Description:
As the very first episode of this podcast, I thought it would only make sense to start out with my own personal birth experience. In this episode, I discuss the ins and outs of what my very first pregnancy and birth were like for me at just 19 years old. I go in-depth about my support system of family and friends and I talk about one of the scariest moments I experienced as a brand new parent.
Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only with no intention of giving or replacing any medical advice. I, Kiona Nessenbaum, am not a licensed medical professional. All advice that is given on the podcast is from the personal experience of the storytellers. All medical or health-related questions should be directed to your licensed provider.
The resources I mention in this episode are listed below:
- Nurse-Family Partnership Program: https://www.nursefamilypartnership.org
- Breast Pump Resource: Click the link below to purchase a pump or to see if your breast pump can be covered by your health insurance. https://aeroflowbreastpumps.com
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Transcription of Episode 1:
Hello and welcome to Birth as we know it. I am your podcast host, Kiona Nessenbaum. I have experienced birth as a doula, a student midwife, and as a mother of three amazing children with my husband in high school sweetheart by my side. After attending over 130 births, including my own, I’ve realized that each birth experience is truly unique. So make sure you subscribe and join me every week as we are guided through many different birth experiences through the lens of the storyteller. Please be aware that some of the stories can be triggering to hear. So feel free to pause, take a breath, and come back and listen whenever you’re ready. With that said, let’s prep ourselves to dive deep and get detailed about what really happens in the birthplace.
All right, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in to my very first episode. This episode is going to be a little bit different than future episodes. I have decided to start this podcast off with my own personal birth story. So I’m going to be talking about the birth of my first daughter and her name is Kavina.
A little bit of background on this is my husband and I, who was my boyfriend at the time, were very young. I was 19 years old and he was 18. And so with being 18 and 19, we were very young parents. I remember the moment I peed on the pregnancy test and I was shocked that it was positive. But then again, I wasn’t because we made the crazy decision of not using any birth control. I had just come off of different birth control and I didn’t like it. So I just stopped using it. And we’re like, “oh, if it happens, it happens, we’ll be ready”. And I was also very naive, not necessarily naive, but I was not aware of what hormone changed the pregnancy test to be positive, like the HCG level. And so I thought, oh, well, we had just gotten done doing the do, so maybe there’s like semen on it or something thing. That was my thought. And I was sitting on the toilet while my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, was in the shower. And I was like, Babe. It’s positive. And he was like, nuh-uh. I was like, it is.
So we kind of went into a little bit of a panic mode. Not really. Like, I was a little shook-ith to my core, to say the least. I was surprised. But then again, I wasn’t, you know, I wasn’t completely surprised. So we ended up telling so like, we told, my parents, that day, and we also told his mom that day, and we told his dad the next day. So the way that that went was I called my dad and it was like 11:00 p.m. When I called him because I can’t remember who we told first. But the moment of me telling my dad stood out to me as one of the most memorable announcement moments because it was super late. It was 11:00 p.m. I remember telling my whole family on twelve 12 12 12, December 12, 2012, and my father, I called him and I was like, hey dad, can we come over? I just want to talk to you. And he was like. What’s wrong? I was like, I just want to talk to you, dad. I just want to come hang out with you and talk to you. And he was like, Are you pregnant? I said, dad, I just want to talk to you. Can I come over? He’s like, yes. So we came over, and we were driving back from his (Kumar’s) mom’s house, I think at the time, who lived in Mount Lake Terrace. So it was a little bit of a distance, probably about 45 minutes away. And we showed up. We told them it was a scary moment for me because I was young, and I was telling my dad, and it ended up being okay.
Of course, he was disappointed because I was in my first year of college or on the summer break after my first year of college. So I was going into my sophomore year of college, and my husband was graduating high school. And after we told him, they prayed about it. We prayed about it together. I remember saying, I’m going to get so fat. And then my husband wears contacts, and so he was also emotional. During the conversation with my dad, he was crying and was rubbing his eye so much that his contact actually went to the back of his eyeball, and he had to excuse himself to go fix that.
