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Sally shares her unmedicated, hospital birth experience despite dealing with family loss the same week she went into labor. She talks about the goodness of God and how her experience of giving birth has brought her and her husband closer than ever before. We also talk about a few small things to have with you during labor that will help you keep your energy up, keep you hydrated, and distract you from the pain of contractions. I hope this episode speaks to your heart the way it spoke to mine!

Show Notes:

[1:11] Our reviewer of the week is KylieDilulo, and she says, “Best birthing preparation podcast! This is hands down my favorite birthing podcast!” She recently gave birth to a 9 lb 4 oz boy in a birthing center. She credits her "absolutely perfect and amazing in every way" birth to all of her preparation and the My Essential Birth podcast. She knew she always wanted an unmedicated birth, and this podcast gave her the tools and knowledge to...

Show Notes:

[1:12] Our reviewer of the week, Cassidy Jake, says, “This podcast is empowering.” She started listening to the podcast with her first and had a beautiful, natural birth. Currently at 30 weeks with her second, she has loved catching up on the new episodes. She loves Stephanie’s passion for informed consent and educating women on physiological birth. She believes the work Stephanie is doing is changing lives and generations with the knowledge and power being given to women.

Thank you for the beautiful testimonial, Cassidy! It HAS changed lives and generations starting with my own to feel empowered and knowledgeable about birth.

Today’s episode is meant to be a resource you can save, download, refer back to, and listen to over and over again! The techniques I talk about can be used NOW to make your labor and birth experience so much easier! Another added benefit is including your birth partner so they will be more prepared when the time comes!...

 This week we're breaking down everything you need to know to prepare yourself physically and mentally for an induction without an epidural. I cannot stress the importance of going into labor with the mindset of possibly having an induction and preparing yourself for that outcome. I'll also discuss all things Pitocin: what it is, what it does, and how it can affect you, your baby, and labor. By getting your body and mind ready before you even go into labor, you can achieve an unmedicated birth despite being induced.

Show Notes:

[1:16] Our reviewer of the week, iheartdonuts, started listening to the podcast to prepare for her "dream birth." She wanted to be as informed as possible and be prepared to advocate for herself and her daughter. She said, "The evidence based info is exactly what you need to dig deeper and do even more research for yourself and your baby. It'll make you feel more prepared for whatever comes your way in your birth story."

Listening,...

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...