Pregnancy and Birth Stories Series Part 6a

Yá’át’ééh! We are happy to announce the sixth release of our birthing series featuring our special guest, Karla Peaches. Ms. Peaches is a Diné woman, mother, doula, and peer lactation counselor. She tells all about the challeges she faced with being diagnosed with PCOS and navigating the health system to get the best care,  the last days with her grandmother, and grief.  Her story will be released in 3 parts: preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum. 
We appreciate Karla for sharing her experiences with us. The purpose of this series is to provide a space for birthing familes to share thier experineces to help other birthing families become more informed about the ways pregnancy and birthing can happen. 
Disclaimer: We’d like to let our audience know that these birthing stories include real people with real stories and may include topics on traumatic pregnancy and birthing experiences leading to loss of life, miscarriage, depression, suicide, and grief. If you are listening, please take breaks as needed. 

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Facebook: @Navajo Maternal and Child Health Project at Diné College

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Please email us if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions: navajomchproject@dinecollege.edu

This podcast was sponsored by the Arizona Department of Health Services through federal funding from the Health Resources & Services Administration, with support from the Navajo Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) Partnership between Diné College and Northern Arizona University through federal funding from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences, award number S06GM142121. The views expressed are the sole responsibility of the program staff and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arizona Department of Health Services or the United States Government.

Transcript

Introduction [00:00:05] Yá’át’ééh. Welcome to the Maternal and Child Health podcast, where we discuss maternal and child health topics and provide strategies for improving the health of Navajo families. A master tenant at East Bahia by your data. 

DeeDee James [00:00:22] Yeah. And welcome back to the Healthy Navajo Podcast. I am your host, DeeDee James. I am pleased to be joined by Karla Peaches and Navajo mother, doula, daughter and granddaughter. She will be telling her birth story, which will be broken up into three parts: Pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum. Before I let her start, just a reminder that this episode is a continuation of a new series about pregnancy and breathing experiences. The purpose of these episodes are to provide a space for birthing families to share their stories, in the hopes that it will bring other birthing families to be informed about ways that pregnancy and birthing occurs. We'd like to let our audience know that these birthing stories include real people with real stories, and may include topics on traumatic pregnancy and birthing experiences leading to the loss of life, miscarriage, depression, suicide, and grief. If you are listening, please take breaks as needed. If these topics are too much for you to handle, please join us again for our next episode and take care of yourself in the meantime. Please welcome Karla Peaches. 

Karla Peaches [00:01:31] Yeah. Karla Peaches. Initiate my education. Initially thought by Justine touch Ely. Jake. This if unintentionally put an error on Asha and I'll cut ur golden astonish. Hello everyone. My name is Karla Peaches. I am the mayor and my hometown is located in Kayenta, Arizona. So today I'm really grateful for Navajo Healthy K'é to be opening this space for me to tell my story. So if you have for listening to part six of Healthy Navajo Guest pregnancy and birthing stories. And today I will share my story and experiences of my pregnancies, births, and postpartum with you all. We'll start off by going into preconception. I feel like my pregnancy with my youngest daughter. It started way before conception. It started like years before. So about 2 to 2 and a half years before conceiving my youngest daughter. I dealt with left chronic pelvic pain for about two years. It was at first felt a little like a dull pain. It would come and go, especially like when I would sit for long periods of time, like when I was driving or when I'm in class, because during the time I was a full time college student, Arizona State University and I had classes that would last from like 60 minutes all the way to like 90 minutes in. Throughout time, the pain just became unbearable for me to sit for so long that I went from sitting in the front of the class to sitting in back of the class because I had to stand up, maybe like 15 to 20 minutes from the beginning of class, and I would have to like, walk around or stretch. And it just came to a point where it got so bad that I couldn't sleep, or it was just always on my mind, like the pain. And I couldn't focus. And I finally went and talked to a physician. And being like, in the Valley, there were so many options for me to choose. So it was kind of it was really difficult to choose based off of my, my insurance plan. And I ended up going through three different providers, and they all were located at three different clinics and three different towns in the valley. And so I remember, like going in and talking to the first provider and telling them about my symptoms, of how long they've been going on and like what I've been doing for pain management. And so, like the provider, like ordered a bloodwork