Growing up in Brazil, where cesarean birth is extraordinarily common, Sofia is encouraged by a growing movement of women seeking to reclaim their birth experiences and rediscover the beauty of physiological birth.
After a difficult first birth that included two days of labor, an episiotomy, and a NICU stay for her baby, Sofia leaned on the wisdom of her sister, a nurse midwife living in Brazil, to help her process and heal from the experience.
During her second pregnancy, Sofia became intentional about the thoughts and beliefs she was bringing into birth. Through a daily practice of gratitude, positive birth affirmations, and scripture, she began replacing fear with confidence, reminding herself, "I can do hard things. I am strong. God will be there with me."
When her sister flew in from Brazil just two weeks before her due date, Sofia hoped more than anything that her baby would arrive while she was there. And as fate would have it, labor began with just enough time for her sister to create the peaceful, intimate birth environment Sofia had been envisioning.
What was meant to be another hospital birth unfolded into an unexpectedly beautiful homebirth, with Sofia welcoming her baby in the shower, supported by the very woman who had helped her rediscover her trust in birth.
This is a powerful story about the words we speak over ourselves, the influence of our beliefs, and just how transformative a positive birth experience can be.
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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