was just going to say so we can talk about that. If you've had HELLP syndrome, and even just preeclampsia, what are some things? You mentioned aspirin. What are some other things you did to try and avoid it in future pregnancies?Sabina: As I mentioned, I'm a very active person so obviously a healthy lifestyle in general is going to help but then we did a lot of extra urinary tests and blood work. Even if you have no symptoms, it can still show up in those tests so maybe if we had done blood work for me or a urine sample, we would have known ahead of time. Those are really the only ones I did to help prevent it. Then I checked my blood pressure twice a day at home which was excessive but with all of the pressure from my providers, I just felt like I should. Meagan: I think it's warranted for sure. Sabina: Yeah. It was a good way to monitor. Sometimes it would go up slightly so you'd be cautious and then if it went back down, you're like, okay it's fine. It was just a one-off thing. Like I said, with this pregnancy too, I did all of those things other than the tests. I took the aspirin. I stayed healthy. I made sure I was well-hydrated the whole pregnancy. Meagan: Yes. I was going to say hydration. Sabina: Yes, that's a hard one. It's something I struggle with on a daily basis. Meagan: I know. I struggle and I'm not even pregnant. That's why I love our Needed hydration packets from our Needed partner and it helps me because hydration is so hard. Sabina: It is. Meagan: Hydrate. Make sure you are watching out for those symptoms. If you've had it, don't hesitate to call your provider or take charge of your care. Thank you so much again for sharing your beautiful stories. I really appreciate you so much. I'm trying to think if we've had a free birth, an intentional free birth. Sabina: You've had one and I've listened to it. Meagan: Have we had one?Sabina: You've had one and it was Ashley Winning. Meagan: Oh, duh. Of course. Yes. Sabina: She was the first one who I had ever had of a free birth then I found Free Birth Society after that so she started me down this path. Meagan: Yes. Oh, she's so great and she's in Australia. Definitely someone to listen to for sure. Okay. Well thank you so much and congrats and we'll talk to you later. Sabina: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. This was a dream come true in so many ways. Meagan: Oh, it makes me so happy that you're here. And remember if you're looking for a doula, go find her. Her link will be on today's episode. ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Following an emergency c-section due to HELLP syndrome in her first pregnancy, Jolene Brink was determined to have a different birthing experience with her second child. Through the support of a knowledgeable medical team and insights gained from her EBB Childbirth Class, she successfully achieved her goal of an unmedicated VBAC with the birth of her son, Guthrie, in 2022. Jolene's journey towards a VBAC was a transformative process of healing, empowerment, and reclaiming her birthing experience, showcasing the importance of advocacy and informed decision-making in maternal healthcare. Resources: Check out Doulas of Duluth to learn from her instructors Cooper Orth and Dana Morrison, and follow them on Instagram! Learn about Jolene's work here! Read The Preeclampsia Foundation's article on HELLP Syndrome Follow the Preeclampsia Foundation on Instagram van Oostwaard, M. F. et al. (2015). "Recurrence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: An individual patient data meta-analysis." Am J Obstet Gynecol 212(5): 624.e1-17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25582098/ Duley, L., et al. (2019). "Antiplatelet agents for preventing pre-eclampsia and its complications." Cochrane Database Syst Rev. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6820858/ Listen to the Evidence on VBAC - EBB 113 EBB Childbirth Class now includes a module all about planning a VBAC! Learn more about the EBB Childbirth class here. For more information about Evidence Based Birth and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.