After that, we talked about it, and I just said, one thing that I know is I really, really want to finish college. My dad reassured me, “no matter what, we’ll support you in any way to help you get through school if that’s what you want to do”. And of course, all of this is fresh, fresh emotions. And so we were very much at the forefront of everything, uncertain of how it was actually going to be.
Fast forward to the middle of my pregnancy. I guess my biggest pregnancy symptom was fatigue. With my first pregnancy with Kavina, it was fatigue. I was constantly tired. School started again, and I ended up withdrawing from that winter quarter because I was just exhausted and all of my classes were early in the morning and I just couldn’t wake up for them and I just couldn’t do it. So I withdrew from that quarter to take, like, a pause, and then I ended up just sleeping for like, three months basically. And then my second trimester, I felt a lot better, and I went back to school, and I took easier classes because the classes that I had signed up for when I first found out I was pregnant were like heavy duty classes like biology and chemistry, and I didn’t have the capacity to do those. And I wanted to take it easy on myself. So I did, like, art and English and I can’t remember the other one, but they were easier to handle while pregnant.
I do remember I went to Seattle Pacific University. And so it’s a Christian private university. And I remember. Kind of feeling judged because I actually came up or somebody actually came up to me when I was visibly pregnant and I didn’t have a ring on my hand. Some random lady of Asian descent who was wearing a red trench coat. That’s all I remember. I had never seen her on campus before. She came up to me, and she was like, do you know Jesus? And I was like, “yeah, we’re homies”. But really I felt offended because I felt as if even though she didn’t say anything about, “hey, you’re pregnant, and I don’t see a ring on your finger”, that was the first thing that came to mind for me because I was concerned of being judged and very vulnerable. And I think I was the only pregnant person at SPU at the time that I was aware of, so I felt very targeted. But that was just my own personal thought process. She could have really totally been chilling and curious if I was really into my religion at the time.
Going beyond my pregnancy. I did finish my year at school, and I remember being at my husband’s high school graduation and seeing one of my teachers from my freshman year of high school because we both went to the same high school. And so her name was Ms. Stewart. And she saw me, and I was like, “Hi, Ms. Stewart!” I was excited to see her. And she saw that I was pregnant, and she just shook her head. She was like “you too”. And I was like, well, Dang, like, I’m happy. I’m happy to be pregnant. Me and my boyfriend, who is my husband, are totally fine. We’re happy. We’re going to figure it out. Right? But then that just took away my joy of seeing her because I was like, okay, I don’t care. I’m going to move on and watch my husband graduate. So there was that. And then it was summertime, and we were in full-fledged preparation for our little baby. We had just moved into his mom’s house. My husband, Kumar, had just gotten a job. I think he got a job at Best Buy.
My pregnancy wasn’t super bad. Didn’t have intense symptoms or anything. Like I said, my strongest symptom was fatigue, and I was just really tired and uncomfortable at this point. And I was only. A few days away from my due date. I was, like, 39 weeks because I was due August 15, and it was a week prior to that. And my mom is amazing. She is a massage therapist. And I was like, mom, help me. I need help. So I was like, hit all the pressure points. Like, let’s tell this baby to get out. I’m over it. And so I got a massage from my mom, and then I went home, and I took a nap. And I remember waking up at exactly 09:00 p.m. On the dot with what was, like, a surge or a contraction, and I was like, oh, man, my tummy is really crappy. And I’ve had Raxton Hicks before, so that’s what I had thought it was. And then my husband was asleep. He had either just fallen asleep or was just doing his own thing. And I was like, Man, I’m a little uncomfortable. I’m going to try to rest. Try to rest a little bit more. They got a little bit uncomfortable, more uncomfortable. And I was just like, maybe I’ll just sit on the ball. I’ll sit on the birth ball and bounce around just for fun, to be a little bit more comfortable, because it seems a little different.
