159. MyMaine Birth: Pitocin Overuse, Uterine Rupture, and the Critical Need for Informed Consent with Katie Spinks

Send us Fan MailIn today's episode we hold space for Katie Spinks as she shares the traumatic birth of her daughter Jolene, including a Pitocin induction that ends in uterine rupture, delayed care, and a devastating HIE diagnosis. From there, we zoom out to the bigger questions: what informed consent should actually sound like in hospital birth, why birth plans can be used against mothers, and how hospital policy gets treated like law. We also explore how trauma can push families toward home birth or free birth, and where a search for autonomy can slide into rigid ideology. Katie is blunt about what she wishes she’d known before agreeing to the Pitocin induction, and why asking “what are the risks, benefits, and alternatives?” is not being difficult, it’s basic safety.We close with Jolene’s ongoing journey, including intensive therapy and experimental stem cell treatments in Mexico, and what progress can look like when you’re fighting for every gain.  If this conversation changes how you prepare, how you consent, or how you advocate, please subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more families can find it.You can connect with Katie Spinks on Facebook HEREYou can connect with Katie Spinks on Instagram HERE Additional Resources:MyMaineBirth.comClosing song by Kate Sutherland.  You can find Kate's community songs and deep nature connection work online at KateSutherland.caThe Guardian Article - Title: Infludencer's made millions pushing 'wild' births - now the free birth society is linked to baby deaths around the worldThe Guardian Article - Title: She was like a deer in the headlights': How unskilled radical birthkeepers took hold in CanadaThe Guardian Article - Title: Five Key Findings from our investigation into the Free Birth Society The Guardian Article - Title: Friday Briefing: How the free birth society's philosophy contributed to a preventable death Interview - Exposed: the business linked to baby deaths around the worldThe Guardian Podcast - the BirthKeepers