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Show Notes:

[2:31] Our Reviewer of the Week, NatKhernandez, says, "This podcast has been one of the few that have brought me some peace and overall knowledge without scaring me about pregnancy. I love the positive birth stories and the educational ones like rhogam, hemorrhages, etc. thank you and I will be joining the course for next baby!"

[2:52] Our guest today is Maren Rider, a mom of two and pregnant with her third baby and also a My Essential Birth student! She'll be sharing the birth story about her second baby!

[4:37] Maren's experience with pregnancy overall went smoothly. She had a bit of nausea, but it cleared up around 10-11 weeks. She definitely noticed that the relaxin kicked in quickly so she had some issues with her hips and threw out her back a couple times when she was in the first trimester. Maren was pregnant with what is called Irish twins, which is when a baby is born within 12 months or less of their sibling. 

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Show Notes:

[2:10] Our Reviewer of the Week, Cristina Trouy, "As a first time mom, I did so much research before we tried to conceive because I wanted to determine what kind of birth would be best for me and I wanted to prepare as best I could for pregnancy. Coming across Stephanie’s podcast was the biggest blessing! It was exactly what I needed to make an educated decision regarding what was best for me and my baby. After listening to her extensive knowledge on everything birth related, I decided that a home birth was what I wanted! I love how Stephanie takes you through the whole process of birth all the way up to what to expect postpartum. Because of this podcast, I knew how to advocate for myself, how to select a midwife, how to prepare my mind and body for birth, how to stay healthy during pregnancy…I could go on and on. She discusses almost everything you could ever need to know about birth. Because of the confidence I gained through the information in...

Show Notes:

[2:00] Our Reviewer of the Week is Canadiandoctormom, who says, "Thank you for the great knowledge and support! I am a family Md/OB in Canada and currently pregnant with my 3rd. Though my knowledge base from my work is obviously more than a lot of people, the personal experience is always so different! My two babies to date have been born without complications and with the help of hypnobirthing unmedicated, and I love that there is a place I can listen to positive birth stories and direct my patients if they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed or not heard! I love listening and appreciate how you give evidence based, non biased opinions. I’ve already used some of your suggestions for the exercises, essential oils, etc. Now to work on having my husband listen along as well!"

[3:49] Our birth story is from Luisa Gates who lives in Eagle Mountain, Utah with her husband and baby. 

[5:16] Luisa shares about her past pregnancy experience, which ended in...

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[2:16] Our Reviewer of the Week is Kentest, and she said, "I was planning on winging it for my first birth but I am so thankful I didn’t. I came across this podcast by chance early on in my first pregnancy and couldn’t stop listening and absorbing everything these ladies had to offer. Even though my options are slightly different being in Australia, I am so grateful to have these birthing tools and knowledge. I manage to have a beautiful unmedicated hospital water birth for my first despite having to face challenges including active contractions during early labour. I couldn’t have done it without listening to you Stephanie. I am currently pregnant with my second due near the end of August and have tuned back in to prepare myself again. Definitely hoping to go unmedicated and know that my body has done it once and can do it again."

[3:20] We have a birth story for you! Melissa Kidd is a single mother by choice, with a 10-month-old...

Show Notes:

[2:04] Our Reviewer of the Week, ERees307, said: "This podcast was my best 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 babe 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 1 week old. Thank you!"

[3:01] We have a birth story fromKatelynn Monty, who lives in Michigan with her husband and son, who was born October 2022.

[3:26] Katelynn shares her overall pregnancy experience and how she knew she was pregnant before she had missed her period.

[8:41] She went to a Midwife group and tried to meet as many midwives as possible. Once she found a midwife she loved, she tried to schedule all her appointments with...

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[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:

[2:18] This week's Reviewer of the Week is klsid86, and she said: "The Best Birth Podcast! I’ve listened to hundreds if not thousands of hours of birth podcasts in the past 5 years. I’m pregnant with my second and a self-confessed birth nerd. I only recently found this podcast, and I have to say it’s quickly become my favorite. A great mix of information and humor. I appreciate every episode!"

[3:08] - Mark and Laura Rowdon have been married for four and a half years and have been living in Japan for the past year. They currently serve as missionaries working at an English conversation school. They had first son two months ago so the birth story is fresh in their minds! They started taking the My Essential Birth Course halfway through the pregnancy.

[4:58] Laura had a smooth pregnancy experience overall. Because they were in Japan, things were just different culturally, and Laura wanted to give birth at a birth center...

Show Notes

[1:11] - Our Reviewer of the Week is Amelia R.P. and she says, "I am pregnant and thriving! First time Mama! I know I wanted a natural birth, a birth center or a home birth but that was just because that’s how I was raised. My sister had done it too, I figured I should probably look into it and see what I wanted for myself and this was able to remind me why they did it and why I was considering it as well! Thanks for all the different views and ways of having babies had no clue there was such a variety of ways to do everything!!!!! Six weeks away from the due date, and my husband and I have such joy and praise God for every bit of the journey so far!"

2:00 - Our guest is Amanda Warnsholz, a first time mama and nurse, from Michigan. Her husband is a PA, and her daughter, Willow, is just over a year old.

3:08 - Amanda's medical background played a role in how she chose to birth. One of her coworkers helped her find her OB, but she knew she wanted to...

Show Notes:

[1:11] Our reviewer of the week, awisemomof5, said: “This Podcast is AWESOME!!! I have six boys, two adopted and four biological. I have listened to this podcast throughout my last two pregnancies. I wish I found it sooner!!!!!!! I have had four very different births. One I didn’t prepare for, one I did, and then the last two I started preparing the moment I found out I was pregnant. I listened to this podcast almost daily and even re-listened to episodes in order to soak up all of the knowledge possible. I did the exercises and ate a very careful diet. However, probably the most important takeaway from this podcast was that even though I prepared, things may not go the way I planned. Boy, with my last two, they sure did not go the way I was planning and preparing. Having educated myself and knowing the options when things got crazy made a huge difference. I’m so thankful that God allowed me to discover this podcast as it was invaluable, and so...

Show Notes:

[1:11] Our reviewer of the week, ygbsbjx, said, “Hi, Stephanie! I’m in my third trimester and was very determined to not study up too much about giving birth just to preserve the mystery and romance and natural process of it. Then I stumbled upon this podcast and now I can’t help but listen to every episode and am taking the online birth course. I can’t believe all of the information I have learned and now I have SOOOOO many questions for my next prenatal appointment. I also feel empowered that although I won’t be having a home birth (due to my husband’s concerns) I know enough now to advocate for myself in the hospital to have the best birth I can try to have! I had no idea how many options, choices and decisions there are to be made that no one even talks to you about! Thank you!

I’m thankful that you have come to the podcast and learning about birth! I love the idea of the mystery of birth and preserving the romance, but I...