#266 | The ARRIVE Trial Reaches Overseas: Birth Culture in France with Nicola Thompson and Her Daughter

Today's episode is a four-way conversation between us and a mother and daughter who are living in France. Nicola Thompson is a former L&D nurse of 30 years who worked in the U.S., and is now working in France as a traditional birth attendant, full-spectrum doula and IBCLC. Sasha Sharif, her daughter, is a mother of two with a third on the way. Sasha explains the impact her mother's life's work has had on her, and how that wisdom ultimately guided her away from birthing in the French maternity system. Instead, she (and her sister as well) have repeatedly  opted to give birth at home attended by their mother.

In this episode, we dive into the birth culture in France including what it is like to be a midwife in France, the country's 87% epidural rate in hospitals, how the ARRIVE Trial has influenced birth across the Atlantic, and the fact that the French consider the "due date" to be at 41 weeks!
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