For her second delivery, Lilliana Rivera did everything within her power for a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), yet had another C-section delivery. In the years following she had a scar that felt as thick as an electrical cord, shooting pain, numbness, and a general disconnection to her body.

When she got on the abdominal massage table, she was shocked to discover her physical symptoms disappeared — and living dormant in her tissues was an intense feeling of guilt. In her womb space, the unprocessed emotions from that second C-section still lingered unmet, untouched, and unprocessed.

Meeting herself on the table was the catalyst that completely transformed the trajectory of her life. Her journey into abdominal massage and yoni steaming unlocked healing tools, a holistic health community, and mentors who would become her village.

Little did she know, she was building the knowledge and network she'd lean on when diagnosed with fibroids and complex cysts. When the OBGYN delivered the diagnosis, Lilliana took a deep breath and thought — I know what to do. I know how to care for myself. I know who in my network to call in.

This same trust carried her through a challenging perimenopausal moment where the bleeding would just not stop.

Learning the tools along the way and fostering a deep connection to what the body is saying affords us sovereignty within the world of women's reproductive health. Lilliana's story is a testament to what becomes possible when we build that relationship before the crisis arrives.

All of these experiences underscore the hope we hold — that our daughters may grow up knowing they have the tools, the network, and the trust in self to know how to care for their wombs.

About Kitara and Womb Stories Project

Womb Stories Project is the in-house podcast of Kitaralove.com, your one stop shop for everything you need for safe and effective Yoni Steaming at home. Kitara is a yoni steaming company made up of devoted womb healers. Our passion for steaming is rooted in the profound healing we've experienced ourselves and witnessed in those we support.

Our founder, Kit Maloney, holds a Masters Degree in Gender and Social Policy from the London School of Economics and has spent the past two decades as a thought leader on victim advocacy, pleasure activism, and holistic womb health and healing.

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Kit Maloney, founder of Kitara has been advocating for reproductive choice and freedom for over 20 years. Yet this conversation is like none she's ever had before.

As womb healers, Juliana and Kit hope to broaden the conversations we're "allowed" to have around reproductive choice and freedoms – and the physical, emotional, and spiritual impact that may have, honoring that everybody's journey is unique and special.

Pregnancy termination is a controversial, taboo, and polarizing subject that can bring up a lot of strong beliefs and big feelings. The commonness of abortion and narrowness of storytelling on the topic leaves many women alone in their decision, without spaces to integrate or heal afterwards, and also ignores the nuance and paradox we as women experience as the guardians of the threshold of life and death.

What does it mean for us to have both life and death move through our bodies? How do we process the loss of life physically, mentally, and spiritually?

Juliana honors the importance of claiming our rites (not just rights) and owning them through ceremony, or spiritual practices and rituals (including yoni steaming). We discuss how to remember and reclaim these rites and wear their inherent truths into our culture as we navigate the cycles, rhythms, responsibilities and decisions of living in a body with a womb.

The silencing of these nuanced conversations that hold paradoxes with love and compassion keeps us isolated. This is our one small step towards creating supportive spaces for women to explore their experiences within a grounded and loving container.

Ultimately, weaving the fragments of our experiences into a story we can claim, make sense of and feel whole within is our hope and wish for women who have ended a pregnancy. Know that you are not alone and there are practices and healing spaces to support you in holding this.

We hope you'll listen with an open heart, in your own timing and for your own healing. Through Kitara, we honor that we each come to this topic with our own beliefs, feelings, and journeys. We're here, doing our best, to hold it all with compassion. Sending love.

About Kitara and Womb Stories Project

Womb Stories Project is the in-house podcast of KitaraLove.com, your one stop shop for everything you need for safe and effective Yoni Steaming at home.

Kitara is a yoni steaming company made up of devoted womb healers. Our passion for steaming is rooted in the profound healing we've experienced ourselves and witnessed in those we support. We are devoted to supporting your womb health and healing journey.

Our founder, Kit Maloney, holds a Masters Degree in Gender and Social Policy from the London School of Economics and has spent the past two decades as a thought leader on victim advocacy, pleasure activism, and holistic womb health and healing.

Kitara provides beautifully designed, expertly crafted tools for safe and easy in-home yoni steaming. 🌸www.kitaralove.com🌸

In this episode of Womb Stories Project, Kit Maloney, founder of Kitara, shares her raw birth story on a phone call with two sisters… just 3 weeks after giving birth (in her 40s) to a healthy baby girl.

An incorrect ultrasound report shows Kit's baby in transverse position and completely derails her home birth plans. What followed was the very real possibility of an emergency C-section.

Her work with Kitara informed that moment. She recognized the pattern because she had heard it so many times. "Everything was fine, and then suddenly it became an emergency C-section." With an EPIC labor support team ( her husband and midwife ) and years experience in women's health and advocacy, Kit was able to have an unmedicated hospital birth within a highly medicalized system.

But what if she didn't? Her experience speaks to the importance of support in hospital birth, patient advocacy during labor, and how challenging it can be to navigate informed consent and avoid unnecessary birth interventions.

At one point, the situation escalated to threats of the Department of Health and Human Services being called. Kit found herself wondering, "how am I going to get out of here?" What followed wasn't just about getting through the experience, but what it meant to come out the other side of it with a sense of agency and wholeness.

Birth trauma is real. Kit has come to see that a huge part of trauma prevention is being able to process more quickly. To be witnessed and affirmed almost in the moment of it can set you up for a totally different recovery.

This episode reaffirms the "why" behind the Womb Stories Project. Sharing our stories is an invaluable piece of spreading awareness, education, and advocacy within the women's health and wellness world. If this resonates, like, subscribe and share your birth story below in the comments.

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