Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:00:00:
Hi, everyone. On today’s podcast, we’re going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class graduate Krista DeYoung as she joins us from her hospital room to talk about surviving an antepartum hospital stay and planning for a scheduled Cesarean. Welcome to the Evidence Based Birth® Podcast. My name is Rebecca Dekker, and I’m a nurse with my PhD and the founder of Evidence Based Birth®. Join me each week as we work together to get evidence-based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world. As a reminder, this information is not medical advice. See ebbirth.com/disclaimer for more details. Today we have with us Krista DeYoung. Krista was born and raised in Colorado and has a passion for global travel and humanitarian work. Krista is a therapist, parenting coach, and speaker. For the past decade, Krista has been working with teenagers and parents to help bridge relationship gaps and address self-worth issues in adolescence. Krista has her master’s in counseling, and she recently started her private practice, Set Your Mind Counseling, focused on serving teen girls, mothers, and women. Krista and her husband, John, joined us in EBB Podcast Episode 305 to talk about their high-risk pregnancy and birth experience with their first child. And for those of you who don’t know, John is my big brother, and Krista is my sister-in-law. Today, Krista is a mother of one. She is expecting her second baby with my brother, John. And Krista is currently hospitalized for partial placental abruption as she awaits the birth of her second baby. For this special recording of the Evidence Based Birth® Podcast, Krista agreed to join me from her hospital room to share her story. And I’ll also be working with her to help her plan her birth preferences for her upcoming medically necessary Cesarean. So you’ll get to watch some childbirth education happening in real time. Hi, Krista. Welcome to the Evidence Based Birth® Podcast. We’re so happy to have you have you back.
Krista DeYoung – 00:02:06:
Hi, thanks for having me. Good to see you, Rebecca.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:02:09:
Yeah, good to see you too. So for those who are not familiar with Krista, Krista is my sister-in-law and we’ll link to her previous podcast episode in the show notes where she shared her first high-risk birth story, which was, you know, more of like a high-risk pregnancy story with lots of ups and downs and not knowing what was going to happen until the very end. And now we’re talking at a really unique point, which I’ve never done before. And that is I’m interviewing you while you’re hospitalized.
Krista DeYoung – 00:02:40:
Yes. Yes.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:02:43:
So we got a lovely hospital wall behind you with a temperature monitor thing.
Krista DeYoung – 00:02:49:
Yep. Yep.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:02:50:
And, you’re in one of those lovely recliners, that you finally got.
Krista DeYoung – 00:02:53:
Yes. I’ll have to tell you all about the recliner. So, yeah.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:02:57:
So what brought you here? Tell us about this pregnancy.
Krista DeYoung – 00:03:01:
So our last pregnancy was high risk because of some placenta issues with, Rebecca, you know the name better than I do, the antiphospholipid antibodies-
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:03:13:
The antiphospholipid syndrome that you didn’t know you had until after you gave birth.
Krista DeYoung – 00:03:20:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:03:20:
But your baby had, the placenta was very weird. We called it the alien placenta.
Krista DeYoung – 00:03:27:
Yes. It was plotted. It was goofy. I say I have many talents and making placentas. This is not one of them. Because now I have a low-lying placenta in this pregnancy, which I think probably most of the time is okay. I don’t know.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:03:45:
Most of the time, as the uterus grows, a low-lying placenta will kind of migrate up, north. So it doesn’t cover the cervix and typically is not a problem, although sometimes it can remain a problem.
Krista DeYoung – 00:03:56:
Apparently, mine decided to remain a problem. So the whole pregnancy has been really smooth and great so far, no morning sickness. Which I feel blessed by, I’m glad about that. And then when, did this happen like 30 weeks? I was sleeping at night, and then got up went, to the bathroom, went to turn off the Christmas tree in the living room and was like, did I pee my pants? Did I do that and just not notice? Went back to the bathroom and had some bleeding. Not like a terrifying amount, but enough to where you know. This is not normal. We came to the hospital. Then ended up staying nine days that first time just to monitor me. And in that time, I was kind of informed like… my placenta is, it abuts, if you will. It’s right up against the cervix. And it was, they think, just kind of like tearing away like these little mild abruption situations.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:05:03:
So an abruption is when the placenta peels away from the wall of the uterus and you were having like partial abruptions where pieces of the placenta were kind of tearing away from the uterine wall.
Krista DeYoung – 00:05:14:
Yeah, so as it would tear… it like would bleed and then just kind of stop. So, that’s kind of what’s been happening.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:05:25:
In this whole pregnancy, you were on blood thinners for the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Krista DeYoung – 00:05:30:
So I’ve been doing Lovenox shots every day. Once I got here and they were worried at that 30 week mark, because it was right on 30 weeks, like to the day, they were concerned about the preterm labor. So with the little placental abruptions, every time it would like tear away a little, it would bleed and then it would stop. The first bleed happened right at 30 weeks. And they were worried about kind of a preterm labor situation, like if I was bleeding or had some sort of hemorrhage. So they stopped the… Lovenox, and did 24-hour monitoring. Everybody was there. We got to see people from the NICU to talk us through, you know, if you go into labor at 30 weeks, what does that look like versus 32 versus 34? So right at the first incident, I had been kind of assuming that we would have. This little preemie baby and have kind of an extensive NICU stay. And so I was in the hospital for nine days that time. And then they decided, to let me go home because the bleeding had subsided. They said if you bleed three times on your third bleed, you stay here indefinitely. And I did not even know that that was a thing. So I went home for four days. It was a great four days. I bought some preemie clothes online, got a haircut. I just did some things and then had another bleed, ended up back in the hospital. And I’ve been here ever since then. And that was at exactly 32 weeks, I think. So I have been living in the hospital. I think today is my 39th day here. My little hospital apartment.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:07:35:
And are you still bleeding?
