This case study is also available at my Doula page
At my first home visit with Emily, she shyly shared with me that because she had been sexually abused she felt she would certainly end up with a cesarean surgery because she knew she just couldn’t open up for birth. We discussed at length her desire for a natural birth without interventions, which juxtaposed with her fears and anxieties.
When her labor began, I met Emily at the hospital. Several additional family members cheerfully greeted me. Emily quietly sat in the hospital bed, her hospital gown wrapped tightly around her in a self-conscious attempt at privacy. As her labor intensified and the waves of contractions became increasingly difficult to relax through, her family chattered and laughed together, unaware of the distraction they created.
Emily’s body tightened with every contraction. She tried to maintain eye contact and focus on me, mirroring my breathing, but her tension grew. When her labor shifted into transition* her eyes became wild with fear and she lost the ability to stay connected with me through contractions. All progression towards full dilation stopped and her pain became unbearable. In a panicked voice, she pleaded with me for help.
I needed to clear the room energetically. I spoke privately to the nurse, explaining that because of Emily’s traumatic history the happy energy her family brought to the birth was doing more harm than good for her. I requested permission to be completely alone with Emily, and together the nurse and I asked the family to wait outside.
I returned to Emily, and during the brief pause between contractions reminded her that this was the moment she feared most. I connected to her energy, and brought her focus to the very emotional and painful work she must do. One contraction at a time, she followed my guided visualization. When traumatic memories pushed into her birthing space, we energetically released them.
Within a short time, Emily began to feel the urges to push. The nurse and doctor responded respectfully to the calm energy in the room, and quietly prepared for birth. Emily’s focus remained strong and grounded as she successfully pushed her baby out. Not only did she birth naturally, but her emotional healing through the process opened her heart and womb.
I physically serve the women of The Great North Woods of New Hampshire, and The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in my capacity as a labor doula. However, I use a video platform for The Body Code™ work with mothers in any location before, during and after birth.
* Transition is the part of labor between contractions that open the cervix fully and contractions that push the baby out – about 7-10 centimeters dilation
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