051: This acronym can lead to a better birthing experience
Five letters that will help you advocate for yourself, be a bigger part of your medical care & have a more informed, empowered birth
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Birth. It can be many things to many different people.
Birth can be empowering, connecting you with yourself and your baby.
It can challenge you in ways you hadn’t anticipated and teach you lessons you didn’t know you needed to learn.
It can be joyful. It can feel scary. For some 45 percent of mothers, birth can also be traumatic.
Talk to any birth worker, and they’ll tell you that birth is also always unpredictable—a question mark at the end of a journey. (Why labor starts exactly when it starts and what prompts the process remains, to this day, a medical mystery.) Complications can pop up, challenges arise, or certain aspects of your birthing journey may feel easier than expected. At some point, you may have to pivot; providers get sick, or your wishes may change.
The ideal birth scenario is different for everyone, but research suggests that shared decision-making between mothers and their care teams leads to the best birthing experiences and outcomes — and supports maternal health.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always just “happen.” Today, particularly in the U.S., it often requires work — and a birth team that’s rooted in openness, clear communication (so that both parties can be fully informed about desires, processes, options, and more), flexibility, and trust. It also requires being fully informed about the process, your medical care, and your options.
So how do you prepare for unpredictability, advocate for your own wants and needs, and play a prominent role in your care?
Whether you’re newly pregnant, thoughtfully contemplating a decision in your second trimester, or finding yourself faced with a surprise in the throes of labor, this simple acronym will help guide decision-making about any aspect of your prenatal and postpartum care:
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