Krista DeYoung – 00:07:36:
Not now. Not this week, which has been great. I had, I did have three total bleeds. And at one point they were thinking they would send me home right before Christmas. But as I talked to the doctors and we… I gained a better idea of like what’s at risk if there were to be a full placental abruption. You know? And I decided that just seems really stressful and kind of traumatic, you know, to try to get to the hospital when you’re really in a dangerous situation. For me and for baby, we kind of just decided I’ll stay here, which was a good decision because then two days later I had my third bleed. And it was nice because I was here. I just hit my little nurse button. We handled it. They took me over to labor and delivery, did the 24-hour monitoring, and it stopped. So it’s been kind of off and on bleeding. Right now I’m 36 weeks, which is amazing because this all started at 30 weeks. And they have scheduled me now for a Cesarean on Monday. So just in a little under a week.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:08:50:
Yes, we’re just little. And I know you’re counting the days. Every day is important. And I remember when you first texted me and the family and it was like, this was all happening at 30 weeks. And it’s really scary, you know, to think of having a baby in the NICU at 30 weeks, typically outcomes can be good, but it’s still a pretty long NICU stay. And we were talking with you about how every week baby can stay in makes a difference. And I was like, you know, see if you can make it to 32 weeks, then 34 weeks and 36 weeks, right?
Krista DeYoung – 00:09:22:
Yes, you guys were like, make it to 34, 35 weeks. And we did it.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:09:29:
You did it, and now you’ve gone surpassed that.
Krista DeYoung – 00:09:31:
Yes, I know. So I’m feeling really good about that. Feeling good about… a 37 week delivery.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:09:41:
And what is the benefit and risks you’ve weighed? I know your first birth was a vaginal birth, and I’m assuming because the placenta is so low and because it keeps abrupting that they don’t feel comfortable doing a vaginal birth. So what’s the purpose of scheduling it for 37 weeks?
Krista DeYoung – 00:10:00:
From what I can tell, is they really don’t want me to go into labor. Because that’s where it becomes really dangerous. So the longer I go… The more likely it is that I go into labor. You know what I mean? Even they said, once moms get past 34 weeks, we are a lot more passionate about just keeping baby safe versus keeping baby in. The next bleed that you have, we might just take baby out, depending on how you guys are doing. Because they’ve been really fighting to get me as long as… as we could. From what I can gather from the doctors is they just do not want me to go into labor. Like even if I’m having contractions. Like last night, I was having a bunch of contractions. They want you to call your nurse, monitor. And prevent.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:10:57:
Yeah, they don’t want you to start dilating and for the uterus to really start contracting because of the stress it would put on your placenta, which has already started peeling away.
Krista DeYoung – 00:11:06:
Yes, exactly.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:11:08:
Wow, that’s a lot.
Krista DeYoung – 00:11:09:
It’s kind of nuts. And doctors come in every morning. I see pretty much a different doctor every morning. There’s a team of, I think, like five or six maternal fetal medicine doctors. And then there’s the residents and all the OB/GYN docs. So I have… been compiling all my information from everyone. Right. And trying to piece together. Like the full picture because every doctor has a different way of explaining, different thresholds that they feel comfortable with, with certain things.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:11:47:
Like managing the medical information that’s constantly coming in.
Krista DeYoung – 00:11:50:
Right. Yeah. And having to advocate for myself in that way of really asking questions because just because one doctor said it, another doctor might say it a different way or have a different insight on it. So. I’m glad that I’ve just been asking all the questions to everyone.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:12:09:
I understand then that one of the main reasons you’re hospitalized is because where you live and where the hospital is, it would just, it could be precarious if you started bleeding really heavily at home.
Krista DeYoung – 00:12:23:
Right. Yes. So speaking of how different doctors explain things differently, some doctors had explained it as, you know, if you’re feeling a few pads, more than one pad an hour with blood come in. Other doctors are like, if you have a big burst of blood call, call the ambulance and come in. And another doctor was like, listen, I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. It doesn’t happen often. Like I can count on less than one hand the amount of times that this has happened. But if you have a true placental abruption. And a hemorrhage like you might have in your particular situation, you have less than five minutes to address the situation. So no ambulance is going to get you here in time. And when she said it like that. Then I realized, okay, I get why I need to be here. And I don’t need some sort of big traumatic experience for myself and my family. And so if I have less than five minutes in a worst case scenario situation.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:13:36:
Like there are some scenarios where it wouldn’t be.
Krista DeYoung – 00:13:39:
Totally. Yes. It’s like for, she was trying to tell me worst, worst case scenario in my position. Here’s what could happen. And I decided like, I’ll just be here. It’s okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:13:55:
And they gave you that choice. They didn’t say you must stay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:13:58:
No.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:13:58:
Like, did they say you have the choice to go home?
Krista DeYoung – 00:14:03:
I don’t think that that has been a really open conversation. It’s like, okay, now you’re here indefinitely. Sorry.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:14:10:
Yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:14:10:
It’s Christmas. You know what I mean? But yes, a few doctors have mentioned, you know, we can’t hold you hostage.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:14:21:
Right.
Krista DeYoung – 00:14:22:
This is just our recommendation, and here’s why.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:14:25:
And for you and your family, that worked to follow. But I can imagine there’d be some scenarios where, somebody for family reasons couldn’t stay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:14:35:
Right. And, that is something that I’ve been thinking about so much here like, what do you- because again I’ve been here, 39 days yes 39 days, but I have a huge support system. I have a husband who’s with our toddler, but it’s hard for us. So I don’t know.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:14:56:
If you have less support. How it could be doable. Yep.
Krista DeYoung – 00:15:00:
Yeah, I think that would be really hard.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:15:02:
Tell us about the support then. How are you coping with this 39-day, seemingly never-ending, although now there’s an end in sight? Hospitalization through your last trimester.
