Our guest for Episode 10 is Elizabeth, a Mama warrior who experienced two vaginal births before needing an emergency C-section at 38 weeks with her third child due to HELLP syndrome. HELLP syndrome, which stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets, is a rare, severe type of preeclampsia that affects the blood and liver. It can be life threatening for Mama and baby. Elizabeth discusses a whirlwind of emotions with this unexpected diagnosis during the COVID pandemic, from being sedated for her C-section to her baby needing a NICU stay.

Some of the topics we talked about include traumatic birth, recovering from HELLP syndrome, juggling motherhood with other children in the midst of tending to a baby in the NICU, medical knowledge about labor and childbirth, changing your mindset after a traumatic experience, and relinquishing control and leaning into supportive loved ones. Elizabeth shared that her mindset shift was so important in her healing journey - she looks at this experience as a moment in time that does not define her as a mother or her relationship with her son. This conversation was truly eye-opening for me as I am healing from my traumatic birth experiences as well.

Elizabeth is a certified manifestation + mindset coach and is the founder of Surreal Dawn. Her mission is to help moms who may have lost themselves to reclaim their power and use the art of manifestation to create a dream life. To find out more about Elizabeth and Surreal Dawn, go ahead and follow her at @thesurrealdawn!