and ultrasound. And once my results came back, I went up for a follow up appointment and they were just telling me, like, there's nothing wrong with your bloodwork. Everything came back normal, but your ultrasound, there were some things that were concerning. And after that she was telling me, okay, like, well, your right ovary, it was good. Your uterine lining, it's within normal range. Like you don't have endometriosis, but with your left ovary they weren't able to see your left ovary. And when they went to listen to like the blood flow within the fallopian tube, they weren't able to hear that as well. And so that shocked me. And I was like, oh my gosh, what is going on is my left ovary is not working. And like, all these things just kept coming into mind because like within my family, like we have like gynecological issues. And so I was just like thinking like, oh my gosh, like, is this happening to me? And and so I was just like, so many things are just like going through my mind at the time, as though, like, provider was like talking. And I was just trying to like, listen and trying to take in all the information. And I was just like, okay, like, what are the next steps? Like, like, how can we figure out, like what's going on? And is this why I'm having that like left pelvic pain? And so she was like, well, what we can do. Because like my symptoms, like I was having irregular periods and sometimes, like, my period won't even come for like maybe a month or even two months. And I remember, like, provider saying I can prescribe you contraceptive pills and that I like, I didn't want to do that because I was on like birth control pills before conceiving. My oldest daughter and I dealt with so many side effects, and I don't know how many different birth control pills that I had to switch. And I was just like, no, like, I don't want to deal with that headache. And like, after I had my oldest daughter at my six week checkup, I remember we're talking about different types of birth control. And I was like, no, they were talking about like, nexplanon. And I was like, okay, like, I'm going to take that and I'm okay with that. At the time, like, I didn't hear of any, like, bad reviews. And so I had nexplanon on for like three years. And when I really started looking into like the side effects of nexplanon  and I had all those side effects and I was just like thinking like, oh, no, like, this is normal. It's okay. And like I find. And so once I did, you know, once my three years was up and I got off nexplanon and all these different symptoms started happening to me. So and this is when I started having like the pelvic pain, it was probably like maybe a year or two year and a half after I got up nexplanon when it started occurring. And so when the provider was talking to me about like birth control and I was just like, oh man, like, I don't want to have to put my body through that again. And and I was like, no, like, how is that going to help me? And I was like, it's just putting like a Band-Aid on my pain, putting a Band-Aid on what's going on with my bodies. I need to figure out, like, what's going on. My body's telling me something like something is off balance. And so the provider, what are my other options? And she's like, well. That's the only thing I can do. If only they can help me with them. I remember going, oh, she was like, okay, well, like I have another appointment coming up. And she's like, if you don't have any other questions or concerns like our visit here is done. I was just like, wait, like I'm not done. Like I have more questions. And I remember going going to like the checkout and seeing the receptionist. And I remember, like, looking because the provider left my, my chart right in front of the receptionist desk and I'm like glancing at it. And I just saw this big circle. And within that circle it said PCOS and then is there like diagnosis PCOS and how she's like, she did not tell me that I was diagnosed with PCOS. I remember she was like coming back to the receptionist desk and I was like, you didn't tell me that I was diagnosed with PCOS. And she goes, oh yes, like you are. You have PCOS. The receptionist is going to give you some papers on what PCOS is, and she's like, if you have any further questions, make a follow up appointment. And I was just like so furious. I was like, oh my gosh, talk about HIPAA. This is in front of everyone that was in the waiting room. And I remember the receptionist giving me printed copies of from Webb, M.D., and I don't remember the other site, but it was like giving me information about like what PCOS is. And I remember like just signing out, checking, like leaving and getting into my car. And I was so furious. And I remember, like, calling my mom and I'm just like, do you know what? She was just like, oh my God, you need to make an appointment with a different provider. And she was like, don't go back to that same provider and like, make sure you get your medical records, get them transfer. She's like, request copy. She's like, go back in and get your copies. And she's like, once you do figure out who your provider is, go back to the provider. Now she goes and requests for your medical records to be sent to your new provider. And I was like, okay. And she's like, make sure you do like your review, your complaint, how your service was. And she said, because like, your insurance will see that. And telling me like all this about like two, 2 to 3 weeks later, I had, I ended up making a follow up appointment with another provider at a different location, and I did everything my mom told me to do. And the provider there, they