Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth
The Maternal Wealth Podcast creates a collective space for sharing all birth-related stories. I want to acknowledge birth's uniqueness, honor its variations, and remind us of the power we hold in giving birth.
As a Labor and Delivery Nurse, I see the impact of our stories. Let's share those stories with those who come after us to prepare them for what's to come. For those who came before us, allowing them to reminisce and heal as we realize we were not alone in our experiences.
Maternal Wealth is currently streaming in twenty-one countries: New Zealand, Australia, Slovakia, Canada, Finland, South Africa, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, Poland, India, Sweden, Germany, Puerto Rico, China, Italy, Denmark, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the United States.
Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth
From Italy to Poland: Kamila's Maternal Adventure
Imagine the joy and surprise of discovering a new life growing within you after a whimsical vacation in Italy. On this episode of Maternal Wealth, we welcome Kamila Lozano, who shares her touching and unpredictable journey into motherhood. Kamila's decision to embrace her roots and give birth in Poland, despite the challenges of a pandemic, highlights the comfort of cultural familiarity and the unwavering support of her husband. Her narrative unfolds with adventurous travels to share her pregnancy news, all while managing a symptom-free journey except for fleeting headaches.
Our conversation takes a raw and honest turn as Kamila opens up about the intense realities of laboring without an epidural in Poland. Picture the scene: a serene beach walk unexpectedly triggering labor, and the trials of navigating the early contractions alone due to COVID-19 restrictions. Her story is a testament to resilience, as she overcomes the lack of certain comforts and, with her husband by her side, delivers her daughter Olivia naturally, aided by a vacuum. This chapter is a compelling narrative of strength and endurance, illustrating the deep emotional and physical challenges of childbirth.
As we dive into the aftermath of childbirth, Kamila recounts the unforeseen complications that led to an urgent surgical intervention due to internal bleeding. Her husband’s steadfast support becomes a pillar during her recovery, illustrating the vital role a partner plays in the early days of motherhood. Together, they face the challenges of breastfeeding and societal pressures, celebrating precious milestones in Olivia's development. Camila's story is not just a personal journey but a beacon of inspiration for other mothers. We invite you to join us in this heartfelt conversation, exploring the importance of sharing maternal health experiences to uplift and support one another through the beautiful yet demanding journey of motherhood.
Music Credit
https://uppbeat.io/t/fugu-vibes/beneath-the-surface
https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/fountains
https://uppbeat.io/t/flow-garden/summer-sway
https://uppbeat.io/t/nick-petrov/sunshine-dreamer
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Welcome to the Maternal Wealth Podcast, your space for all things maternal health, pregnancy, birth and beyond. I am Stephanie Terrio, a labor and delivery nurse and a mother to three beautiful boys. Each week, we dive into inspiring stories and expert insights to remind us of your power in giving birth and motherhood. We're here to explore the joys, the challenges and the complexities of maternal health, because every mother's journey is unique and every story deserves to be told. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider for medical guidance tailored to your specific needs. Are you ready? Let's get into it. Good morning and welcome to the Maternal Wealth Podcast. Today I have Camila Lozano joining us from Sacramento, california. She gave birth in Poland in 2022 to her daughter, olivia. She is now living in Sacramento with her daughter and her husband. Welcome.
Speaker 2:Camila Welcome, welcome, good morning.
Speaker 1:Good morning. How are you this morning?
Speaker 2:I'm good, good, the weather is beautiful. Finally Preparing slowly for Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1:Are you hosting Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2:I am yes, okay, nice, yeah, and I'm also working that day, so I don't know I'm going to manage that, but fingers crossed, it always comes together. The whole family is coming, so I think I'll be fine. Everyone will bring something. That's the way to do it, yeah.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so I'm excited to have you on the podcast. So thank you for coming and joining. I would love to hear your birth story for Olivia.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm happy. I think that project is amazing and I'm so happy to be able to be a part of it. So thank you for inviting me. Of course, I'm glad you're, here.
Speaker 2:I'm Polish. I was born in Poland. That was my first choice. When I found out that I'm Polish I was born in Poland that was my first choice. When I found out that I'm pregnant, I was like, yeah, of course I'll give birth to my daughter in Poland, since I was more comfortable. You know, english is my second language, so I was afraid to do it in here, because I wasn't. I wasn't sure if I would understand everything.
