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Show Notes:

We're celebrating our 200th Episode for My Essential Birth! To celebrate, Stephanie King, the host of the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast and creator of the My Essential Birth Course AND My Essential Postpartum Course, will be sharing her birth stories (one Cesarean, one VBAC, and one home birth!) and how it impacted her to become a doula! You won't want to miss this celebration episode! 

"When it was time to have my third baby, we were moving from overseas back to the States, and the area in which we were moving had one hospital. When I called and said, Hey, this is my experience and I'm ready for another VBAC, they said, 'Nope, plan for another cesarean. We don't care that you've had a VBAC.' And I was like, no, no, no, no. I have worked too hard, too long. I know the risks and the benefits of what I am trying to do. Like that's not happening."

[1:28] - It's HERE! The My Essential Birth Postpartum Course is HERE! Whether you're pregnant, just...

 Show Notes:

[1:10] Our reviewer of the week, informed.dad, says “Fantastic podcast! The information tips, recommendations, and stories really enable me to support my wife from a place of understanding and confidence. Excited to dive into more as we move into our third trimester. Recommend this highly so more men can support and engage in birthing discussion from an informed place. Cheers!”

I LOVE THIS! If I could have more dads join me on the podcast, I would absolutely love to hear from you! If you are a Dad listening, and you want to share some nuggets of knowledge that helped you support your birth partner, let me know!

Whether you go right up to your guess date or pass it, having that number in your head can really throw you for a loop! But at the end of the day, your body and your baby know when the time is right. So trust that your body knows what it's doing. This week, Stephanie Bratton shares her home birth story after going 43+1 weeks with her...

Show Notes:

No matter what kind of birth experience you want to have, the right support makes all the difference! Sarah & Matthew share how they were the creators of their experience and how love, trust, and confidence gave them what they needed to achieve the home birth they desired.

[1:11] Our reviewer of the week, Shaun Derenzo, said: “So inspired by this podcast! Hi Stephanie! Found your podcast through The Breastfeeding Talk Podcast, and now I can’t stop binging it! I am currently 8 months postpartum with my second baby, and you make me want to have another . . . AT HOME! Your words are so inspiring and listening to the work you do makes me want to become a birth doula (currently studying to be a certified lactation counselor . . . but who knows what else my future may hold ) HA! Thank you for the beautiful work you do for women and all the information you give to empower us through the most beautiful and life changing moments of motherhood. I will never...

If there is one thing I have learned as a life lesson that is also 100% applicable to all things birth, it's that every single challenge can be an incredible learning lesson and this holds true for what happened while women were pregnant and birthing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenges like pulling birth partners out of the birth rooms (unacceptable btw), moving healthy, low-risk moms to out of hospital births (the challenge is in the unexpected), mental health, women being pushed to their limits. They were all so daunting and so difficult.

But...

Tune into this episode because the other side of those challenges are so beautiful. Birth partners figured out what they need to know and how to support these moms - because what if they could get in but the doula wasn't allowed?, women realized how strong they were and that their bodies were made for birth when they moved their care out of hospital, women found their voices and started asking questions about policy and...

When it comes to giving birth, most people picture it going down in a hospital room. This is absolutely an option and there are more! That’s what we’re setting out to discuss this week on the Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy podcast. Join us as we go over the different locations where you can have your baby, the pros and the cons, and share evidence-based information as well as real-life experiences in order to help you decide what will be the very best place for YOUR birth.

Show Notes:

 1:14 - Reviewer of the week!

 2:30 - The question I hear the most, "What are my options for where I give birth?" this episode dives into all of them...minus the forest... 

3:24 - A little love note to the new moms and dads that have come to my classes, I love watching those lightbulbs come on as you dream up your birth map.

5:07 - I am devoted to keeping my content evidence-based and non biased. You have the ultimate choice in everything you decide for your...

When it comes to giving birth at home, most of us think we have a clear picture of what it will look like. Mom is in a super comfortable setting, with the support of family and friends, surrounded by candles and the calm presence of a midwife. Little do most of us know the beautiful mix of emotions experienced at that time, as well as the uncertainty and challenges that mothers embrace with strength and grace.

Today's episode will introduce to you to Kirsten and her husband, previous students of the My Essential Birth course, who share their experience in pre and postnatal days, dealing with anxiety, HG, and bonding with her newborn post-birth. Not only will you learn the nuances of childbirth at home, but you will also learn how to train your mind to be calm and prepared by having a clear picture of the succession of events during labor.

Show Notes:

0:06 - Reviewer of the week 

1:11 - Introducing Kirsten!

2:25 - Kirsten shares how...

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...

This is a two-part series that serves two purposes. 1. If you are on the fence about where to have your baby, hopefully, these episodes will help you envision where you see yourself birthing & help you make that decision. 2. If you already know where you are giving birth, these episodes will reaffirm that choice. 

If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that between the 2 of us, we have given birth almost every way. In hospital unmedicated, cesarean, in hospital with an epidural, at a birth center, and a homebirth. So we’ll be drawing on that and our experience supporting women in all these settings & scenarios.

BIG REASONS WE THINK OUT OF HOSPITAL BIRTH IS BETTER

1. Anyone you want can be there! Yes, even during COVID.
2. It's easier to physically relax during birth. When you're in your own home or a place that feels home-like, your body will naturally relax more easily. Given that relaxation is the key to dilation, expect labor to progress...