Episode 42: Randa’s Birth Story

In this podcast episode of Nourishing Birth and Beyond, I chat with Randa and she shares her home birth experience with her month-old baby, Layla. Randa discusses the pressures of societal norms around due dates and medical interventions, emphasising the importance of trusting one’s body and making informed decisions. She highlights the supportive role of her midwife, the significance of a personalised birthing plan, and the empowering nature of a home birth. The episode underscores the value of individualised care and the need for women to feel confident and supported during childbirth.

After out conversation, Randa mentioned more about the medication she takes and thought it may be beneficial for listeners to hear about. She takes medication for ADHD. The research around this in pregnancy is minimal. Randa chose to stop taking it in the first trimester and then went back on it in the second trimester. It was suggested that the medication *could* potentially impact the placenta and restrict baby’s growth (though no research either way is available) so she was offered further scans in the third trimester. Scans were fine showing baby to be 73rd percentile, and in fact baby was born 97th percentile.

Resources as discussed:
Dr Sara Wickham
https://www.sarawickham.com/

Dr Rachel Reed
https://www.rachelreed.website/

In this episode of the podcast we talk about:

• Randa recounts her empowering home birth experience with her month-old daughter, Layla, born at home in Scotland.
• Societal pressures regarding due dates, noting the stress of being labeled overdue and the importance of normalizing longer pregnancies.
• The significance of trusting one’s body and making informed decisions, opting against unnecessary medical interventions like sweeps and vaginal examinations.
• Her midwife’s supportive role, advocating for care that respects individual needs and preferences.
• The importance of personalized birthing plans, encouraging expectant parents to reclaim their power and confidence in the birthing process.

Sound bites from this episode:

“We know as well, the more medical intervention you have, the more you’re likely to have because it just interferes with the birth process.”

“It’s so important to keep hearing different people’s stories and to understand the physiology of birth.”

“I think it’s really important to take that power back because I think often the power gets given away.”

“I think we need to remind each other. We need to bring each other up and remind each other that our bodies are designed to do more than birthing and growing a child.”