Speaker 1:Um, but so you were living in the U? S with your husband and then you got pregnant and you decided to go home to have the baby. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:My husband was in Poland with me. Uh yeah, that's like the, the beautiful love story. He, he, decided to move to Poland to be with me. He went to this beautiful vacation in Italy and after I came back, like a month later, I found out that I'm pregnant. So it wasn't planned, it was a surprise, but we were like, oh, that's great, we are in love. Right, we have a stable situation. We can definitely do that.
Speaker 2:I think you're never kind of prepared to be a parent, in my opinion Maybe some people are, but that's a different story when some people just think like, okay, that's the moment, let's do it. But in my opinion, I would never be able to be like, okay, that's the moment, let's do it. So I'm happy. It was this way that I was just kind of like hey, you're pregnant. At the very first few seconds maybe, I was like, oh, my God, what's going to happen now? But then just a minute later, like, hey, that's actually great, I'm going to be a mom and that's. I think that was the perfect moment for me to get pregnant. So I went to the doctor's office to confirm it and the doctor was like yep, there it is the little bubble. Please come back in two weeks to confirm that the heart is beating, because that was like six weeks by the time I went to the office for the first time and I was so happy. I just immediately called my mom to share the news. She was so happy. She was like in the middle of the store. She started screaming. I could hear her on the phone and my husband was very happy. So, yeah, and I didn't even know like I didn't feel it was just like a regular story where my period was late, right. So I just checked and that's how I found out, but I didn't feel pregnant at all. Maybe I was tired a little bit, but other than that, nothing, no symptoms. I didn't have like morning sicknesses or nothing like that.
Speaker 2:Really, there was like a week between the first trimester and the second trimester when I had a very bad headache, because that's the moment when the blood pressure is getting higher, right, because there is like more blood in your body, right, I think so, like the body produces more blood too. It does, yeah, yes. So that was the moment when I had this really bad headache and I was so afraid to take a painkiller because I didn't know if I can. So it was like suffering, researching internet, if I can Like, the ibuprofen is not good, I guess, right. So I was just like, all right, I just uh handle that.
Speaker 2:So, but that was just a week really, and after that everything I was traveling around Poland, uh to to maybe do like checkpoints, before you know, I'm just with the baby. With a tiny baby you cannot really. I mean, maybe I was thinking that maybe I shouldn't travel that much. So I was just like I would visit my family, because I have a family like living everywhere in poland, so I visit my family, my cousins that I'm close with, and I was totally fine. I even traveled to the united states, uh, to share the story, because we didn't want to do it like um, to fac, you know, with my husband's family. So we were like, okay, maybe we'll travel to the United States to tell them in person that we were expecting. So, yeah, we were totally fine.
Speaker 2:Like nobody even was able to tell that I was pregnant because I didn't even have like a belly, nothing Like my belly really grew up when I was like seven months maybe. Oh, really, yeah. So, and you know, I I didn't feel bad or anything. So the last few weeks only when, when I was walking, that was like February, beginning of March Then I felt like, oh, I cannot walk too much, but because that belly is heavy now, but before nothing, I was a pregnancy from the book, like literally, and I was so chilled, I don't know, it's like maybe my mind just switched to that mode, the chill out mode, because nothing could stress me.
Speaker 2:I was totally into like it's not worth it mode, I think, and even like traveling to the United States, because I remember in the past when I was traveling, I was stressed every single time because of that border control. They're always asking questions, right, it's their job, of course, but it was always pretty stressful to me. But when I was pregnant I was like it is what it is. If they don't let me in, that's fine, we'll just go back and that's totally fine. And they asked me questions. Oh, they asked me this funny question because I remember the guy, the officer, asked me a question Because of course I told him that I was pregnant. You know, you can't lie.
