Katie Carpenter Instagram – Birth story, part 1.
As many of you know, it took a while for us to get pregnant. When we finally did, we were over the moon! There were many lessons involved – lessons in nutrition, lifestyle adjustments, & emotional lessons of letting go.
When I imagined birth, I imagined it to be peaceful. I wanted to give our girl the gift of a calm entry into this world. I’d also never been comfy in hospital settings and we’d heard about traumatic hospital births. So – we hired a midwife and started planning a homebirth.
At the time, I wasn’t worried about pain. I wanted to do it unmedicated, to prove I could. To be like our ancestors, squatting in a field 😅 In my mind, if I could do that, I could do anything.
I was blessed with a normal pregnancy. A low-risk pregnancy is required for homebirth. Although midwives are highly trained, there are scenarios they don’t have the resources for.
We also had backup care at a hospital midwife group. I did my labs through them. If anything risked me out, they would have my records.
We bought a birth kit. We had a home visit. And then things started to shift.
At 32 weeks, I got a high blood pressure reading at the midwives’ office. It went down, but they were concerned. I told them I was just nervous and my BP readings had been excellent at home. Still, I agreed to let them run a preeclampsia panel. It was fine.
But then… I saw my BP rise at home. I felt desperate. So I followed the Brewer Diet. It requires you to eat a ton. I worried about food all the time. But within a few days, my BP was normal.
However, tensions were high with our homebirth midwife. The way things were communicated were often worded like threats. And at our last visit, she inferred she’d most likely send us to the hospital in labor.
I left my 38w apmnt devastated. I knew I wouldn’t get my “peaceful homebirth.” I spent the day crying.
That night, we made a choice. To cut ties with our homebirth midwife and willingly choose a hospital birth.
I knew this was the right call, although it didn’t make it easier. To let go of something you’ve been planning for 9 months is hard. But just like getting pregnant was a lesson, so was this… “Let go.” | Posted on 08/Nov/2023 02:10:04