In today's heartfelt episode, Erika shares her challenging and inspiring journey into motherhood with her two little boys. Erika opens up about conceiving after a short period of trying, only to face the heartbreaking loss of her first pregnancy due to a missed miscarriage at 10 weeks. She candidly shares her emotional and physical experiences of conceiving again after this loss. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by my online childbirth education course, The Birth Class. What makes The Birth Class so unique? Well, instead of learning from one person with one perspective, we've gathered nine perinatal health specialists to take you through everything you need to know about labour and birth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Christina Pinnock is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist/Perinatologist based in California and creator of the ZerotoFour Podcast. She is here to help us tackle topics like what constitutes a high-risk pregnancy, lupus, preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, gestational diabetes, fibroids, and bicornuate uteruses and how they relate to VBAC. The overarching theme of this episode is that all pregnancies are individual experiences. If you are hoping to achieve a VBAC and you have pregnancy complications, find a provider whose goals align with yours. By ensuring that your comfort levels are a good match, you are on your way to a safe and empowering birth experience!Dr. Pinnock's Website and PodcastNeeded WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details 00:58 Review of the Week03:13 Dr. Christina Pinnock03:56 Importance of a VBAC-supportive provider06:36 High-risk pregnancies11:02 Lupus and TOLAC14:31 Preeclampsia 17:19 Varying ranges of preeclampsia20:46 HELLP Syndrome 26:36 Other High-risk situations 27:54 Gestational Diabetes35:00 Inductions with gestational diabetes42:25 Fibroids 46:33 Do fibroids tend to grow during pregnancy? 51:20 Bicornuate UterusMeagan: Have you ever been told that you were high risk, so you'll be unable to TOLAC? Or maybe you can totally TOLAC assuming nothing high-risk comes into play? What does high risk mean? We often get questions in our inbox asking if having your previous cesarean makes them high risk. Or questions about topics like preeclampsiaclampsia, gestational diabetes, bicornuate uterus, fibroids, and more. I am so excited to have board-certified OB/GYN Dr. Christina Pinnock on the show today. She is a high-risk pregnancy doctor passionate about educating women along their pregnancy journeys so they can be more informed and comfortable during their pregnancy. She is located in California and has a podcast of her own called “ZerotoFour” where she talks about topics that will help first-time moms prepare for, thrive, and recover from pregnancy as well as shares evidence-based information and answers everyday questions like we are going to discuss today. 00:58 Review of the WeekMeagan: We do have a Review of the Week, so I'm going to jump into that and then we can dive in to get into these fantastic questions from Dr. Christina Pinnock. Today's reviewer's name is Obsessed!!!! It says, “The best VBAC and birth podcast. I am grateful to have discovered Meagan and this podcast. I definitely believe listening to stories of these amazing women and their parent's course helped me achieve my two VBACs. Thank you for all you do The VBAC Link.”Oh, thank you so much Obsessed!!!!!  And as always if you wouldn't mind, drop us a review leave us a comment and you never know, it may be read on the next podcast. 03:13 Dr. Christina PinnockMeagan: Okay, Women of Strength. I am seriously so, so excited to have our guest here with us today! Dr. Christina, is it Pinnock? How do you say it? Dr. Pinnock: Yes that's perfect.Meagan: Ok, just wanted to make sure I was saying it correctly. Welcome to the show! You guys, she is amazing and has been so gracious to accept our invitation here to today to talk about high-risk pregnancy and what it means. Hopefully, we'll talk a little bit about gestational diabetes because that's a big one when it comes to VBAC. And if we have time, so much more. So welcome to the show and thank you again for being here.Dr. Pinnock: Thank you so much for having me, I'm excited to be here and chat with you and your audience about these great topics, so thank you.03:56 Importance of a VBAC-supportive providerMeagan: Yes! Okay well, this isn't a question we had talked about, but I'm curious. Being in California, do you find it hard to find support for VBAC or do you find it easy? I mean, California is so big and you're in Mountain View. So I don't know exactly where that is. You said the Bay Area, right? So how is it in your area? How is VBAC viewed in the provider world in your area?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, that's a good question. I actually did most of my training on the East Coast, so it's been a good experience seeing the differences in coastal practices. I think where I did my training we were pretty open to VBACs and supported them. In California, I've had a similar experience and I think it really depends on where you are.  I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area and I work at an institution where we support TOLACs and want our moms to VBAC as long as it's safe and it's what they desire. But I really think the opportunity to TOLAC depends on your individual OB provider that you have and their comfort in offering that. And importantly, the hospital resources that you have available in your area. California's huge and depending on where you live it can be a very, very different infrastructure both geographically and specifically within the hospital. And so I really think that differences in that offering is based around those resources rather than maybe patient desire or even sometimes provider desire. So it really just depends on those things. Meagan: That's so good to know. I mean, we tell our community all the time that provider is a really, really big key when it comes to being supported. But also I love that you were talking about the actual hospital because for me with my second– I had a VBAC after 2 C-sections and with my second, my provider was 100% gung-ho and super supportive. But in the end, I ended up switching because the hospital was going to end up restricting my provider in supporting me in the way he wanted to support me, right? So it's also really important to vet your location and your hospital.Dr. Pinnock: Yes, absolutely. Sometimes, someone may live in a location where they don't have that choice, unfortunately. If you do have that choice and you can choose hospitals and providers that can support it, by all means if you have that ability. 06:36 High-risk pregnanciesMeagan: Absolutely. Ok well, let's dive in more to high-risk. So a lot of the time, I'd love to see what you think about this. A lot of the time, providers will tell moms because they've had a previous Cesarean, not even a special scar or anything like that, that they are automatically grouped into the high-risk category. So I don't know what your thoughts are on that in general, but let's talk more about high-risk pregnancy. What does it mean? What does it look like for TOLAC? How is it usually treated? And are there often restrictions given for those moms? Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, no. That's a really good question. One thing about pregnancy, there's some level of risk in all pregnancies. No matter if you're completely healthy, no medical problems, or you're trying to TOLAC, or you have other medical conditions that exist before pregnancy, all pregnancies carry some level of risk but not all the risks are equal. There are some conditions that the mother can have before pregnancy that can put her pregnancy at a higher risk of developing some complications. There are some conditions that can actually develop during pregnancy that can cause the pregnancy to be at a higher risk of developing complications. Lastly, there are some conditions specific to the placenta, the baby, how the baby developed, or even the genetic makeup of the baby that can contribute to a high risk of having complications. All of these three categories can impact the status of your pregnancy being considered high-risk. So typically, if you have a condition that falls in one of those three boats, then your pregnancy could be considered a higher risk. Usually having a previous C-section or even two previous C-sections by itself is not really something that I would use to classify someone as having a high-risk pregnancy. I do think that definitely talking with your provider about your desire for delivery earlier on can help both people to be on the same page, but if you otherwise have nothing else going on in the pregnancy and you have one previous C-section or even two previous C-sections, I think the pregnancy itself, I wouldn't consider it a high-risk pregnancy. Meagan: That's good to know. Dr. Pinnock: Yeah no, absolutely. And when you think about the delivery, I think about it a little bit differently than the pregnancy. I think for the delivery if you are interested in having a TOLAC and you have a previous C-Section or two, then the management of your delivery and the risk of your delivery isn't the same as someone who hasn't had a C-section. I think about them as like two different boats. But overall, conditions that are related to maternal health can be high blood pressure, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions like lupus. Those things can cause your pregnancy to be considered high-risk. A good example of a few things that can develop in pregnancy that can make your pregnancy high-risk include things like preeclampsia which is high blood pressures of pregnancy. Having twins or having triplets can make your pregnancy a higher risk. In some instances, even gestational diabetes depending on what's going on and where you are can be considered a pregnancy with some high-risk features. And then genetic conditions for baby whether that's a difference in how one of your babies' organs developed, or a genetic condition that's discovered from testing; any of those things can really impact that high-risk status and how your pregnancy will be monitored and managed after that. Meagan: Ah these are all such great topics and actually things that we get in our inbox. Like, “Hey, I have lupus,” or we'll have one of our VBAC doulas say, “Hey, I have a client who has lupus. She really wants to TOLAC and have a VBAC. What does that mean for her?” Obviously, all of these conditions are going to be treated differently throughout the pregnancy and probably even during the labor and delivery portion. 11:02 Lupus and TOLAC Meagan: I don't know if we can touch on a couple of those like lupus. What does that look like for someone? If I have lupus coming in, I'm doing okay right now. I have it. What does that look like for someone wanting to TOLAC and to have a VBAC?Dr Pinnock: Yeah. I think it's similar to your first question about whether a C-section would make your pregnancy considered high-risk. So the lupus diagnosis would increase the risk of certain medical conditions happening in pregnancy relating to both mom and baby. Your doctor may get some extra blood work to monitor how your lupus is progressing in pregnancy. Your doctor may get some extra ultrasounds to make sure that baby isn't too small and add some extra monitoring to make sure that baby is staying safe and that if there is a risk for baby to be in distress that that is picked up. And so the actual monitoring and management of the pregnancy is usually done with the help of a high-risk pregnancy doctor like myself with an OB provider. That is really specific to what is going on with that person. If everything goes smoothly and lupus stays under control and we get to the moment where we're thinking about how we're going to deliver baby, that's sort of a separate boat. In an ideal world, everything goes well in terms of the lupus and pregnancy and if you're interested in having a TOLAC, having a diagnosis of lupus should not restrict you from that option. You can still have that as an option but it really just depends on the specifics of how your pregnancy has unfolded. Have you developed any other conditions like high blood pressures in pregnancy or preeclampsiaclampsia where your doctor is maybe thinking you may need to deliver earlier? Are there things going on with your baby where we think baby is under more stress where we would really need to be very intentional about how we deliver baby? It's a really nuanced thing and it's based on the specifics on that person's condition. I think an overarching theme is whatever is going on with the pregnancy that impacts the delivery if things are not going as smoothly. But if things are going smoothly and you want to try for a TOLAC, that's not necessarily a reason to say, “No, you absolutely can't do this,” unless there are specific conditions that came up in your pregnancy that make it less safe for either you or baby as the mom. Meagan: Yeah. Something that I'm just hearing you say so much that's standing out is that really is individual, depending on that individual and depending on that individual's case. I think that's something important for listeners to hear because someone who may have lupus that's going really, really fine, TOLACs going to be a really great option for them. But someone who may have active symptoms and it's going and it's really hard, that may be a different suggestion in the end. But I like that you're like, We're in this boat and then we travel over to this boat into this time, and then it's a matter of how we float that boat and how we get to our destination.Dr. Pinnock: Exactly.14:31 Preeclampsia Meagan: Would you say that the same thing goes for preeclampsia? Preeclampsia can develop at any stage of pregnancy. I mean, we've had clients in weeks 18-20 develop it and then have to be really closely watched and all of these things. Is that someone also where you would say the same thing? Where it's like, We're in this boat doing these things and these tests and monitoring, and then again we get into this next boat and we have to decide what the best route is?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, no. That's a good question. I think it's similar but a little different with preeclampsia. It depends on the type of preeclampsia that's going on. Preeclampsia is a spectrum and with the part of the spectrum that's more on the severe side, we still try for a vaginal birth. It really depends on, as you've mentioned, how far along you are in the pregnancy.Maybe you are 28 weeks and you have such a severe form of preeclampsia that your doctor is like, “I don't think we can get any more time with the pregnancy,” that's a very different situation than someone who has a very non-severe form of preeclampsia at 39 weeks who wants to TOLAC and have all of those options available. It really does depend but the overall theme with preeclampsia if you do want to try for a vaginal birth and your health and baby's health are stable in the moment, then usually we do try as much as possible to have a vaginal birth. But things like very early gestational age and really severe complications of preeclampsia make the possibility of having a vaginal birth less likely. It makes the possibility of someone who wants to TOLAC in that setting less likely. It really depends on the severity of that spectrum of preeclampsia, but we always try for a vaginal birth if we can. Meagan: Yeah. This may be too hard of a question to answer, but can we talk about that range and the severity? What does a low to moderate to severe case of preeclampsia look like in a person? What would be considered that severe, “Hey, we might need to reconsider our birth desire here,” to “Hey, you have it. It's really low right now,” or to “We're in choppy waters right now.”17:19 Varying ranges of preeclampsiaDr. Pinnock: That's a good question. Pre-e is defined as elevated blood pressure in pregnancy after 20 weeks. So once you hit 20 weeks, if your blood pressures are elevated, 140/90 times multiple times and we see any evidence of preeclampsia's impact in some organs in your body.One of the most common things that we used to use to diagnose is the presence of protein in the urine. Once we see that, we're like, “Oh, man. I think you may have preeclampsia,” then we do an evaluation of the rest of the body to understand how severe it is. Preeclampsia is a disease that's thought to develop from the placenta when it implanted. It can cause dysfunction or impact on the organs. It can cause severe headaches. It can cause changes in your vision and problems with your blood cells, your liver, your lungs, and your kidneys. We go from head to toe and take a look at how those organs are being impacted by preeclampsia and then we ask you how you're doing. If you're having a headache, if you're having changes in your vision, pain in the belly, and all of that, it helps us to understand the severity. So depending on your symptoms, your blood work, and your blood pressures, those things together help us say, “Is this a severe form of preeclampsia?” and if it is, then we usually have some specific things that we have to do. Generally, you likely are monitored in the hospital. We keep a close eye on your blood pressure and your organs. That pregnancy is considered to be very high risk. Very high risk for a harm for mom, so risk of seizures, impact on the organs that can sometimes be lifelong and risk to baby. The highest risk to baby is that risk of being born early, so pre-term delivery. And usually if you have severe preeclampsia, we usually recommend delivery no later than 34 weeks. So once we do develop that severe form, we keep a close eye on things. If you have the non-severe form, so if your organs look oay and your blood pressures are stable but you have some protein in your urine and we do think you have preeclampsia but it's not severe, then we give you some more time. We still monitor you and baby very closely, but we can maybe try to get the pregnancy up until 37 weeks and after that, the risk of continuing the pregnancy and harm to maybe the mom and baby are a bit higher than some of the risks of being born at 37 weeks. So at that time is when we would say, “Let's have a birthday.” It really depends on those things. Meagan: Okay, that's so good to know. I think sometimes that also can vary like, I've got high blood pressure, but I don't have protein. Or I've got a trace of protein but I'm doing okay, I don't have any symptoms. But we also know with preeclampsia it is important to watch really closely no matter whether severe or not because it can turn quickly. Where you have zero signs and the next morning and you wake up with a headache and crazy swelling and you have that blurred vision with really high numbers. So it's just really important to watch.Dr. Pinnock: Exactly.20:46 HELLP SyndromeMeagan: I really do like to ask that question because a lot of people ask, do I have to have a C-section? Do I have to be induced? What does that mean? Am I severe or not severe? And we also note, we weren't even talking about this, but HELLP syndrome. So we can develop more, right? Preeclampsia affects more the mom, but then alsothe  baby timewise. HELLP syndrome is another really high-risk complication. What would you suggest for that when it comes to TOLAC because we have platelets being affected there? That one is a tricky, tricky one. Dr. Pinnock: I think HELLP syndrome is on that same spectrum of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. But HELLP syndrome can be pretty life-threatening and dangerous for mom and by extension baby. So HELLP syndrome is when we find that your body's sort of hemolyzing so there are some things in your blood that's causing your blood vessels to sort of open red blood cells. We find also that you have elevated liver enzymes so your liver's being impacted pretty severely and then the platelets or the blood cells that help with clotting get really, really low. And so the combination of that with or without elevated blood pressures make us very concerned about HELLP. So the worry is if we don't deliver the baby pretty expeditiously and deliver the placenta which is thought to be really the source of the diagnosis, mom can get really ill and we really try to deliver as soon as possible. The exact way we deliver is really dependent on the specifics of what is going on. So maybe if your liver enzymes are very, very elevated and there's a high concern for mom's health and safety, your doctor may say, “I don't think we have time to try for a TOLAC, especially if you're not in labor. I think it would be too unsafe. I think I would recommend a C-section at this time because of that,” then that would be that recommendation. Sometimes we do try for a vaginal birth with HELLP, but it would be a case where we would want to limit how long we try but overall we try to deliver as fast as possible either vaginally or with a C-section. And if you do want to try for a TOLAC in that setting, I think my recommendation is to really, really be open to whatever is best for your health and your babys health. That's my advice for all women who are in labor. It's such an unpredictable experience and you can come in with your desires and your doctor can come in with their desires for you, and your baby or your health just dictates something else. And so with HELLP, that's an even more significant moment where if your body's telling us one thing, we have to listen. You may not be eligible for a TOLAC at that point. I think in more cases than not, many providers may not have that bandwidth or think it's safe to try for TOLAC in that setting. Meagan: Yeah. I've had very few clients as a doula who have had HELLP, but one of the clients– they actually both ended up having a Cesarean, but one of the clients' providers was even uncomfortable with even having an epidural and actually suggested general anesthesia. Is that a common thing if HELLP is super severe that could possibly be what's suggested or best?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, no as I mentioned with that kind of diagnosis, you can have pretty low platelets. And so when we think about a procedure like an epidural or even a spinal, so any sort of neuraxial anesthesia where we're not putting mom to sleep, we're just numbing mom from the waist down, that requires insertion of a needle or a catheter in the back. That's near a lot of important structures so once you have that puncture, you're going to have some bleeding. And if those platelets aren't enough to sort of prevent that bleeding from extending, then our anesthesia team may not be comfortable doing that procedure safely because it's not safe. They may offer to give some platelets etc but often with HELLP, it may not be as fast acting and sometimes you may just hemolyze again. Those platelets may go back to being very low and if we are thinking about having a delivery urgently, delaying for that reason may not be safe for mom and baby. Oftentimes, if the platelets are too low, then our anesthesia colleagues, who are a very important part of the team, may recommend against trying for an epidural or even a spinal and recommend general anestheia.In my experience, I don't do C-sections under general anesthesia often, but when I do, it's usually recommended for a very, very significant reason and it's always with the safety of mom and baby in mind. It's never something that we want to do. It's only something that we do if we have to do for mom's safety or for baby's safety. Meagan: Yeah. So good to know. And they actually ended up doing a platelet transfusion as well specifically for the Cesarean. Obviously, we know blood loss is a thing that's a big surgery so they were trying to help her there. 26:36 Other High-risk situationsMeagan: Okay, well are there any other high-risk scenarios where you feel like truly impact the ability to have a TOLAC offered?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah. I think the highest risk conditions that could prevent mom from having a TOLAC are probably conditions related to the heart or lungs where the physiology or the changes that happen in labor can make it so that a vaginal birth is not safe or recommended for mom or baby. A TOLAC in those high-risk settings is often not recommended. There are a lot of cardiac and lung conditions that we take care of. There are not that many that we would say you can't have a vaginal birth, but sometimes there are blood vessels in the heart that can be dilated or blood vessels near the heart that can be dilated that we may say, “No, you definitely need a C-section,” so if you wanted to TOLAC we wouldn't recommend that. Those are probably the highest-risk conditions that I take care of and where a TOLAC is not recommended or even offered because it's just not considered to be safe. 27:54 Gestational DiabetesMeagan: Okay that's so good to know. Okay, let's jump in a little bit to gestational diabetes. We can have both managed and not managed. Do you have any advice for listeners who may have gestational diabetes or maybe had gestational diabetes last time and they're preparing to become pregnant or wanting to learn more about how to avoid it if possible or anything like that? Do you have any suggestions to the listeners?