Alayna's journey to motherhood began with two years of trying to conceive, a season filled with hope, disappointment, and the emotional rollercoaster of waiting for the pregnancy she wanted so deeply.
When she finally became pregnant, she thrived in those early months and began preparing for the freebirth she envisioned. But halfway through her pregnancy, life changed dramatically. Her husband was seriously injured in a car accident, leaving him unable to work and Alayna carrying the financial weight of their family while running her own chiropractic practice.
As the stress mounted, so did changes in her body. Swelling increased, sleep became nearly impossible, and her blood pressure began to rise. By 38 weeks, symptoms of preeclampsia had become too significant to ignore.
In Part One of Alayna's story, we talk about the long road to becoming pregnant, the pregnancy she had hoped for, and the particular kind of heartbreak that comes when you feel your carefully considered birth plans slipping away. For Alayna, it meant confronting the realization that she may have to go to the one place she desperately did not want to give birth: the hospital.
If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth
Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net
Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard
Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto