S01E09 Karina: The Most Empowering Thing I've Ever Done Was Give Birth. Unmedicated Hospital Birth.

Karina shares her empowering unmedicated birth experience at Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich, where she welcomed her daughter Amalia Luna after navigating nine months of severe pregnancy nausea.

• First-time mother from Poland partnered with a Swiss father
• Endured persistent nausea throughout pregnancy that only subsided in the last trimester
• Prepared thoroughly for birth with meditation, environmental cues, birthing ball exercises, and ice cube practice
• Chose hospital birth for consistency despite considering birth center options
• Used TENS machine and hip squeezes from her partner and doula (our lovely co-host Christine) for pain management
• Arrived at hospital already 6cm dilated after laboring at home
• Found the hospital triage with bright lights and monitoring challenging
• Experienced the pushing phase as equally intense as contractions
• Describes birth as "animalistic" and "liberating" as she vocalized through the experience
• Appreciated the support voices around her saying "you can do this"
• Surprised by the physical recovery needed after natural birth
• Found breastfeeding challenging but persevered through nipple shield use for three months
• Discovered her baby had a spirited temperament from day one
• Considers birth the most empowering experience of her life

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