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, that is one of my favorite things. I really believe that just paying close attention to your health and taking steps before pregnancy can make a world of a difference in your risk of developing certain conditions. Gestational diabetes is one of those conditions that can be definitely most susceptible to things that we can do before pregnancy. And so I know that this is going to maybe sound like a broken record to those who had gestational diabetes before, but just look at your lifestyle factors. I think that the most undervalued or underestimated intervention is really exercise. It doesn't have to be your training for an Iron Man or a marathon. It could just be like a 20-minute walk every day or a ten-minute job every day and work your way up. We definitely found that aerobic exercise more days of the week than not, and resistance training, it could be with resistant bands, if you have any sort of light weights or even body weight. Any resistance training to help build up that muscle mass can help to reduce your risk of getting gestational diabetes. If you couple that with adjusting your diet, and diet is such a big topic but essentially no matter what your background is, focusing on the whole foods of your cultural background is best. So low processed foods, more homecooked meals with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, and limitations of red meat and processed foods. All of those things can go a long way with preventing gestational diabetes and also reducing the recurrence of gestational diabetes. I'm really passionate about that. Meagan: Yeah, us too. I didn't have gestational diabetes, I had kidney stones weirdly enough because my body metabolizes nutrients differently during pregnancy and anyway, it's totally not gestational diabetes but I had to look at my pregnancies and before as something like that. Really dialing in on nutrition. Really dialing in on my exercise. And I couldn't agree more with you that it doesn't have to be this big overwhelming Iron Man training or running a marathon. It really can be a casual 20, 30-minute stroll around the neighborhood walking the dog or whatever and dialing in on those whole foods. We love the book Real Food for Gestational Diabetes by Lily Nichols. If you haven't ever heard of that, it's amazing. It's a really great one. You might love it. And I definitely suggest that to all of my clients. She even has one for Real Food During Pregnancy. Just eating good food and then we love Needed because we know that getting our protein and getting the nutrients that wer eally need can really help like you said recurring and current and just avoiding hopefully. So we really love that topic, too. But gestational diabetes doesn't just nix the opportunity to TOLAC, correct?Dr. Pinnock: No, it doesn't. Gestational diabetes can be a really tough diagnosis for a lot of women to get in pregnancy. It can be really disappointing especially if you may be a relatively healthy, active person and you don't have a lot of risk factors for developing gestational diabetes. It can kind of feel like a gut punch almost. Meagan: Yeah! And it's very overwhelming because you're like, What? No! Dr. Pinnock: It is! And it happens fast. You're diagnosed and then you have a flurry of things that you have to now do and change and think about. It can be very stressful. But I always tell my patients that there are things that put some people at risk of developing gestational diabetes more than others, but all women because of those placenta hormones can have insulin resistance or your body's just not responding as well to the insulin that you're making. Depending on those risk factors, some women develop it. Some women don't. And once you do develop gestational diabetes, it's something that we really pay attention to because it can increase the risk of things for moms so particularly it can increase the risk of mom developing preeclampsia and it can increase the risk of things for baby. Babies can be on the bigger side or have macrosomia if the blood sugars are too high. They can actually have a higher risk of having a birth injury if we're having a vaginal birth or mom may actually have a higher risk of needing a C-section if you're trying to TOLAC and baby's on the bigger side. Rarely, and this is sort of the thing we worry about the most, is that if those blood sugars are too high for too long, baby can be in distress on the inside and it can increase the risk of having a stillbirth or having baby pass away. So because of those things, once we diagnose it, we do pay attention to it and we try our best to sort of make those changes hopefully with diet and exercise to sort of manage the blood sugars. If we're having perfect blood sugars with those changes, then wonderful. If we're not, and it happens and you need some additional support then your doctor provider may recommend some other management options like medications to help to bring the blood sugars down. But I think, when we think about TOLAC, we want to think about separately managing the pregnancy, keeping mom and baby safe, and then thinking about the safety of delivery. So as long as the baby's size isn't too big, as long as mom and baby are healthy and safe, you can definitely try for TOLAC with gestational diabetes. But those two things are big “buts”. You really want to try your best to manage your blood sugars so baby's size doesn't work against your efforts of trying to have a TOLAC.35:00 Inductions with gestational diabetesMeagan: Yeah, we know that the size can definitely impact providers' suggestions or comfortablity to offer TOLAC. And we know big babies come out all of the time, but we know sometimes there's some more risk like you were saying. So can we talk to the point of inductions?So a lot of providers will, and you kind of touched on it. There can be an increased risk of stillbirth. But a lot of providers seem to be suggesting that induction happens at 39 weeks. Some of the evidence shows that in a controlled situation, meaning all of the sugars are controlled, but what do you see and what do you suggest when someone is wanting a TOLAC, has gestational diabetes, may have a baby measuring larger or may have a provider who is uncomfortable with induction which we see all the time? Any suggestion there and what do you guys do over in your place of work?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, that's a great question and it's something that I individualize to every patient. So let's think about it in two different buckets or three different buckets. Say you have gestational diabetes that's pretty well controlled with just diet. So with diet and exercise, your numbers are pristine. Baby is a good size, we're not over that 4500-gram mark where we start to say, “Is it really safe to try for a vaginal birth?” and that's okay. If we are in that boat, then I think it's reasonable to allow for mom to go into labor and try for TOLAC if that's their desire. The exact gestational age at which someone goes into labor varies. We don't have a crystal ball. We don't know. Meagan: Nope.Dr. Pinnock: We do have to balance waiting for that labor process with the inherent risk of babies being less happy and distressed and the risk for a stillbirth as the pregnancy progresses. Now, if you have gestational diabetes that's well controlled with diet, we think from the studies that we have that our risk of stillbirth is similar to someone who does not have gestational diabetes which is good. And so for those pregnancies, depending on your specific location and provider, we may do some monitoring with non-stress tests or something like that later in the pregnancy until you deliver. Usually, we start at around 36 weeks or so if you're well-controlled with just the diet and allow you time for your body to go into labor and have a vaginal birth. Now, if we get to your due date and nothing, baby is still comfortable inside. They're like, Oh no. I'm just hanging out, we start to think, How long are we going to allow this to go on? At that length of time, we start thinking about, Okay. We're at 40 weeks. What are the risks to mom and baby? And so at 40 weeks, we're about a week past 39, and we know that the risk of– if things are perfect for anyone, the risk of having babies be in distress, maybe the placenta's just been working for a long time and isn't just working as well and the risk of stillbirth goes up, we don't want to go to 42 weeks. So I think at that moment, it's a good time to think of an exit strategy. If your baby is just so comfy on the inside, think about, when I would say is an upper limit of reasonablility to wait for labor? That varies depending on the person and provider. But I think reasonably, up until 41 weeks. I wouldn't go past that. If we're allowing our body to go into labor up until 41 weeks, then we have to think about, How does that impact my risk of having a successful TOLAC? After 40 weeks, some of our studies suggest that you may be at a higher risk of having a failed TOLAC or needing a C-section and that's regardless of whether you're induced or whether you go into labor. TOLAC-ing does carry that inherent risk so it's really just dependent on your doctor, you,  your provider, and balancing all of those things. I think going until 41 weeks is probably the maximum limit for a well-controlled gestational diabetes with perfect sugars, no medications, and we're still doing monitoring to make sure that baby is doing well.Now, if you're in the camp where you're either gestational diabetes, or even controlled with diet, or if your gestational diabetes is controlled with medication or if you're diet-controlled, but those sugars aren't great, any scenario where the sugars aren't perfect and we need either medications or your sugars aren't perfect, I don't generally go past 39 weeks.The reason being at 39 weeks, baby is fully developed and after that, the risk of having a  pregnancy loss goes up because of that uncontrolled or not optimally controlled gestational diabetes. I think at that gestational age you would want to think about maybe an induction or maybe a repeat C-section depending on how you're feeling if your body isn't going into labor. And that's a personal decision. Now, if you have gestational diabetes managed with medication and your baby is big and maybe let's say over 4500 grams which is sort of that range where we worry about the safety of a vaginal birth. And you're now going into labor, then that becomes a little bit more of a shared decision-making where you want to think of, My baby's big. I would need to be induced. Is this going to be something I want to commit to or is it something I don't want to commit to? That's a personal choice but I think at that gestational age I would say I wouldn't want anymore. ACOG though does recommend or does allow for moms who do have gestational diabetes well controlled with medication, like if your blood sugars are perfect with the medication to go until 39 weeks and 6 days. So technically you can use those extra few days, according to our governing board or the American College of OBGYN. But it's going to really come down to you and the relationship you have with your doctor and what you both are comfortable with. Maybe you have a provider that is open to that recommendation or a provider whose more open or comfortable to a 39-week delivery regardless of how well your blood sugars are controlled once you're on medication. But ACOG does give us that wiggle room to say we can go further. 42:25 FibroidsMeagan: So good to know. Okay, let's see. Is there anything else we would like to talk about high-risk-wise? I know I had mentioned one time about fibroids and heart-shaped uterus. Do you have anything to share on those two topics, because those are also common questions? Can I TOLAC with fibroids? Can I TOLAC if I have a heart-shaped uterus? Where does that land as VBAC-hopeful moms?Dr. Pinnock: Yeah, no. I think those are some great things to consider. So I think we can open with the fibroids. I think if you've have had fibroids and you've had that fibroid removed, so you've had a myomectomy, there are a handful of things where we usually say, “No, we don't want you to TOLAC.” One of them is if you've had a previous uterine rupture or that previous Cesarean scar opened in a previous delivery, that's an absolute no. The risk is too high. We don't think it's safe. The other is if you've had a previous surgery where that surgery included the fundus or the top of the uterus where those contractile muscles are. Usually, with a myomectomy or fibroid removal, that involves that area. If you've had a fibroid removed in that area or you've had a myomectomy, a TOLAC is not recommended. So those are sort of one of the few things or few times where we say, “Absolutely, no.” If you have a fibroid and maybe you just discovered you had it during pregnancy, most of the time fibroids don't cause any problems. They're benign growths of the muscle of the uterus that can vary in size. So generally if they're small to medium size and depending on their location they may not cause any problems. If they do cause a problem, the most common thing women experience is pain. But usually if they're not too big and they're not in a location where we're concerned about, it should not really your ability to TOLAC. Now if the fibroid is like 10 centimeters and located near the lower uterine segment or the part of the uterus where the baby transports through to come out through the vagina, then we're going to take a pause and say, “Is this going to be a successful TOLAC?” Is the fibroid going to compete too much with the baby's head for baby to come down safely and should we just think about doing a C-section? And a C-section in that event is also not straightforward or a walk in the park because either way, the fibroid is present near where we would use to deliver the baby. So short answer is that yes, you can TOLAC with a fibroid. But the long answer is that it really depends on how big the fibroid is, where it's located and whether we think it's going to obstruct that area where baby's going to come from. If it's not, then it's reasonable to try and many women have TOLAC'd with fibroids all the time. So it's definitely not a reason to say, “No, you definitely can't.” If you've had the fibroid removed though, then it's a no. That's just one thing to talk about if you're considering that procedure and you have an opportunity to talk with the provider who is offering that procedure, just knowing that after that for most surgeries that remove the fibroids you won't be able to try for a vaginal birth. 46:33 Do fibroids tend to grow during pregnancy? Meagan: Good to know. Good to know. And is it common for fibroids to grow during pregnancy? Does pregnancy stem them to grow? Or does that impede them because you've got a baby growing in there and the focus is on growing a human and not growing a fibroid?Dr. Pinnock: No, that's a good question. Interestingly enough, we see about a split group so about a third of them stay the same. They don't change in size. A third of them shrink and a third of them grow. Meagan: Oh wow.Dr. Pinnock: We don't know which third it will be. Two-thirds of them either get smaller or stay the same size. But there are women who experience growth of the fibroid and it's actually due to those hormones estrogen, progesterone, and all of those hormones being released by the placenta. It stimulates the fibroid to grow and that's actually when some women experience pain. The fibroid grows. It outgrows its blood supply and then it degenerates or dies off a little bit and it causes this pretty significant pain for some women, but interestingly it's not 100%. A lot of people don't have many symptoms and don't have any pain. When I monitor fibroids, a lot of them don't change in size. Some of them get smaller and sometimes I'm not able to see them later on because they're so small. But there is that percentage who experience the growth of their fibroid and that's usually when pain is experienced from them. Meagan: Okay. And you mentioned that they could. I mean, 10 centimeters is a pretty large fibroid but it can happen, right?Dr. Pinnock: I've seen it. Meagan: Yeah, so it can happen. You said it can compete with baby coming down. Can fibroids also inhibit dilation at all? Can it impact dilation at all?Dr. Pinnock: Absolutely. Some of the things that we see or that we worry about if there's a large fibroid present is other than impacting the area where baby can come through, it can cause dysfunctional labors. So those muscles that are contracting in a uniform way aren't going to be able to contract as uniformly as they would have if the fibroid wasn't there. So sometimes the labor can stall. The cervix isn't dilated as much. Even sometimes we see that fibroid causing babies to actually present head down and so that's also something that we can see with very large fibroids. It can actually increase the risk of baby being breech or transverse or malpresenting in general. Meagan: interesting. And you said that sometimes there aren't even any symptoms at all, so how would one find out if they do? Is that just usually found at 20-week ultrasound? Or is it possible that at 20 weeks you had it but it's so minute and it's so small, that you can't even see it? And then in labor we have some of these symptoms or whatever and it's there but we don't know?Dr. Pinnock: Not usually. Most women, if they didn't know they had a fibroid before pregnancy, get diagnosed in pregnancy at an ultrasound. Either a first trimester or 20-week ultrasound, we look at the uterus in detail and we can pick up fibroids. We are hopefully not going to have a 10-centimeter fibroid present at 10 weeks that's missed that's just going to magically present at 39 weeks and be a surprise. Usually the fibroid, if it's there, is picked up on an ultrasound. That's the most common way it's picked up. Depending on the size, it may be a reason why your doctor or provider recommends for you to have ultrasounds in the pregnancy. Sometimes we monitor the fibroids. We monitor their locations, the size of them, and we make sure that they're not too big to be causing a problem. Rarely if they grow, they don't usually grow from like 3 centimeters to 10 centimeters. They may grow a centimeter or two. It's very unusual to have that big change. And so for the most part, it's picked up on ultrasound. We know the size of it. If it grows, it grows a small amount. It's not going to grow from 5 to 10, and we're going to know the location of it from that first time we evaluate it. It's not going to be a surprise moment at delivery where we're like, Oh my goodness, this wasn't picked up.51:20 Bicornuate UterusMeagan: Okay, good to know. Good to know. Okay and last but not least, I know we're running short on time and I want to make sure we respect that. Any information you have on a heart-shaped uterus? Is TOLAC possible with heart shaped uterus? Have you seen it? Have you done it?Dr. Pinnock: I have not seen it or done it to be honest. I do think a heart-shaped uterus just so we're using the same language that's considered a bicornuate uterus, is that–?Meagan: Yes, a bicornuate uterus.Dr. Pinnock: So for a bicornuate uterus or any kind of situations where the uterus developed differently, interestingly the uterus develops from two different stuctures. It develops from something called the Mullerian Duct and early in development when you are a tiny, tiny baby, those two structures fuse and when they fuse, they come side by side first, and then they fuse. When they fuse there, is a little wall in the middle that gets removed and so when all of that is done you have uterus that is shaped as we know it and we have that cavity on the inside where the baby would come in and grow. Now with a heart-shaped uterus, or a bicornuate uterus, there is an error when those structures come together side-by-side. So sometimes they just stay side-by-side and they don't fuse as well or sometimes they fuse but only fuse partially. So you have the uterus that as we know it, but sometimes you can have two separate structures. So two separate cavities where the prgenancy can grow, or you can have one cavity where there is still some tissue right in the middle there. It can vary depending on the suffix of how that fusion happened. Essentially, if there's less space in the cavity either from that tissue or having two separate but smaller cavities, there's presumably less space there for baby to grow. There's less contractile strength on that one side and so it can theoretically increase the risk of certain things happening in labor. I think the things that we see most commonly with bicornuate uteruses, it can have a higher risk of having a pregnancy loss, so a miscarriage. High risk of baby being born early because that area is just smaller so it's not as strong in holding the pregnancy. And similarly, baby can also be malpresented more commonly because the are is much smaller than a full uterine cavity.Meagan: That's what we see a lot is breech. Dr. Pinnock: Exactly. I haven't seen too many cases. It's a rare thing to see. I haven't seen too many cases where baby's head-down and we're at full-term and wanting a TOLAC. A lot of cases I've had, baby is breech or malpresenting so we end up doing a C-section. The shape of the uterus is not going to change for the next pregnancy so chances are the baby's usually malpresenting. I don't think we have any big databases or big data to say is it safe? Is it not safe to TOLAC? I think the main thing you'd be concerned about it that spontaneous uterine rupture if there is labor going on even if you haven't had a C-section and also if you've had a C-section before. So I think a TOLAC would be a little bit of an unknown for this situation. I would think on it pretty heavily and talk with your doctor about the specifics of your situation. If your previous C-section because baby was breech, chances are baby's not going to be presenting head down because of the shape of the uterus. It tends to have things that recur as to reasons for having a C-section. So we don't have any large databases where we have women who have TOLAC'd with this condition, so hard to say. So maybe give it a try, but maybe thing long on this one. Meagan: Case by case, it all comes down to case by case.Dr. Pinnock: Yes. That's pretty much what I do. Anything in pregnancy that's a little bit more nuanced and any high-risk condition, it's very individualized. And we have to really have that approach with high-risk pregnancies or anything that comes up that makes your pregnancy higher risk of having anything happen to mom and baby for sure. Meagan: Right. Oh my goodness. Well, I love this episode so much and cannot wait to hear what people think about it. I'm sure they're going to love it just like I do. I know I mentioned at the beginning of your podcast and things like that, but can you tell us more? Tell us more about the ZerotoFour podcast and where people can find you. I know you have YouTube and all the things, so tell us where listeners can follow you.Dr. Pinnock: Yeah. You can find me on Instagram @drchristinapinnock, the ZerotoFour Podcast so the zerotofourpodcast.com where I share the episodes with new moms about pregnancy. I really started the podcast with the goal of helping moms to be more informed and comfortable about everything along their pregnancy journey. I share topics from the whole spectrum of that journey to help you feel more prepared and informed and empowered about your pregnancy experience. You can find episodes there, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere that you listen to podcasts.Meagan: Awesome. So important. This is a VBAC-specific topic, but I mean those first-time moms, we have to learn. We have to learn all the things because there is really so much. We just talked about a little nugget of a couple of high-risk situations and there's just so much out there that can happen. It's so good to know as much as you can. Get informed. Learn all the things. Follow your podcast. I definitely suggest it. We'll have all the links in the show notes and thank you for joining us today. Dr. Pinnock: Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure. ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Our Sponsors:* Check out Dr. Mom Butt Balm: drmombuttbalm.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

