I was the first time mom who walked into the hospital with nothing more than a huge belief in my body’s ability and ended up on pitocin, barely reaching my goal of unmedicated (yes, I asked for the epidural) and only because I had a really hands on midwife helping me through transition.

I left that birth saying I was never going to give birth again.

I was the second time mom, who again walked into the hospital underprepared only knowing that I wanted to avoid pitocin at all costs. And ended up really having to speak up for what I wanted to get my unmedicated birth because this hospital wanted me in the bed, and on drugs and wasn’t going to support a single part of my birth plan. I was on my own.

Then I got pregnant with my third and final baby and I was determined to finally have my best birth. When I couldn’t have the home birth I wanted I went into research mode. I had just become a doula and I dove even deeper into birth rights, hospital policies, evidence based care, and physiological birth. And I started early with preparing my body and mind for the birth I wanted.