Ep 324: From Monitoring to Trusting: A Nurse’s Birth Transformation

What happens when you know too much about birth… and you’re experiencing pregnancy and birth for yourself?   This week's episode, I’m joined by Emily—a labor and delivery nurse who found herself navigating pregnancy and birth as both a provider and a patient.   We talk about how working inside the hospital shaped her first birth… what shifted in her mindset the second time around… and how she ultimately chose a homebirth rooted in surrender.   Episode Roundup:   First—this idea of knowing too much: how too much information can sometimes lead us to questioning ourselves, our bodies and our instincts– information overload can create fear instead of clarity.  I love how Emily was so aware of this– how what she’d seen and experienced at work actually needed to be balanced with nervous system regulation, surrender, and leaning into her own intuition.  During postpartum with her first baby, Emily felt like she missed much of the experience because it seemed impossible to turn her brain off and simply trust.  But that first experience transformed how she would interact with pregnancy, birth and motherhood from then on. Second—the shift from control into surrender… not just in birth, but in motherhood as a whole.  What a learning curve it is to go from taking care of only your own needs to the needs of others.  As Emily said, she had to reorient herself to life now that she was a care provider– no longer could she simply bop off and workout on a whim or head to the grocery store alone.  Even her ability to regulate her nervous system after her second child had to shift– It wouldn’t be 30 minutes on the couch with her warm cup of tea, but instead breathing exercises while she rocked and nursed her baby.  Our willingness to be flexible and do things differently– to be creative– is a gift to both ourselves and our babies. And finally—birth can shape the way we step into motherhood… Emily went from anxiety and overthinking in her first pregnancy and birth… into presence, peace, and confidence during her homebirth, and the impact has continued far beyond.   Links:   Redeem ™ |  https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90 “Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”   Restorative Roots  | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)   Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)