Krista DeYoung – 00:15:15:
I am thinking this was a really unexpected exercise in resiliency because you just. I didn’t know it was coming. I think the first few weeks. Maybe I felt kind of like… I don’t know, kind of casual about it because I didn’t think I’d be here this long. And now that I have an end date in sight and it’s been over a month, this past two weeks has been a lot harder. It’s like when you’re in school and you know summer break is coming. And you’re just antsy about it, hunting down the days. But I think some of the things that have been helpful are trying to get on some sort of schedule. Even if the schedule is… I’m going to read for two hours or something. And then I’m going to shower. I’m going to walk downstairs and go sit in a chair in the lobby. Come upstairs. I mean… something that you’re doing to get out of your room and for sure out of the hospital bed. I don’t know about other people, but when I sit in the bed too long, I start to feel sick. You know, you just feel gross. So that’s been huge for me is like just trying to do things with my time. I think I’ve been very lucky with my community because I’ve pretty much had visitors, whether that be friends or family, appear almost every single day. So I don’t have the opportunity to get too bored. Too lonely, which I think helps a ton. I have made my room my own. Like we brought up my own clothes and decorations. Food, because hospital food. Is not as fun on the third week as it is the first. And so people bringing snacks, people bringing food, and just asking for what you need, you know, is really important. Like speaking of the recliner, you mentioned in the beginning, this room that I’m in has really uncomfortable furniture, especially for somebody who’s pregnant. You know, you just don’t want to sit on the hospital couch all day or in the bed. So I just asked, I know they had recliners in labor and delivery. And I asked if I could get a recliner. It felt kind of high maintenance, but I’m like, this would be good. For my situation, like for people who are here for months. It’s nice to have a place to sit. And they did it. They got me one. It’s been a game changer. So comfortable. And then I saw the other day that they were bringing a recliner into another lady’s room. So I was like, yes. We’re making a difference. A furniture impact here at the hospital.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:18:21:
How many are there of you, people like you, stuck in the hospital?
Krista DeYoung – 00:18:26:
I can’t get a full read on it because of the like HIPAA stuff.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:18:30:
Right. The privacy stuff.
Krista DeYoung – 00:18:32:
Yes. I think at one point there were probably. Four of us, maybe five. And some of them have had their babies and moved on. I think at this point, there’s probably two.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:18:45:
Okay. And are you on a unit that’s like a postpartum unit or is it a special unit just for antepartum?
Krista DeYoung – 00:18:52:
It’s a special part of the hallway for antepartum. But all of this, all of the mother-baby stuff is one floor. So one side is labor delivery and NICU, and the other side is postpartum and antepartum. So our nurses handle antepartum and postpartum.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:19:12:
So do you see like. Parents walking around with their babies and hear babies crying and stuff.
Krista DeYoung – 00:19:19:
Yeah, I do now. I didn’t for the first few weeks, but I think they must have been a baby boom because I do now.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:19:27:
Okay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:19:27:
Yeah. And that’s kind of fun.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:19:29:
I know we were looking at the stats on antepartum hospitalizations. And for people who are curious, like what are some of the reasons? Most common reasons include having your water break preterm, preeclampsia, placental abnormalities, which is what you’re facing, and preterm labor. You know, there’s also infections, hyperemesis gravidarum, and threatened miscarriages. So there’s a variety of reasons people can kind of, like you, be stuck in the hospital for, and you’re not sure how long you’ll be there for. One of the other things I was thinking about in terms of, you know, if you had a child before, is how are you coping with that kind of separation from your family?
Krista DeYoung – 00:20:15:
That part is hard. It’s, to me, it feels there’s two sides to it because I’m trying to find… the good for every negative, you know? I think it’s really hard. Our son Eli is preschool age. So like he had his first little preschool Christmas sing-along show, thing like that. To miss that really was sad. I got to watch it on FaceTime, but it’s not the same. So just not being there for, it’s been Christmas, wait, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s. My husband’s birthday, and it’ll be Eli’s birthday. So just missing a lot of really important stuff. Is not ideal. And then when he does come to visit. He wants to play. And he wants to snuggle. But the way he snuggles. Is like… toddler-y. He’s climbing on me. He’s getting at my IVs. He’s like accidentally, you know, kicking the baby. So it’s that part.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:21:20:
He’s like a little bear, yeah, rolling around.
Krista DeYoung – 00:21:22:
He is everywhere. So that’s a challenge. I don’t feel like I’m getting to connect with him in the way that I normally would, for sure. Positive side of that, I would say is it’s been a really cool exercise in surrendering some control and seeing how people pick up those pieces. Because as a mom, I think you can kind of assume like the only way things are going to happen is if I do them. You know, or you wonder, like, can my husband keep the kids alive? And you think that. But then actually watching kind of the wheels of life turn without you and seeing it’s okay. You know, like people fill in the gaps. Your kid is fine. Your husband’s doing a great job. That’s been really good. And to watch my husband, John and Eli get some really, really quality time is good too.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:22:23:
So family separation is one thing you have to cope with and then work and finances. I’m sure that has to really hit people hard.
Krista DeYoung – 00:22:32:
Yes. And I am self-employed, which makes it a smidge easier in the sense that I can control my schedule. The really bittersweet part about it, though, is… I’ve spent two years building up my therapy practice, my clientele there. And then it’s like almost overnight, you just kind of kill your business because it’s a service business. So I’ve been able to see a few clients from the hospital and all of them have been so wonderful just understanding the situation. And then this week is my first official week of maternity leave. But just kind of passing off my clients, winding my business down. And just hoping for the best when I start again. But that’s really intimidating too. And I would imagine that the antepartum long-term stay situation is incredibly hard for people who have less flexible jobs. I think you’d have to take some form of disability or… I don’t even know what you would do.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:23:44:
Yeah. And then is there any conversation ever by the hospital staff about the cost of the hospitalization?
