Medically Augmented First Birth for PROM and Fast Unmedicated Second Birth Story

Mumsy Pop January 14, 2024

0 0 3 minutes read

First Birth: PROM and marginal cord insertion: Sandra became pregnant at age 33 in March 2020. She was planning an unmedicated hospital birth. She sought doula support and took a KYO birthing course. Her water broke spontaneously at 37w2d but she was rejected, so she didn’t present to the OB clinic until > 30 hours later. She went to the hospital for labor augmentation. After a few hours of back labor, she got the epidural and eventually a small episiotomy. Otherwise, things went well and it was an overall very positive experience. The baby had severe IUGR from a marginal cord insertion, which was unexpected given the reassuring ultrasound findings. He is only 4lbs 14oz at 37w4d! She didn’t ask for the NICU but Sandra did triple feeding, which was rough. He did great and went from 0.5% at birth to 10-12%. He is now a thriving almost 3 year old.

Second birth: Quick unmedicated hospital birth: Sandra became pregnant again at age 35 and is planning another unmedicated hospital birth. She went to 39w2d with her daughter, who is now 8 months old. She took the KYO course again and did a lot during the pregnancy to be careful about getting the baby in a good position. Labor started spontaneously with mild contractions. Sandra quickly went from “I think I might be in labor” to “we really need to go to the hospital NOW!” There was tension for several hours when she and her husband couldn’t get anyone to watch their baby in the middle of the night. Telephone support from their doula and a TENS unit got Sandra through as her husband literally ran around 3am to find help. When they finally got to the hospital, Sandra was 9.5cm with a bulging sac and her daughter was born within 20mins. The total time from the first contraction to birth was 4.5 hours! The baby had lip/tongue ties but they changed quickly and breastfeeding and postpartum were easier in general.

Sandra Brown Bio

Sandra and her family live in the North Carolina Triangle area with their 3-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter. Sandra and her husband both work in mental health. Sandra is a two-time student of the Know Your Options childbirth course and a Patreon member. She considers her births very different but equally empowering experiences.

Resources

Know Your Options Online Childbirth Course, Birth Time Podcast, The Birth Hour Patreon group
Managing Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and the OvaGraph app for fertility charting
Emerald Doulas based in Raleigh, NC
Expecting Better and Crib Sheet by Emily Oster
Cynthia Gabriel’s Natural Hospital Birth
Count the Kicks app and Instagram account
Mommy Labor Nurse, The Naked Doula, and The Balanced Boob instagram accounts
KellyMom.com for breastfeedingBaby Tracker app (especially useful for tracking feeds, pumping, and diapers in the early postpartum, but you can also track sleep, medication admin, and more)
Human Milk 4 Human Babies Facebook group for breastmilk donation (each state has its own chapter)
Dr. Milk- national Facebook group for moms who doctor breastfeed

It is necessary

Today’s episode is sponsored by Needed. Needed is the leading women’s health supplement brand recommended by nutrition-trained practitioners. While most perinatal supplements include the minimum nutrients needed during pregnancy, Needed products are based on the latest clinical research and in-practice experience of nearly 4000 practitioners. Needed covers all your needs, from your prenatal vitamins to pregnancy-specific Pre/ and Probiotics, to egg quality support, sleep, stress, immune support and hydration, as well as your protein needs for blood sugar balance and postpartum healing. Needed’s Complete Plan delivers unparalleled nutrition for every stage — you’re trying to conceive, pregnant, or postpartum! Instead of combining 6 different products to meet your needs, I love that Needed simplifies things by combining the four main products you need, into one easy and flexible monthly plan . Save 20% off your first order of Needed’s Complete Plan or any of their other perinatal nutrition products at thisisneeded.com with the code BIRTHHOUR.