Mother of Self Advocacy
*All information revealed in this birth story was graciously given consent from my client. She wishes to share her story with others who may face adversity.*
Our culture shies away from complications and realities while the birth world reveals an array of truths.
Proving how different we all really are.
How each of us carries a different pregnancy.
How the paperwork we fill out doesn't always meet a "collective majority".
How unique our individual anatomies are.
How some of us have to find expensive ways to conceive.
How a lot of do not initially find quality care.
How other countries handle birth in ways that we are not accustomed to.
This experience was different than what I was used to in the birth world.
It had nothing to do with her birth, really...
It was her.
Flavia.
In my line of work, I'm exposed vast lifestyles that directly correlate to the way women choose to birth.
Flavia is from Brazil.
She wanted to hire me to capture her birth work.
I distinctly remember asking her why she wanted to work with me and she said,
"Your work makes me feel included."
At this point, I had no idea what she was referring to but that didn't stop my heart from smiling. That's all that I want my work to achieve. Inclusivity.
The further along we spoke, she revealed that she was facing a lot of adversity due to her health and age. A lot of guilt was surrounding her pregnancy due to the opinions of others. She wanted a child and she was considered extremely high risk.
After knowing this information, I knew that I was going to work with her.
During her pregnancy, she experienced doctors continuously trying to convince her that she needed to be induced.
She needed this.
She needed that.
Never being shown data but somehow always attempting to be coerced. When she went for one of her checkups, some of her fluid had "drastically dropped" and they wanted her to stay in the hospital until delivery. They did not explain anything very well to her & she felt unsupported. I remember getting texts from her updating me. At 34 weeks, the hospital she was admitted to was doing everything possible to keep her there. All the while she told me that her gut just wasn't agreeing. It didn't take a medical degree for her to understand that things were off.
The next day she notified me that she was releasing herself from their care once they were finished monitoring their baby. There were no signs of labor so she left. Shortly after leaving, she went to another doctor for a second opinion.
With plans changing so late in her pregnancy, the choice of leaving was the best one she made. The doctor she ended up seeing monitored her just as the previous hospital had and his numbers were completely different than what she was told. She realized the previous location that she was at was a teaching hospital. She also found out that their rates of interventions was staggeringly high because again...it was a teaching hospital.
A lot of things get tested on patients without their proper understanding because we are taught to just "trust them".
Trust is earned.
Consent should always be given at the patients FULL understanding.
Not round about words to cover up intentions and possible outcomes.
The new OB said she could bed rest at home and have the cesarean she wanted as long as things stayed as they were.
A few weeks later, the big day arrived.
I found her ready in pre-op with that contagious grin.
Her family from Brazil flew in to be with her as well.
Shortly after wishing all the luck, it was time for surgery.
She and her husband anxiously awaited the nurse to escort them out.
On her way to the doors, I asked them to take a moment to be with one another one last time before their beautiful baby arrives.
To soak up the present.
While we head towards that table, the loves of our lives watch us walk away.
Leaving them with their thoughts and anxieties.
Women go through so much physically, emotionally and mentally that most partners stay silent in empathy. They understand what their women have gone through and just want them to be okay.
