Thanks for tuning into today’s conversation with the amazing Brittany who, at the time of the recording was living on a remote cattle station and is now traveling around Australia in their camper trailer with her husband and three beautiful boys. 

In this episode we chat all about 

✔️sharing the fertility load with the partner and not it only being the responsibility of the women 

✔️choosing to have an OB for her first birth only because she thought “well I’m paying for private health insurance, I might as well hire a specialist” 

✔️finding out her first baby only had a 2 cord vessels and seeing her OB appointments very frequently

✔️”doing the good girl thing” as Brittany puts it and going to hospital as soon as her waters broke, leading to labouring alone on the ward

✔️Brittany putting all her trust into her OB, thinking she had her best interest at heart during the pregnancy and delivery of her baby 

✔️her son being born with a wound on his scalp due to the use of ventouse and the suction it had created 

✔️seeing in hindsight that Brittany was actually saying to the OB and midwives what was happening - she was having back pain, had a cervical leap, couldn’t lay on the bed, but wasn’t listened to  

✔️Brittany taking radical responsibility for her lack of knowledge and preparation into labour and accepting that the way her first labour unfolded was due to handing over her power to the hospital staff 

✔️contemplating not having anymore children after her first due to everything she went through 

✔️wanting to be the “dream patient”, wanting her midwife to approve of her

✔️beginning labour at 38+3, like with her first son, not wanting to rush to hospital, laboring at home, and labour going from very manageable to hitting transition and pushing while walking from bathroom to bedroom 

✔️not having time to process what was happening as Brittany’s labour was so quick 

✔️Brittany pushing at home while husband is scrambling all their stuff an trying to get her in the car, Brittany holding back and just wanting to push this baby out but husband wanted to make it to hospital 

✔️giving birth 1 MINUTE after arriving to hospital, being in shock due to all the adrenaline that had been rushing 

✔️Brittany’s birth wishes not respected due to all the staff in delivery room panicking 

✔️Brittany going to the postpartum ward without her baby who had to go to special care nursery and be put on oxygen, experiencing going to the ward without her baby for the second time 

✔️taking the time to reflect on her birth experience and finding that the fact that she had a village during her postpartum positively influenced the way she saw her birth even though she felt a bit “ripped off” that things didn’t go according to what she wanted  

Follow Brittany and her adventures on her socials page https://www.instagram.com/brittanybflinn/ 

If you are currently pregnant, thinking of trying for a baby or know someone who is, please check out my FREE YouTube series “I’m pregnant! Now what?” Where I take you through how to navigate the system, how to effectively question and say “no”, what is consent, what models of care are available and so much more, it is available on my YouTube channel @Cuppawithadoula 

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Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this episode! 

Alicia :)