did, like over my bloodwork and like, ultrasound in general. Okay. Yeah. This like your symptoms that you do have, they do align with PCOS, but your bloodwork is coming back normal and your ultrasound isn't really tell us anything if you really do have PCOS. Like we don't know if it's a cyst on your ovaries or like fibroids. And so there were just like, we can't really see the ultrasound, like the picture, but we just see the notes from the ultrasound tech. And I was like, okay, like, great. Like, are we at another dead end? And that same provider was like, there's birth control pills that we can put you on, and this is what we can do. And there's metformin that we can put you on. And even though you're not pre-diabetic or you don't have diabetes, like your insulin is okay. But this is like what we can do to help with hopefully it helps like with your pain and your cycles will be coming back and they'll go back to normal. And I was like, no, I don't want to do that. Like whether things can I do? And so they they told me they're like, okay, well they were talking like about my diet. I may be right in suggesting to do a like a  meal diary. And just like seeing like what I eat on a regular basis and like the time and like how, how much I move my body. And so I did like, take that into consideration. I remember going to do my follow up appointment, and I remember asking the receptionist, there were other providers that I can see within their organization, within their clinic. And there was, oh, well, we have another location in like downtown Phoenix and like we have more providers there. You have more options. These are like our providers. You can look over them. And I just remember reading their bios and I was like, man, I don't like I don't like having to choose my provider based off their bios and their pictures. And so I ended making up a follow up appointment with one of the osteopathic doctors at the location in downtown Phoenix. When my appointment did arrive and I showed up, I was so happy that the doctor already reviewed my medical records. And so when I walked in, she kind of like I was reviewing your medical records. She was just explaining everything to the T and she's like, has anything changed since these appointments? She's like, well, these are about two, 2 to 3 months. Like your results from your blood work and your ultrasound go. And she goes, I want to get some updated testing done. But with your blood work, I want to include some different test that wasn't tested before. And she's like, because here, like I'm seeing PCOS, they didn't really talk much about it and they didn't do the additional testing to see if you do have PCOS. And so I was just like, okay, what are the additional testing shows? Oh, it's with your bloodwork testing, like your testosterone levels, LH, FSA, thyroid, prolactin. And I remember she was like saying these other hormones and that she wanted to test. And I was like okay. And she was really going into detail about each hormone and why she's choosing those and just her explaining, like the different bloodwork, what she was going to be requesting and why she wanted to do another ultrasound. But this time she's like instead of just like a regular ultrasound, we're going to do a transvaginal ultrasound. And so she was explaining what a transvaginal ultrasound is, and she's like, this is what they're supposed to be doing. This is how like they're supposed to be doing it. And I really liked how she talked about like, trauma informed care. And she was like, make sure they do that if they don't request for it. And so she's like, okay. And then I was just sitting there thinking, because at the time I changed my major to integrative health. And before I was in like exercise science and before that I was like in biochemistry, but in like the classes that I had for integrative health, it was more like about ethics and really talking about the basics of health care and trauma informed care was one of the topics that our class was discussing for that two weeks, and for her to talk about trauma informed care and like cultural competency. And so just like, wow, I understand what she's talking about. Like she doesn't have to explain that to me. So like it was just really nice and I really, like clicked with her. And and then I remember coming back for my follow up appointment and she was like going over my results for my bloodwork and my ultrasound. And she was like "Yeah. You like your bloodwork looks good. Like I don't really see any issues going on." She was like depending like where you are on with your menstrual cycle or your LH and FSH, but there are in these areas like these are the ranges. And so she was like telling me about my menstrual cycle and how my hormones fluctuate. And I never knew that. So that was really nice and really cool to learn about. And she also told me that my left ovary was still not able to be seen or to hear like the blood flow. And so she was okay. She goes, I know you don't want to do birth control. And she was like, well, have you thought about like a diet plan? And she goes, I can do a referral for you to our dietitian. And so I was like, yes, I would love to have a referral to the dietitian. And she was okay, like, I'm going to do that. They're going to talk about maybe even doing like a meal diary and do like a meal plan with you and to see how that goes. And she was like, every appointment is different with a dietitian. She goes, But I'm just kind of giving you like a heads up. And she talked about different integrative treatments like acupuncture, like herbal medicine, stress management, yoga, deep