Speaker 2:Was this at the US border or the Poland border? Yes, now, the US border. They were like do you work in Poland? How can you be able to come to the United States for three months? Because that was our plan. I was like oh, yeah, I do work, but I'm currently on a sick leave. I shouldn't probably use the word sick leave because it's more like a medical leave from my doctor. But I said sick leave and he was like so are you sick or pregnant? I was like I don't know pregnant, but it is how it is in Poland. If you have a stressful job, they can give you like a medical leave that you don't have to work and it's fully paid, like 100. You can actually do that from the moment you find out that you're pregnant. Oh, but yes, it's um, that's that it's really nice, but it's not like everybody do it um, like I didn't. I worked still to like I was like four months, yeah okay yeah, I worked.
Speaker 2:I still worked till I was like four months. Yeah, then I felt like, ah, because I was a manager and dealing with people's problems. I was like that's fine. And my doctor agreed with me that it's, it's your time, right, you're pregnant, you should take care of yourself. That's the, that's the moment now when you can really focus on yourself, start nesting, prepare, you know, to have a bigger family. And I agreed with him and I'm like, okay, let's do it. I love that. That's awesome. Right, it is. Yes, it is. That's why I decided to to still stay in poland and give birth over there, to still be a part of that system, when because they, they really do take care of moms when you're pregnant and also the maternity leave is like 12 months long. Of course, it's your choice how long you're going to take that leave, but yeah, it's up to 12 months.
Speaker 1:Is the leave paid for by the employers or by the government?
Speaker 2:So when you're taking that medical leave, the very first month is paid by the employer and then the government takes over and they just calculate like the average from your annual income and they pay it to you and also the maternity leave. It's paid by the government and it's like the first six months it's like 100% of your salary, and then the other six or it's like five and seven, something like that. Yeah, so I don't remember now. I'm sorry. Yeah, it's like half, it's 100 and the other half is 60, but you can also ask uh to to do 80 for the whole uh 12 months okay, yeah's nice, you have the different options.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I did this 100% in six months because I already felt like I was on this medical leave for so long. And then the maternity leave for like seven months because, also, I took the vacation time that I couldn't use because I was pregnant and on leave, so that was seven months. And I felt like, oh, because I was pregnant and on leave, so that was seven months, and I felt like, oh, I have to go back to work, it's too long. So I didn't want to forget everything. So I felt like I'm ready to go back and the baby was pretty like a golden baby. She wasn't causing any zombie nights or days, so that was pretty fun to go back and I also had my mom supporting us and my husband was working from home as well. So that was pretty fine to go back and I also had my mom supporting us and my husband was working from home as well, so we're fine.
Speaker 1:You were in a good position to go back. Yeah, exactly I wanted to know for the leave. Does it also extend it to fathers in Poland?
Speaker 2:Yes, but you can switch and I know that it recently changed just recently, like this year, but I didn't follow that exactly but they extended the father's leave. I would have to research that. Yes, there is time for dad to take a leave. That's pretty long as well. It's it's definitely like, I think, three months. I I don't want to give you a false information, but yeah, they just changed that recently for father's favor, so because it wasn't that long, and now they change it and they extend it now it's nice to hear, even if the exact dates isn't known.
Speaker 1:It's nice to hear that the change is being made so that families can have that bonding time that moms can heal so important for the children and for mental health and physical health. Like it's really nice to hear that, yeah, change is coming and change is happening For your birth story. You had a great pregnancy no symptoms, nausea, no sciatica, no, just like a little bit of headache for one week. I'm curious to hear how your birth went.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the birth was the total opposite. And of course I was like trying to prepare myself mentally, like, hey, women do it for ages, right, so I won't do it. So I thought that I'm ready and I I can do it. I thought about doing the natural birth and pons it's also they're trying to like they're doing c-section only if there is like a real emergency. It's not like you can go to the doctor and ask like, oh, I want to have a c-section, because now they're like, oh, you have to provide medical conditions approved by your doctor, you have to show it in the hospital, like, hey, I cannot give birth naturally. And I wasn't doing any of that. I was like, yeah, I can do it, I can do it naturally and I'm fine, right, my mom did it naturally, my grandma did it naturally, so, yeah, I can do that.
Speaker 2:My husband found out that there is like this way of that day happening faster, because I went to the doctor for the last checkup on Friday because my due date was Saturday.
