#384 | Military Maternity Care in Sicily: Tara’s Birth Story
Podcast: Down to BirthPublished On: Wed Sep 09 2026
Description: Tara was pregnant and stationed with her husband in Sicily, where military rules required her to give birth at the naval hospital on base. What followed was a birth marked by pressure, fear-based counseling, an induction she did not want, repeated talk of a C-section, and a series of interventions that often seemed to create more questions than answers. In this episode, Tara shares how late fetal heart rate decelerations led her care team to tell her that refusing induction could result in stillbirth or her child becoming a "vegetable", and how close she came to agreeing to a C-section that, when all was said and done, would have been unnecessary.We discuss informed consent, fetal monitoring, Pitocin, epidurals, hospital time limits, military maternity care, and just how difficult it can be to hold onto your instincts and decision-making when providers are warning you of the worst possible outcome.**********Send us Fan Mail Support the showAccess our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs RhetoricNeeded DrinkLMNT Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits SuperfoodJoin Patreon hereIG @downtobirthshowCall 802-GET-DOWN. Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.
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