breathing, chiropractic care. So like for her to actually talk about different alternative medicine with different modalities. I was just like, wow, I've never heard like an osteopathic doctor or even like a medical doctor to talk about like these different kind of treatments and to even talk about like what each modality, how it will help me with my symptoms and the pain. And so I was just like, okay. And we talked about like changing my diet and making sure I get daily movement training to like my stress management. So that way my cortisol levels aren't so high and getting good quality of sleep in. Mind you at the time, like I'm a full time college student and a single mom. And so I'm trying to do all that and I was like, yeah, I can try and I'll give it a shot, okay? Like, I'm really going to have to change our schedule and make things more accommodating for myself. And so that way I'm not putting myself into these stressful situations. And I remember, like my daughter at the time, she was four years old and I was like sitting down with her, okay. Like, we're going to have to come up with a schedule. And she's like a schedule, like, why? And so I was like, you know how mommy has pain in her in her pelvic area here? And sometimes, like, I can't, like, we want to go to the park or we want to do this. And I'm like, no, I'm in pain. And she was like, okay. And I was like, telling her. I went to the doctor and this is what she's recommending and talking about, like changing our diet and movement and stress management and getting better sleep. And she's like, yeah, mom, you really need to do that. Like, you really need to take care of your body. And she's like, I agree with your doctor. Doctor's making like some really good choices for you.  And mind you she is four years old, and she's in preschool. She's like, you need help. Like you need to start reaching out to your friends and asking them for help. And I remember, like one of my good friends, I would tell him, like certain things about like what I was going through. And the following semester I had a class in downtown Phoenix, where it was in the evening, and the traffic, the time that I would get out of class and plus like with traffic to go pick up my daughter at preschool, I wasn't able to make the pickup time. And so my friend would go and pick her up from preschool on certain days, like when I did have that class. And and I remember my daughter was like, mom, guess what? Like I went to go pick her up from his apartment and she's like so-and-so went and made me chicken and made me rice and with broccoli because it was so good. And she was like, you need to start doing that. And I was like, doing what? And she was like, yeah, he already has his meals put together in his fridge. And he just goes and he takes it out and he warms it up. She's like, he doesn't have to like take everything, prep everything, cook it. And she's like, you know, all this stress and you have dishes and everything. And she's like, he just had to go and like, okay, I'm going to take this out. You know what? I'm going to use this one of my meal prep meals for you. And she's like, you need to do that. Like that's going to help. That's going to help with your stress management. Like that's you changing your diet ahead of time. So when you go to school here on campus, you're like, oh, I already have my stuff. I just need to go find a microwave and heat it up she goes. And in college campuses, there is always somewhere where students have access to a microwave. She's like, see, it all works out. And I was just laughing. Okay. And so just for her to say that out of nowhere and this is like weeks from when I told her about us changing our diet and everything, she goes, yeah, that was so cool. It was just like food ready? And she goes, and it didn't taste gross or anything. She was a taste pretty good. And like the seasonings and everything he put in, she goes, do you think you waste his food and like really portions it out? And I was like, maybe you're just to hear her talk about that and just like, wow, we're really going to go on this journey together. It's just not going to be me. And so she would participate in my different movements if it was like walking or working out, going to the gym and doing like my deep breathing. And she would always be like, you need to go to sleep. Like, did you study and do your homework? You better not stay up past this time because we need to wake up by this time. And so just like for her to have that mentality and like that mindset and she was okay, how am I doing? Am I stress, how was my day? And we just be talking about things and I'll be asking her what kind of food do you want? Like what do you want for breakfast? Or what do you want me to prepare you for lunch for at school? And what do you want for dinner? So that way we can prep it beforehand. And so just to have her her input on on everything and like how our day to day would go. And so she would always talk about that and she sometimes she even brings that up. And, or when we're at the store and she goes, oh, those chicken breasts remind me of when so-and-so would give me that, when I would come back from school. My daughter and I, we went to this fourth trimester conference, and they have it every year during like the springtime in Mesa, Arizona, because I'm really passionate about birth work. And so this was like my first step into being in an environment with other individuals who are passionate about birth work as well. And I was so happy that I was able to to bring my daughter and to have her there with me because they had childcare and I was like, oh yeah, you