Posts tagged Trust Birth
132 | Trusting the Surrender ~ Aureyl Pitts-Thomas
132 | Trusting the Surrender ~ Aureyl Pitts-Thomas

Having had a chemical pregnancy before, Aureyl held onto a lot of fear about her health and its correlation to how this pregnancy would continue. Not feeling supported by her care provider, she reached out to two of her dear friends who also happened to be doulas at the time with the local doula organization Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT). This additional layer of support gave her the tools to switch to a new care provider that was perfect for her family. Her doula also guided her in managing her hyperemesis gravidarum diagnosis. In a conversation with her doula, she realized that she had to address the fear she had about her body. Her doula explained that she couldn't "operate in both." She had to be either affirming that she was truly capable or sit alongside the fear. Aureyl realized she had to do the work and shared from then that her pregnancy and birth would have a theme of continued surrender - surrendering to her body, words, and thoughts about what her experience should be.

On Sept. 13th, 2020, around midnight, Aureyl went to the bathroom and noticed some fluid with a pink tinge. Having done in-depth prep with her doula about what to expect when labor began, Aureyl was pretty confident her waters had broken. She informed her doula, her family, and care provider and went back to bed to try and rest. The following day with the support of her doula, they tried to help labor progress with movement, continued to monitor the amount of fluid she was losing (as she had a small leak), along with her temperature and baby's heartbeat. After 24 hours of this routine, they decided to head to the hospital. The hospital birth team informed Aureyl she would need to get a cervical check to confirm that her waters had broken and how her body was progressing. This check was extremely painful for her, and after hearing that she was only 1cm dilated, she expressed feeling a sense of deep discouragement, and the tinges of distrust of her body began rising again. Discussing options with her birth team, she decided to rest, and as she continued to move through her birth, the trust of surrendering she had put in her pregnancy would still ring true.

Aureyl had to ask herself to surrender to the shifts of her birth; this included the support of Pitocin to help her progress. The guidance from her doctor in getting an epidural to ease her distress with cervical checks and the later part of her labor was supportive. And ultimately, meeting her baby on Sept. 15th through a surgical birth was what was aligned for them. Reflecting on her experience, Aureyl indicates that she could be at peace with each of those decisions as they were all made on her terms. And she looks back on her experience in awe of how beautiful it was for her.

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COVID-19, Hospital Birth, Loss, Postpartum, Cesarean BirthLaurel GourrierROOTT Doulas, Doula of Color, Black Doulas, Doula Support, Black Birth Matters, Maternal Mental Health, Birth Plan Shifts, Trust Birth, Surgical BirthComment
117 | Staying Present - Annette Perel
117 | Staying Present - Annette Perel

Before the pregnancy of her son, Annette Perel had been a doula for about four years. Considering her experience from supporting other families, she was set on the plans for her birth and what she needed to do to prepare. Key aspects of that preparation included hiring a doula and midwife for her home birth, learning to become assertive in her communication to advocate for herself, and soaking in the joy of her pregnancy.

Not able to turn her doula hat off, Annette was sure that her son would be coming past his estimated due date. Thanksgiving evening, she was surprised as she began noticing some early signs of labor but pushed them off as she could move through contractions with ease. That night she was even able to sleep through them. Over the next two days, she would fall into a rhythm of working through manageable contractions throughout the day that would subside in the evening and morning. Annette and her son's father took that time to complete the last preparation before his arrival.

Moving into day three, labor would begin to shift and become more intense, Annette needing to lean into the support of her son's father and doula. Staying present in her birth was very important for her - an anchor that allowed her to connect with her baby and body, serving as a technique for managing labor and allowing her to trust herself. This would be vital as Annette delivered her baby into her own hands with the support of her doula and midwife, who was providing guidance via phone (as she was still making her way to Annette). A moment she describes as feeling "guided, protected, safe and exactly how that labor was supposed to happen."

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Home Birth, PostpartumLaurel GourrierBlack Doulas, Doula Support, Home Birth Family, Village Support, Trust BirthComment
97 | Trusting the Power of Intuitive Listening - Jefri & Aigbokhai
97 | Trusting the Power of Intuitive Listening - Jefri & Aigbokhai

For Jefri prepping for birth mentally, emotionally, and spiritually was of high importance. Tapping into her intuition and "reconciling her relationship with pain" based on conscious and unconscious thoughts around it. She wanted to be able to trust herself throughout her whole journey, an aspect of preparation that was key for Aigbokhai as well—finding a way to stay out of his own head so that he could be "in the moment, present and available" to support Jefri in whatever way she needed.

When labor began, Jefri felt as though it wasn't time. As things started picking up, she still disregarded the shift but followed her body's request for movement as she worked through contractions. After some time, she found herself returning to the toilet, her body signaling to her that their baby would be arriving soon.

With a sense of haste, she instructed Aigbokhai to call their midwife, and they both began hurriedly preparing for the baby to come. With their midwife still a bit of way from their home and things moving fast, they placed her and Jefri's mother on facetime. Both of them providing support and encouragement as the baby began crowning. And with another two contractions, their son was born into Jefri and Aigbokhai's hands.

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COVID-19, Home Birth, UnassistedLaurel GourrierMidwife of Color, Midwifery Care, Student Midwife, Birthing During COVID, Trust BirthComment
60 | The Power of Trust - Nicole Bailey
60 | The Power of Trust - Nicole Bailey

When submitting her story, Nicole was concerned that she wouldn't have "enough" to share. That her story would be unrelatable to others, but of course, that's not the case! Nicole had been apprehensive about being a parent and knew from the beginning that she would need to prepare herself not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually. Prep began with creating a birthing team that could support her fully. She immersed herself in birth videos and birth. She continued with her active lifestyle and took extra precaution and care by seeing a Chiropracter to ensure her body and baby were in alignment. Nicole also relied heavily on affirmations, whenever fear or distractions would come up she would affirm aloud that her baby knew what to do, she knew what to do, and they both were going to be able to do this together.

Labor began on Mother's day - and the word that arose for Nicole in describing her story was "surreal." Throughout, there was a deep connection to what her baby needed. Almost like a pull, "I felt like I was somewhere trying to retrieve my baby." After laboring at home for 10 hours, she felt an intense urge that her baby was ready to come and arrived at the hospital at 9 cm dilated. Nicole would stay tapped into her connectedness and intuition until her baby was earthside in 3 pushes.

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Hospital Birth, PostpartumLaurel GourrierBlack Families Matter, Doula of Color, Spontaneous Labor, Birth Affirmations, Trust Birth Comments