Isabelle and Mike Parr on the extreme sickness that changed her birth

In this episode of Ready Birth Go, Carly Sandland talks to Isabelle Du Plessis and Mike Parr - Ross Barton in Emmerdale - about the hyperemesis that shaped Isabelle's entire pregnancy, and the birth she chose in order to take back control.

From five weeks until the day she gave birth, Issi was sick almost hourly. She was hospitalised for dehydration, couldn't keep down water or medication, and struggled to be believed - all while grieving the soft, joyful pregnancy she'd imagined. Mike was the one picking her up off the floor.

We talk about:

• What hyperemesis is actually like, day to day, and how it differs from morning sickness
• Being disbelieved and second-guessed by doctors, and finally being looked after
• The guilt of taking medication in pregnancy
• Feeling robbed of the pregnancy she'd hoped for
• Why she chose to elect for a caesarean a week before her due date
• Being the birth partner, and what Mike carried through it
• The surprise they saved for the birth itself

Isabelle: @issiduplessis· Mike: @mikeparr226

Carly: @thedoulaclub
Ready Birth Go, Carly's birth preparation course: readybirthgo.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/william-proulx/for-me