In this week's episode, Jade Welegala shares her heart-wrenching yet inspiring story of navigating severe medical complications and the loss of her baby at 23 weeks and 6 days due to a series of life-threatening conditions. Jade's experience brings to light the struggles of dealing with pre-eclampsia, HELLP Syndrome, and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), alongside the profound grief of losing a child.  Episode Overview: ·       Jade's Health Crisis: Discussion of Jade's initial symptoms and the rapid escalation into severe conditions for both her and the baby. ·       Critical Decisions: Moments in the hospital where Jade was faced with the life-altering decision to deliver prematurely to save her own life. ·       The Delivery: The traumatic delivery process, complications such as the ruptured placenta, and the subsequent medical interventions including multiple blood transfusions and acute kidney failure. ·       Post-Delivery Challenges: Jade discusses the aftermath of her delivery, including her battle with acute kidney disease, and the emotional impact of her lengthy ICU stay on her grief. ·       The Journey of Grief and Healing: Insights into how Jade coped with her grief, including the importance of not being hard on herself and the therapeutic effect she found in helping others.  Jade emphasized to our listeners a profound insight that was shared with her: It's not about moving on after a loss, but about moving forward. She said I have literally lived by this and any time a feel down or hyper focused on losing my child I have to remind myself that I am not moving on, I am moving forward which does not dismiss how much I love him. "Listen to your body, you know when something is not right. In your grief, you have guilt, and I thought, how am I supposed to live now without my baby? You don't move on, you move forward." ~~ Jade Welegala Connect with Teresa: EMAIL: teresa@livingaftergrief.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LivingAfterGrief/ Instagram: @livingaftergrief Website: https://livingaftergrief.com/ click and schedule a free complimentary coaching call: https://livingaftergrief.coachesconsole.com/calendar/grief-discovery-call Podcast Guest: https://livingaftergrief.coachesconsole.com/calendar/podcast-interview-call