Krista DeYoung – 00:23:53:
No. There’s not much conversation about much. Like one of the unique parts about this experience is in the morning. Doctors come in and kind of check the medical side of things. Are you bleeding? Are you? Having contractions. They check for preeclampsia and then they’re out because they’re doing their rounds. And then your nurses come in and they do flush your IVs, do all the medical stuff, and then they’re out. And so then the rest of the day until you do that stuff at night is just kind of on your own. So I have seen a social worker twice. And. A chaplain popped in. But there’s not like ongoing. I don’t know, communication. And one of the hard parts for our situation, the timing is not ideal, is of course in a long-term hospital stay, you’re gonna reach your out-of-pocket max on your insurance. So that happened for 2024. And then we got to start over again for 2025. Yes. So we’re essentially doing that out of pocket max twice for one stay, just because it overlapped with the new year. And that’s not ideal, but I am grateful that we have insurance. Yeah, that’s a tough one.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:25:22:
Yeah, it’s a tough one. Every little thing they do or give you, you have no idea if it’ll come back. Bite you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:25:28:
Yes like if you ask for a Tylenol I’m like how much is this Tylenol?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:25:35:
And nobody could tell you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:25:37:
Yeah. So I’m just going with it. Interesting that we will. Somehow be okay on the back end we’ll figure it out you know first things first so..
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:25:49:
Mm-hmm.
Krista DeYoung – 00:25:49:
Yeah, that’s kind of an intimidating part of all of this too, for sure.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:25:54:
You mentioned at one point that some of the hospital staff were impressed or not impressed, but like kind of like, how are you holding up so well?
Krista DeYoung – 00:26:06:
Right. Yes. In so many words, a doctor, one of the doctors was like, I don’t want to put any pressure on you. But you seem to be coping okay. And many people do not. Like they just do not do well with this situation. As I can imagine, it’s a really weird situation. And she was kind of… I think she was trying to inquire about what they could do, like what was allowing me to cope well, but also what they could do to support the antepartum moms. I think part of what allows me to do okay is everything I just described, the strong support system. Trying to like get up and have some normalcy, so.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:26:53:
You have routine, yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:26:55:
Because I’m a counselor, I know, what’s not going to work out for me.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:27:01:
What’s that? What would not work for you?
Krista DeYoung – 00:27:02:
Like what’s not going to work for me is getting stuck in fear spirals or negative spiral, like your thoughts just kind of get away from you really, really fast. So, and it doesn’t mean that those thoughts aren’t totally reasonable or-
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:27:22:
Valid.
Krista DeYoung – 00:27:22:
Yes, like being nervous about some… big bleeding situation in preterm labor you don’t want to pretend that that’s not there; however, spending nine hours a day ruminating about that and what’s going to happen and if this happens and this sucks so bad and what am I going to do and how am I, you know what I mean? That. That thinking spiral. Is going to create the emotion effect of fear. And sadness and all of that. And then your behaviors are going to follow and you’re going to sit in bed all day and cry. You know what I mean? So I want to be able to acknowledge this situation is really scary and it sucks and it’s costing me and my family a lot. And also… And then like adding in kind of more of the less doomy thoughts, like, and also baby’s doing really well. I’m in a safe place with people who are able to take care of me. I am going to be done with this and get through this. And today I’m going to eat something exciting for lunch. You just have to literally. Take hold of your mind. And take it where you, like, take it to the healthy place very, very intentionally. Is what I would say about that, if that makes sense.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:28:58:
Yeah. What I’m thinking of, you know, we have a lot of doulas, midwives, nurses who listen to the podcast and… what tips do you have for them on how they can support a client who’s been hospitalized antepartum?
Krista DeYoung – 00:29:15:
That’s a great question. Because in the hospital that I’m at, I don’t know the rule of doulas and midwives. So in your situation, would they be pretty involved with that?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:29:28:
Well, it might be. Imagine like a client hired them, thinking they were going to have a healthy, normal pregnancy. And then they end up like you under the care of maternal fetal medicine, you know, stuck in kind of a scary situation.
Krista DeYoung – 00:29:44:
Right. I would imagine, and this is probably a little outside of their role, so I don’t know. You can tell me. I would imagine at that point, like education and advocacy becomes a big deal.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:29:57:
Okay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:29:58:
The doula might, or the midwife might be one that notices, hey, the furniture in here is horrible. Let’s get a recliner.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:30:05:
Okay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:30:05:
Or… I think any doula or midwife would, it would be amazing right now in this situation, if there was someone who held either a weekly like support group or get together or. Somebody to be like at one o’clock, I’m going to meet with the ladies and we’re going to talk about preparing for breastfeeding or whatever.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:30:32:
So, doing some kind of group activity with the antepartum.
Krista DeYoung – 00:30:35:
Yes. And the benefit of that would be… Because they can’t connect us in here. Let’s say there’s five antepartum women. My nurses can’t say, hey the girl next to you is bored and could use a friend. Right. All the HIPPA things. But if you provide some sort of class, or event, or activity, or anything. Where all of the ladies would know about it, and they could on their own choice come. And then they get, yes, like then they get to meet each other. Because we’re all here. We’re all in the same or similar situation. And you’re doing it pretty much alone just because there aren’t.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:31:22:
Yeah, it’s very isolating, it seems.
Krista DeYoung – 00:31:24:
Yes. A hundred percent.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:31:27:
Speaking of education, I love that idea of preparing for breastfeeding or lactation or preparing for the NICU if you know you’re having most likely a preterm birth.
