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Show Notes:

[1:39] Our Reviewer of the Week is s_frye, and she said, "I have listened to this podcast during my first and second pregnancies. The second time around, I also purchased the My Essential Birth course to prepare for a “natural” delivery in a hospital setting and hired a doula. I was more prepared the second time. The podcast is wonderful and is packed full of information. However, I would recommend investing in the birth course as it gives a comprehensive, organized and sequential overview of the L&D process and how to prepare. Thank you, Stephanie and team for your amazing work to support and empower pregnant women!"

[2:38] If you are listening, and you are in your third trimester, this is 100% for you! You're going to want to write down and keep track of these tips for when you are a little bit closer, and they are things that you can certainly start doing right now as well!

[3:15] #1: The Three Free Pregnancy Exercises! They are simple. They are...

[1:17] Our Reviewer of the Week, kompatrit, said "So grateful for this podcast for making my unmedicated birth possible! Found this podcast at 4 weeks pregnant with an unexpected baby! I’m only 21 and had ZERO knowledge of anything birth or baby related and was so in the dark. This podcast has provided me with so much confidence and knowledge, I’m now 32 weeks and planning for an unmedicated hospital birth! Thank you so much for all your podcast and the birth course!"

[2:07] I want to talk to you about pain management options during labor because this is kind of one of those things that is out there and we kind of sort of talk about it or kind of think about it, but maybe we don't understand fully what's involved.

[3:02] What are your options? When it comes to pain management, there are things you can do that are administered in a hospital setting, and there are things you can do that are more natural coping techniques. 

[3:45] The most common pain management...

Show Notes:

[2:14] Our Reviewer of the Week, N.Schmidt4, said: "LOVE LOVE LOVE this podcast. I found this podcast later on in my pregnancy but so glad I did. We moved to a new state where we didn’t know a single person half way through my pregnancy. I was terrified know that I was going to be laboring without my momma there to support me and encourage me like she did with my other babies and had to count on my husband who while amazing in other areas was not so amazing in the lab our and delivery room. I was about 34 weeks pregnant with baby number 4 when I stumbled across this podcast while desperately looking for encouragement and tips to get me through the labor and delivery process on my upcoming birth."

[4:36] Our birth story today comes from Autumn and James Cosgrove, who are My Essential Birth graduates. Autumn describes herself as an avid podcast listener. They had their daughter, Reagan, in November 2022. 

[5:22] Autumn's overall experience was pretty...

Show Notes:

[1:32] Our Reviewer of the Week, Lulu2394, said, "As I was pregnant with my second kiddo, I started to routinely listen to this podcast. I wanted a natural birth SO bad as my first one wasn’t. I hired a doula, read natural child birth books and was glued to this podcast. On 1/19/23, I naturally delivered my sweet baby boy and have NEVER felt so great. I felt like going into this birth I knew what my options were. The MOST important thing I learned from this podcast was deep breathing, meditation. Stephanie you suggested practicing it every night and so I did. I truly feel that’s was got me through each contraction in a manageable way. Thank you!"

[2:49] Our guest this week is Dr. Casey Baker. She is a chiropractor who spends her days in practice supporting women through pregnancy and motherhood, while also working with their little ones. She opened Crescent Health Collective, a holistic collaborative clinic in her hometown of Barrie, Ontario, to...

Show Notes:

[2:14] Our Reviewer of the Week is NAHYCNIL, and she says: "So grateful for this podcast for making my unmedicated birth possible. I first heard of the My Essential Birth Podcast through someone's TikTok post and started listening to it on my commute to work around the end of second trimester/start of third trimester. It was going to be my first birth, and I knew I wanted to do it unmedicated if possible, but I had no idea what to do to prepare myself. I listened to all of the episodes that mentioned unmedicated births, and it gave me hope that not only could it be possible, but it can be a positive experience as well. I got the unmedicated birth that I wanted, and my daughter was born exactly on her due date. I absolutely love sharing my birth experience with others. Thank you, Stephanie, for your wonderful podcast."

[4:33] What is a breech baby? Early on in pregnancy, your baby has the room to flip, turn around, spin around, and somersault in your belly. Around...

