If you’ve already given birth before, I’d love to know- did your labor turn out the way you’d imagined it? 
This week we’re speaking with Steffanie Allen, mama of 5.  Steffanie’s experienced a vast array of births, and some of them turned out far different from what she, or what anyone for that matter, could have predicted, especially her most recent birth.
 
Reviewer of the Week- ThePond
“so positive and encouraging!  I’ve listened to a lot of birth podcasts.  Like, a lot.  This one is by far my favorite!  The tone is so positive, encouraging and wholesome . I wish I had found this before my home birth last year, but I’m listening like crazy to start mentally preparing for whenever I have my next baby."
 
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Steffanie and her midwife were still willing to give birth to her twins at home once they realized that there were indeed two.  However, after further evaluation, it was realized that a birth with healthy outcomes in this particular situation was not looking like a strong possibility.  What I find so helpful about this decision was that Steffanie was informed enough to know that although under other circumstances she’d be willing to have this twin birth at home, during this time she knew that her decision to have a c section was the best choice for her.  Steffanie did not feel coerced or pushed, she was still able to take responsibility for her care and accept the benefits afforded by the hospital.
I’m so glad we were able to discuss the importance of nutrition.  Listen, growing birthing and feeding babies is not a low-energy process.  We give so much of ourselves, quite literally to these new lives, and we do become depleted.  It’s incredibly important to make sure that we take this into consideration pre-conception if possible, certainly prenatally, and absolutely postpartum so that we can actively replenish our bodies.
And finally, let’s tie up that loose end.  You can do all of the prep work in the world, but there’s a chance your birth is going to look completely different from what you expect.  I mean, who visualizes giving birth in their church bathroom?  But our bodies are designed for this great work, and the rest we must learn to surrender.  What a humbling lesson it is for all of us, yet how beautiful at the same time.
Resources:
Free Homebirth Mythbusters
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