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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...

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...

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.

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If you're like us, you like to be prepared! However, we've both been guilty of hauling unnecessary items in our birth bag. So! Allow us to share what we think you'll really need when it comes to packing for your birthplace so that you can avoid overpacking.

THINGS TO LEAVE AT HOME

 1. Diapers & Wipes

Diapering your newborn baby seems like a legitimate concern, right? Especially when you learn that they pee and poo like 12 times a day!, But, there is no need to bring a pack of diapers or wipes because if you're birthing at a hospital- they have you covered! In fact, they usually have really nice diapers for you (Pampers Swaddlers or the equivalent in Huggies). They even send you home with some so you're covered on the ride home too!

2. Games

If you're getting to your birthplace at the right time, you won't have time for card games or video games because when you arrive you should (ideally) be in active labor! That means contractions are...