Show Notes:

[2:22] Our Reviewer of the Week, ereese307, says, "Game Changer for a first birth! This podcast was my best pregnancy resource during pregnancy! I just had my first baby and before the birth, I listened to every episode of this podcast! My birth preferences went out the door when my baby was diagnosed with fetal growth restriction, and I was scheduled to be induced early. This podcast gave me the strength and knowledge to stay positive and continue forward to have the most amazing, natural-ish hospital birth. Now, I have a beautiful baby girl who is as healthy as can be at one week old."

[3:08] Mackenzie is a Labor and Delivery and Postpartum nurse. She's been working night shift for 7 years caring for new and experienced parents. During that time, she also became a mom to two little boys. After giving birth & navigating postpartum herself, she saw a need for more accessible, non judgmental, non-biased birth and postpartum education. She...

Show Notes:

[2:24] Our Reviewer of the Week is DoctorChiro, and she says, "As a pediatric and prenatal Doctor of Chiropractic and pregnant for the first time, this has been such a fun podcast to listen to! I work within the birth world and I’m still learning new things during each episode. Planning my first natural birth in a birthing center in October, and excited to have found a podcast that aligns with my views!"

[3:14] This week's birth story is coming from Taylor Ward in London, Ontario. She is the proud mama of a daughter, Lucy. Taylor listened to the podcast during her pregnancy and is also a My Essential Birth Course graduate! She is thankful for the full circle moment of now getting to share Lucy's birth story!

[3:56] Taylor enjoyed being pregnant and was thinking about all the emotions and feelings she had when she found out. She prayed for sign that she was pregnant because it was still too early to test. She said she sat down at her...

Show Notes:

[2:26] Our Reviewer of the Week, kate.e.amsden, said: "This podcast is amazing beyond words. My husband and I are still in preconception, but planning to start trying to conceive in a few months, and I have been obsessively listening to these episodes. I have learned so much from Steph (and Courtney), and feel so prepared and confident - I know I’ll be ready to navigate the twists and turns of pregnancy and delivery when my times comes. Steph shares all of the options and evidence so calmly and clearly, yet her passion for empowering us to assess the data from our own perspective to make the best choices for our own journeys is so obvious and abundant. I am also a pelvic floor and sports physical therapist, and love that the data she presents is accurate and well researched, and that the way she presents it is absolutely in line with empowering each mama to own her options and be at the center of her care - as patients should be. Can’t wait to re-listen...

Show Notes:

[2:00] Our Reviewer of the Week is MariaMartensThiessen, and she said, "I have a little obsession with birth stories and all things birth! I started binge listening to your podcast a couple months ago and absolutely love every single one of them! Currently not pregnant or have any kids but praying the Lord will bless us with kids soon. Can’t wait to experience that and learn all the things! I’ve already learned so much from you! Thank you."

[02:52] This week's topic is low iron or anemia in pregnancy. This topic comes up a lot for pregnant moms, and it's why there is a lot of iron in prenatal vitamins! Low iron levels or hemoglobin may come up in conversation with your provider around the third trimester blood work. For some moms, it might not be an issue, but for some, it may require a blood transfusion or if you're wanting to give birth outside of a hospital, you may not be able to. 

[4:10] Anemia is another word for iron deficiency...

Show Notes:

[2:22] Our Reviewer of the Week, kristenmanske, said: "First, can I say if you are here, send to a friend. This podcast could not be more amazing! I just had my second baby, my VBAC baby successfully with an induction I did not want but was needed due to preeclampsia. I felt so knowledgeable throughout the entire process. At one point during transition I said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up” once out of the contraction I looked at my doula with so much joy and said “Ahhh! I feel like I’m going to throw up” because of my knowledge from this podcast I knew I was in transition at that point in my labor. I can’t thank you enough for what you do for mamas! You are amazing!!!"

[4:03] We have Alisha and Brady Williams joining us for the podcast this week. I love when moms AND dads come on the podcast and share what they experienced through the birth with mom. Their son is a year old now. They got pregnant shortly after...