can go play with the other kids. And she goes, okay, yeah, like I want to come. She goes, but what if I want to listen to some of the presenters? I'm like, yeah, so I'm pretty sure you can do that. And so we're at the fourth trimester conference, and it was so amazing to meet so many individuals like different midwives, doulas, acupuncturists, chiropractors, pediatricians, and everyone had tables with their different organizations, birth centers, midwifery offices. It was so hard to choose which presentation I wanted to go to. They were having a raffle and they had all these different amazing like prizes, and I ended up winning quite a few. But the ones that really stood out to me were this herbal medicine basket from freedom in the seed, and they were like different herbal teas and sitz bath. And I remember there was like a pregnancy, a happy postpartum tea, lactation pills, like herbal lactation pills. And there was like, this knitted boob beanie that we still have to this day. And there was a shirt and it said, like, I love my midwife. And it was like a yellow. And it said freedom in the seed on there. And the other one was, I won a consultation visit with that pro-life chiropractic. And I remember like looking at like the consultation visit was like over $150 value. And so my daughter who was like, oh my gosh, like, you can go and then I can go because we ended up winning two of them. And a few weeks later, I made a consultation visit with the Pure Life Chiropractic team based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. When I did arrive, Doctor Lena and Doctor Moses welcomed me and their office dog named Grogu is so cute. I remember like during the consultation visit, Doctor Lina was explaining the goal that they have is to to treat the root cause of the patient's condition, rather than simply treating just the symptom. And so she was like, holding up like this model of a spine. And she was okay, like, sometimes you have subrogation, and if you're sitting at a desk or you're in class, since I was a college student, she's like you. Your spine is usually like this. And you can have like some pain here or like cancer and symptoms and like your nerves. And it was just so amazing to hear how everything was correlated with the different, like the spine and the nerves and how each area resembled a certain organ and so I really did enjoy learning about that and just talking about like the different diagnostic testing that they utilize, x rays that they would take. And I was like, yeah, I really like this because when I had chiropractic care back in high school, middle school in Kayenta , they had a different chiropractic technique. So the chiropractic technique, Pure Life Chiropractic was way different. And I was like, yeah, like I would like to try this. And so we went through with a different diagnostic testing and got my x rays. And Doctor Moses was telling you when maybe like within a week I'll have your measurements or your x ray. And I was like, my measurements, like, what are you talking about? And he was telling me like how the different measurements he does with like, the pelvis and throughout my whole body and making sure like it's balance and see where it's imbalanced. And I just go, okay. He's like, yeah. Do you, do you see it? He's like, when you come back for your follow up appointment, he's like, I'll have the measurements. I'll have the numbers and everything on your x ray. And so I went back about a week and a half later, he was showing me my x ray, my measurements and like, okay, this is, this is like imbalance here and like, asking me more about my past history and like. And I told him, yeah, I used to wrestle and he's like, okay, well this explains a lot. And so he was like, well, this is the treatment plan that I have set out for you. And he was going over like my treatment plan. And it was just like, every time you come in for your appointment, I'm going to do a reading on your spine to see if any vertebrae is off. And so he did like my first adjustment. And there were only certain areas that Doctor Moses adjusted. And I remember it was like my upper back and my neck and I was on like adjusting in both directions. And just feeling that immediate relief with all the adjustments and ups. I could feel it like right after he would adjust my hips and I was just like, oh my gosh. And you could hear this kind of fluid moving through my spine and up into my brain. And I was like, oh my gosh, like that. Then he goes, yeah, how do you feel? And then I tell him, like how I thought he was okay, make sure you rest and make sure you stay hydrated. And it's really important that you do after getting any type of chiropractic adjustment. I was fortunate enough that the insurance that I had was able to pay for my chiropractic care, and so I think I started going to Pure Life Chiropractic, like April of 2019 is when I when I started going to Pure Life Chiropractic, another individual that I met at the fourth trimester conference. Her name is Danielle and she's a licensed acupuncturist. She has her own business called Thriving with Eastern Medicine and Acupuncture, and at the time her office was located in Mesa, Arizona. She specializes in fertility, women's medicine, pregnancy, postpartum trauma, and emotional wellness with acupuncture, herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, nutrition, dry needling, microneedling, Reiki trainer, and cupping. And I remember going to her booth at the forth tremester conference and talking to her and just like asking her about her different services. And so I really connected with her. I remember like, I'm