On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class parent, Mandy Childs and her doula, Dana Patterson, about having an emergency cesarean due to Bandl's ring.

Mandy Childs (she/her) is a first-time parent to her son who she gave birth to in Greenville, South Carolina in March of 2021. Living now in Lynchburg, Virginia, Mandy is a trained elementary school teacher and currently a program coordinator for a nonprofit called Global Autism Project. Mandy lives with her husband, Ben, their son, Jack, and their dog, Penny. Mandy is also a graduate of the EBB Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor, Dana Patterson.

Dana Patterson (she/her) is an upstate South Carolina native and owner of The Doula Group, which offers birth doula support, postpartum doula support, and childbirth education. Dana has been involved in the upstate birth community for 15 years and has been a doula for eight years.

We talk about Mandy’s experience taking the EBB Childbirth Class with Dana and what she learned as a first-time parent to apply to her own birth experience. We also talk about what Bandl’s ring is and how it led up to Mandy’s needing an urgent emergency cesarean.

Content warning: We mention gendered language, grief and loss, perinatal death, cervical dilation check, epidural, uterine rupture, Bandl’s ring, resuscitation of a newborn, the urgency of an emergency cesarean, fear, birth trauma, and labor.

RESOURCES:

Learn more about EBB Instructor and founder of “The Doula Group,” Dana Patterson here.

Learn more about the Bandl's Ring Facebook Group here.

Learn more about VBAC after Bandl's ring here.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/ ), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.