And I remember looking up on my phone, like, what do Braxton Hicks feel like? What do contractions feel like? Because they were different than the Braxton Hicks that I had experienced prior. Throughout my pregnancy. I always experienced my stomach becoming firm like a basketball and just being firm and then not really realizing when it started or when it ended. But with these surges or contractions, there was a noticeable start and finish. And, like, I remember reading on my phone, when you feel it wrap around your body, like, from your back to your front or from your front to your back, I can’t remember… that’s what a contraction feels like. And I was like, kind of feeling that. So I was like, okay. We’ll just see if this is happening or not. Again, my husband was still sleeping, and I was like, well, since he’s asleep and I got a massage earlier in that day, my body was still, like, all oily and stuff because when I got home, I just passed out. And so I decided to hop in the shower. Well, actually, right before I got in the shower, my body, like, ejected everything that was within it. So I didn’t throw up or anything, but my body was like, oh, you got poop in your colon or your rectum or whatever. Get out. So it was weird because I was like, why am I having, like, super soft poop right now? Because I don’t know. It was just different for me. And so I was like, okay, whatever. And then that’s what also encouraged me. Like, yeah, I’m just going to get in the shower.
So I got in the shower, took a really nice shower, and had some surges in the shower. I wasn’t aware of how long apart they were, like, how far apart they were, but I ended up getting out. And I was like, maybe I’ll just try to lay down again. Tried to lie down. I couldn’t. And then I think it was about. 10:30 pm or 11:00 pm. So an hour and a half or 2 hours after I had woken up. Then I decided, you know, I’m going to sit in this rocking chair here, and I think I’m actually going to time these because they seem to be coming kind of close together. So I time them, and when I realized that they were about, like, ten minutes apart, I decided to wake up Kumar because I was like, Babe, I think something’s happening here. Here’s where I’m at right now. This is what I’m thinking. And he’s like, okay. And I was like, you don’t have to stay awake. I just want to let you know. And then he went back to sleep, and I was just, like, going through it. And it wasn’t super unbearable, though. It was fine. I could talk. I could breathe. I could walk. I could do all this stuff. And then things started to really pick up for me around, like, 02:00 a.m. To the point where I was, like, getting really uncomfortable. And so I decided to wake Kumar up and say, hey, I think that we should probably go in.
We decided this time that we were going to be birthing in a hospital. We birthed at Swedish First hill in Seattle. And I remember being really upset throughout my pregnancy because I wanted to find a midwife and I was on state insurance and I was not aware that on state insurance you can actually have a midwife because I wanted to do like a birth center or home birth. Not a home birth, but a birth center birth. I was too scared to have to do a home birth at that time. So we chose to go to Swedish.
I told Kumar, I woke him up and I was like, hey, I think we should go to the hospital. And he’s like, okay. We had all the bags in the car already. And then his mom came up and checked and was like, “Is everything okay?” I remember being a little uncomfortable when she first came up because I was sitting in my underwear on the birth ball. And then I was like, you know what! It doesn’t even matter. I was like, I don’t even care. So we left. And then it was funny because while we left, we actually made a pit stop a couple of blocks down to pick up my husband’s best friend. His name is Jon. They’ve been best friends since third or fourth grade. And so he was like, I need my best friend with me. And so we picked him up. In the moment, I was a little angry, but I was also understanding. But I was like, oh my God, I just want to go now. Because sitting in the car was really hard and we had only gone two blocks, two blocks down the road. So we drove. We ended up getting to the hospital when we were driving. I remember trying to listen to like, this really calm CD with meditating music, and I was like, “Just turn this off. I don’t like it.” It’s just very not what I need right now. It was not my jam at that moment. And so things really started picking up in the car.
