Robin discovered she was pregnant with her first child a month before the pandemic started shutting things down. Luckily, the pregnancy itself was mostly uneventful. Robin experienced Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) but was hopeful it would resolve after the pregnancy.Â
Labor started at night and Robin labored at home throughout the next day, listening to Hypnobirthing tracks and Birth Hour podcast episodes. She went to the hospital around midnight and was already 5 cm dilated. However, after she requested an epidural, her labor slowed down significantly. The doctors ended up suggesting a C-section and, after over 36 hours of labor, Robin agreed. However, she never felt at peace with the way the events of her first birth unfolded.
Robin’s second pregnancy started about 3 years after her first. Despite feeling very uncomfortable, she felt lucky she had another healthy pregnancy. She was even able to keep the PGP mostly at bay with regular visits to her chiropractor.
With the assistance of two amazing doulas, a new hospital, and her husband, Robin delivered a healthy girl via a successful VBAC. Postpartum was so hard the first time, navigating feeding difficulties and persisting PGP. Her second experience postpartum has been much easier. She feels so lucky to have had two very different birthing experiences to give her perspective on what matters: birth is birth and it is all beautiful.
Robin Cole Bio
Robin Cole lives in Boston, Massachusetts with her husband, two children and cat, Benny. She is a school-based speech-language pathologist. In this era of life, she doesn’t have much free time but enjoys listening to podcasts and has recently started trying to garden. You’ll have to touch base in a year to see if this hobby sticks. Connect with Robin via Instagram @rob.in_theworld
