Week 12 Labor & Postpartum Prep
Finalizing Labor & Postpartum Team
I woke up last Saturday, looked in the mirror and had a sudden realization. I am in the third trimester. How? It feels like I found out I was pregnant three days ago. I guess it’s not surprising when you have a one- and two-year-old running around the house, working full-time, and using any remaining time for things I’m passionate about (hello postpartum mamas!)
I decided to choose one theme for the next 12 weeks to help me prepare for labor and the postpartum season. That felt like a manageable and productive approach (stay tuned if it actually works).
I picked my first week to confirm my labor and postpartum team. Honestly, my labor team came together almost immediately after telling Greg we were expecting again:
Jennifer Frye, True North Midwifery, was the midwife that delivered our second baby here at home and that experience was such a gift. From the prenatal care to labor experience and postpartum care, we never hesitated at another homebirth. (I’ll have to share our homebirth decision in a future story). Jenn is so incredibly knowledgeable about birth and a woman’s body. She walked into our home, encouraged me get into a position where I could get some sleep and also let the baby continue to progress down the canal, helped me move to the pool to assist with pain management during active labor and ultimately inspired me to move into whatever position my body wanted to deliver the baby. I have never felt so connected to my natural instincts and probably never would have had that experience without Jenn, her wisdom and incredibly calm demeanor.
Shanan Garber, 717barefootdoula, was my labor doula and assisted Jenn during our homebirth. Again, her calm style combined with suggestions for pain management made her an absolute gift of a labor doula. Shanan was the first to show up at the house when I was in labor, but I wasn’t sure how far along. I’ll never forget how she walked through the door at 2:30 am as if it was 2:30 pm, wide-eyed, bushy tailed, with a smile on her face. Immediately I felt better knowing she was there. I gave her an update on how I was feeling, and she said, “yep, I’m texting Jenn now because we’re going to have a baby soon” and three hours later Cameron was here. Also, Shanan must have forearms made of steel because it is the only explanation for how she could hold some of the pain management positions that she did.
For labor preparation, I have an incredible group of women that I have worked with for years. They all have wonderful experience working with pregnant women:
Dr. Leah (Reiff) Herr at Blue Skies Chiropractic Health Center. I’ve worked with Dr. Leah for almost 5 years now, back when I was struggling with fertility and she has a very gentle approach to chiropractic care.
Dr. Chandler and Dr. Devin of Health Home Chiropractic work on both boys and Colton absolutely loves when they come to visit. Dr. Devin managed to put Colton to sleep during a quick 3–4-minute adjustment a couple of months ago!
Like Dr. Leah, I’ve been working with Jo Ellen Wisnosky of Blossoms and Roots Wellness for about 5 years dating back to fertility challenges. I’ve worked with Jo Ellen for acupuncture and cupping. Like Dr. Devin did with Colton, I have fallen asleep during many visits to Jo Ellen because the experience is so peaceful.
I have not had a chance to visit my dear friend, Dr. Elizabeth Franze at Hartz Physical Therapy for a prenatal pelvic floor check-up, but believe me when I say that is on my to-do list.
Marian West, Marigold, I’ve been working with for a couple of years for bodywork and massage. Marian grew up dancing her whole life and after my first massage with her, I described her hands as dancing during the massage. Marian is a multi-hyphenate woman, so passionate about many things in life. She’s been such a gift to add to my circle of healers.
For the fourth trimester, that also came together pretty easily:
Rachael Hollinger, Nouris(her), will be my postpartum doula. Rachael has had one of the most significant impacts on me and I tell her all the time she has changed my life. Rachael is an incredibly talented, professionally trained chef who uses Ayurvedic practices in her cooking. The meals she made for me during my first postpartum season literally healed me physically and emotionally. Additionally, Rachael, like the rest of my birth team, has an incredibly peaceful and calming presence. A typical visit with Rachael looks like catching up on whatever has happened since she’s been there last, wearing the baby while I take a nap or a bath, walking out to incredible smells coming from the kitchen and a fresh load of laundry finished. When I wasn’t able to work with Rachael for my second birth (because she was welcoming her second baby, too!), I realized what a gift she was and followed in her footsteps with postpartum doula training from the same organization. I am so incredibly excited to be working with her again.
Mother’s Circle, which begins in November and will run for 6 months, will overlap during my delivery date. To know I have a village of mamas who I will see during my fourth trimester, who are just a text or phone call away in between our times together, is such a gift. The postpartum season is incredibly hard, especially in our American culture. Mother’s Circle will provide me a nurturing space to share the joys and challenges I’m experiencing. A place I’ll be comfortable being raw and honest with my experiences and know I’ll have a tribe of women validating and holding space for me.
The final thing we must decide is if we will photograph this homebirth experience. We never considered it for our first. We considered it briefly for our second but decided to focus on the transition to homebirth instead. Since this is likely our last, the idea of capturing the moment is really intriguing to me. So, stay tuned!
Did you do birth photography? Do you wish you would have done birth photography? Leave a comment below to help me decide!
