DIY Insemination & Choosing Your Own Path — 051

Dez and her same-sex partner chose their own path to getting pregnant — after carefully selecting a sperm donor through a personal connection, they successfully performed at-home insemination with sterile tools purchased on Amazon. The couple has been able to use the same donor for both of their children and maintain a relationship with him that feels just right. Dez had two distinctively different births — during her first birth, it was decided to induce labor at 39 weeks. Her blood pressure plummeted after her first epidural and the staff gave her a second. When her contractions started, the staff prepped her for it to take awhile, but her labor from there was unbelievably fast! Throughout her next pregnancy, she combated gestational diabetes and a complication during birth which led to a NICU stay for her son and the possibility of losing her own life. Dez’s story may be unique but its themes are so common — reminding us that every journey into motherhood takes us to the edge of ourselves and also awakens love we never knew we had. Expectful is a guided meditation app for each stage of the motherhood journey — you can sign up for an exclusive 1-month free trial here! In This Episode: ● The alternative at-home options to fertility clinic procedures ● How she fertilized her eggs with cost-friendly options ● How she and her partner chose their known donor ● How she was treated by hospital staff because she was plus-size ● How therapy is helping her cope emotionally with almost losing her second child ● How she changed her diet and still experienced gestational diabetes ● How she cared for her child after his stay in NICU ● How to get a free one-month trial of guided meditations through Expectful ● Join us for our 3o Days of Mindfulness this month — more info on our Facebook page Show Notes: Expectful — One Month Free Trial for MotherBirth Community Members 30 Days of Mindfulness with Motherbirth and Expectful