In this episode I’m chatting with Rachel Somerstein about her traumatic experience having a C-section without adequate anesthesia. Already a professional journalist, this experience led Rachel to write her first book, Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section. In Invisible Labor Rachel weaves her personal narrative and investigative journalism with medical, social, and cultural history to reveal the surprising evolution of the cesarean section: from its days being practiced on enslaved and “unfit” women, to the ways modern technology promotes its overuse.

It’s very common not to prepare for the possibility of a cesarean birth (Rachel didn’t). Even if you are completely healthy and it seems unlikely, you need to understand that a C-section is possible. If you want to know which questions to ask in order to understand if it’s medically necessary and what your options are, you need to be educated on all potential outcomes.

• Why Rachel didn’t plan for a C-section
• What happened when she told her OB she wasn’t numb during surgery
• How this experience affected her ability to bond with her new baby
• What long-term effects she experienced as a result of her traumatic birth
• How therapy helped her discover that she wanted a second baby but fear was holding her back
• Why it’s important to find a care team that enthusiastically supports your decision to try for a VBAC
• What challenges came with giving birth in 2020
• How her recovery was different in her first versus second birth
• How she processed her internalized stigmas about cesarean birth

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode271

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