Speaker 1:And I went there on Friday.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh, there is nothing going on, you're still probably wait like a week or something like that. We'll see each other in the week and then we'll see. So I was like, oh, okay, never mind, that's fine. But my husband started like looking in the internet and he was like, hey, some people say that walking on the beach sand works. So he took me for a walk.
Speaker 2:We went to like this beautiful restaurant for dinner and I had like the big dinner and in this restaurant I felt like, hmm, something is wrong. So we went back home. I started feeling like these little contractions right, and I wasn't sure if that these are already the ones that I supposed to feel on the D-Day oh, it's just like the you know prediction that it's going to happen in the next few days. So I was like, calm down, it's fine, it's not really super painful, I just felt it, you know. So I turned the TV on, started watching a movie and then in the middle of the movie my water just broke. I was like, okay, I guess that walking on the sand really worked it sure did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we went to the hospital and the whole action started. I had to wait a few hours. So that was COVID, so my husband couldn't be with me. They told him to go back home, but fortunately we were just living like 15 minutes away from the hospital, so it was pretty close.
Speaker 2:So I was there alone waiting for nine centimeters at least right when the nurses checked and they were like okay, it's time they took me to the delivery room. Then they allowed me to call my husband to come back, and this is when it all started you broke your water and then you went to the hospital.
Speaker 1:You were still having contractions. You broke your water yes, that they.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they got worse. I remember like growling I fell, because it was that bad.
Speaker 1:And then, once you get to the hospital, did they have you in a separate area, because when you said you were nine centimeters, they brought you to another room yes, but before that they put me into this room like a waiting room, right, and I had to wait like four hours okay. Yeah, were they monitoring the baby during that time?
Speaker 2:yes, okay, yeah, I had this thing on my finger and then they were checking like every hour if everything is fine. So this part was pretty normal, right, I had contractjectures. They were waiting for me to be ready for this whole action to be the real action. Yeah, I think it was like four hours because my water broke. It was like 11 PM or something by the time we got to the hospital. It was like midnight and, yeah, four something was when my husband was back at the hospital.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then they put me into the delivering room and everything started and they don't really use. The thing is that they don't really use epidural. Yeah, oh, epidural.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I didn't have it. Okay. So in Poland a lot of women don't utilize epidural.
Speaker 2:No, yeah, I remember talking to my sister-in-laws and they were like what Do you do that in Poland? Do you have to feel the pain all the time?
Speaker 1:I'm like, yeah, is it a thing where hospitals don't really offer it, or it's just culturally, women don't want it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the hospital, I mean, they do offer it when you really really need it, but there is like this timeframe when you can do it and when it's too late they can't right, because it's messing up with your whole contractions, right and everything.
Speaker 1:At some point it gets too late when you're in labor and then you have to start pushing and yeah, there's kind of a timeframe that people work with epidural here in the US.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, yeah. So I guess it was already too late for me as well. So they didn't even offer me. I didn't even ask, because I already knew that they don't really do that, so I didn't even bother to ask. But yeah, so everything started and I started pushing. They only gave me the gas to breathe in.
Speaker 1:Okay, the nitrous oxide yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I hated it Really. Yeah, and I hated it. Yeah, and my husband was like breathe it, breathe it, it's going to help you, take it away, take it away. I didn't want it, but it really did help me with breathing, with the proper breathing, I guess.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I don't think it worked with a pain relief, because that's supposed to do something with the pain, but it didn't in my case. But I think it did help me to to breathe the way I should breathe, the way that when you're pregnant in Poland you have to complete. Like this little training, when they tell you how to breathe and they prepare you how the whole situation will, will happen in the hospital, what are the steps and all that. So in Poland you have to do that. So I remember that from that little training and that gas really, I guess, helped me with the breathing. But nothing was happening and the doctors were starting like rushing me, like push, push, and I was like I am pushing. And I remember having that thought maybe I'm just not doing enough because I cannot deliver my baby. I cannot, you know, push her out.
