15 | Rowan & Noor - Birthing in the US, Long Labour, Epidural, C-Section & the Pressure Women Feel to Have a Natural Birth

Birthing in the US, Long labour, Epidural, C-Section & the Pressure Women Feel to Have a Natural Birth

In this episode we hear Rowan telling us the birth story of her little boy Noor in the US. Rowan and her partner are both Egyptian and live in Cairo, but due to the uncertainty of the future in Egypt they wanted Noor to have another citizenship so that he could choose his own way once he is an adult. So after consideration, they chose to go to the US and give birth there. Rowan talks about and compares the care she received in Cairo vs in the US and the different approaches from her doctors at home and at the hospital where she gave birth. We also discuss the immense pressure that women put on themselves to have a ‘fairytale natural birth’ and how that sometimes doesn’t translate in reality, leading to unnecessary feelings of failure for new mothers. After a long labour, Rowan ended up giving birth to Noor via C-section and she also shares having a wonderful postpartum support-team in her family and partner after birth.

If you want to read more about Birthright Citizenship and where in the world this practice (called Jus Soli) is used, Wikipedia link is here too.

Rowan really recommends reading Expecting Better and Crib Sheet by Emily Oster in preparation for pregnancy, birth and postpartum. It’s a really logical and scientific way of looking at the process of becoming a parent and parenting.

If you'd like to reach out to Rowan, just send me an email at: the9monthspodcast@gmail.com and I'll forward everything to her from there.

Visit The 9 Months Podcast for more information or if you'd like to share your story with me on the podcast, you can find all the details here.

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*The stories on this podcast are personal experiences and should never be interpreted as medical advice. Always seek out a birth professionals expertise before making any medical decisions. The 9 Months Podcast is in no way advocating for a specific kind of birth but on the contrary, we believe that all births are beautiful, just as they are.