Krista DeYoung – 00:31:36:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:31:38:
Or, in your case, you know, preparing for a Cesarean, which you’ve never had before. And so one of the things I was hoping we could do with our time together is you’ve helped us by sharing your experience and being really vulnerable. Like, how can I help you today in planning for this birthday?
Krista DeYoung – 00:31:56:
It’s a great question. Um, well, hopefully we get to do it on schedule.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:32:03:
Right. So that it’s scheduled and not unscheduled.
Krista DeYoung – 00:32:06:
Right. So that it’s not just mayhem. What would you say? I don’t know. What would be good things for me to mentally prepare for with a C-section? I think what I’m most nervous about. Is like what the recovery looks like. I have no idea. I just have no idea what it all looks like. I was at a C-section, an emergency C-section of my friend’s kiddo.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:32:40:
Oh, I remember that. Yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:32:42:
It was a wild ride. So I have some sort of category for what this can look like. I mean, I have a dramatized version.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:32:50:
Right. It was a traumatic kind of situation.
Krista DeYoung – 00:32:53:
Yeah, it was a whole thing. So yeah, just kind of what to be thinking about and preparing for ahead of time. Oh, like how do you even make a birth plan for a Cesarean? And. I imagine they follow certain things on a birth plan unless things go south. You know, and then they kind of do what they have to do. Yeah, I haven’t really started like a birth plan because I don’t. I don’t even know.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:33:24:
Well, and I know, and I’m sure some of it, there’s been so much uncertainty, like you didn’t know, you know, going to have a crash emergency Cesarean versus make it to a time when it can be peaceful and like. Yeah. Well, it’s definitely something you can do to make a Cesarean birth plan. And if it helps you, you could call it like preferences, you know, knowing that things may or may not be going smoothly depending on how you or baby are doing, but we can visualize it going smoothly, right? You know, one of the things you probably had on your birth plan with Eli was. You were hoping to immediately have your baby skin-to-skin.
Krista DeYoung – 00:34:07:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:34:07:
And that is something that is possible with a Cesarean, but it’s going to be more likely or more practical. If the baby is doing well, you know, if you make it to 37 weeks, if it’s in a planned Cesarean as opposed to kind of an emergency or some kind of urgent situation. And then also thinking that, you know, with him being born a few weeks early and kind of all of the placental problems you’ve had, that they might prefer to quick do an assessment on the little warmer table before the bringing baby for skin-to-skin. So one of the things you could request is… Skin to skin in the operating room if possible. You know, if they need to evaluate the baby, they can still bring baby to you or even cheek to cheek. So allowing you to greet your baby before if they have to take the baby to the NICU, is there a moment where they can actually hold the baby’s cheek to your cheek so you can feel that skin of their face on your face? And that is like a very precious, tender moment for many moms who can’t have regular skin to skin. And then finding out. How does, start asking those questions, like advocating for yourself. How will my recovery go? You know. If the baby seems to be breathing fine and doing fine on their own, can we recover in the same room? You know, are you planning for the baby to possibly need the NICU? If they’re not in the NICU, is it possible that we can recover in the same room and find out what their practices are at that hospital? Because in some hospitals, standard care is still to have the baby and the mom or birthing parent recover in separate rooms. Like you’d be in PACU, which is post-op kind of recovery, and the baby would be. Separate? But more hospitals have shifted to letting you be together. So it’s just like finding out what their practices are.
Krista DeYoung – 00:36:06:
So that I know what to expect. Is it possible? With my situation, like having goofy placenta stuff. Because I like the idea of… the prolonged cord clamping, you know, waiting as long as possible. Do you foresee that being an option?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:36:28:
So I’m not sure about your specific case. I know that it is possible to have delayed cord clamping during a Cesarean. Even if it’s, you know, 60 seconds instead of, you know, a full two to five minutes, it is being done. So I guess it just kind of depends on the scenario. Like if your placenta is actually abrupting and this is an emergency, I don’t think it’s like.
Krista DeYoung – 00:36:54:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:36:54:
But if you are not bleeding and you go into surgery at the scheduled time, then I would think it’s it’s possible. And it might depend on what they see when they’re going in.
Krista DeYoung – 00:37:07:
Okay, so that’s where it’s kind of emphasis on these are preferences.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:37:11:
Yeah, and you could say delayed cord clamping of, you know, 60 seconds if possible, if baby’s condition and my placenta allow. And just kind of talk with whoever, especially if you know this is a planned, if you’re going to make it to the planned surgery date, finding out who is going to be the surgeon and start this week talking with them about the surgery.
Krista DeYoung – 00:37:33:
Yes. Actually, that is one of the huge benefits of this antepartum situation is I got to meet the surgeon. I got to talk to her and I feel like I know every doctor who will be there and all of my nurses who will help with recovery.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:37:49:
They will know you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:37:51:
But yes, it is going to be a very… comfortable situation, given the circumstances. Like, I’ll be surrounded by, people that I feel very comfortable with. So I can start asking those questions for sure.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:38:08:
Yeah, you could bring it up. When would be a good time for you and I to talk about, you know, how the surgery will go and if I have any questions or requests. And then, you know, because if they’re in the middle and they’re trying to rush through their rounds, it might not be a good time, but maybe they could schedule time to come back and spend like 20 minutes with you discussing it.
Krista DeYoung – 00:38:28:
Perfect. Yeah, I think that would be a great option.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:38:33:
So a few other things to think about, Krista, when you’re making that plan, you have more options than you realize, especially if it ends up being the plan Cesarean that you’re hoping for. Is like having continuous support from John, from your husband, you know, finding out will he be able to be with you in the operating room the whole time or does he need to wait until after a certain time point? Also, deciding do you want to see the moment of birth? If you’re healthy and you’re able, do you want to watch your baby emerging? So how they can do that is they can either lower the drape or they might have a clear drape that they can use so you can witness the birth. Another thing to consider is when you’re talking with the anesthesiologist, they’ll usually come in and talk with you before the surgery.