Speaker 2:And there was after I don't remember you know I wasn't following the time at this point but there was a moment when the doctor said that we need to do the vacuum. There is a risk that the baby will be born, you know, purple. So they told my husband to go out of the room, wait outside, and then they used that vacuum to help me to push the baby out, and I remember when they did it, the first thing that the doctor said was like he saw that the umbilical cord was very, very short. He said, like this is extremely short in Virgo. And now we understand, because every time I was pushing the baby, the umbilical cord was like pulling it back. So that's what was preventing me from delivering the baby. Yeah, they called my husband back and he cut the cord and everything was fine. I thought so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so she came out crying. She was good. Her color was good and everything Okay.
Speaker 2:Yes, there's this rating like the 10 points. She got full 10. Everything was perfect. She had this hematoma on her head and her head was not a regular shape because she was in the canal for too long already and that's why, also, it was pretty late for me to do the emergency C-section, because she was already too low in the canal right, so that's why they had to do that vacuum to take her out.
Speaker 2:But I don't think I never had that thought that there's something wrong with my baby. I immediately loved her, I fell in love with her. She's beautiful and she's the most amazing baby in the world and she was very healthy, crying and everything was fine. And then you have that two hours of bonding right, skin-to-skin contact, and they let my husband to be with us to do that skin to skin as well. They left us in that delivery room for that two hours and everything was fine. And after they told my husband to leave, they put me in that room with other moms To recover. Yes, to recover. Yeah, they usually keep you in the hospital for like two days after delivering. If there was a c-section I think it was three days, but with the natural birth it's two days.
Speaker 1:I'm curious about the two hours. So with the newborn care here in the us, generally around the one hour mark in the hospital, they're giving the babies erythromycin, which is an ointment in the eye, like an antibiotic. Do they do the same? Do you remember in poland for your yes, yes, they did that.
Speaker 2:Yes, I remember she even had like a little spot, dark spot, under her eye because one of the drop probably just kind of like spilled yeah, interesting, yeah, she, and that went away.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, a few months later it was gone. I still remember seeing, I still have many pictures that I see that little spot. But yeah, yeah, they do that. They do that, of course, during that first minutes when they weighed her right, they wrap her with the blankets and all that. So, yeah, so after that two hours, when they put me into that recovery room I can call that I started feeling that something is off. And there's this ring. The very first minutes I was kind of like maybe it's fine, I don't want to overreact, I don't want to panic. You know, maybe it's normal. It was my first baby, so everything was new to me and I was completely alone in that room. It was still empty. I was still waiting for more moms, because it's usually like three beds in that room. You share your experience of being new mom with other moms, which is cool.
Speaker 1:I think, yeah, is it just moms right? Family can't visit?
Speaker 2:So yeah, the family can visit, but that was COVID.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they were not allowed to. But, yeah, I was completely alone by myself, just me and the baby in that room, and I started feeling the pain. I couldn't even exactly point out when it hurts, I just felt like it just hurts everywhere on the body, like the uterus and I don't know exactly. It just felt like it was really, really bad and it was getting worse. And with the contractions I remember thinking like I really prefer contractions because between contractions you have that few minutes of relief right, you can start thinking or something. But with this pain it was just pulsing nonstop and it got to the point that I was like holding that bars behind my head, trying to call someone to help me. And that was a very busy day. It was Sunday and apparently there was a lot of moms delivering their babies and there was no doctor available and nurses were coming and were like apologizing to me, we're trying, we're trying. They were giving me some very strong pain relief first.
Speaker 1:Was it a pill or an IV? No, no, no.
Speaker 2:The IV, yeah, the IV, and they're checking. They're like you're still in pain. I'm like, yes, it still hurts, really bad. And they're like, oh, we don't know what's going on, so you need to wait, you need to wait. And finally I don't remember how long I had to wait, but finally there was a doctor who came and he checked like what's going on inside, and they're like, oh no, there is a bleeding. We have to immediately put you back into the delivery room and stop the bleeding. They took away my baby Okay, took away my baby, okay. He took away my baby and put me back into the delivery room, this hospital.
Speaker 2:That was my first choice because the head of this whole birth department, he also had like a private practice. He had an office in my city and I was going to that office for my every month checkups. So I was familiar with these doctors because in this private office that this had opened, it was him, his son, who also worked in that hospital, and his son's best friend. It was like a family business and they also worked in the same hospital, but after hours they were taking care of moms during their pregnancy journey. I would say business, and they also worked in the same hospital, but after hours they were taking care of moms during their pregnancy journey. I would say that's why I chose this hospital. I knew the doctors and.
