Hello mamas and welcome back to the Pregnancy with Physio Laura podcast. 

Today we are diving into episode 3 of 5 in this C-section birth series, sharing my first birth story with you all. I am sharing the interview I did with Sophie from the Australian Birth Stories podcast which was recorded a few weeks after my second baby was born.

Don’t forget we’ve already released the first 2 episodes on mental preparation and processing for a C-section birth as well as physical recovery after a C-section birth so make sure you go and check those out before diving into today’s episode.

The reason I wanted to use this interview, rather than to re-record my birth stories is that our story changes with time. As we learn more about ourselves, our past or as our life experience changes, so too can our past stories. I didn’t want to change the story to suit today’s Laura as I felt it was rawer to share it from an earlier time. I was only a few weeks post my 2nd C-section when I recored that interview with Sophie and truthfully I hadn’t listened to it again until I started planning this podcast series, which is a year and a half later.

It was interesting to go back and hear a past version os Laura talk about what happened and 95% of the story would continue to be told the same way if I were to re-record it today.

The only things I feel I have a different perspective on now is how I would have managed the late stage of my pregnancy and heading into labour.

I don’t want to dive too much into this now, as the purpose of this podcast is to share my story, but in hindsight and reflection I probably wouldn’t have agreed to be induced before my due date for the reasons I was. I also would have chosen to go home and wait after the induction didn’t work rather than have a C-section.

In saying that, they are the choices I would have made today. They are not the choices I would have made 3 years ago when this first brith took place. I don’t have any regrets from my births, in fact I feel I had quite positive experiences which I’m very grateful to have had. I feel my first 2 births have been exactly what I needed, they have taught me the exact lessons I needed to learn and they have put me in the position I am in today. So whilst I say I would go back and change these things, I really wouldn’t because I needed all these experiences to be where I am at right now. But I certainly have learnt from them, and that is how I would change those situations if I were to be in the same position today.

As I record this episode I am over half way through my third pregnancy and I’m excited to share this journey and the upcoming birth with you all afterwards. It’s so great to be able to share my learnings and experiences from each journey so far.

Now for today’s Laura’s life lessons… I thought this one would tie in really well with what I just mentioned about my learnings from my first birth story. To use a quote I love “There is no such thing as failure. Only learning experiences”. I truly don’t believe that anything in life is a failure. I believe it is either a lesson you needed to learn or a re-direction from life that you needed to go a different way. So I hope that if you are feeling like you’ve failed something in life, instead look at it like you’ve just learnt an incredible lesson. 

Now let’s get into episode 3 of our 5 part C-section birth series, chatting about my first pregnancy and birth story. 3