Krista DeYoung – 00:39:22:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:39:23:
If you’re healthy and things are going well. Maybe you want to avoid medications that make you drowsy. So there are some medications that they might give you. And so you might want to be like, I want to avoid anything that might make me loopy or drowsy or unable to witness the birth, if possible.
Krista DeYoung – 00:39:42:
That’s a great call. And I have issues with certain medications that make me very nauseous.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:39:51:
Okay. So that’s a good thing to make sure everybody knows up front. You can also ask for your arms free and not be restrained. In some hospitals, they still kind of like, almost like tie your arms down during the surgery.
Krista DeYoung – 00:40:04:
Yeah. That doesn’t sound great.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:40:06:
No, it does not. You can also, if things are going well, some families like to ask for something called a gentle Cesarean where the baby is like emerges very slowly from the incision. I’m not sure if that will be a possibility in your case.
Krista DeYoung – 00:40:22:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:40:23:
You can also, there’s little things you can request. Like, I’d like to know everything that’s happening. Please talk me through the whole surgery. On the other hand, some people don’t want that. They’re like, don’t tell me what’s going on. So you can kind of decide how much you want them to talk to you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:40:39:
Okay. Sounds good.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:40:41:
And that can be on your birth plan. You already kind of know everybody’s names, but for some people who don’t know the staff, sometimes it’s helpful to, you know, please to request that everybody introduce themselves to you so you know who’s in the birth with you. Some people also find it helpful to say, put on their birth plan. No casual conversation among operating room staff. So they’re not talking about a random ball game or something they’re going to do after work while you’re having this really intimate moment of your baby.
Krista DeYoung – 00:41:14:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:41:15:
So that’s something you can literally write on there, no casual conversation.
Krista DeYoung – 00:41:19:
Yeah.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:41:21:
And then or maybe you want the casual conversation. You want to be really informal.
Krista DeYoung – 00:41:25:
All right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:41:27:
You can pick the music that’s playing when your baby’s born.
Krista DeYoung – 00:41:31:
Cool.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:41:32:
You could give them a playlist. You could say we want to announce the baby’s name or the baby’s sex if like you didn’t know what your baby was going to be. You can request that someone take pictures for you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:41:42:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:41:43:
And then finding out about, you know, recovery is the other. So those are some of the like practical things and choices you have. And a lot of people don’t realize that you do have choices. And I would recommend not only talking about them with your OB, but also having it written down or typed out and printed out so that it’s something that can like go in your chart and the whole staff can know your preferences.
Krista DeYoung – 00:42:09:
Okay. So is that something that I would give to, because there’s just so many doctors here. Do I wait to give it to the doctor on the day of the procedure or do I give it to my nurse?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:42:23:
I would start if your surgery is next week, I would start this week and then would have copies, like have your family bring in copies of it.
Krista DeYoung – 00:42:32:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:42:33:
Ask the nurse to make copies for you and then you can have them, whoever needs one. That’s another way you could do it. I think going ahead and okaying it and talking about it this week. And then just making sure it’s on your chart next week. And so you could talk with your nurse about this and your OB.
Krista DeYoung – 00:42:51:
Okay. That sounds great.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:42:53:
Have like. Suggestions like you’d be like I’ve been I’ve been wanting to put together my like kind of a plan with my preferences in case I’m able to have choices during the surgery? You know, what’s the best way to do that? You know, after I talk with my OB, do I give a copy to you or, you know?
Krista DeYoung – 00:43:11:
It’s a great question. Yes. Because the team here is so huge. Yeah. I do wonder what the pathway.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:43:20:
Yeah. Just find that out then. That’s part of your advocacy is like, how do I get this on my record?
Krista DeYoung – 00:43:25:
Right. And to the right person.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:43:27:
Exactly. And the other thing to think about is support after the birth. So if you do have to be separated from your baby temporarily, like if they have to go to the NICU and you’re staying in recovery, deciding who’s going to be with you and who’s going to stay with the baby.
Krista DeYoung – 00:43:43:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:43:44:
So that’s something you can decide up front and talk about with John. Like, do you want John? Go with baby or do you want John to stay with you and another family member to go with baby?
Krista DeYoung – 00:43:54:
Okay. How miserable am I going to be? Like, do you have people come that day to see you and see baby or is it best to kind of hold off?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:44:05:
You know, I’m not sure about, you could always wait and decide afterwards, but I would have at least one other family member there. Because really, if you think about it, there’s two people that need to be supported. After the birth, when your baby’s on the outside, right? You would probably feel better knowing maybe you want John to stay with baby, but you don’t want to be alone.
Krista DeYoung – 00:44:26:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:44:27:
Right. And with your history and risks of blood clots and bleeding and all of these things, it’s probably safer for you to have an advocate with you as well.
Krista DeYoung – 00:44:35:
That’s a, yeah, that’s a great idea. I would not have thought about that.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:44:38:
Okay. Yeah. So maybe your mom can, you know, maybe John has to leave the operating room and go with the baby and your mom can come in his place and stay with you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:44:46:
And stay with me. Okay. I love that idea.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:44:49:
You know, there’s also some things to like kind of prepare for your emotional response because it’s hard to predict after especially such a long journey. Sometimes it can be helpful to know like what you might experience physically during the surgery. So you should feel numbness. And you should be able to feel pressure or perhaps like tugging and pulling, but you should not feel. So if you feel any pain during the surgery, you need to speak up immediately.