Jodi Klaristenfeld is the founder of FLRRiSH. She is a mom to an adorable little girl who was born at 28 weeks due to a rare and life-threatening form of preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome. After her daughter's early birth, Jodi quickly discovered preemie parents aren't always given the support they need. She then created FLRRiSH, a platform offering NICU parent coaching, education, empowerment, support and resources to help families navigate this beautiful and challenging journey. She talks about her own experiences, building an organization, and her struggles & triumph. Did you love today's episode? 1. Take a screenshot and share it to your IG stories. Tag me @kimrittberg 2. Leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! LINKS: -FREE DOWNLOAD: Top 5 Tips To Be Confident on Camera click here -Follow host Kim Rittberg on Instagram & Subscribe to Kim's YouTube Channel to Make Better Videos that Convert  -https://www.flrrish.com/ Follow Jodi on Instagram

Laney Poye and Trashaun Powell of the Preeclampsia Foundation share their personal stories and avenues for preeclampsia information with host, Chris Stallman, CGC. Laney Poye serves as the Director of Communications and Engagement for the Preeclampsia Foundation supporting their work to improve maternal healthcare and find a cure for families affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. In addition to her many years of professional experience in maternal health patient advocacy, Laney also serves as a representative voice for women who have experienced infertility, IVF, and pregnancy loss. Trashaun Powell is a  maternal health advocate based in New Jersey. She survived a near-death pregnancy experience as a result of HELLP Syndrome. This resulted in the immediate birth of her daughter Mia Jane at 23 weeks. Unfortunately, due to Mia's severe prematurity, she passed away 2 days later. Trashaun continues to amplify and illustrate her compelling childbirth experience of tragedy and hope. Resources mentioned in this episode: Preeclampsia Foundation Website MoMMA's Voices Website Episode 26: Preeclampsia, Eclampsia and Postpartum Preeclampsia

Every struggle carries the potential to birth a triumph, a mantra that resonates deeply with Danielle, the founder of Making a Miracle. Her story is not just one of personal victory over infertility's relentless challenges, but a testament to the transformative power of empathy and support. As we navigate Danielle's journey from her diagnosis of endometriosis through the tumultuous waves of IVF, miscarriages, and the complex emotions that pave the road to motherhood, we're reminded of the resilience required to hold onto hope amidst life's harshest storms.Amidst the scientific precision of fertility treatments and the rollercoaster of emotions that accompany each cycle, there lies an intimate narrative that often goes unheard. For Danielle, these experiences were steeped in both pain and determination, leading to the joyous yet nerve-wracking arrival of her daughter and the subsequent battles with postpartum depression and recovery from a life-saving emergency C-section. This episode peels back the layers of motherhood and infertility, revealing the raw, unspoken trials that shape the sacred bond between a mother and her child.Yet, it's not solely the struggle that defines Danielle's story—it's the incredible surge of kindness and community that buoys the spirit during the hardest times. From the cherished support of partners to the solidarity found in shared experiences, this narrative is a poignant reminder of the profound impact that compassion can have. As Danielle discusses the evolution of Making a Miracle, from publishing a coloring book to organizing community events, we celebrate the strength and connectivity that can emerge from life's most challenging chapters.To connect with Danielle and Making a Miracle, check our her Instagram here.For upcoming events including the Resource Fair on April 28th, click here.To sign up for our newsletter visit our website and blog: www.goldenhourbirthpodcast.comFollow Liz on Instagram here and Natalie hereFollow us on Facebook here.

In this episode, we review the high-yield topic of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HELLP Syndrome⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠from the Obstetrics section. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Medbullets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on social media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/medbullets Instagram: www.instagram.com/medbulletsofficial Twitter: www.twitter.com/medbullets Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medbullets

Download for FREE today -  special Mnemonics Cheatsheet - so you can be SURE that you have that Must Know information down:  bit.ly/nursing-memory   Outline HELLP H-Hemolysis E-Elevated L-Liver function tests L-Low P-Platelet count Description HELLP syndrome is a severe and life-threatening complication, typically related to preeclampsia. It typically occurs in the third trimester.The defining characteristics are hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count.

**Trigger Warning** We talk about fertility and health issues including surgeries, infertility, pregnancy loss, and infant loss. Please take care of yourself first before you think about listening. And please know, if you have been affected by these health issues as well, we are always here for you and know that you are NOT alone. In this episode, Sydney and Audrey talk about.... -Sydney and Justen's fertility journey so far (and it's not done....) -Ectopic Pregnancy -Fertility Treatments -HELLP Syndrome and Preeclampsia -Infant Loss -Healing from Grief --> **how Garvey's Gardens started in the first place!** -IVF -Gestational Carriers Disclaimer: We are in NO WAY doctors or nurses of any kind and do not try to seem or act as such. Please seek appropriate medical care (physical AND mental) for yourself as needed from a licensed professional.  

Jodi Klaristenfeld shares her harrowing experience with preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome which nearly claimed her life and that of her unborn daughter. Jodi shares the signs and symptoms of what to look out for to help prevent preeclampsia.   RESOURCE LINKS: Stork'd - Facebook Stork'd - Instagram Stork'd - YouTube  Flrrish - Instagram Flrrish - Website

Jodi Klaristenfeld shares her harrowing experience with preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome which nearly claimed her life and that of her unborn daughter. Jodi shares her experience healing emotionally from her daughter's premature birth and how hard she fought to get her daughter the resources she needed to grow, thrive and flourish once she was home from the NICU. Jodi quickly realized how hard it is for families with premature babies to get their children the resources they need,  leading to the inception of FLRRISH. FLRRiSH serves as a platform providing NICU parent education, resources, and support, aiding families in navigating the path through premature childbirth. Jodi also shares valuable insights on recognizing the symptoms of preeclampsia. Don't miss out on the inaugural episode of season six!   IN THIS EPISODE:   [0:00] Julia introduces guest Jodi Klaristenfeld and why the topic of life-threatening preeclampsia is the first topic of season six [3:42] Jodi explains why she started Flrrish to meet the needs of parents whose child is born prematurely [6:03] Jodi describes her pregnancy journey and the signs of preeclampsia [17:17] Jodi talks about her feelings when she learned she almost died, the choice her mother had to make, and the distance she felt toward her daughter [24:13] Jodi tells about the different emotions she went through and the support given by her doctor and husband [29:25] Jodi reveals what her daughter was experiencing while hospitalized, including the frustration of a therapist not wanting to do her job [38:35] How Jodi helps others through Flrrish [43:30] Jodi describes how this situation has informed her parenting skills and what Flrrish clients are seeking [46:45] Jodi describes her definition of family   KEY TAKEAWAYS:   The infant and maternal mortality rates in the U. S. are the highest of any developed nation. Nearly 15 percent of all children in the U. S. are in the NICU at some point. Kangaroo Care, or Skin-to-Skin Care, benefits the baby and the parents.   RESOURCE LINKS: Stork'd - Facebook Stork'd - Instagram Stork'd - YouTube  Flrrish - Instagram Flrrish - Website   BIOGRAPHY:  Jodi Klaristenfeld is the founder of FLRRiSH. She is a mom to an adorable little girl who was born at 28 weeks due to a rare and life-threatening form of preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome. After her daughter's early birth, Jodi quickly discovered preemie moms and dads aren't always given the support they need. As a result, she created FLRRiSH, a platform that offers NICU parent education, empowerment, support and resources to help families navigate this beautiful and challenging journey. Jodi, her husband and her family live in NYC.

