The lovely Laura Kallus with her sons Skye (9) and Luca (2). Both of Laura's pregnancies were a bit of a surprise. Her first pregnancy was perfectly healthy but she was pressured into an induction for no reason other than the fact that her doctor wanted to schedule her delivery. She says he would have been happy to just schedule an elective cesarean 6 months in advance. She agreed to schedule the induction because she had past her due date and her mother was in town. She never dilated past 3cms after labor for 2 days. She asked to go home but was told that it wasn't safe because of the Pitocin in her system and her hips just weren't big enough anyway. She ended up yielding and consenting to the cesarean reasoning with herself that she would have a beautiful baby either way. With Luca's birth she chose a different OBGYN who was open to a VBAC. Upon hearing Laura's story, her doctor realized she was quite traumatized from her first birth and asked if she'd be willing to work with her in conjunction with a midwife and have a homebirth instead. Laura researched and decided she'd love to have an experience so different from her first. She got a birthing pool and prepared to have her baby at home. However, her due date came, her baby was estimated to be 10lbs and hadn't dropped at all. She tried natural induction methods and had her midwife check her every day but ultimately chose to have a repeat cesarean on the recommendation of her OB. Luca was having oxygenation issues at birth and was taken to the NICU for his first 4 days of life but is in good health today. Laura has been able to breastfeed both of her boys without issue and Luca is still nursing today. Laura wanted to be part of the expression that are bodies are all beautiful and should be celebrated for the amazing feats they have accomplished and created.
birthing pool