Birthing in Finland Danielle Bensky

In this last episode of the podcast I share with you my postpartum experience with my son born in June 2023.

I talk about how I prepared for it, who I invited into my space and what it did for me.

Send me a DM on Instagram with the word "Prepped" to receive my "Prepped for Postpartum" ebook https://www.instagram.com/mothers_transition/



The Nest doulas https://www.doulacollective.fi/

In this episode I share with you the birth story of my son who was born in June 2023.

I also share the news that my family and I are moving to The Netherlands and that this episode will be coming to an end.

These episodes will always be available for listeners so you can keep recommending them as well as the other Nest Doulas.



www.doulacollective.fi is where you can find more info about our Nest Doulas.



www.motherstransition.com is where you can continue to follow my work as well as on IG @mothers_transition

On this episode I will be wrapping up the podcast for a few months as I go on my maternity leave. I share with you what I have been doing in the past few weeks to prepare for birth and postpartum as well as what I am hoping to feel and do in the last weeks of my pregnancy. The future of the podcast still remains unclear to me but I will be popping in and out, maybe surprising you with an episode here or there before I make any official announcements as to how it will continue. I want to thank each and every listener for being here on this journey! It has been an absolute pleasure! Please stay in touch with me and let me know your thoughts on those episodes through writing on my IG posts or in DMs.



Links:


Download the Asking for Help Guide at the bottom of this page https://www.motherstransition.com/
Nest Doulas website: https://www.doulacollective.fi/
My Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/mothers_transition/
Sign up for Positive Birth Helsinki meetup: https://mailchi.mp/648e302327d5/positivebirth
Information about Motherhood Talks and other activities at
LillaLuckan https://www.facebook.com/groups/1210503785696783
Aquarian Mother - Marie-Andree's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/am_lestudio/

On this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing with you Alma's birth story. In this episode Alma shares her challenging experience of dealing with a late diagnosis of preeclampsia which led into an induction and then to a cesarean birth. Alma so vulnerably shares how one of her biggest fears was having a cesarean and how throughout her pregnancy she didn't really deal with that fear. She also talked about the disappointing and difficult experience she had after the surgery where she was in the recovery ward separated from her baby. She talked about the really primal instinct and desire to see her baby, feeling confused and angry at the fact that they were not together. It was my honor to hold space for Alma to share this story on the podcast and to bring forward some parts of our conversation and her story. Thank you for being here with me today.



Topics:


Making a cesarean birth plan as well as a vaginal birth plan
Facing our fears in pregnancy to prepare for labor
Preeclampsia diagnosis at 39 weeks
Induction story
Cesarean birth experience
Feeling angry and sad about being separated from the baby after cesarean birth
Difficult experience in the cesarean recovery ward

Welcome to this episode of the podcast where we dive into Maria's birth stories. A first birth story which left Maria feeling broken and traumatized followed by a healing and empowering experience of birth with her second child. Maria talks about the importance of good support in healing from birth trauma as well as recognizing it as such in the first place. This episode is for anyone who has had a challenging first birth experience and maybe wants to hear that it's possible to birth with positivity in consecutive births. I hope this episode gives you hope and encouragement to understand the things that can make a big impact on your laboring experience to make sure that it is indeed a positive and empowering experience that leaves you feeling strong and capable as a woman and mother. Let's get started on this week's birth story with Maria. Thank you for being here.



Links:


Spinning Babies: https://www.spinningbabies.com/


Evidence Based Birth: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/


The Positive Birth Company: https://thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk/


More info on Cholestasis: https://icpcare.org/


Podcast episode by Birth Kweens on healing from birth trauma https://www.birthkweens.com/birthkweens-ep71/


Healing After Birth: Navigating Your Emotions After A Difficult Childbirth Book by Jennifer Summerfeldt MACP https://www.adlibris.com/fi/kirja/healing-after-birth-9781999497200


Birthing from Within: An Extra-ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation. Book by Pam England and Rob Horowitz https://www.adlibris.com/fi/kirja/birthing-from-within-9780965987301

On this episode of the podcast I chat with Linda Tötterman, a midwife working at Lohja hospital. Linda used to work at Naistenkilinikka before Lohja and we got to chatting about some of the differences between these two hospitals. We touched upon the capacity, the amount of midwives there, the general approach and atmosphere, and much more. Linda shared her passion for physiologic birth and talked as well about the challenges that a midwife might experience due to the lack of continuity of care in the Finnish maternal care system - essentially supporting a woman whom she is meeting for the first time. In relation to this, Linda also mentioned how important and helpful it is for her when women have a birth plan to show and especially when that birth plan is visual. We talked about childbirth preparation and the importance this has on the birthing experience as well as the role of the doula vs the midwife at the birth. I hope you enjoy this really insightful episode with Linda and that maybe Lohja maternity ward could be for you. Thanks for listening to this episode, let's get started!



Links:


Visual birth plan https://www.positivebirthmovement.org/visualbirthplanicons/
More about Lohja maternity ward https://www.hus.fi/en/patient/hospitals-and-other-units/lohja-hospital/maternity-ward-lohja-hospital
Lohja receiving the baby friendly hospital certificate https://www.hus.fi/ajankohtaista/lohjan-sairaala-uusi-baby-friendly-hospital-sertifikaattinsa
Lohja maternity ward on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hus_lohjansynnytysosasto/?hl=en