My Birth Story

My Birth Story

From Pursuit of Wellness by Mari Llewellyn & Pursuit Network

March 16, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

Mari shares her personal birth story, detailing the challenges and emotional moments of bringing her son Cai into the world.

I honestly cannot believe I’m sitting here recording this episode as a mom. In this episode, I’m sharing the full story of Cai’s birth from start to finish. The anxiety leading up to labor, the moment the hospital told me not to come because they were at capacity, the induction process, contractions, getting the epidural, and the unexpected turn that led to an emergency C-section. This experience changed my perspective on birth, control, and motherhood in ways I never could have predicted. After going through IVF and everything it took to get pregnant, I thought I had an idea of how birth would go. But labor has a way of reminding you that some things are simply out of your control. I talk about the mental side of preparing for labor, the pain and intensity of contractions, the moment I realized something wasn’t right, and the emotional second I heard Cai cry for the first time. Even though things didn’t go according to my original plan, the moment I saw him made every single part of the experience worth it. If you’re pregnant, thinking about becoming a mom, or just curious about what birth is actually like, this episode is the full, honest story. _____ Leave Me a Message -⁠…

People in this episode

Host: Mari Llewellyn

Topics covered

  • birth story
  • motherhood
  • IVF
  • labor experience
  • emergency C-section
  • mental preparation
  • emotional journey

Keywords

  • birth
  • motherhood
  • IVF
  • C-section
  • labor
  • contractions
  • epidural

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pursuit Network

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