Bacterial Vaginosis, Cervical Lips, & Nuchal Cords, Oh My! Lessons From My Three Home Births

This week, we're flipping the script. My doula, Alison Akan of the BirthLinked YouTube channel, sits down with me to talk through all three of my birth experiences, and nothing is off limits.I went into each birth with more knowledge than the last, and somehow that made things both easier and harder. We talk about what it's like to plan for a home birth and end up in the hospital, what it means to truly surrender in labor, and why knowing too much can sometimes work against you.Alison's passion for birth began in her teens in Sweden, where she went on to study medical assisting with a goal of midwifery. She supported her first birth at 22 in a high-risk labor and delivery unit in Lund, and brings experience from over 300 births to every family she serves.After returning to the USA in 2017, she became a certified birth doula and hasn't looked back. Alison is deeply committed to evidence-based education, helping expectant parents understand their options and move from fear to excitement. Her goal is for every client to look back on their birth as empowering, even when it doesn't go as planned.Alison always says that it's a true honor to be invited into such a sacred space, and that reverence is at the heart of everything she does.BIRTH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwSlgH3B1Do&list=PLbvrHEJRpfbj4TdUGNNcGPYJ6Dr67KTW8In this episode we cover:How my first birth started with a yoga class in San Francisco — in DependsUndiagnosed bacterial vaginosis, prelabor rupture of membranes, and a four-day labor that ended in a hospital transferWhat actually happens to your psoas muscles in labor — and why an epidural was the best clinical decision I madeMy second birth: swift, an uneventful nuchal cord with baby still en caulDeciding to have a third child on a hard parenting day — and what my partner said that made the decision for usAsynclitism, cervical lips, a birth tub filled with buckets, and a placenta that went rogueWhat my husband was most afraid of — and it wasn't pushing the baby out!People + Events Mentioned:Alison Akan: [BirthLinked YouTube Channel]Angela Truby: Glow Midwifery [midwife]Tami Lynn Kent / Holistic Pelvic Care™Katie Kanda Beyond Birth Community Calls Birth Prep. But Better. (https://www.bewellbaby.org/birth-prep-but-better)Want to keep the conversation going? Join me most Tuesdays at 10am PST/1pm EST/7pm in Sweden! Beyond Birth