And then we got to the hospital. I remember walking from the parking garage through the emergency room doors and they said, okay. They told us where to go. I remember also stopping multiple times between the parking lot and the triage area. At Swedish to go through a surge. I remember one time in particular, I was hanging onto a door. I don’t know if I was holding it open or if someone was holding it open for me, but I remember going through a surge and actually making noise, and I think that was one of the first times I actually made a noise. I was, like, moaning and kind of like *moaning sound* you know, like, really using my voice to get through the surge. And Kumar was like… I feel like the noise made him panic a little bit because he was like, come on, babe. We got to go. We got to go. And then his best friend Jon was like, bro, she’s in pain. Give her a minute. We went up.
They checked me, and I think I was about 4 centimeters, so they admitted me and put me in a room. And I just remember this was, like, pre-COVID time in 2013, so everybody, like, as many people as I wanted, was allowed in the room. I remember telling Kumar to call my parents at some point and everything like that. So when we got to the hospital, my husband’s best friend Jon was there, and then my sister Monae showed up, and then my dad and my stepmom showed up. And I just remember being like, call mom. Call mom. And they kept calling mom, and my mom and her phone was not going through. And I was just so devastated because things were moving along quickly.
And then when I was in labor, I did try the tub. They had, like, Jacuzzi tubs and all the sweets at Swedish at that time, and I got into the tub, but I remember just being so angry because they wouldn’t let me have hot water. Like, hot, hot water. I don’t know about you all out there, but I love me some lava on my skin in showers and baths. And they wouldn’t let me do it because I was pregnant, and they didn’t want me to overheat my baby or myself, which makes sense in labor. But I was really angry, and so I was like, okay, well, it feels really cold, so let me turn these jets on to see if it makes it feel warmer in some way by moving the water around. That was a horrible idea because it made it feel cold, and then I was just cold. And so I was in that tub for like five minutes or less, and I was really relying on that tub for pain relief, and so I got out, and I was shivering cold and wet, and I didn’t like it.
And then I remember just needing, like, a lot of counterpressure or my hips being pushed down, like, together. I didn’t know what these terms were, but I was like, I need you to push me right there, you know? And so my husband would try to push my back, my lower back, and I would ask him to like, I would be laying on my side on the bed, and I would ask him to push down really hard on my hip that was on top. And now, retrospectively, I’m realizing that that was my me, like, wanting, like, a double hip squeeze kind of thing.
And then I remember feeling like, a small little gush come out, and I was like, oh, babe, I think my water might have broke, maybe because I felt a little gush. And so my husband, who wears glasses and contacts, so he was there, and I asked him to look for me, and he was like, oh, no, baby, that’s blood. And I was like, oh, it’s blood. So it was like some show, like bloody show. And I was like, okay. And then the nurse was like, that’s totally fine. That’s normal. Don’t worry. But my husband, he hates, hates blood. He hates blood. And so this man was like, hey, babe, I really love you, but I think can I ask your sister to come in for a minute and I take a break? And I was like, yeah, sure. And so he goes to my sister Monae, and then he sits in the far corner of the suite next to the window. Because at Swedish they have like benches, or like extra long benches, beds for like partners and family that come to support you in labor or to put all your stuff. And he sits in the corner and he just takes off his glasses. And that’s so funny to me. He just took his glasses off because he didn’t want to see anything. And then after that I didn’t really know where he was. I think he just stayed there. But I was begging Monae to push down on my hip. And so she did.
And then there was this one point. I don’t know how long I had been in labor because when we got to the hospital, it was probably around three in the morning. So nine to three was my labor time from there. And then things were really starting to pick up. And I was just like, man, I can’t do this. This is really hard. So by the time, this is hours after we got to the hospital, though, at least a couple. And I remember my stepmom and my dad came in and when they first got there, they were like, oh, hi, how are you? Blah, blah. I was like, I’m okay. This is hard. So I could still talk, but I was like, this is really hard. And then my dad was like, all right, I’m going to leave the room. And I was like, Mirla, please stay. Like, please stay. And so Mira stayed. And I just remember Mirla being Mirla is my stepmom, my mother. I remember her being there and being the only quiet voice in the room. And it was weird because my nurse wasn’t super loud, and my family wasn’t super loud, but her voice was so calm that it calmed me down. And I was like, okay, let me just lower my energy and not become so tense. Like she was whispering. And so it was really nice. And I remember her saying a prayer to say ask for my body to be relaxed and for it to be a safe process and everything like that. And then things really started picking up even more.