going to set up an appointment with you because this pelvic pain is no joke. I remember my provider talking about acupuncture and like, happy. Like, I feel like this is what I need. So I did go in for a consultation appointment with Danielle, and she had me fill out this medical history paper. And I remember there was this outline of like a human body and she was a circle or X. The area is where you have pain or where you have a discomfort, like how bad is the pain? And so I remember like filling that out. And she came in into the room and she was like reading it over. She was just asking me questions like when does it hurt and how long has it been hurting? Like, did you have an injury? And she did the tongue and pulse diagnosis as well. And so she came up with the treatment plan and like with acupuncture herbal medicine. And I remember like I had my first acupuncture session that day. It was like for 30 minutes because then as time went on it would increase like to one hour sessions. Oh my gosh, like that first acupuncture session. It was so hard for my body to relax. I felt like my body was tense like the whole time. And she would, like, come in and check on me, like, how are you doing? She's like, okay, I'll take a few deep breaths. And she started talking to me, and finally my body relaxed and I could feel my chi moving through my body like the stagnation that was within my body. And like you could feel the movement and like just the warmth. Oh, like it just felt so amazing. And I remember falling asleep for like a few minutes as she came back in was, okay, like, our session is done. I don't want to go too long. And as time went on, she was okay, we're going to do another needle here. And so like the amount of needles increased. I just like, loved how she would talk to me before each session and she like, how are you feeling? And I would tell her new symptoms that I was feeling that day and she'd be like, all right, well, we're gonna utilize this meridian or we're going to use this point here. Really like telling me about my symptoms and how it associates with the season and with my different organs. And she knew that I was like a single mom and a college student. So she would always be asked, so how, like, how's your daughter? Like, how are you guys doing? How's school? Like, what time of the semester are you in right now? Is it like midterms? Are you studying for an exam? Is it, what kind of week do you have this week? So she really took that into consideration. Should be like, okay, like you're going to be studying what we're going to do this point in. So it was amazing. And I really did like enjoyed the acupuncture sessions. And even we do cupping once and the herbal medicine that she did prescribe as well. I started doing acupuncture December of 2019, January 2019 or 2020 around there, I saw this post on social media about ancestral womb wellness and gathering that this Collective was hosting and I ended up meeting an individual. They reached out to me through social media, actually, about a reproductive justice event that was happening in South Phoenix one evening, in which you should come, like you and your daughter can come, like you're going to meet so many other birth workers. And I was like, okay, we'll go. I'm like, not knowing anyone. And so I went to this, like, reproductive justice event. And I remember meeting Anjali from the From Sympathy Collective there, and she handed me the flier of the ancestral womb Wellness and garnished like, oh, this is coming up in a few weeks, you should come, you can attend. Like now. She's like, why would like, I can bring my daughter. You're going to have childcare and you can provide food and you guys are going  talk about ancestral womb wellness and there's going to be gathering. Yes, we'll be there. It was just a different environment. My daughter was like, whoa, like, did you feel that? Like as we walked in, like to the building. That's like. Yeah. She's like, mom, look, there's a kid room. Well, she goes, oh my gosh. Other kids are like, mom, mom, can I go play? I was like wait like, let's check in. Let's get ourself like registered. And I know I have to fill out like a waiver for you, like hold on. And she goes okay. And so she was just like so excited. And there was so many people there. And I was just like, oh my gosh. Like, I haven't been in a room filled with so many individuals. And it was like everyone was so nice. And they're like, oh, what's your name? And like, what do you do? And just talking to everyone. And once the event started and I sat down, each of the presenters, they shared so much great knowledge in the presenter that really stood out to me in her words, really connected with me. I really was moved. So her name is Tracy Hughes Hamilton, and she presented on protecting the womb from invasive procedures. She was so talking about like, yeah, sometimes some providers, they'll just go straight to exploratory surgery. And that's where like, oh, okay, I'm really listening because one of the providers that I had was like, oh, okay. Well, what we can do with exploratory surgery, we can't figure out what's going on or why your left ovary, we're not able to see it. Like the only way we're able to to see what's going on is if we do exploratory surgery. And so, like Tracy's presentation, I was just hooked. She was talking about womb massage and like, advocating for yourself after the event was over. I remember going up to Tracy and talking to her, and she was like, yeah, you should come to, like, I'm doing massage. I have some massage sessions. I'll be here in Phoenix because, like Tracy, she's based out of