Welcome to That NICU Mum, a podcast where we share the stories of New Zealand families who have had a baby in a neonatal unit across the country.This episode we are chatting with Emma, who was incredibly sick when she was pregnant with her third baby resulting her being born at 25 weeks and 2 days.Emma talks about how she struggled having her older kids at home, finding a routine and a rhythm while Evelyn was in NICU, and the long 124 days they spent in the unit before finally being reunited as a family.Enjoy!Shan x xPS - happy 30th birthday to me! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we're joined by Josi (she/her). Josi is living with her husband and her four kids aged 9, 8, 8 and 4 in Brisbane. Josi was only 23 when her first daughter was born via planned C-section due to breech presentation. Shortly after she fell pregnant again, this time with twins ! Another planned C-section was her chosen mode of birth, which turned into an emergency c-section at 36 weeks due to suddenly developing preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.  Thinking that their family was complete, they were very surprised when baby number 4 came along and this time Josi was on a mission to avoid having to have another C-section. Her local hospital was somewhat unsupportive and she changed her antenatal care to a private midwife at 30 weeks and booked into a hospital that is over one hour drive away but is known to be more VBAC friendly.  Josi had her VBA2C, that she describes as a homebirth like hospital birth, at 41+1. They arrived at the hospital with 45 min to spare before their son was born.  Follow our instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@definitelybabypodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠for photos of weekly guests and episode updates and releases. The Definitely Baby theme music was written by Hagan Mathews and produced at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@sleeplessfootscray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The photo in the podcast logo was taken by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@maki.levine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. This episode was recorded on the land of the Turrbal people and the lands of the Wurundjeri Wilam and Boon Wurrung/Bunurong peoples of the Kulin Nation. Australia always was and always will be the land of the First Peoples. Every month, I Pay The Rent and so can you - click⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠to learn more.

Today we are back with Ebony for part 2 of her story. We left off where Ebony had arrived at the Labor and Delivery Emergency Room. The OB had run the necessary tests and confirmed she had PreEclampsia & HELLP Syndrome.  Her daughter needed to come out now! Tune in to hear how her story continues to unfold. Follow Ebony on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrsryanvincentford Follow Ebony on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andweshallreign/ Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/birthtraumastoriespodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BirthTraumaStoriesPodcast⁠⁠ Follow Birth Trauma Stories on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1OxPaMiWax8148LgqW_xGQ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cathy-garrett/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cathy-garrett/support

Buckle up, folks, because this week the fellas are diving into a rollercoaster of topics with “Your Ladyship, Tricia”. Tricia shares her journey through Type 1 diabetes and the eye-opening tales of what happens when young folks don't exactly take the best care of themselves. It's a lesson in resilience and personal growth. Classic Sickboy content! The gang talk about the Ultimate Lifesaver: organ donation. Tricia reminds us all that those crucial conversations with our families about being donors can literally mean the difference between life and death. The gang also explore third-trimester blindness: Yes, you read that right! Tricia's second pregnancy took an unusual twist as she literally went blind! Ever wondered what the heck HELLP Syndrome is? Thankfully Your Ladyship can help with that. Join us for an episode that's brimming with Tricia's signature charm. From life's highs and lows to medical mysteries and miraculous moments, this one's got it all. Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Buckle up, folks, because this week the fellas are diving into a rollercoaster of topics with “Your Ladyship, Tricia”. Tricia shares her journey through Type 1 diabetes and the eye-opening tales of what happens when young folks don't exactly take the best care of themselves. It's a lesson in resilience and personal growth. Classic Sickboy content! The gang talk about the Ultimate Lifesaver: organ donation. Tricia reminds us all that those crucial conversations with our families about being donors can literally mean the difference between life and death. The gang also explore third-trimester blindness: Yes, you read that right! Tricia's second pregnancy took an unusual twist as she literally went blind! Ever wondered what the heck HELLP Syndrome is? Thankfully Your Ladyship can help with that. Join us for an episode that's brimming with Tricia's signature charm. From life's highs and lows to medical mysteries and miraculous moments, this one's got it all. Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Brook had a normal pregnancy up until about 19 weeks when she was admitted to the hospital. Her team discovered that she was severely preeclamptic and developed HELLP syndrome. HELLP Syndrome is a life-threatening pregnancy complication usually considered to be a variant of preeclampsia. It stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets. Connect with Brook: @the.gonzales.homeSupport the showConnect with Lina on @linaforrestal on InstagramFollow the @newmamaspodcast on InstagramRead Lina's Blog: www.linaforrestal.comSupport the Show: Buy Me a Coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newmamaspodcast)

The Motherhood Village podcast is powered by Eaton Financial Group: where their motto is to live well, work hard and give generously. Under the leadership of Doug Eaton - Eaton provides counsel to its family of clients on complex financial issues, delivering a high level of proactive care and customized financial plans that meet each client's individual needs. The firm specializes in assisting women who handle household financial planning, by acting in a fiduciary capacity – meaning your best interests are their first priority.  For a relaxed and no obligation cup of coffee and second opinion – live or virtually – visit eatonfinancialgroup.com to set an appointment. Jodi Klaristenfeld is the founder of FLRRiSH. She is a mom to an adorable little girl who was born at 28 weeks due to a rare and life-threatening form of preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome.  After her daughter's early birth, Jodi quickly discovered preemie moms and dads aren't always given the support they need. As a result, she created FLRRiSH, a platform that offers NICU parent education, empowerment, support and resources to help families navigate this beautiful and challenging journey. Jodi, her husband and her family live in NYC. In this episode, Jodi and I discuss: How FLRRISH supports NICU parents through coaching and other services. Maternal Mental Health and how it relates to preemie moms.   Ways loved ones can support their family or friends who are NICU parents.  The misconceptions of NICU families.  How to reset your mindset as a preemie mom, and how to get help for yourself and for your children who need extra support.  Connect with Jodi on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.motherhood.village1/ YouTube: The Motherhood Village - YouTube LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolegcumberbatch/  Website: https://www.themotherhoodvillage.com/ Loved this episode? Leave a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-motherhood-village-podcast/id1487274178    

This week we talk to Ashley Thilges about her son Jacob. Ashley talks about HELLP Syndrome and the journey that led to Jacob's early arrival, long NICU stay, and continuous health complications.  We know this episode will resonate with others!

S.2 E. 19 Jodi Klaristenfeld How HELLP Syndrome & Being a NICU Mom Changed my Life Today we are joined by Jodi, NICU Mom & HELLP Survivor. During my conversation with Jodi, we dive into how whatever your NICU story is, it is hard! We also discuss delayed bonding, how to better support NICU parents, and how the NICU journey (that no one asked for ) is a marathon not a sprint. Tune in to hear more! Follow Flrrish on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flrrish/ Follow Flrrish on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flrrish Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/birthtraumastoriespodcast/⁠ Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/BirthTraumaStoriesPodcast/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cathy-garrett/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cathy-garrett/support

Giving birth to a child is one of the most miraculous and momentous experiences of life. Even if you are the “unlucky” one in ten to give birth prematurely, you are still indeed very lucky and blessed. Every child’s journey will be full of ups and downs, and every small victory and milestone should be cherished and celebrated along the way. Babies bring love and joy to all homes, even the homes of preemie babies. I’d argue preemie babies bring even more love and celebration to their homes than full term babies.

It's preeclampsia awareness month, so of course I had to talk about it on this week's podcast episode.  One of the complications of preeclampsia is HELLP Syndrome, which stands for ""Hemolysis Elevated Liver enzymes Low Platelet"" syndrome. HELLP syndrome can be very dangerous in pregnancy because it is associated with bleeding complications, stroke, and even death! Check out this episode to learn all about this serious complications of preeclampsia, how it's diagnosed, and how it's treated.  Download and listen now... and don't forget to share with your friends!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's preeclampsia awareness month, so of course I had to talk about it on this week's podcast episode.  One of the complications of preeclampsia is HELLP Syndrome, which stands for "Hemolysis Elevated Liver enzymes Low Platelet" syndrome. HELLP syndrome can be very dangerous in pregnancy because it is associated with bleeding complications, stroke, and even death! Check out this episode to learn all about this serious complications of preeclampsia, how it's diagnosed, and how it's treated.  Download and listen now... and don't forget to share with your friends!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S.2 E. 16 Anonymous Guest:  HELLP Syndrome & Stroke Survivor Today we are joined by a HELLP and Stroke Survivor. This mom went in to have a baby, something millions of women do every day, and woke up 6 months later in a long term care facility. Tune in to find out what caused her brain injury and how her recovery has been. Birth Trauma Stories' Website: www.birthtraumastories.com Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birthtraumastoriespodcast/ Follow Birth Trauma Stories on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BirthTraumaStoriesPodcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cathy-garrett/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cathy-garrett/support

Show NotesJodi Klaristenfeld is mom to Jenna, an adorable little girl who was born at 28 weeks due to a rare and life-threatening form of preeclampsia called HELLP Syndrome. After Jenna's early birth, Jodi quickly discovered preemie families aren't always given the support they need. An attorney by education, Jodi now runs a family business in Manhattan. She is passionate about positivity, regularly meditating and exercising to keep her mind healthy and strong. Jodi created FLRRiSH to be a light in the dark, a source of information and inspiration for preemie families – cutting out confusion, managing overwhelm, and offering unwavering support.Quote: Don't sweat the small stuff - have thick skin and disregard the negative - Jodi Klaristenfeld  Knowledge Nuggets and Take-Aways:Jodi's passion to support and educate ‘preemie' families is paramount in her lifeJodi's major goals are to have FLRRISH be aligned and affiliated with non-profits and hospitalsFLRRISH offers a solid mental hygiene protocol for families going through the preemie journey Parents who have a preemie have rights to advocate for themselves, Jodi can show you how!Remember everyone's growth and development is different and should be treated as such. Here is a link to this episode on our website: https://timetoshinetoday.com/podcast/jodiklaristenfeld/  Recommended Resources:  Visit FLRRISHJodi's Linked INJodi's FLRRISH FacebookJodi's FLRRISH InstagramHost Your Podcast for Free with Buzz Sprout Our Show Sponsor Sutter and Nugent Real Estate - Real Estate Excellence Music Courtesy of: fight by urmymuse (c) copyright 2018 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/58696 Ft: Stefan Kartenberg, Kara SquareArtwork courtesy of Dylan Allen

I sit down with Jodi Klaristenfeld, the founder of Flrrish, an organization supporting preemie families to discuss her work. She shares the hardest parts of her nicu experience and how she incorporated them into Flrrish's offerings, and struggling to bond with her daughter after a rush of a birth Jodi Klaristenfeld is mom to Jenna, an adorable little girl who was born at 28 weeks due to a rare and life-threatening form of preeclampsia called HELLP Syndrome. After Jenna's early birth, Jodi quickly discovered preemie families aren't always given the support they need. An attorney by education, Jodi now runs a family business in Manhattan.  Jodi created FLRRiSH to be a light in the dark, a source of information and inspiration for preemie families – cutting out confusion, managing overwhelm, and offering unwavering support. Flrrish.com @flrrish hello@flrrish.com Click here to join the Impact Fashion Whatsapp Status Click here to see my collection of dresses. Click here to get the Secrets Your Tailor Won't Tell You Click here to see my maternity friendly pieces. To hear more episodes, subscribe and head over to Impactfashionnyc.com/blog/podcast. Be Impactful is presented by Impact Fashion, your destination for all things size inclusive modest fashion

In this episode, we're discussing preeclampsia and its risk factors. Preeclampsia impacts 1 in 25 pregnancies in the U.S. according to the CDC. We're joined by Roberto Velez, MD, at MercyOne North Iowa Obstetrics and Gynecology to explore the various factors that can increase your risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy, including: Pregnancies with more than one baby. Kidney concerns. Diabetes. Pre-existing conditions. Obesity. Dr. Velez provides insights into a serious form of preeclampsia called HELLP syndrome. We'll also discuss what health care looks like after labor and delivery while managing risk factors to reduce the likelihood of preeclampsia and other complications in future pregnancies. Join us as we explore this important topic and provide valuable insights for pregnant people, their families and health care providers.

