70 | Life is Generous - Nicole Cole

After having a surgical birth with her first son, Nicole knew her second birth; she wanted her journey to look different. That started with finding a black midwife, a black doula, and birthing with a care team that would treat her under a holistic mindset, her needs and wants always being the lead. Yet, unexpected events of the world would cause Nicole to make some shifts. Soon after her state's shutdown due to COVID-19, the midwife practice she had been seeing indicated that they couldn't keep their doors open and their families would need to find a new practice. A tip from her prenatal masseuse encouraged her to seek out doula support. There was an instant connection between her and Fatima, and in hearing Nicole's struggles to find a care team she trusted, she backed Nicole in reaching out to the GW midwifery group late in her pregnancy was worth trying. Nicole stayed her course, and things began moving into alignment. At 32 weeks, she began her care with GW, and the day before her son's arrival she was introduced to Anayah Sangodele-Ayoka, CNM, a black midwife from the practice. The care from her felt so familiar, a connection not only for her health concerns but also to just who she was. When her son's birth came around, she felt her birth team fully encouraging and cheering her on. Everything she had done to prep had come full circle to have a VBAC. She shares from her story for others moving through their journey, "set your intentions, believe it's going to happen, and don't be afraid to change."

Episode 70 of the Birth Stories in Color podcast, hosted by Laurel Gourrier, titled "70 | Life is Generous - Nicole Cole" was published on October 13, 2020 and runs 48 minutes.

October 13, 2020 ·48m · Birth Stories in Color

Summary

After having a surgical birth with her first son, Nicole knew her second birth; she wanted her journey to look different. That started with finding a black midwife, a black doula, and birthing with a care team that would treat her under a holistic mindset, her needs and wants always being the lead. Yet, unexpected events of the world would cause Nicole to make some shifts. Soon after her state's shutdown due to COVID-19, the midwife practice she had been seeing indicated that they couldn't keep their doors open and their families would need to find a new practice. A tip from her prenatal masseuse encouraged her to seek out doula support. There was an instant connection between her and Fatima, and in hearing Nicole's struggles to find a care team she trusted, she backed Nicole in reaching out to the GW midwifery group late in her pregnancy was worth trying. Nicole stayed her course, and things began moving into alignment. At 32 weeks, she began her care with GW, and the day before her son's arrival she was introduced to Anayah Sangodele-Ayoka, CNM, a black midwife from the practice. The care from her felt so familiar, a connection not only for her health concerns but also to just who she was. When her son's birth came around, she felt her birth team fully encouraging and cheering her on. Everything she had done to prep had come full circle to have a VBAC. She shares from her story for others moving through their journey, "set your intentions, believe it's going to happen, and don't be afraid to change."

Episode Description