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This week I had the pleasure of having  incredible home birth midwife, Angie, LM, CPM,  join me on the podcast. Angie, from the Long Beach, CA area, gives us some insight into what the process of taking care of a mother during pregnancy and birth is like as a home birth midwife. We also went a little deeper into birthing during a pandemic as well as the importance of informed consent. Informed consent is so important to her and I know when you take a listen you will understand why and feel empowered to stand up for yourself.

It's true that when you birth at home you will be birthing unmedicated but it doesn't mean your midwife won't come prepared with life-saving medications, tools, knowledge, and skills to keep you and your baby safe. With so many misconceptions when it comes to home births, including the legitimacy and safety of the practice, Angie gives us the facts that can help tackle those misconceptions and may even have you looking up a local home birth midwife...

I can't wait for you to listen to this inspiring birth story with Anne, a My Essential Birth Course mama, who takes us through her journey from conception, pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. It is a perfect story about what it's really like to walk through everything pregnancy, birth, and postpartum for the very first time. Her and her husband did an excellent job preparing and supporting each other. I hope you will find something special and learn tons, for both you and your partner as you listen. Enjoy!!

Show Notes

3:24 Anne tells us a little bit about herself and her husband, a bit of their history and what conception was like for them. 

5:10 Anne gives us some inside on what pregnancy was like for her. She talks about the different feelings she experienced every trimester and the changes she felt along the way. I also ask Anne about her provider experience, how she found her provider and what solidified her choice. We continue of conversation about her provider and...

You’ve had the baby, now what? This has now become a 24 hour responsibility. In this episode, I walk you through what happens from the time you give birth, until you reach home, and even some tools that can be useful once you've brought baby home and start to manage your everyday life. My husband also share's his dad perspective of what it was like for him when welcoming our children home. Listen in, get some great information and even better, some awesome laughs.

Show Notes

4:40 - Hospital to home, what happens? We chat about a series of things such as, the car being checked and different tests both mom and baby have to pass prior to being discharged from the hospital. 

10:13 - Visitation! We talked about our experience when it came to visitors after the birth of our children, and how it varied from child to child, both in hospital in home. We also made light of how we’re in Covid times and what visitation may look like these days. 

13:10...

 Since it's the simple things that can trip us up the most when it comes to trying to create the birth experience we’re really aiming for, I want to throw a few "obvious" but not so obvious lies you will likely believe if you hear them during your pregnancy. I’m hoping as I give you some more details about each of these three lies your mind will start to sort through all of the information and you will continue to build on that knowledge so you have it for when you need it. Overall, I want you to realize how much power you have over your birth experience and that you are truly the one in charge. So I will tell you each lie, give you all the nitty gritty facts, and then end with the truth. Remember I am not a medical provider and cannot provide medical advice. I’m just a birth nerd who loves to know what my options are when it comes to birthing and then be able to share them with all of you.

Show Notes

5:01 - The first lie that is told when it comes to...

 I sat down with Dr. Nate Fox, once again, and I got to ask him all of YOUR questions about twins! Birthing one baby comes with its fair share of challenges, but for mamas birthing two babies in one shot, well, there's some things you'll want to know. Thankfully, Nate talks us through some of the different things you can expect during the pregnancy, birth, and some postpartum. Not only does his practice specialize in the delivery of twins, he is also the father of twins, so you will love his expertise, personally & professionally. Listen in as he gives some great information as well as resources to anyone interested in all the fun parts of having twins.

Show Notes

3:02 - Dr. Nate Fox, a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, gives us a little background on himself and his practice. He also chats about his podcast and how these stories can benefit pregnant women, high-risk or not.

7:20 - Who needs to meet with a high risk/ maternal fetal medicine provider when they are pregnant...

On this weeks podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting with one of the members of the My Essential Birth Course, and talking about her most recent birth experience. Erica is a mother of three, and due to previous births that were less than she had hoped for, she decided to explore a different option for her third pregnancy. She talks about her provider experience - what needed to change for this birth, course experience - what worked well, and her partner's experience - how he was not only able to step up and support her but also how he was so proud of her afterwards. We also talked about many other important aspects of pregnancy and birth. You're in for a treat with this beautiful birth story!

Show Notes

3:18 - Erica introduces herself. She gives us a bit of background about who she is, where she’s from, and her family dynamics. She further talks about how she discovered MEB and her not-so-favorite experiences prior to joining the course.

8:58 Erica talks about the signs of...

 This week’s episode is going to focus on all of the ins and outs of prodromal labor. 2020 changed a lot of things for birth, including causing a ton of prodromal labor for expecting mamas. In this episode, I walk you through exactly what prodromal labor is, what the risks are, if there are any benefits, how to prevent it, what to do for yourself (and baby) if you end up experiencing it, and what it means for the end-game - in other words, how it affects your birth plan and if it ultimately means you can’t have the birth you were hoping for. Since this is something affecting tons of pregnant moms right now, you're definitely going to want to give this episode a listen and then tuck it away to review for later.

Show Notes

5:37 - What prodromal labor is, how it feels, how it compares to Braxton Hicks, and how it compares to active labor. I also talk about the different lengths in which it can range.

9:54 - My three very different birth experiences, how they compared,...

Women are being forced into unnecessary inductions which makes me pose the question, do women’s bodies need to be forced into labor as much as they are being right now, and if there is a medically-necessary reason for this, how can we make it an excellent experience? In this episode I want to discuss what would constitute some medical reasons for inductions AND what you can do when an induction becomes necessary. This is something I get asked quite a bit. Once you do have a medical reason for induction, how does that change the birth plan? What do you need to know? I want you to have all of the best evidence-based information that will help you ask good questions, get all the information, and ultimately be able to make the decision that is best AND feels best for you. 

Show Notes

4:48 - I talk about the number one reason women are typically encouraged to get an induction. I discuss how moms should be approached by their provider & when this conversation should occur....

If your partner is thinking that there's really no point in having a doula because that's kind of taking over their job, or they don't think it's worth the financial investment, or they just literally have no idea what a doula does, they're not alone! This episode is going to walk you through our (my husband + me) journey to discovering what a doula was, why she might be beneficial, if she was actually worth the investment, and if we would hire one again. I hope you have your partners listen in to this episode because it's an honest take on what it's like for our partners to think through and plan for having someone in their intimate space with the woman they love, during labor and birth. 

Show Notes

5:29 - My husband give his thoughts on what he thought the job of a doula was and his perspective on what he thought his job would be if he had a doula.

8:30 - I explain the role of a doula and my personal experience with my doula during my pregnancy and labor of my third child.

...

This is another extra special episode because I am here with my sister. If you have been following along for a while you know I said I hoped to have her on the podcast one day and I’m really excited for all of you to listen in to her story. It is one of strength, courage, and resilience. She talks about her many obstacles and wins throughout her pregnancy, different ways in which she advocated for herself, and how at the end she was able to make an informed decision for herself and her baby. She is one of the most powerful women I have ever met, an incredible mother, and I can't wait for you to hear her pregnancy and birth story.

Show Notes

4:43 - Amanda shares a little about her struggle in becoming pregnant in the first place. She talks about her journey with multiple care providers and Endometriosis.

7:39 - I share an excellent resource for Endometriosis, as well as some information about what to look for, how you know if you have it, and differences between surgical...