Speaker 2:I felt better, knowing that at least I know the people who will take care of me. But that day was the day when the director, the main doctor, was off. It was his day off, it was just his son in the hospital. So his son was the one doctor who was trying to stop the bleeding.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:They put me to sleep. They made sure that I'm not awake during that little surgery.
Speaker 1:Was it general anesthesia or was it through the IV? Do you remember?
Speaker 2:I think that was, that was IV. So I woke up like two hours later and I remember I was still in that delivery room and I remember looking at the doctor who was sitting like in front of the monitor just putting something into the system, and there was a nurse just walking around and she saw me and she was like why are you waking up? Go back to sleep. And I looked at her and I remember thinking to myself I think it should be better, but it's not. And I told her that I wish I could go back to sleep, but it still hurts. It's the same pain, you think. And I'm like, yeah, it is the same and I think it's even getting worse. Yeah, and then I remember him getting up and coming to me to check and he took all the band-aids they put inside me and he looked at the nurse and I saw his pale face and he was like we need to call the boss, his father. And I remember that scared me, seeing his pale face. And yeah, I remember, and they called him, he had to immediately come to the hospital and then they put me into a regular surgery room. They asked me to take off all my jewelry and this is when they put me like this anesthesia and they finally managed to stop the bleeding, so I gave birth to my daughter.
Speaker 2:It was like 7 in the morning, finally, and I woke up after that second surgery and that was like 5.30 pm. So, yeah, and they put me into the separate room like a private room, because this hospital also offers the private rooms for moms and they put me into the separate room. I woke up and I saw these doctors standing by my bed and and they're like how are you feeling? Are you okay? I was like, oh my goodness, I feel amazing, I feel great. I didn't feel any pain and finally I thought that now everything is gonna be okay and I was like where's my baby? Give him my baby, I want my baby. And they were like no, no, worries you need to rest.
Speaker 2:We take care of your baby. She's in best hands right now. So no worries, really, she's, she's perfect baby. She doesn't even cry. So just just rest. Because I couldn't even get up, I couldn't even get off the bed right at this point because I had all these tubes and all that and I had an IV and they were checking on my blood pressure and all that and my heartbeat. So they were like we'll give you back the baby tomorrow, just rest. And I remember I called my husband.
Speaker 1:Did he know that all this was going on?
Speaker 2:No, he didn't't, that's the thing. Like, I called him and he he barely woke up, because that was a long night for him as well, right, uh, he woke up and I told him because I, I think I had something in my throat when they were doing the surgery so I couldn't even speak, um yeah, like loudly. So it's kind of like you know, hey, I have to tell you something. And I told him everything and he was panicked. I'm like, but everything is fine now. Oh, my gosh, and then nurses starting coming to my room and they were checking on me and they're like are you okay? How are you feeling? We were praying for you.
Speaker 2:And they started pointing out that the blood that was, you know, still next to my bed and they were like oh, this blood saved your life. And I was laying there on the bed and I was just like, hmm, I didn't have to know that. You should probably have told me that, because, you know, I was still in that stage when I didn't think it was that bad. You know, I felt pain, I knew it was really bad, but I didn't think it was life-threatening at this point. But then, when the nurses started coming and they started asking me questions and they started telling me that they had to give me two bags of the blood and that saved my life. Um, I started having these thoughts like what, if, what if I didn't work, you know, and? And when you're still all of your hormones are, you know, crazy? Now, when I think of that moment, when I woke up and they started telling me these things, I was like maybe they shouldn't have told me that right away.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I guess everything ended okay so the labor and delivery nurse in me is curious to know did they ever tell you what the source of the bleeding came from?
