On this episode we are joined by Hannah Hacker, a mom of two and a natural birth enthusiast. She shares her experience with prodromal labor in both of her pregnancies as well as an irritable uterus in her second pregnancy. After having weeks of prodromal labor, Hannah’s water broke with a small trickle, Hannah and her midwife decided to give her body a little nudge with castor eggs and it worked and she went into labor quickly. It was a quick labor for a first time mom and Hannah shares how the intensity of contractions were surprisingly not as bad as she anticipated. However, after her remaining water bag broke she experienced an increase in intensity but gave birth shortly after. With her second birth it was much longer and almost ended in a transfer but Hannah was able to start pushing and get back in the tub before her son was born. Hannah also shares about her experience with symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD). Pelvic girdle pain is another name for this condition.

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In this episode we hear from high school sweethearts who have experienced SIX births together. Andrew and Lara Reece share how each birth experience was very different from the last and what they learned along the way. Andrew, as the birth partner, had the incredible opportunity to catch each of their babies-with the exception of one. He shares how that was and how he grew in confidence with each birth.

With their first son, Gideon, Lara had to be induced but still experienced a positive birth with a midwife.

During her second birth with their daughter Juliet, Lara unfortunately had a bad epidural that caused her to not feel the same bond with her baby as she had felt with her firstborn. Although that bond came quickly, Lara can still remember that feeling.

After two successful births, the Reece's had grown in confidence and knowledge or birth and decided to go for a natural, unmedicated birth. This baby's gender was also a surprise. For this birth they also decided to hire a doula but in hindsight realized that Andrew was all the support they needed. They did enjoy having a doula for this birth and appreciated some of the things that she did. The exciting part of catching this baby was that the baby was born en caul, which means he was still in the amniotic sac. Only 1 in 80,000 babies are born this way! Andrew caught the baby and, in the excitement, everyone forgot to announce the gender. It was a baby boy!

Lara's next pregnancy was smooth and uncomplicated, the same as her previous pregnancies. However, she was due in April of 2020 and by March the pandemic was in full swing. Due to the uncertainty of covid and how it would affect birth in the hospital, Lara decided to try a homebirth. Their experience was great, and they reflect on the differences between the hospital birth and home birth. This baby girl's birth was unique because it was Lara who pull her baby up to her this time.

With their fifth pregnancy they were expecting another baby girl. Although they were planning another homebirth, Lara had to go into the hospital at 42 weeks for an ultrasound to check on the placenta and baby's wellbeing. The staff was certain that she was 43 weeks instead of 42 and although everything looked healthy, they warned Lara that she needed to be induced immediately. Thankfully they were able to leave without a fight and continued on patiently waiting since the baby looked good and there were no concerns about her wellbeing. When the baby came, she came so quickly that the midwife didn't make it in time and Andrew delivered the baby unassisted, thankfully this was his fifth baby, and he was prepared. Andrew shares the shift in his mindset though, being the only one there and having to coach his wife in a little bit of a different way.

With their 6th and final birth story, Lara shares her journey to going back to the hospital for this birth. After a more difficult pregnancy than the others, including a surgery on her arm that she was awake for, she wanted to be able to rest during the birth. Lara's water broke in early labor for the first time with this baby and that's when they really had to decide rather, they were going to stay at home or go to the hospital where they had no record of her prenatal care. Lara and Andrew reflect on the positive care they received from the OB that delivered the baby-or more accurately that assisted Andrew in delivering the baby.

Want to share your birth story? Leave us a message with a summary or your story and we will reach out to you! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joysofbirth/message

In our first episode we feature Jessica's accidental car birth story! It's a great example of how birth happens no matter where you are or what you are doing. Listen along as Jessica takes us step by step through her incredible birth story!

Welcome to the Joys of Birth Podcast!