7 Lies You've Been Told about Pregnancy & Birth
Show Notes:
[1:28] Our Reviewer of the Week, C-Gerber, said, "I found your podcast half way through my first pregnancy, and ended up buying your course soon after I listened to many of the birthing stories. I ended up having my first born daughter after only 7 hours of labour with no pain medication! It was an intense but amazing experience that I was able to have control of the whole situation. This course helped me take control of my first birth and allowed me to go into my labour confidently. My doctor was blown away at how fast I had my first child and my nurse was also amazed! I told them about this course I took and my nurse wanted to know what it was called so she could tell other woman about it after witnessing my birth!!!"
[2:37] You are not being told the complete truth when it comes to your pregnancy and birth. That is the reality of it. I am here to debunk some of these things for you.
[3:22] Lie #1: You should schedule an induction if you are coming up to your 40 week guess date. This whole induction thing has kind of become my soapbox. This is not evidence based. We are given guess dates. They are not due dates, meaning that your baby has expired the second they go past that 40 weeks. We ovulate at different times. Our cycles do different things. The sperm goes into the egg at different times. We implant at different times. Our babies get to choose the time.
[4:26] Fun Fact! Your baby sends that hormone signal to your brain and says, "Hey, we're ready. Let's do it. Let's do this." Your baby knows exactly when they're supposed to be here. So let's not mess with Mother Nature unless there's an actual reason to be doing that, right?
[5:28] Of course, there are going to be exceptions to the rule and you should work carefully and closely with your provider, but I guarantee you 100% that if we were not forcing women into inductions (usually they're asking you to schedule it by 37, 38, 39 weeks) you would have a ton of women that go into labor at 42 or even 43 weeks. Your placenta doesn't give up at 40 weeks. Your body is still functioning and helping to nourish your baby.
[7:29] We're also going to include the list of questions that you can ask your provider. If you have not downloaded that yet, we have one for hospitals, OB's, midwives, and out of hospital situations. Look at the questions, and take them with you.
[8:20] Lie #2: Your pelvis is too small to give birth. Your pelvis moves and stretches because of the hormone relaxin. This is the reason your baby's little head plates are not formed and hard until months later after giving birth so they can fit through the birth canal. Generally, we do not create babies that we're not able to give birth to. Laboring positions are a big part of it. Ask for help to change position. Have somebody roll you side to side, use the peanut ball or the stirrup to put your leg up when you're on your side so that you are opening that pelvis. You're allowing the baby to rotate and move.
[13:48] Lie #3: You have to consent to cervical checks. You don't have to have them when you are pregnant. You don't have to have them during labor. If you go into the hospital and they might say things like, "Well, we can't admit you if we don't check and you're at least four centimeters." You can sit there and labor and give birth right there without them ever touching your body. This is absolutely a conversation to have with your provider beforehand and have it on your your birth plan. They don't tell you anything in regards to when you are going to give birth. We do not dilate by the clock, but if you are receiving cervical exams during your labor, they will be looking at the clock and looking at your dilation as you go. The other thing is cervical exams are not comfortable at any time, but especially during labor.
[20:14] Lie #4: The only option for the gestational diabetes screening is the glucola drink. You do not have to do the glucola drink. You can say no to any kind of testing that comes your way. You do not have to do it. There is an alternative called the Fresh Test, which is a glucose beverage which is additive-free and made with just three high-quality ingredients to test for gestational diabetes.
[23:14] Lie #5: Your baby is measuring "big" on a 3rd trimester ultrasound so we need to induce you. We know with evidence-based information that ultrasounds are not a good measurement of weight or even length for a baby, but specifically weight. The concern is that they're concerned that because baby is going to be so big, they can experience something called shoulder dystocia. When their head is born, their shoulders can become stuck in the birth canal. Only 14% of babies that weigh greater than 9 pounds 15 ounces at birth could will experience shoulder dystocia.
[29:38] Lie #6: Once a Cesarean, always a Cesarean. The truth is that most women who have a caesarean birth, a prior caesarean birth, are actually excellent candidates to have a vaginal birth after a Cesarean. If you've had a prior vaginal delivery, excellent candidate. If your Cesarean was due to failure to progress, you're also a great candidate. They say the amount of time with, between cesareans can play a part too. When it comes to having a VBAC, this decision relies heavily on your comfort level, your provider, your medical history, and whatever you choose that you want to do. There's no right or wrong answer, you get to have a say no matter what.
[34:34] Lie #7: It isn't safe to birth outside of a hospital. One of my favorite things that came out of the pandemic and 2020 was all of a sudden, insurance was offering to pay for women to give birth out of the hospital, if they were healthy and low risk. I am going to tell you right now, wherever you feel comfortable, wherever you want to give birth, with whatever provider you are happy with, that is where you should do it. For a low risk mom with no pregnancy complications, a home birth can actually be a safer option in the way of listening to and respecting a mom's ability to go into labor on her own, listening to and respecting a mom's ability to work through labor during the process without having to be touched and manhandled and all of that kind of stuff. Generally speaking, when you have more of a hands off approach, you're going to have less interventions.
This is the question that I get all the time, but what if I'm birthing out of hospital and something bad happens? Like, what if there's an emergency and they've got to call an ambulance and all this, and I'm going to tell you right now that the majority of times that transfers happen, they happen with plenty of time for mom and dad to drive their car to the hospital.
I can't even tell you how much of a difference it makes to just have that emotional support and comfort and knowing everything is safe, comfortable, and good. That peace of mind is wonderful to have beautiful supportive people in such a sacred space giving you all those positive affirmations and conversations and support, it's unmatched! It is beautiful and really nourishes the mom in that space to be able to tune in, trust her body, and work through the process of birth.
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