Katie has a co-host, Serheen Noor Ali from Hello Sleuth on today's episode where we hear Jodi's story of developing HELLP Syndrome and having a premature birth. Jodi walks us through her birth story along with those first moments meeting her daughter. She speaks to the joy we find in the unexpected and will leave you inspired to embrace where you are today. You will get to know Jodi's heart behind the creation of Fllrish. [5:40] Full circle of relationships [6:07] The crash course of becoming a medical parent [7:14] Special needs mother's quitting the workforce [9:30] Thinking ahead about Kindergarten [10:27] Jodi's husband went on his last business trip [11:21] HELLP Syndrome diagnosis [12:45] The calm reassurance from her provider [13:42] The birth plan [14:50] The onset of symptoms of HELLP [17:11] Not seeing her daughter for 2 days as she needed to recover [18:16] The meaning behind Jenna's middle name [20:44] Telling her doctor their was a problem [24:00] How life and death is transformative [26:32] Husbands and fathers getting more credit [28:29] Beginning to process what happened allowed Jodi to have maternal feelings [31:03] Their own growth trajectory [34:12] Deeper joy to be found in the journey [36:29] Putting one front of the other and checking your feelings [39:20] Not coming home with your child is difficult [40:37] The creation of Fllrish [42:25] De-stigmatizing learning differences 44:32 Resources for parents Connect with Jodi Website Instagram Whether you are a parent or professional, we want you to join our community. Sign up for our newsletter here. Parents, download our free parent starter kit. When you download our starter kit, you'll learn how to: Give medicine to your child without it becoming a wrestling match Prepare your child (and yourself) for a shot so they can feel less anxious Create and use a coping plan for any medical appointment or procedure The first sign of sniffles, or worse, shouldn't send you into a tailspin. Feel confident in your role as a parent and advocate, no matter what medical situation you're facing. Child life specialists, get affordable PDUs on-demand here. Shop for your CLOC gear here.        

Melissa lost her son due to having severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. She underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost a lot of weight. She was then able to get pregnant and have her rainbow baby. She talks about dealing with hating your body and dealing with jealousy towards others who are easily able to get pregnant. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/findinghopeafterloss/support

In this episode, Alison Rieke shares her birth stories. Alison is the mother of 2, and she works from home as ambassador for a health and wellness company. Alison experienced HELLP syndrome during one of her pregnancies, and she shares her symptoms and her experience, as well as her wisdom and insight. The acronym HELLP stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. HELLP syndrome is one of the Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy, which are discussed in episode 18. After the birth of her second child, Alison made the career pívot that allowed her to work from home. To learn more about what Alison has to offer; either the product or the business, you can follow her on Instagram @denverali Coaching offerBuzzsprout - Get your podcast launched! Start for FREEDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showConnect with Kelly Hof at kellyhof.comMedical Disclaimer:This podcast is intended as a safe space for women to share their birth experiences. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Each woman's medical course of action is individual and may not appropriately transfer to another similar situation. Please speak to your medical provider before making any medical decisions. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that evidence based practice evolves as our knowledge of science improves. To the best of my ability I will attempt to present the most current ACOG and AWHONN recommendations at the time the podcast is recorded, but that may not necessarily reflect the best practices at the time the podcast is heard. Additionally, guests sharing their stories have the right to autonomy in their medical decisions, and may share their choice to go against current practice recommendations. I intend to hold space for people to share their decisions. I will attempt to share the current recommendations so that my audience is informed, but it is up to each individual to choose what is best for them.

Tiare is a boy mom, a realtor in Indiana, and an amateur bodybuilder. Tiare experienced HELLP syndrome during one of her pregnancies, which is a rare medical condition of pregnancy. The acronym help stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. In this episode Tiare shares her symptoms and her experience as well as her wisdom and insight from all of her deliveries. Follow Tiare on Instagram! @tiare_smith_realtor Coaching offerSupport the showConnect with Kelly Hof at kellyhof.comMedical Disclaimer:This podcast is intended as a safe space for women to share their birth experiences. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Each woman's medical course of action is individual and may not appropriately transfer to another similar situation. Please speak to your medical provider before making any medical decisions. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that evidence based practice evolves as our knowledge of science improves. To the best of my ability I will attempt to present the most current ACOG and AWHONN recommendations at the time the podcast is recorded, but that may not necessarily reflect the best practices at the time the podcast is heard. Additionally, guests sharing their stories have the right to autonomy in their medical decisions, and may share their choice to go against current practice recommendations. I intend to hold space for people to share their decisions. I will attempt to share the current recommendations so that my audience is informed, but it is up to each individual to choose what is best for them.

This week, we are excited to release another roundtable episode! As we continue our theme of growing our families after NICU, we invited Ebony and Carrita back on the podcast as they are both expecting after loss and NICU stays.Ebony and Carrita share their personal family building journeys, how they have savored each moment of their pregnancies, and words of encouragement they would offer other NICU mamas who find themselves pregnant after the NICU! They also share vulnerably about how they have advocated for perinatal and postpartum care as Black mothers and women.Our hope is that if growing your family via pregnancy is something you desire, that you would feel empowered and equipped on your journey as you listen to this episode!Ebony Ford is the CEO & founder of Miracle Mamas, a diversity and inclusion firm that provides consultations to organizations looking to aid in the maternal health crisis and provides resources to families of the premature, medically fragile, and disabled to ensure that their physical, socio-economic and emotional needs are met. She is a maternal health advocate, a National Ambassador for March of Dimes, a patient family partner for the Preeclampsia Foundation and serves on the Maryland Maternal Mortality Review Board. She survived a near-miss related to the birth of her first child caused by severe sudden-onset preeclampsia and Class I HELLP Syndrome resulting in pulmonary edema, multi-organ failure and requiring an emergency c-section, intubation, dialysis and admission to the ICU at just 26 weeks pregnant. Ebony now shares her story to raise awareness about prematurity, preeclampsia, HELLP Syndrome, birth trauma, the maternal health crisis as well as the need for self-advocacy, doula or midwifery services for those most affected by the maternal health crisis.Connect with Ebony:InstagramCaritta is a young woman who exudes strength and grace. She can also be described as a true victor and an example to many women. Carita is an angel mom time three. After experiencing her first two losses, she was led by God to begin sharing her story publicly. Her motivation for sharing this journey was to remind other women that they were not alone. She also wanted to make it known that child loss and infertility did not only happen to certain groups of women. Anyone could find themselves in this seat. Most recently Carrita has created Love Always, Carrita. This was created to shine a light on the healing abilities of writing. Carrita began writing and published her first in 2019. Carrita found writing to be therapeutic and healing for her and began encouraging others to write daily as well, even if it is a simple journal entry. Writing heals. Carrita is a published author, NICU advocate, and inspirational speaker and overall supporter of women.Connect with Carrita:InstagramTo get connected with DNM:Website | Private Facebook Group | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megan is the mother of three, and she works from home as an ambassador for Plexus Worldwide. Megan experienced help syndrome during one of her pregnancies, which is a rare medical condition of pregnancy. The acronym help stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count, Megan will be sharing her symptoms and her experience as well as her wisdom and insight from all of her deliveries. You can contact Megan through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megan.bakicastanien?mibextid=LQQJ4dOr Plexus:http://plexusworkdwide.com/megancastanien Coaching offerSupport the showConnect with Kelly Hof at kellyhof.comMedical Disclaimer:This podcast is intended as a safe space for women to share their birth experiences. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Each woman's medical course of action is individual and may not appropriately transfer to another similar situation. Please speak to your medical provider before making any medical decisions. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that evidence based practice evolves as our knowledge of science improves. To the best of my ability I will attempt to present the most current ACOG and AWHONN recommendations at the time the podcast is recorded, but that may not necessarily reflect the best practices at the time the podcast is heard. Additionally, guests sharing their stories have the right to autonomy in their medical decisions, and may share their choice to go against current practice recommendations. I intend to hold space for people to share their decisions. I will attempt to share the current recommendations so that my audience is informed, but it is up to each individual to choose what is best for them.

The Queer Family Podcast | BONUS | As we gear up for our Season 11 launch on 2/6, we will be releasing daily bonus eps to showcase the contributors who will be helping with the rebranded show! Take time to re-acclimate yourself with Angela and Jess from S5, E13. Listener faves, Angela and Jess share about putting 9k worth of sperm on their credit card, Hellp Syndrome, gallstones and having a baby 10 weeks early. If you like the episode, make sure to leave us a review and support The Queer Family Podcast on Patreon for as low as $2/month! thequeerfamilypodcast.com / thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com IG/Twitter/FB/TikTok/YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast Order the #ITOCT book Amazon, IndieBound, Audible. Edited by EditAudio Theme song: Tiffany Topol Logo art: Daneen Stevenato. Thanks to our Patreon supporters! 

