71 | Bed Rest Led to Her Therapy Work - Shenee Bend

Shenee is a counselor who focuses on serving pregnancy and postpartum women. Her second pregnancy was going well until her 32nd week presented with bleeding the same week as her baby shower. She was blessed to have additional support in town, her husband stayed with their older daughter, and her best friend joined her at the hospital over the next three days. The bleeding was unexplained, but she was treated to prevent a preterm birth. She was advised to stop working, but she pushed for less restrictive discharge orders as she believed she had a vascular cervix. Her providers suspected placental abruption as she found herself back at the hospital less than 24 hours later.Shenee eventually agreed to stay at the hospital until her baby was born to keep them both safe. There was a period of surrender that led to a month-long hospital stay. This was followed by a feeling of body shame and grief for the pregnancy experience she had expected. Her husband and daughter would visit every other day and enhanced their bond during their time together. Shenee dug deep and started each day with intention and positive affirmations that would later inspire her counseling work. The low intervention birth plan had made some significant changes, but she managed to maintain some of her choices. Tune in to hear how her birth culminated and meet the new mother birthed in adversity.Resources:Postpartum Support Internation | online postpartum support, education, and local resource informationPregnancy Therapist (Shenee Bend, LPC) | pregnancy and postpartum counseling