The incredibly resilient and irreverent Caitlin Benson was generous to share two beautiful birth stories with us, starting with part 1 in this podcast episode.
Caitlin’s first born, Ellie, was born in the hospital in Los Angeles and in this episode you’ll get her hilarious hot take on her subpar OBGYN, hiring a doula, undershooting her due date and more unpredicted twists and turns, with a totally sweet and positive ending.
Also – I attended the birth, (albeit a bit hungover)!
Yes, our friendship extends many years, steeped with conversations about birth and women’s health, and the general smashing of the patriarchy.
A few key moments from this birth story:
Caitlin hired a doula (my doula! The wonderful Abigail Vidikan) … but things didn’t quite go according to plan
Caitlin delivered vaginally in the hospital in Los Angeles with the assistance of her wonderful husband Scott, me and the hospital on-staff midwives
If you are squirmy, you’ll have to skip over the part where Caitlin realized that very public fart was actually a quief (or skip directly to 00:40:20 to have a good laugh)
Yeah, we’re tackling all the ins and outs of birth, no holds barred.
I hope you enjoy this retelling and subscribe to hear Caitlin’s second episode, the story of her son Owen, who was born via C-section.
Resource Corner
Featuring organizations and individuals who are fighting for reproductive justice. Support and follow these organizations if you are interested in advocating for healthcare equity for for all.
The Black Women’s Health Imperative is a long-standing national nonprofit organization created for and by Black women focusing specifically on the health and wellness of Black women and girls.
I read about this organization in a piece in Propublica’s article She Says Doctors Ignored Her Concerns About Her Pregnancy. For Many Black Women, It’s a Familiar Story (a great read).
Follow the Black Women’s Health Imperative on Instagram here.
About this newsletter
Birthtok is a community for birth storytelling by Mani O’Brien.
We are on a mission to demystify birth, create community around resilience and discuss ideas around how we can improve birth in the U.S.
Send us your anonymous birth story voicemail in all its raw and unfiltered glory! 📞 Click here to record your story (totally anonymously if you wish).
💌 Email: mani@shoutyourbirth.com
👍 Follow: @shoutyourbirth on Instagram and Tik Tok
🎙 Support on Patreon
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