Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth of my second son in Okinawa, Japan

Because I knew what to expect to some extent, the second pregnancy and labor went so much quicker than the first! The first labor experience at the clinic out in town was amazing, so we decided to have the second baby there as well. (And since we’re no longer stationed in Okinawa, we joke that we can’t have any more children unless we fly back to be at the same clinic.)

We hired a doula again for this birth, but we decided to try placenta encapsulation and to focus on the postpartum experience. My first baby was a perfect labor and delivery, but an extremely difficult infancy wrought with colic, acid reflux, and postpartum depression. I wanted to mitigate the difficulties so we hired Laura, who specializes in postpartum health.

My mother-in-law had retired just a few months before this baby’s EDD, so she was able to fly out to be with us for the birth. Her role was to stay with our 2-year-old, whom I worried about an awful lot. My little boy was such a mama’s boy, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to “give him up” as an only child. Once my mother-in-law arrived, my worries subsided and I knew my oldest boy would be in good hands…

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Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth Story - Guest Blog

I’ll start by briefly talking about the birth of my first son. Everything is fine, he was born healthy, but in hindsight I realized there were things I wish had gone differently. I went into my pregnancy and birth with the mindset, “Women do this everyday, so why do I need to take classes or read books about it?” I wanted to try to do things naturally, but didn’t take issue with possible interventions. I would do what the doctor recommended. I ended up with pitocin, an epidural, and an episiotomy.

Afterwards, I started to have some questions about my birth experience. I remember thinking while my doctor was giving me the episiotomy, “I haven’t done much research but I’m pretty sure these aren’t a ‘thing’ anymore….” But I was crowning, so I wasn’t exactly in a position to bring it up for discussion…

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Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth of my first son in Okinawa, Japan

My husband and I decided to have a baby when we moved to Okinawa. I am a nutritionist, personal trainer, and holistic health advocate. I believe in the power of the human body to achieve unbelievable feats as long as the body is nourished in mind, body, and spirit. My husband and I think similarly and we both knew we wanted an all-natural pregnancy and birth.

We knew we wanted to take Hypnobirthing, which is a birthing class that focuses on breathing techniques, stretches, spousal partnership, visualization, and encourages natural birthing. It can be “far out” sometimes (like promising a pain-free birth?!) but if you take the lessons with a grain of salt, it’s great. My husband and I both got a lot out of it. It’s like studying before a big exam – it’s the mental preparation part of a natural birth. (Don’t forget the physical preparation: healthy eating, exercise, and stretching.)…

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Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth Story - Guest Blog

I always knew I was a very independent person, but never knew how independent I was until I went through my first pregnancy while my husband was deployed. We found out we were expecting about two weeks before he left. As soon as the home pregnancy tests turned positive (and I bought one of every kind off the shelf, just to make sure), I called Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton to make an appointment. We had no issues getting in for the consultation visit to estimate the due date, but it took a little more sweet talking to get scheduled for our first sonogram – just one day shy of the ten week mark, the morning of my husband’s deployment day. We heard the heartbeat together, and we felt our lives changing for the better…

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Birth Story - Guest Blog

Birth Story - Guest Blog

Getting pregnant was not an easy thing for my husband and I.  I was told right before we got married it was going to be difficult for me to get pregnant due to PCOS.  I didn’t think that would mean losing babies as well.  We decide that we weren’t going to try to prevent pregnancy due to the news from the doctor and wanting to trust God and His timing.  A year and a half after getting married we got pregnant and could not believe it, but something did not feel right.  Turns out my body wasn’t producing the hormones it needed to keep the baby and I miscarried at 7 weeks.  Two months later we found out I was pregnant again and I just knew this time was different.  I had morning sickness and all the typical pregnancy signs.  But, then one day I woke up feeling “normal” I just thought morning sickness was over.  That afternoon I started to miscarry at 9 weeks.  I couldn’t believe it was happening again.  I was heartbroken and trying to understand why I was going through another miscarriage.  But, God is faithful and even in the hard and difficult times He shows that He is good.  December of 2015 I found out I was pregnant for the 3rd time.  A lot of emotions ran through my head as I wanted to be excited, but I was nervous at the same time thinking “was my body going to be able to carry this baby this time?” As the pregnancy progressed I had relief and could finally think about how I wanted to birth this miracle I was carrying.  I always knew I wanted a natural birth, but wasn’t sure where.  After searching the area and finding out that Tricare would cover a birth at the birth center that was where I knew I wanted to delivery!

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The Value of Birth Photography - Guest Blog

The Value of Birth Photography - Guest Blog

I have been photographing birth in the Fredericksburg area for a little over 3 years. I talk often about the value of those images. How precious your first few moments are, how it is an investment you will never regret making, and I meant every word.

Then my second child was born!

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