My guest today is extra special to me. Clancy McCarty is a registered nurse, and student-nurse midwife who spent over a decade as a documentary film producer with Every Mother Counts, the maternal health advocacy non-profit founded by Christy Turlington Burns that aims to make pregnancy and childbirth safe globally. Prior to becoming a student nurse-midwife, Clancy completed her doula training with Debra. She is the co-founder of Pregnancy Pathways, a consulting company providing education, resources, and guidance on how to find birth teams and settings for expecting parents in Los Angeles. She most recently became a mom, giving birth at home surrounded by midwives. She is here to talk with us about

Storytelling and Birth Work. Welcome Clancy!

In this episode:

Clancy talks about her journey from being a documentary film producer to becoming a student midwife and doula She shares how she was inspired by her experiences working with maternal health advocacy organizations and birth workers Experiencing fear and stress while working as a new nurse during the pandemic and felt overwhelmed Overcoming her negative experiences from her job at a hospital and adopting a mindful approach to her pregnancy and birth

Key Takeaways:

The importance of considering the team that will support you during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum The impact that storytelling and representation can have on perceptions of childbirth Collaboration is important in maternal health and it takes a village to give birth The pandemic made the experience of being pregnant and working as a nurse difficult

Tweetable Quotes:

“Because as everybody knows, it takes a village to give birth.” - Clancy McCarty

“Your birth and postpartum, it isn't just so straightforward as your vital signs look good and your baby's growing and then you're off. It is an all-encompassing, holistic experience that you're going through, and so if there's other things in your life that are causing some difficulty, it is very worth it to address those other areas.” - Clancy McCarty