When Birth Goes Upside Down—007

About this Episode

This week’s episode features Danielle Mayfield. Her unique journey to motherhood began with an experience that can only be described as what happens when things go upside down. Danielle’s pregnancy wasn’t as dreamy as she had heard it would be - in fact, she kind of hated being pregnant.  When she was around 33 weeks pregnant, she wasn’t feeling well and was sent to the hospital by the urging of neighbors and her midwife to discover she was in hypertensive crisis that developed into HELLP syndrome.

On today’s episode, she shares that journey and the experiences in her life that have informed her ability to embrace the births she was given and look back on those seasons and find the lovely things that came from her trauma.

“My reality happened and I couldn’t do anything. ”

Laura says: Danielle was the type of girl I wanted to meet. Pink hair, cool Myspace page. She worked the front desk of my college library. She always seemed to know something I didn’t and that thing was her calling. Danielle knew then and lives now a life that is given to the poor. Danielle began working with refugees around the same time I was surfing her Myspace and reading her BlogSpot.   

She has since, with her family, carved out a life and a ministry to the growing population of refugees in Portland, Minneapolis and Portland again. This has brought her to a conclusion that the best way to live life is with downward mobility.

 

Danielle is an incredibly gifted writer who has chronicled parts of her journey in the upside down kingdom in a book: Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith. Buy her book

Show Notes:

Danielle  regularly writes about her life and work. She shares her views on faith, refugee politics, social norms and privilege on her Blog and on  Twitter and even the Facebook. 

On the show we discuss HELLP syndrome and preeclampsia. It is important that if you have any concerns about your health you contact your provider but we also want to say these conditions are rare. May is preeclampsia awareness month and we'll be sharing more on social media over the coming weeks!

We also talk about Maternal and Infant Mortality world wide and here in the US. The most important thing we can do is advocate for women's health care. Regular preventative women's health care is the most powerful intervention to reduce maternal and infant mortality. 

Find a way to join the fight for equality for women in healthcare and see what is being done: International Justice Mission; Women's Refugee Commission ;Planned Parenthood ; CARE; Global Fund For Women ; Engender Health. If none of these organizations are for you find one at Charity Navigator.