Speaker 2:They never really explained that to me and the thing is that even on the documents from the hospital they didn't even mention that. Yeah, so I don't know if that's like a regular practice, but I was just happy that I'm alive, to be honest, and I just wanted to run away from the hospital. They even kept me one day longer because they wanted to make sure that I don't have anemia right, that my blood is fine, that the blood test is all good. And they were kind of surprised because right away after the surgery, the first test, they're like, yeah, these, these results are, are perfect. Like you never heard any, any blood transfusion. And I was like, oh, can I tell you? I don't know is it bad or good, you know, but they still kept me one day longer and I remember that last day, when I was waiting for them to release me, I was crying. I just wanted to go back home.
Speaker 2:All that emotions, you know, all that hormones still messing up with my head. I felt like I just want to be with my family. My husband cannot really even visit me. They allowed him because of the situation that happened. They allowed him to visit me every day for like an hour. He only could come like after like 6 pm. Yeah, and they're kind of like sneaking my husband, you know. Yeah, so nobody could see that. But you know they were just doing that because I had to go through so much that I deserved that. Yeah, you did. That's what they said. You know these are not my words, but this is what they said. I felt like I want to be at home in my own bed. That was too long four days. It was too long for me to be there. And yeah, I remember one doctor told me that one of the little like goatees inside the uterus, probably because of the vacuum that they used, did something that caused the internal bleeding.
Speaker 1:How was your recovery?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they had to do the surgery through the whole canal, through your vagina. Yes, okay, yeah, they didn't cut me like the belly, nothing like that Through the whole canal Through your vagina.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, yeah. Yeah, they didn't cut me like the belly, nothing like that. They had to cut it all up and I had to do like the regular checkups to make sure that everything is healing properly. It was, it was, but it was still pretty painful for like the first month I couldn't really sit. I had to do like this, the little swimming donut. I could sit on that and that really helped me. Okay. But like going to the bathroom, like the whole postpartum part, was also pretty tough because of that, because of the stitches right and all that.
Speaker 2:But after they took the stitches out, I was still healing for like a year, like to fully recover. It was. It was a year. I finally felt like okay, now it's back to normal. But yeah, that's intense, it is, it is and it was just, you know, I'm the person who I was never in a hospital. I never broke any bone. I'm really barely sick once in like three years maybe. The last time I had a fever was in high school, so I never really go to hospitals or anything like that. And then all of a sudden I had to go through so much and I never felt like it's. I'm the person who can experience something like that. I thought I'm this like terminator that can go through everything, but apparently not.
Speaker 1:But you did go through it right and you survived and came out on the other side and you have little Olivia and your family, so you did go through it able to do the natural delivery ever again.
Speaker 2:to be honest, yeah, I still have it in the back of my head that it's just. You know what if? What if I, like I was lucky last time? What if I'm not that lucky again? You know so. So I wouldn't be able probably to do it.
Speaker 1:I have had patients who have had traumatic experiences, like yourself, who survived, and then for their second child they just scheduled an elective C-section. I have seen that before because, like you said, it's just, it's a lot on your physical, mental, spiritual health, like all of it. It's a lot on your physical, mental, spiritual, health, like all of it. It's a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can totally understand, Totally, but we'll see. Maybe one day and then I would probably do it in here, since I'm already here Maybe that would give me a different experience.
Speaker 1:Yes, how was your husband when he got to see you and transitioning home? How was he during the whole experience?
Speaker 2:The moment that I called him to tell him all about that, he panicked. He was already on the way back to the hospital when I called him but they didn't let him in and he spent like two hours outside of the hospital just calling me and making sure that I'm fine, and I had to assure him over and over again that I, yes, I am fine, I feel good. Finally, I don't feel any pain and I think that I'm good now, and he was very, very supportive. I think I really made a good choice for the husband and the father of our baby because he was really supportive. He was the one who was helping me. We were switching to you know, wake up at night and really, really, I wouldn't go through it without him. I think he was really supportive. He's the best.
Speaker 2:And he wasn't really even putting like any pressure on me with, like breastfeeding, for example. It was like, hey, if it doesn't work, there's always formula. He's like you know, because that's also something that they put pressure on women in Poland. Yeah, they do that. And in the hospital you have that support from the nurses. There's like this latching like a trainer. They visit you in your room and they show you properly how to hold a baby, how to properly, you know, give her your breast milk. It's very helpful, right?