And at this point I was like, yo. I might need the epidural. Like, I am really struggling right now. I don’t know what to do. My body is, like, taking over. This is really hard for me. And my goal was to have an unmedicated birth. And so I didn’t want an epidural. I didn’t want any interventions. And so I was like, I don’t know if I can do this. And the nurse was like, how about we check you? Because it had been a few hours. I had only gotten checked when I was admitted. She was like, how about we check you and see where you’re at? And she knew that I wanted to not have an epidural. And I was like, okay, please check me. And she checked me. And I was nine and a half. So nine and a half. Whenever I hear it now, after all these years, I’m thinking I had an anterior lip, because this nurse had me turn over onto the bed to where I was on my hands and knees leaning forward. And she was like, just give me five more really good contractions right here, and then we can recheck you, and I think you’ll be able to start pushing. And I was like, bet! Let’s do that. So I went on to my hands and knees.
And those five contractions were the hardest contractions I had ever had to deal with in that labor that far, like, up until that point. And so it’s like, oh, my God, this is intense. Right? I remember I think she broke my bag of water at nine and a half centimeters as well, so AROM the artificial rupture of membranes. I believe that she did break my bag of water during that check. And we talked about it, we debriefed about it. I was like, Cool, yeah, let’s do it. And so I think that also helped with those five contractions, really making a big difference, because when I think it was like, at the fourth or fifth contraction of that time span that she told me to wait, I was involuntarily pushing. Like, the fetal ejection reflex was in full swing, and I was like, I can’t not push. Like, I’m bearing down. Like, I’m pushing and. They were like, okay, cool. Yeah, let’s get set up.
So everybody was getting set up and time was going by. I only pushed, I think for like 45 minutes with her, with Kavina, like only 45 minutes, but it felt super fast. And I remember the doctor, the doctor that was on call. I think it was like the laborist or something. It was just someone I had never met before, someone that was just on the floor, that was available. I remember her telling me, you have to push, and then she’ll be out. But it was like in such a rude way. Like, I was, like, pushing so hard, and I was like, pushing. I actually wasn’t screaming, but I was like, grunting, and I was pushing and pushing. And then she was like, if you just lift your leg up, she’ll be here. And it was like an attitude. And I was so irritated. I was like, I can’t lift my leg. I can’t lift it. There’s nothing I can do to lift it. And so my mother in law was there. I didn’t have an epidural or anything, but I just couldn’t lift it. My body was like, nah, you don’t need to lift that leg. The energy just didn’t work. So my mother in law sorry, not my mother in law. My step mom Mirla was there, and she was like, I can help lift your leg for you. And I was like, please do. And so she lifted my leg and pop! Out came Kavina. She came out so quickly after that.
Oh, also, at some point in my pushing stage, some random lady with like a bouquet of balloons came in and was like, congratulations, wrong room. I remember that my dad said that he actually saw her in the waiting room, and they had given her a room number, but it was my room number and it was the wrong one. And so she was supposed to go see somebody else and not me. But I saw her for a split second, and I just didn’t even care because I was so into the pushing mindset.
So out came Kavina. After my mother in law sorry. My step mom helped me lift my leg up, and I was just in shock. And then Kumar was there at my shoulder the whole time I was pushing. And I just remember the baby coming out and then the nurse looking at him and being like, oh, she looks just like Daddy. And I was like …and then Kumar cried a little bit, and I was in shock, so I couldn’t cry, but I was like, in this awe of this little human that just came out of me. And it was a lot. I do remember my amniotic fluid, like spring everywhere as she was coming out. So that was interesting. And after that, she was put onto my chest and everything was fine. And then there’s the afterbirth. There’s a placenta. And so I did have to push out the placenta. It was very strange. For those of you out there who menstruate, it felt like a ginormous, like blood clot. And I think that’s pretty much what it was, because well, it’s an organ. The placenta is an organ that is created by the body for pregnancy in particular. It’s the only organ that we can grow and dispose of without dying, with ease, without surgery or anything. So, yeah, I birthed my placenta, and it felt really awkward, but it came out.