Krista DeYoung – 00:45:17:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:45:17:
A few other things that doulas have said it’s helpful to know is they will probably shave your pubic area because they may make the decision down there by the bikini line, depending on where your placenta is, though they might make it somewhere else. You might smell a scent like burning popcorn. They’re going to be using a tool to stop bleeding during the surgery. You might hear people talking. There will probably be bright lights and the temperature might feel cold. And you might have like an unexpected emotional release of some kind. You might feel tearful. You might feel joyful. It’s really hard to predict how you’re going to feel.
Krista DeYoung – 00:45:57:
Yeah.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:45:57:
You also might feel nauseous during the surgery. And so you can talk with the anesthesiologist about what medications you prefer for that.
Krista DeYoung – 00:46:04:
And the anesthesiologist will be right there?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:46:07:
Right by your head. Yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:46:09:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:46:09:
So their job is to kind of manage your health and your comfort while the OB is focusing on the surgery part.
Krista DeYoung – 00:46:17:
Okay, so we can make minor adjustments as we go.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:46:20:
Yeah, you could say I need something for nausea.
Krista DeYoung – 00:46:23:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:46:24:
Or they may give it to you up front, like in prevention. So kind of knowing that is helpful. And then I want you to know, like. Whether this ends up being the planned Cesarean you’re hoping for. Or an unplanned, unscheduled Cesarean, you can still use all the comfort measures that you learned in the EBB childbirth class the first time. So you can use your deep breathing to stay calm. You can use that to slow your heart rate, slow your breathing. You can use visualization, like visualize yourself in a safe space or your favorite place, wherever that space is. You can ask John or your mom or whoever is there with you to say whatever words you think will cue you to stick calm and comfortable. So you can upfront be like, these are the kinds of things I want you to say to me, like affirmations.
Krista DeYoung – 00:47:17:
Right. Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:47:18:
You can pray. You can meditate. You can like focus on staying positive and creating this like beautiful energy and space for your baby to be born in. You can focus on comfort and love you’re getting from people in the room. You could use affirmations like I am safe. You know, I am cared for. My baby is being taken care of. And so those are things you can do in the moment.
Krista DeYoung – 00:47:45:
Okay, those are all great reminders. Because yeah, I imagine when it’s so unexpected, you kind of lose your I don’t know. You lose your center of gravity a little bit with all that stuff.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:47:57:
Yeah. And sometimes some people can’t find get centered and that’s okay too. And there are medicines, you know, if you really need help. They might make you drowsy, but for some people who are listening, they might be like, well, that just isn’t going to work for me. Like I was total panicking. You know, and then the anesthesiologist is there to help you with that.
Krista DeYoung – 00:48:18:
Yeah, that would be the situation that I witnessed with my friend. It was not going anywhere peaceful any time.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:48:25:
Right.
Krista DeYoung – 00:48:26:
But she got through it and her baby’s safe and she’s safe.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:48:31:
Yeah. And then processing it afterwards, I would imagine, would be important.
Krista DeYoung – 00:48:35:
Yes. Holy cow.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:48:37:
Yep. Like, you know, you’re kind of fighting to get through this whole scenario still. But when you come out on the other end, you’re at higher risk for postpartum depression, anxiety, and other symptoms because of this whole experience.
Krista DeYoung – 00:48:52:
Right. Because for the last, what, 39 days, you just kind of push through.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:48:56:
Right. You’re in survival mode.
Krista DeYoung – 00:48:58:
Yes, 100%. And then when it’s over, you go home with a baby. To a house that you haven’t been to in over a month, to a toddler. Yeah, that’s going to be a huge shift. Even if I was just leaving the hospital. Go home with nothing else different, that would be big.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:49:16:
It’s big.
Krista DeYoung – 00:49:17:
But coming home with a baby.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:49:18:
And like processing kind of the loss and grieving the loss of your, like spending your third trimester at home with your child. Your family and missing Christmas and the holidays and birthdays. And then. You know, for me, I have never experienced something as serious as you, but I do know I was so sick in my third pregnancy with my migraines that I couldn’t care for my toddler. In the evening, and Dan had to do the whole bedtime routine. And then after my baby was born and my headaches lifted and I was finally fine. My toddler didn’t want me to tuck him in at night. He only wanted daddy, you know? And it took. It took almost a year for me to feel like. I got back to… baseline with that.
Krista DeYoung – 00:50:05:
Yeah.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:50:06:
You know.
Krista DeYoung – 00:50:08:
Yep, that makes a lot of sense because things do change.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:50:14:
Right.
Krista DeYoung – 00:50:14:
In the time that we’re building a human.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:50:17:
And it’s okay to grieve those losses.
Krista DeYoung – 00:50:20:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:50:21:
That you’ve experienced.
Krista DeYoung – 00:50:21:
And having grace for that. I mean, part of the antepartum stay thing that I’ve learned too is. On the beginning, when this was all first starting, I was like, great, I’m going to have all this time to do all the things that I’ve wanted to do. You know, write an e-book. Get caught up on all my work stuff, do like these big goals. And then you remember, hey, I’m actually kind of pregnant and tired and not feeling. And that’s okay. Like you don’t have to reach for the stars. It’s okay for it to be somewhat of like a sabbatical.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:51:00:
Yeah. And I would expect it to take you almost a year to process everything that happens to you.
