After an incredible unmedicated birth to her second baby, Liz couldn’t wait to do it again. Although only 1.5 years later, her third pregnancy was a bit tougher physically than the previous two with carpal tunnel, some prolapse, and a little less exercise. Wanting another unmedicated, empowering birth, she switched to a midwife group, and at 35 weeks, decided to hire a doula, which was ultimately one of the best decisions she could have made.
After thinking the baby was going to arrive on her birthday (May 16th), she wrapped up all the loose ends at work and set up the bassinet, finally allowing her body to relax. Contractions woke her in the early hours on May 20th. After laboring at home for a few hours with her sister, doula, husband and 3 year old son, they raced the 5 min drive to the hospital and 15 minutes later Tucker flew into the world with a few quick and mighty pushes.
Despite setting herself up with many resources to have a smoother postpartum, PPD & PPA crept in again, with a lot of worry about having another screamy baby. Luckily Liz leaned on her people and got the help she needed to feel healthy again. Breastfeeding proved to be a challenging journey with transfer issues, 7 weeks of thrush, reflux and some resulting eating struggles. After 3 months of nursing, followed by 3 months of pretty much exclusive pumping, Tucker started nursing again at 6 months. To say Liz is proud of sticking it out through this nursing journey would be an understatement.
Liz Maughan Bio
Liz lives in the Boston suburbs with her husband, Tom, and their three children, Hunter (4), Sophie (3) and Tucker (8 months). Liz works in Human Resources and enjoys yoga, cooking and spending time at Lake Winnipesaukee. Connect with her on Instagram @LizMaughan.
Resources
Liz’s first two birth stories podcast episode
Motif Medical
This episode was sponsored by Motif Medical. Motif designs insurance-eligible products for busy moms. With a focus on innovation and empowerment, Motif’s line of breast pumps and maternity compression garments are sophisticated, yet discreet, and made to support mothers as they navigate new motherhood. Discover why moms are reporting more milk in less time with the Luna breast pump, and see how you can get it covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour.