In this heartfelt and deeply honest episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca and Arielle sit down with special guest Ellen Silva to unpack her powerful journey through two very different hospital births.

At just 29 years old, Ellen has already navigated pregnancy, motherhood, and unexpected challenges with incredible strength. As a middle school teacher, makeup artist, wife, and mom of two little ones, she opens up about what birth really looked like for her behind the highlight reel.

We dive into:

Her first hospital birth with an epidural that ended in a traumatic postpartum hemorrhage

What it felt like to hear her own doctors label her experience as “traumatic”

Processing fear and recovery in the early postpartum days

Her second pregnancy, complicated by preterm labor at just 32 weeks

Spending six long weeks trying to “keep baby Henry in”

The emotional rollercoaster of hospitalization, uncertainty, and resilience

Making it all the way to 38 weeks after being told delivery could be imminent

How Ellen’s perspective on birth, support, and motherhood shifted the second time around

Her doula experience and how it shaped both of her labors

And the story of how she “redeemed breastfeeding” after a difficult start

This conversation is real, relatable, and full of the kind of honesty we love on Girly Pop Birth Talks. Whether you’ve experienced birth trauma, preterm labor, or just want to feel seen in your own motherhood journey—this episode will wrap you in a big virtual hug.

As always, we’re here to remind you: every birth story matters.