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Madison shares how her birth goals changed over time and a red flag that caused her to change service providers for the better. Madison also discusses the moment she found the perfect birth center for her and what led her to that decision. Madison shares the preparation she did regularly for an empowered birth. She shares the spiritual side of her birth story and how she surrendered her body after a long and exhausting labor. Her story is beautiful and inspiring...and even full of some challenges, especially postpartum, so take a listen! I hope you enjoy this week's episode!

Show Notes:

[1:16] Reviewer of the week, SydneyAdairG, shares that she is 22 weeks pregnant and has been listening to the podcast "Every Step of the Way" since she found out she was pregnant. The podcast has helped her feel informed and in control of the process. She says she's also enrolled in the birth course and cannot wait to dig deeper into...

There are two things that stand out when it comes to how to take care of ourselves prenatally; nutrition & exercise. Mind-blowing right?! Nope...but doing some simple things while you are pregnant will help you feel better and stay in control of your pregnancy and birth decisions. Today I'm speaking with Holly Roser who is a personal trainer and specifically deals with pregnant women. She gives really practical tips and tricks about how to eat during pregnancy, snacks that are easy and good for you, what should be included in your nutrition while you're pregnant, and the very best exercises for every mom during pregnancy. 

Holly is also giving away her entire 6 Week Skinny Jean Program to ONE lucky listener. Leave a podcast review to be entered *details below. 

Holly Roser is the owner of a women’s personal training studio in San Francisco. She helps busy women across the country get results in half the time. Holly and her team of trainers provide...

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...

The last two weeks of pregnancy can be a bit tricky because #1 you don't know when those last two weeks will actually be and #2 it feels exciting and exhausting all at the same time! We've broken it down into the most useful things you can do to transition from having baby inside to bringing home a newborn during that final countdown. We're talking about everything from prepping freezer meals, what to pack before you go, what to unpack before you give birth, breastfeeding, and much more.

3:25 - We dish on freezer meals and meal prep!

5:47 - One of the best things to do to prep for postpartum is to create "stations" around your home like in the bathroom and for breastfeeding.

10:18 - Review the birth course! When to head to the birthplace, last-minute conversations with the provider, labor rehearsals, meditation...you get it!

14:39 - The stuff that you don't want to be unpacking after the baby is home.

17:23 - The perfect time to learn about breastfeeding is right before baby is...

• At what point in my pregnancy should I take a birth class?
• What kind of birth course is best for me? 
• What should a birth course cover?
• Do I really need one if I plan on getting an epidural?

But before we answer those great questions, will you indulge us for a minute? We've gotta get this off our chest first...

The truth of the matter is that when it comes to birth, you don't know what you don't know. And if you're reading this post or listening to the podcast, you're likely the kind of person who wants to be in-the-know! That's awesome because our entire goal is to empower you & give you the skills, confidence, and knowledge necessary before your birth.

Speaking from very personal experience, failing to prepare can often lead to a poor experience, regrets, and then (hopefully!) a fierce determination to make things better the next time! We want to find you and help you before that next time!

Birth is a natural event, but when we moved birth...

Feeling like things need to be perfect for your birth? Do you have high expectations for yourself, your provider, your birth team and your partner? Let me guess...you kinda think you know what's best and your preparation consists of research, lists and checking off all of your accomplishments as you go. Well, mama, we made this episode just for you!

[3:38] Enneagram 1 strengths
[11:21] Watch out for these
[17:54] Advice for partners
[22:10] Why Enneagrams 1's love the My Essential Birth Course