And then I did tear, but I did not feel the tear as it was happening. I was just so engulfed in getting my baby out. And then when my baby was on me, I was just, like, high on oxytocin and amazed that I actually did it unmedicated. And I was just so excited. And then everybody was so happy. Yeah. I just remember being in complete awe.
And then after that, people started going home. I think my husband’s best friend went home first because we actually stole him from like, soccer tryouts or something. He was a big soccer player back then, and we stole him from soccer try out in the morning, and he had to like, text his coach and was like, hey, my niece is being born. Blah, blah, blah. So there was that and everything. I remember being moved from the birthing suite to the postpartum ward a couple of hours after. And I just remember that first night or like that first day because she was born early in the morning.
So I was in labor for 10 hours total from the first contraction at 09:00 P.m. To the birth of her and me no longer being pregnant was 10 hours. And it was like 10 hours and a minute or something like that. 10 hours is a long time, but it’s also a short time. So I feel like it’s a long time to be in labor, but it’s a short time to be in labor, if that makes any sense. Because the average over the years of my education from where I’m at now, I’m aware that a first time parent could be laboring for 26 plus hours. But I was fortunate to have a decent length birth without it being too strugglesome because I would not have been able to do it for very long. But I think I followed suit with my mom cause my mother birthed me and my sisters fairly quickly and like barely making it to the hospital. Me coming out in like 30 minutes quick. Hopefully you can hear her story on this podcast soon as well.
But yeah so we went into the postpartum room and I remember vena just nursing for like 3 hours straight. I just remember taking her off and then just putting her on and off and nursing was very interesting in the beginning. I didn’t struggle necessarily, but it was new to me and I was learning how to nurse my baby and she was learning how to feed off of me. And the struggle that I had the most is that my nipples were large and her mouth was tiny. And so having a tiny mouth and a giant nipple, like there was some pinching that went on and everything like that. And so my nipples did end up bleeding and cracking. And not just that first day, but after we were there for about 24 hours, I would say, or maybe a little bit over 24 hours since we birthed in the morning, but we did go home the next morning and when we went home it was fine. Everybody was there to support us. Like my family came and visited. My mom finally was able to meet up with us and meet the baby. But what ended up happening was her phone was like either left somewhere or it got deactivated or turned off, not deactivated. It was like on silent. And so she didn’t realize that I was in labor until after my baby was born. So I was really sad. But I was also really happy that she was the one that put me into labor. I am a strong believer in thinking that she was the one that naturally induced my labor through her amazing masseuse hands.
But yeah, so in the postpartum realm, postpartum was good. It was all new to me, of course. I just remember on the third day sitting alone with her crisscross in my lap and she was nursing as I was holding her and I just started bawling. I just started crying because I was like, I had a baby. Like I have a baby, she’s here. And it was a very emotional day for me. It is the day that I now as a birth worker call the wet day because it is the day that my breast milk came in. It was the day that I was super sweaty and gross. It was the day I was crying. I was still bleeding the lochia, which is like the post-birth blood. So it was a lot. It was emotional. It was an emotional day. And my breast felt like giant boulders on my chest and I did not want to be hugged at all ever for those first couple of weeks postpartum because it just hurt. It just hurt. So we did a lot of side hugging and not front hugging those first couple of weeks postpartum.
