In this episode we are talking about negativity around your unmedicated birth. The opinions and preferences of your mom, your friend, your partner, your provider do not matter because they are not the ones giving birth. No one will carry around this birth story, or subsequently this birth trauma, like you. So YOU get to say how your birth goes. I’m giving you some strategies for what to say, how to educate your community, and how to protect your birth energy.

Listen on Apple Podcast | Listen on Spotify

Mentioned on the show:

Watch The Business of Being Born: https://kinonow.com/film/the-business-of-being-born/5f3d7425b63e1d000156f03e

Take Back Your Birth: fiercelizzie.com/takebackyourbirth

Birth Plan Audit Session: https://lizziebolliger.thrivecart.com/birthplanaudit/

Did you miss the free class? Find other free resources here: https://www.lizziebolliger.com/free

Learn More About the Academy: https://www.lizziebolliger.com/unmedicatedacademy

No time to listen? Here’s the gist:

What I want to talk about today is when everyone is negative about your unmedicated birth.
Emotional support for going unmedicated- being told “you’ll see”, doubting your ability to birth unmedicated, or even pushing the typical interventions on you.

This is coming from a few places:

– Being completely uneducated on how birth works. They only know birth from the movies. Where birth is an emergency and scary and impossibly painful.

– The mom who didn’t have an unmedicated birth. Usually there’s some guilt or trauma here. Comes in the form of horror birth stories.

– Wanting a more “convenient” birth, usually this is from providers who’d rather have you hooked up and in bed.

What I want you to remember is that this is your birth and no one else’s. The opinion/preference of your mom, your friend, your partner, your provider do not matter because they are not giving birth. No one will carry around this birth story, or subsequently this birth trauma, like you. So YOU get to say how your birth goes.

So what can you say??

Stop the conversation.

Say no to horror stories. Say no to negativity. Say no to unwanted opinions. Protect your birth energy.

Educate them.

Let them know that unmedicated birth is important to you because it has the best outcomes for you and your baby, immediately and long term. Lower risks, better experiences, less trauma, more control, etc.

In one ear, out the other.

Remember that their opinion doesn’t matter. And move on.

In the case of your partner, go above and beyond on the education here. You need them on the same page as you. You need them to be your support and advocate. ESPECIALLY if you don’t have a doula.

What can you do with your partner?

– Watch The Business of Being Born.

– Take your child birth education together.

– Schedule an appointment with a doula and talk through your birth plan (I do these! You can schedule a birth plan audit here.)

Do not downplay this. We’re done with clueless partners in the birthing space, it’s just as important for them to be empowered as you.

One last thing, drown out the typical societal view of birth with positive birth. This is the first thing we do inside of Unmedicated Academy. You can follow birth accounts on IG, find some birth besties, anything to help your brain to see birth as normal, safe, and instinctual.