In this episode we hear Rowan telling us the birth story of her little boy Noor in the US. Rowan and her partner are both Egyptian and live in Cairo, but due to the uncertainty of the future in Egypt they wanted Noor to have another citizenship so that he could choose his own way once he is an adult. So after consideration, they chose to go to the US and give birth there. Rowan talks about and compares the care she received in Cairo vs in the US and the different approaches from her doctors at home and at the hospital where she gave birth. We also discuss the immense pressure that women put on themselves to have a ‘fairytale natural birth’ and how that sometimes doesn’t translate in reality, leading to unnecessary feelings of failure for new mothers. After a long labour, Rowan ended up giving birth to Noor via C-section and she also shares having a wonderful postpartum support-team in her family and partner after birth.