This is part 2 of Bonnie's birth story. Bonnie didn't feel well for a few days and thought she was just experiencing heartburn. She started to think something was not normal and couldn't sleep due to the pain in her chest. She went to the hospital and found out she had HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets) Syndrome, which is a life-threatening pregnancy complication usually considered to be a variant of preeclampsia. Bonnie found out that the "heartburn" she was feeling was her liver failing. The only treatment for HELLP syndrome is the delivery of the baby. Bonnie was put under general anesthesia in order for the doctor to perform a cesarean section at 27 + 4. Bonnie goes into the details of her postpartum journey in this episode. If you have any follow up questions for Bonnie, please let us know via Instagram and we will do a follow up interview with her. She recently gave birth to her second baby at just 29 weeks. Follow along on her second journey with a premature birth and NICU stay on Instagram here.Connect with Bonnie's personal Instagram account here.Visit our website and blog: www.goldenhourbirthpodcast.comFollow Liz on Instagram here and Natalie hereFollow us on Facebook here.Intro Song by Carpathians (Donny Rodgers): https://carpathians.bandcamp.com/track/lavamanTo learn more about HELLP Syndrome check out https://www.preeclampsia.org/hellp-syndrome

This is part 1 of 2. Bonnie joins us today to share the story of her daughter, Sabrina! Bonnie and her husband met in college and married in 2018. They decided to start trying to start a family around 2020. When they went in for their “confirmation” appointment, they were met with the news of a miscarriage and decided to move forward with a D&C.They tried again and got news in December 2020 that they were expecting again, with the baby due in August. Around 27 weeks, Bonnie went to bed one night and felt so terrible. She called the hotline and was told she could come in the morning or go to the hospital. She felt as things were getting more serious and left for the hospital at 2am. She was quickly sent to L&D and after a few tests was told that she could have a stroke or seizure at any moment. The L&D team kept her comfortable, prepared her that she would be having a baby that weekend. She had to transfer to a hospital due to the NICU team and had to go under anesthesia for the delivery. Her daughter, Sabrina, was born at 27 + 4. Bonnie had a fairly easy recovery but Sabrina was in the NICU for the next four months. They made it through a long road of recovery ahead of them but at 18 months, Sabrina is thriving and excited to become a big sister! Part 2 will be out next week where Bonnie gets more into detail about her postpartum experience and we bombard her with questions! Bonnie was pregnant during the recording of this episode and hoped to make it further along in her pregnancy this time. She recently gave birth to her second daughter in December 2022 at 29 weeks. Follow along on her second journey with a premature birth and NICU stay on Instagram here.Connect with Bonnie's personal Instagram account here. Visit our website and blog: www.goldenhourbirthpodcast.comFollow Liz on Instagram here and Natalie hereFollow us on Facebook here.Intro Song by Carpathians (Donny Rodgers): https://carpathians.bandcamp.com/track/lavaman

Join us for the first interview of 2023 where we will be hearing the story of Jace's Journey Co-Founder, Tomeka James Isaac, who is opening up about her traumatic experience with prenatal care that led to her son's preventable death & her own life being dangerously close to being lost too. She has since become an advocate for maternal health, specifically working to address the racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. As black mothers are more likely to suffer a stillbirth & be at risk for maternal mortality, this is a critically important mission & we hope you will join us in demanding better care for ALL families. Please watch & share this episode! It's up to us to make sure we hold the health system accountable & make sure more babies & mothers make it home safely. #preeclampsia #HELLPSyndrome #blackmaternalhealth JOIN OUR CIRCLE Make sure to subscribe to be alerted about our future episodes, which will feature honest discussions with everyone from birth workers, to birthing parents, to cord and placenta experts, to OB's, to maternal mental health providers, to advocates + more! We understand the worries & questions you may have as a parent-to-be. The Sacred Birth Circle is your village. You do not have to walk this path into parenthood alone. We're here for you every step of the way. Sacred Birth Circle goes Beyond the Pregnancy Guide sharing helpful, potentially life-saving, & supportive Womb Wisdom you won't hear anywhere else!Follow Sacred Birth Circle on IG + FB to connect with us + our community & expand your knowledge with us. With love, Ana RESOURCES If you have suffered a stillbirth please accept our deepest, heartfelt condolences & visit pushpregnancy.org/pregnancy-infant-loss for a list of resources we recommend. Rae also has a curated support website for loss families www.thebluestcircle.com. As loss parents ourselves, we understand the nightmare you have been living through. Please know you are NOT alone. Our community is here for you!To learn more about measuring the placenta, check out our partner org's website www.measuretheplacenta.org & feel free to connect with them to find a provider willing to help with this important stillbirth prevention tool that is not yet part of standard of care. DISCLAIMER Our content is not intended as medical advice. This is general information regarding the subjects discussed, which may not apply to every person. Please consult your healthcare provider for your medical care or advice specifically tailored to your needs, symptoms and health. Your care team will have a better understanding of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum situation. Make sure you ask for their help and guidance.

This week is Baby Loss Awareness Week, October 15th is Pregnancy, Infant, and Child Loss Remeberence Day, and today on Sense of Soul podcast we will be remembering Dylan Taylor. His parents, our dear friends Angelica and Billy Taylor joined us for a hard and very heartfelt conversation. In 1997 the newly married couple were preparing for their first child. They had learned through an ultrasound that they were having a boy. Billy and Angelica were so excited to begin their lives as parents. Everything was going well until Angelica begun to have concerning symptoms that lead her to the hospital, in her second trimester.  Angelica was diagnosed with “HELLP Syndrome” a rare pregnancy complication. It is a type of preeclampsia that causes elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count. Many women who have HELLP syndrome need to give birth early to prevent health complications.  Angelica and Billy were faced with having to make decisions that nobody should ever have to make. However this was an emergency and the urgency was a matter of life and death. The risks were great, inducing labor would mean that their baby would be very premature, but if they didn't, there would be a chance Billy would lose them both.  Angelica and Billy take us back to the day they had their firstborn, to the moments they lost their firstborn. Hear from a fathers prespective as Billy so genuinely shares his story, learn how they struggled in grief, yet managed to survive this traumatic loss and find their happy once again.  If you or someone you care about has lost a child to stillbirth, miscarriage, SIDS, or any other cause at any point during pregnancy or infancy. 1 in 4 women will lose a baby during pregnancy, delivery or infancy, Please join us in raising awareness this October for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and share this episode. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! If you'd like to contact Angelica and Billy you can email them at bapmtaylor@gmail.com https://starlegacyfoundation.org/awareness-month https://babyloss-awareness.org  Visit Sense of Soul at www.mysenseofsoul.com Do you want Ad Free episodes? Join our Sense of Soul Patreon, our community of seekers and lightworkers. Also recieve 50% off of Shanna's Soul Immersion experience as a Patreon member, monthly Sacred circles, Shanna and Mande's personal mini series, Sense of Soul merch and more. https://www.patreon.com/senseofsoul Thanks to our Sponsors! KACHAVA: www.kachava.com/senseofsoul ATHLETIC GREENS: www.athleticgreens.com/senseofsoul

Bridget Travinski shares her High Risk Birth Story and experience with HELLP Syndrome. Bridget already knew she had high blood pressure going into pregnancy, but was advised to stop taking her blood pressure medication due to growth restriction concerns. This resulted in a visit to the ER due to bleeding and dangerously high blood pressure, where doctors also find she has a blood clot on her cervix. Later, Bridget experiences abdominal pain and must return to the ER, and delivered her daughter at 27 weeks.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the CEO and founder of Miracle Mamas LLC. She is none other than the beautiful Ebony Ford. I connected with this beauty on Clubhouse. Her story was amazing and captivating. She shares with us her journey to motherhood and how she turned her pain into purpose. The month of April is such a significant month for me. It is my 5th year anniversary as an Authorpreneur. It is also Sexual Assault Awareness month and I am a survivor, Thriver, and Advocate of sexual assault. It is also Black Maternal Health week and National Infertility Awareness Week. For Info on HELLP Syndrome, check out: https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/hellp-syndrome.aspx Make sure to follow me on Social Media at Leah M. Forney. Check out my website: https://linktr.ee/leahmforney Ebony's Contact: IG: Andsheshallreign Clubhouse: Ebony Ford Website: www.andsheshallreign.com

Kayla, whose sister was featured on a previous episode, shares her High Risk Birth Story. During Kayla's first pregnancy, she was living in Florida away from family with her husband, a naval officer. She describes her experience finding a support system of new friends, developing preeclampsia and delivering her baby at 36 weeks, and undergoing treatment for HELLP Syndrome.

A walk through my career journey and how it led me to starting Think Happy, Co.

This week we have some very special guests who are prominent in the HELLP Syndrome and Preeclampsia Survivor social media space. Who are also Courtney's friends! Victoria is a postpartum preeclampsia survivor and is the founder of the 140 over 90 Run and owner of Integrative Health Wellness. Liz is a HELLP & Preeclampsia survivor and twin mom who works with the 140 over 90 Run. Kerri is a HELLP Syndrome survivor and the face behind the @hellpsyndrome Instagram account. Follow Liz on Instagram at: @liztrue Follow Kerri on Instagram at: @hellpsyndrome Follow Victoria at: Founder www.140over90run.com @140over90run Owner www.integrativehealthwellnessgroup.com @integrativehealthwellnessgroup Personal: @victoriatbuker Etsy shop for preeclampsia/HELLP/eclampsia survivor shirts: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KnockonMotherhood As always follow us on Instagram @knockonparenthoodpodcast or Facebook @knockonparenthoodpodcast. Check out www.knockonmotherhood.com for the blog, and please don't be shy to support us in any way you can. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/knockonparenthoodpodcast/support

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In this episode, we review the high-yield topic of Preeclampsia / Eclampsia / HELLP Syndrome from the Reproductive section. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/medbulletsstep1/message

Today's guest is no stranger to hard labor. As a strength and training coach she's seen how disciplined effort produces results. But long runs and weight lifting sets didn't prepare her for some of the consequences that the complicated chemistry of pregnancy can produce. Through the course of her different pregnancies she tangled with HELLP syndrome--a pregnancy complication that requires emergency attention, and a visit by gestational diabetes. Now, with three kids under 5, she can add a new exercise to her regimen: child wrangling.Find out more about Brooke's training business here: https://www.wreckingroutine.com/For extended show notes: see https://warstoriesfromthewomb.com/

Today's guest on the podcast is Eileen Moskowitz Palma.  Eileen was a teacher for many years until facing a life threatening condition, HELLP Syndrome, while pregnant with her daughter. After that, she faced auto-immune disorders that forced her to give up teaching. Leaving her teaching career lead her to begin working on her other life ... more »