Speaker 2:Because I remember that when they were visiting me in my room and they were showing me how to properly do everything and they're encouraging me yeah, you know, try to use the pump to kind of like speed it up, right, yeah, but my husband, on the other hand, was like, hey, no worries, if it doesn't work, just use formula. So that was also very supportive. Um, I didn't have that pressure in my head like any any thoughts like, oh, I'm not enough, I'm not a good mother, or something. But it finally worked for Chantelaine. So it was all fine and she was a quick learner, yeah, even though she was pretty small when she was born. Do you remember how much she weighed? Yeah, I remember, but in kilograms. Okay, you can let me know in kilograms, okay, so that's 2.7 kilograms, okay, yeah, yeah, so not the big baby, and that's also what was surprising that it was below average baby and I still couldn't deliver her myself.
Speaker 1:But you did mention the cord, the short yes, yes, yes, you went into labor on your due date.
Speaker 2:That was my due date. Sure, yes, yes, yes, you went into labor on your due date. That was my due date. Yeah, so on Friday I saw the doctor and on Saturday my husband took me for the walk and that was my due date and by the time my water broke it was, like you know, almost midnight. So I delivered the baby a day after my due date.
Speaker 1:It's nice to hear your husband is supportive with the breastfeeding because after everything you went through and, like you said, there's so much onus put on us, the woman, to do everything correct to get the baby on the breast and get the milk going. And after everything, even if someone has a vaginal delivery uncomplicated, it's still a lot of stress With what you went through, having that support telling you not to stress. That's really nice to hear and eventually it worked out right.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, it was like two weeks of pain, but after that it was all good. Yeah, he was the one who was buying me these little ointments, because, it happens, your breast is bleeding even for very first few days. Yeah, he was really supportive.
Speaker 1:And then, how is a little olivia doing now?
Speaker 2:oh, she's great. She's very smart. But I don't know if it's because of us or it's my husband who has these experiments. He wanted to try and he started pulling like Mozart, beethoven, all that For the very first day she was born. Yeah, every single morning we listen to that music and she's very smart. So I don't know if that works or not, but I do recommend doing this. But yeah, I mean, why not? It's not going to hurt. So he read some. He was oh, that was a nine months of reading for him. I think he was more stressful about me delivering the baby than I was Because, like I said, I was so chilled. I was like that's fine, it is what it is. He was feeding me with the best food. He was buying me like the pomegranate juice because he read somewhere that it's very good for the fetus. Yeah, he was. He was the one who was reading. He was reading more than me.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad everything turned out okay and I'm glad little Olivia is growing and thriving.
Speaker 2:We're just having the second day today of the success of potty training. Oh okay, this is a big deal. I don't know if you actually heard, but there was like this celebration going in the background at one point during our conversation now, when there was another sexist Yay, Come on Lilliat. Yeah, she didn't want to do it for some time, but I guess the yesterday morning something just clicked.
Speaker 1:She's like today is the day.
Speaker 2:And we were lucky because she has two older cousins and she wants to be like them. You know, I think they're kind of like authority for her. She wants to, you know, be like her cousins, she wants to follow them. She wants to follow them. I can tell that it's pretty helpful because she wants to show them that she's a grown-up baby now. She's not like a tiny baby Cousins are the best.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you for coming on the show and sharing with us your story and being open and vulnerable, and I think this is great. Your message is great. I know there's women who have gone through what you've gone through and to hear, I think will really resonate with a lot of our listeners. So thank you, of course.
Speaker 2:Yes, I feel like I did, went through a lot, the at the end of the day, I have a healthy baby, I am healthy, so it's it's still a happy ending, I think absolutely, and if baby number two comes around sometime, give me a call okay, okay, yeah, I will. I will probably be able to point out the differences, yep, between how it was in Poland and how it is in here, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So have a lovely holiday season. Thank you so much. Please follow us on our social media platforms at maternal underscore wealth on Instagram and maternal wealth on Facebook. Visit our website at wwwmaternalwealthcom to sign up as a maternal wealth provider or search for maternal wealth providers near you. Lastly, check out our birth course, where I discuss how hospital staffing policies and access to medication can affect your birth experience and outcome. Stay strong, stay empowered and remember you got this.