What makes for a birth that encourages immediate connection with your baby? Was "surprise car birth" the first thought that came to mind? No? Maybe it will be after this story!
 
This week, we're speaking with Shelby and Jenna. Two sisters who have supported each other throughout their pregnancies. We'll be talking about Shelby's stories specifically today and how Jenna was a part of her very unusual experience.
 
Episode Roundup:
Sometimes the situations that unfold can impact us in ways that we were not expecting. After her first birth, Shelby ran into difficulties with bonding and breastfeeding, much of this due to harmful hospital policy. When these things happen, it can be difficult not to carry our concerns into our next experience.
Shelby experienced perinatal depression with her second baby, and I'm so glad that she was able to bring up the struggle and difficulty that it brought upon her pregnancy, because we see that once she felt comfortable bringing up what was going on, she was immediately validated, loved and understood by her husband and sister. When we can find the courage to speak up about what is troubling us, half of the work is done already. We are then able to have the people who love us support us through whatever it is that we need. There are plenty of counselors and therapists who support women through perinatal depression specifically, so if you find yourself in this position, I lovingly encourage you to seek that support.
Finally, sometimes the gift of our birth experience comes in a very unexpected package. Despite the fact that Shelby wasn't envisioning an unassisted car birth on the side of the road, this turned out to be a beautiful gift for herself and her son. They were able to bond and breastfeed immediately, and she was able to bathe in the beautiful connection that she wanted so desperately during her first experience.
Resources:
 
FREE Homebirth Essentials Guide
Happy Homebirth Collective