So you want a beautiful vaginal birth experience? Do you desperately want to avoid a C-section?
You’re not alone.
Most women (more than 80%) want to attempt a vaginal birth but over 34% of them end up with cesarean sections (c-sections) in the U.S. If you are African-American, not only are those numbers significantly higher than your white and non-white counterparts but you AND your baby are more likely to die from complications.
When I speak to women about how they gave birth, very few know the ‘how’ and ‘why’ their c-section happened while others can remember vaguely what their birth was like at all. Some women end up wanting to forget about their baby’s birth altogether. (Want to know what women REALLY think about birth, read up here.)
These moms all had good intentions to achieve a vaginal birth and somewhere along the road, namely during labor, things changed and birth was NOT memorable, let alone a positive, experience for them.
What changed for most mommies during childbirth?
- Their plan (if they even had one written out at all) went out the window and landed outside somewhere between a cloud and a dream deferred.
- Their expectations were dashed by healthcare providers who did not respect their wishes or advised other medical treatment that may have increased their chances for a c-section. (Choosing a provider is critical so here’s an example of what it’s like to be respected. Surely the mother’s choice played a role in the statistic below.)
- They did NOT know how to avoid the c-section to begin with and spent time listening to horror birth stories and conducting late-night Google sessions to understand birth. (see some resources on this site)
It has dawned on me that in just under 3 years of business, my clients have gotten what they wanted all along.
- They expressed their wishes via a plan I helped them develop with my expertise and training during a prenatal visit.
- They shared their expectations with healthcare providers who supported their wishes.
- They took a risk & booked me as a doula AND/OR attended my private or group childbirth education classes, took notes, believed in their ability to deliver their baby and got the vaginal birth they wanted.
It’d take several posts to disclose to you the details of all of the ways I supported these moms to achieve the birth they wanted so for now, I’ll share ONE stat as of September 2017 that tends to hold the most weight in my field: birth outcomes.
(Don’t forget to read on below the pic to the end…)
What did these moms have in common?
Some were African-American, married, single, transitioning, moving and afraid of birth on some level and yet:
- All of them were women who did not let their fear prevail over their faith to #birthbetter! They were empowered and determined to deliver full-term babies with normal birth weight.
- All of them currently serve their families and their circles of influence as a #metromommy, advocating for birth options for all women and some considering becoming birth workers themselves.
- All of them trusted Metro Mommy Agency to work FOR them- NOT against them.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can be a #metromommy and #birthbetter, please contact @icandoula of Metro Mommy Agency for a FREE consultation on www.metromommyagency.com.
Looking forward to serving your growing family!
Take care!
Your doula, advocate and helper,
Esther McCant
@icandoula
OUR MISSION:
– To influence, enlighten and serve women with support and education to navigate through their journey into motherhood and become healthy contributors to the wellness of their society.
OUR VISION:
– Communities where birth disparities are eliminated as women, fully equipped for birth and beyond, build healthy families with confidence.
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