Tucson. She's like, yeah, like the next few days I have a few sessions open. You should come and do, like, some womb care, because I was telling her what I was going through, and she's like, these are my available dates. And I was like, where are you located? And she goes, oh, and she gave me the address and I looked it up. I was like, hey, let's cross the street from my campus is like, I got a place that's literally across the street. And so she was giving me her available dates and times, and I was like, you know what? I'm going to go to class in the morning, and right after my class is over, I'm going to come walk over. I was like, and because that's the only class I have that day, and she goes, yeah, I was like, I'm over and getting out of class. And it hurt like it hurts so bad walking from that building to to the location of where she was providing her massage services. And we walked to the building and we went inside and we had to walk like this flight of stairs. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is gonna hurt. And it did hurt. Walking up my left pelvic area was just in pain and it just like felt so tight. And I remember she was like, okay, we'll go into this room. And we were just talking symptoms of how I was feeling, like not only just physically but mentally, emotionally, spiritually. And it was just like taking in everything and telling me what she was and utilizing, like the different oils that she has and what she prefers. She was asking me like for my consent and. I just remember her giving me like a massage. And once it came to my lower abdomen, my womb area, she was just like, so gentle with her hands and informing me about my body. And like, this is where your uterus is and this is how your uterus is positioned. Here are your ligaments and your body is it has fashion and it's connected all over your body. And she was like, you see here your pelvis here. This your inlet on this side compared to this side. And she was like, yeah you are more tight on your left side. This is what I'm going to do. And so oh my gosh. It felt so amazing. And it hurt. And I wanted to cry. And I was like taking deep breaths. And I was like, okay, I can't hold my breath. I got to let go whatever my body is holding on to. And I remember just her going and like, massaging my whole body. And she was, have you ever like, do you do like the breast exams? And so she was informing me about how to do like breast exams and like teaching them about my lymph nodes. And so I was just, oh my gosh, like, I am learning so much about my body. And it just wasn't like I'm looking at a pamphlet of self breast exam and like what to look out for. Like the bumps, the redness, inflammation and like all these different things. And so she's like, this is how you do it. And she's like, this is what to look out for. And our session was done and she was like, okay, you can lay here as long as you want. And when you are ready to come out, she's like, I'll be out here in the living room. And so I was just like, okay. And I just remember like, oh my gosh, when I get up, it's going to hurt. And I remember like sitting up and standing up and I just like it doesn't hurt like it's sore, but it doesn't hurt. It is not tight. And I just remember I started crying and I was like, I've never felt relief like this. And I don't know, like, how long? And I remember finally going out into the living room and Tracy's like, how do you feel? I feel so great. And she was like. And we're just talking. I was like, I've never felt no pain. And we were walking down the stairs and she was walking me out, and it didn't hurt to go down the stairs. This is so exciting. And I never like hugging her. And she was like, I'm so glad you're feeling so good. And I just remember her hug and everything. And she was, keep me updated. I'm going to reach out to you again in a couple days. Remember to rest, keep your body hydrated, only have warm nutrient meals. She's like, it's like you just had ceremony. It's like, oh, I can do that. Like, yeah, I can definitely do that. And this was like February of 2020 when I met Tracy at the Little Metal Mass Gathering. And our first session was like in March. It was like a few days before spring break. And so I was like, I'm going to go back home up north, and I'm just going to chill, like I'm not going to do anything. And my daughter and I, we went home for the spring break. And that's when like Covid really hit and the pandemic and everything closed and school went virtually for her and I. So we were just like, yeah, like we're not going to go back to our home in Tempe and we're going to stay here. We're going to stay here in Kayenta. And so we're going to help my family. And at the time, my mom and sister, they were taking care Listen. And she, my son, if we're going to help take care of them. And it was just the best few months of being able to be home with my family and for my daughter to create those memories and that bond with them, because we would always come home like every other weekend. Once we moved to he and she was like, I want to go home. Like I miss like I miss a call a dela, I miss a Norma. And so like for us to have like a schedule with them and like for my sister, my mom to have a break because they were they're direct care providers full time. And so my daughter and I were like, yeah, like, we can do this. And sometimes we take care of both of them at the same time. And during those months that we were home throughout the pandemic, we would just come up with different craft ideas. And I didn't have no pain so that was amazing. And just really making sure that I stuck to to my diet and my making sure I'm moving my body and getting good quality sleep and reducing like my stress. And to be able to do that with my family as well, like my mom, my sisters and my dad and both of my, my grand grandmothers. It was it was a really great experience and end of August till like the beginning of September, Chanel, as soon as she started developing some more medical issues and I remember taking care of her, it was like Labor Day weekend, and my daughter and I taking care of Chanel was on that weekend, and I noticed a lot of different things about her. And I was just like, you're not yourself. Like you're not eating as much, you're having difficulty swallowing. And I remember her just saying, like, thank you. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you. Like for always coming home. And I know you lived in Flagstaff and you lived in Tempe, you're going to school. She goes, but you always came home. You always took care of me. When your sister needed a break, you would come to my home. You would cook for me like you would chop wood. And she goes, I thank you for doing that for me. She's like, I know you're a single mom. And so I just like like she was just thanking me, like all the time. And whenever I would go and have her to eat or transfer, to have her sit down in the living room, back into her bedroom and getting her ready for bed and, like, massaging her. And she was just like, thank you, thank you. And like her really like holding me. And I was just like, no, like no, like no. And I remember telling my sister, like, we need to take her to the clinic, we need to get her check this. And this is going on. I remember I cook for her that Monday morning and Monday, Tuesday morning before she went to the clinic. And that was like the last time that I saw her home. A few weeks later, she passed away in the hospital. She was able to come home and that was really hard. Like we knew her time was coming. And like with her saying thank you for being there when she did pass in the hospital. Like in our dinner culture, we talk about death as a taboo that we're not supposed to talk about it. And it's just always like, that kind of a thing. Like, we don't we don't talk about it being in the room in the hospital after she took her last breath. And mind you, this is during Covid where they have strict Covid protocols and regulations in the hospital. My sisters and I, there's only supposed to be two individuals in the hospital room, but my sisters snuck me in. But to be there in that room after she took her last breath, I look at death so different with like the physical body and like the spirit. Even though my sisters and I, we were crying  and knowing like she's physically here, but spiritually her body is not there, it just really hit me because you see pictures, you see, you see artist create the artwork the spirit being within the room as like above them or around them as the family is physically there with their physical body. It felt like that. And I remember my sisters and I were like, oh my gosh, she's probably looking down at us. Why are you crying? She's probably scolding us. And we were just like laughingly being there for one another, like hold each other. I'm so glad we were able to have that amount of time to be there in that room and to process together. And eventually one of us was kicked out and we had to switch in and out. But sharing that moment with my sisters, it really did change my mindset around death. And I always think about how throughout the years growing up, when it came to funerals and planning and everything, like children are always pushed out and like, no, you can't be here. Children and pregnant individuals can't be here. You can't partake in the plan, you can't partake in the funeral or even like the reception. And so I remember those few days before Chanel, as Diane was, taken to the clinic, she would always like, you need to take care of yourself. And she would always put her hand on my left pelvic area. And she's like, you need to go back. She's like, whatever happens, you need to go back and continue doing what you're doing and you need to take care of yourself. And I was just like, how does she know I love and tell her these things? And mind you, she was effortlessly. I was like, I didn't tell her that I had an appointment coming up, or that I need to make my follow up appointments. And she's always, you need to go. And I ended up actually having a scheduled appointment with the osteopathic doctor to see how like I was doing. And this is my first appointment since back in like the beginning of the year. And she's like, you need to go. And so I was telling my sister that and she's like, yeah, if that's what she said, you need to go. I remember going after she passed and I went back down to the Valley for my follow up appointments I did with my osteopathic doctor and my acupuncturist and my chiropractor within that week. And I remember having the follow up virtual appointment with Tracy as well, for them to hear, like what I was going through, like processing everything and just to be able to have that support, not just for me to talk about it, but like to support my body. 

DeeDee James [00:49:44] And that concludes. Part one of Carlos birth story. Thank you for tuning in for this month's episode. We'll be back with part two of Carla's pregnancy story next month. Take care of everyone. And until next time. 

Outro [00:49:58] Thanks for listening to the MCH podcast. For more information about the Navajo Mix Project, please visit us on Facebook at the Navajo Maternal and Child Health Project at Jeannette College.