Andrea Pongo, a licensed midwife, and mother of 2 is expecting her 3rd child. She has experienced birth and postpartum from several viewpoints. In this episode, Andrea shares the story of the birth of her firstborn and the lessons she learned during that experience.

Andrea continues sharing the ups and downs of her first birth journey and how she tried nearly every intervention available.

Once home from giving birth Andrea develops a spinal headache, a side effect of the epidural, and heads to the emergency room for treatment and is admitted. A year later Andrea begins to feel recovered from her birth experience and soon finds out she is pregnant again. Tune in as Andrea maps out ...

‪During the third trimester of her second pregnancy Andrea trains to be her own Doula. At an otherwise routine 39 week obstetric checkup she receives an unexpected intervention that she did not prepare for or consent to.

Andrea enjoys the onset of her second labor alone early in the morning. As labor progresses she finds comfort in her bathtub. When it comes time to go to the hospital Andrea does not want to leave her tub. Still at home labor intensifies further and her water breaks.

Andrea is joined by fellow doula and (at the time) midwife apprentice Jessica Diggs. They discuss the training that goes into becoming a midwife and doula, the differences between the two professions and what drives their passion for supporting pregnancy and birth journeys. Both Andrea and Jessic...

Andrea plans to birth her third child at home. She and Jessica discuss her preparations for home birth from the both the perspective of patient and a midwife. Discussion includes how the other children and pets might react or interact at the birth.

‪Andrea is joined by her husband, Andres, and her midwife Beth Cannon. Andres shares his perspective on the first two pregnancies and births. Beth weights in on the final weeks of prenatal care and preparation for the upcoming home birth. ‬

Andrea begins feeling intense surges but they are spaced far apart. As the day progresses her technical brain is at odds with her primal brain and she isn't totally convinced labor is starting. Midwife Beth Cannon weights in on the unique challenges of being a midwife for a fellow birth worker.

After many hours of intense contractions Andrea is 3cm. Hitting a wall of exhaustion and disappointment she decides she needs some solitude and rest. As contractions continue to intensify Andrea fights the urge to vomit. Midwife Beth Cannon describes how vomiting can actually help labor progress ...

As labor progresses in the tub Andrea's surges are still seven to ten minutes apart but she feels the urge to push. Laboring on her knees with her husband manning the hip squeezes the angle is tricky for midwives to assist in the delivery but that is no problem for Andrea.

Andrea's baby is here! Andrea and Midwife Beth Cannon talk about how newborn care differs between hospital and home birth. As Andrea looks back on her three very different birth experiences she stresses the importance of informed choice for all women.