Krista DeYoung – 00:51:06:
Yes. Okay. That’s a good. Thanks for the prep.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:51:11:
Yeah, I think, you know, one of the most important things as well, you know, we’re talking about planning your Cesarean. And the support with that. It’s really important to have a well thought out postpartum plan because you’re coming home, like you said, after this 40 plus day experience of being hospitalized. You’re probably going to be a little weak, not quite yourself. You’re also going to have had surgery. So, you know, how are you going to get? You know, lactations help if you’re planning on breastfeeding. You know, do you know if the IBCLC will come visit you in the hospital? Do you have someone you can call when you go home? And then kind of knowing some of the physical symptoms you might experience after a Cesarean. So a lot of people don’t realize this, but you might experience gas pain because of the air that is entered into your abdominal cavity kind of during the surgery. And so that might feel like pain in your shoulders. And the best treatment for gas pain is movement and walking. So getting up and moving as soon as you’re able to do so is the best treatment for that. And really the best thing to get all of your body systems back up and running after a Cesarean is walking. So in the beginning, it might be the hospital staff who are helping you walk and eventually your family. And then at home, you want to make sure you’re doing a good mix of both resting and walking so that you don’t develop a blood clot. You know, you already know all about blood clots because of your condition. But this will also help get your intestinal system working. And I’m not talking about walking a mile or a 5K or anything like that, Krista. But you just want to make sure you’re moving. You’re going to learn how to take care of your incision, how to look for signs of infection, how to recognize infections. So they’ll teach you that before you go home. And then just making sure, like, I know you’re a counselor and a therapist, but make sure that you have someone you can debrief with emotionally. Whether it’s a trusted friend. Somebody who can listen to your story without judging you and be there when you’re needing to have like emotional releases from staying strong and trying to hold it all. You know, you’re going to let it out at times you don’t expect.
Krista DeYoung – 00:53:29:
Yeah. So here’s what we can do too. You can call John. And tell him all of these things.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:53:40:
Yeah, I was going to say, you shouldn’t be the only one to know all these things.
Krista DeYoung – 00:53:43:
Tell your brother. That I will be… In recovery. And yes, he knows.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:53:51:
You might not be able to drive for, you know, quite some time.
Krista DeYoung – 00:53:55:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:53:55:
And when the baby, especially going to appointments, you’ll need someone with you because someone to carry the car seat with the baby in it, that’s going to be over the weight limit.
Krista DeYoung – 00:54:04:
Oh my goodness. Yeah. You don’t even think about that.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:54:07:
Yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:54:07:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:54:09:
Yeah. And then finally make sure, you know, you’ve talked about eating and trying to eat well, even while you’re in the hospital, but make sure you’re eating a nutritious diet because for healing of wounds and surgery, that’s like really important. And then staying hydrated after the surgery. So make sure you got your, you know, giant cup or bottle of water fluids.
Krista DeYoung – 00:54:31:
And then they’re planning to have me, I think, on the blood thinners for six weeks after.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:54:37:
Okay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:54:37:
Does that sound about right?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:54:39:
Yeah, sounds like it. And so just, again… You know, knowing the signs, the warning signs postpartum, which I can send to you. And that would be good for John and your mom to review as well. And the signs of a blood clot.
Krista DeYoung – 00:54:55:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:54:56:
So and you will another thing that some people don’t realize is you will have that postpartum bleeding after a Cesarean.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:05:
Yeah, like vaginal bleeding.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:55:07:
Yes, you’ll still have that.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:08:
That is so interesting. I did not know that at all.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:55:13:
Yeah. So you’ll still have it. They call it lochia. That’s because what that comes from is where the placenta finally comes off from your uterus. It leaves a wound.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:25:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:55:26:
And so that wound, you know, your uterus has to clamp down and try and cut off, you know, the bleeding. But it will be as it heals, be shedding off some of that material. So you’ll have a similar amount that you would with a vaginal birth.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:41:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:55:42:
So you still need all the pads and all that.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:44:
That is so interesting. Does it last weeks and weeks?
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:55:47:
I mean, just like with a vaginal birth, yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:50:
Oh. Well.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:55:54:
It’s like the biggest period of your life, but without it being a period.
Krista DeYoung – 00:55:58:
Yeah that’s, yeah. Okay. Now I know. Thank you.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:01:
Now you know. Yeah. I hope that this is a wonderful birth experience. I hope that it goes smoothly and that it’s the scheduled Cesarean and not an urgent. Although if it’s an urgent Cesarean, you can still use some of these strategies that we talked about.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:15:
Right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:15:
And it’s another reason to go ahead this week and get your Cesarean preferences down because there’s still some things they can do even if it’s an urgent situation.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:24:
Okay. Yeah. This helps me kind of wrap my mind around all of it for real.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:29:
Yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:30:
Because we’ve just been kind of scooting along until now, but we’re like six days out.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:34:
I know.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:35:
Now I can hone in. It’s go time.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:37:
Yeah.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:38:
It’s go time, Rebecca. We’re doing it.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:40:
And I’ll send you a list of the options to consider for your Cesarean birth plan.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:45:
Perfect.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:46:
Okay.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:47:
Okay.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:47:
All right. Well, thank you, Krista. I hope you feel a little better prepared for next week.
Krista DeYoung – 00:56:53:
I do. Thank you. Yes. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:56:54:
Thank you. Thank you for sharing, you know, your story of your antepartum hospitalization. And we look forward to having you back later this year to maybe share your birth story.
Krista DeYoung – 00:57:06:
Yeah. Part two. Okay. All right.
Dr. Rebecca Dekker – 00:57:11:
Thanks, everyone, for listening. We’ll see you next week. Bye. This podcast episode was brought to you by the Evidence Based Birth® childbirth class. This is Rebecca speaking. When I walked into the hospital to have my first baby, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Since then, I’ve met countless parents who felt that they too were unprepared for the birth process and navigating the healthcare system. The next time I had a baby, I learned that in order to have the most empowering birth possible, I needed to learn the evidence on childbirth practices. We are now offering the Evidence Based Birth® childbirth class totally online. In your class, you will work with an instructor who will skillfully mentor you and your partner in evidence-based care, comfort measures, and advocacy. So that you can both embrace your birth and parenting experiences with courage and confidence. Get empowered with an interactive online childbirth class you and your partner will love. Visit evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirthclass to find your class now.