But, yeah, after that, my breastfeeding journey was pretty smooth, except for one day when my daughter Kavina was two weeks old, and I was just nursing her, and my nipples were no, I think she was one week old, not two. She was one week old, and my nipples were very cracked. And I was just, like, you know, pushing through the pain to nurse her because I really, really was passionate about nursing her. I didn’t have any nursing experience or background in this. And after she was done nursing, she was wearing, like, a fresh white onesie, and she spit up. But when she spit up, it was nothing but bright red blood. And so I was absolutely terrified. I was terrified. I was, like, scared that she was having some kind of internal bleeding or something like that, and I was devastated. I called the doctor right away. They said, just keep an eye on her. Like, did you check your nipples? Because a couple of times before that moment, she had, like, split up, like a blood clot of mine or from my boobs, I think. From my nipples. I mean, and it was like, very small, tiny blood clots. And I told my doctor about it. She’s like, It might be your nipples. Like, babies can’t digest blood, so it will come up. And I was like, okay. And so, yeah, when she spat out nothing but bright red blood, I was terrified. Called the doctor, she said, have you tried using your breast pump yet? And I said no. And she had suggested that I pump into my breast pump bottles and see what color my milk is. And if my milk is tinged pink or red, that means that my boobs are bleeding when she’s nursing. And so she just probably got some fresh blood.
And so, lo and behold, I pumped both my breasts and 1. I was surprised at how much milk actually came out at first because I didn’t realize that milk was actually coming out of my boobs even though I was feeding my child. It was my first time ever collecting my milk in that way. So that was cool. I think I had like an ounce on each side, but lo and behold, it was like, red. It wasn’t like, bright pink, it was red. And so they were saying, be gentle with your breasts. And so she basically spit up all of this blood that she couldn’t digest. And that was scary to me, but I am happy it didn’t happen again. And I took it easy with breastfeeding from then on as much as possible by trying to get a really deep, strong latch and all that good stuff.
But, yeah, that’s my story, and that is the birth of my first baby. And it was amazing and scary and exciting and awesome. I was very fortunate to have state insurance at that point because I was able to participate in a program that we have here in Washington State. I believe it’s in other states as well, but I’m in Washington State, and it’s called the Nurse Family Partnership Program, and it is where a state-assigned nurse will follow you throughout your pregnancy and up to two years postpartum. And so that was amazing for me. I had the luxury of actually having two different nurses because I ended up moving from one county to the other, and they have nurses that are assigned to counties per county. So I had a nurse in King County for the first half of my pregnancy. And then when I was in my third trimester, I moved to Snohomish County because we ended up living with my husband’s mother. And in Snohomish County, I met another nurse, but the nurse that I connected with most, her name is Erica Boyd. And oh, my gosh, if you’re listening to this, Erica, you, like, changed my life. And you were so supportive. Like, even back then, I was talking about getting into birth work somehow, like doing doula work or becoming a midwife. And she she did nothing but encouraged me. She provided me resources and she really changed my life in a very positive way. And I couldn’t thank her more for giving me that little push to be like, do it. You got it. How amazing is it that you’re thinking of that after having your own baby? It was great. It was really awesome. And she has a special place in my heart. I still have a gift that she gave me, which is a little stone heart that looked like the colors of a placenta, which I absolutely loved and she loved that I loved that. It’s really awesome. So maybe I can try to put a picture up of the stone heart that I have that I got from Erica, if I can figure that out on my website and that way you can check it out.
But yeah, that is my story of Kavina. She is now nine years old, so that was nine years ago. And since then I have had two others. So I had my son Kairo and then my daughter Katana. We are all K’s in our family, so my husband’s name is Kumar. I am Kiona. And then there is Kavina, Kairo and Katana. And then we also have our two dogs named KoKo and Kobe. So we are the K family, K Nessenbaum’s, for sure. We love it so much. Yes, that’s my story. I’m going to go ahead and end that here next week. You should join me because I am also going to be sharing the story of my son, Kairo, which was my first home birth. So I decided to home birth my son after my hospital experience and if you want to learn more about that and hear about how that goes, join me next week.
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