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Show Notes:

[1:58] Our Reviewer of the Week, Birthing in Bliss, said: "So thankful to stumble upon this inspiring podcast around 26 weeks pregnant while searching for info on the Fresh Test. That episode became the first of MANY that I devoured during the last 14 weeks of my pregnancy. Listening to and internalizing all of the birth stories and especially Stephanie's empowering explanations of unmediated birth in the birthing course emboldened me to switch my birth plans from the hospital where I had my first two babies to a birthing center at almost 35 weeks pregnant! I became hooked on the prenatal exercises and utilized the meditation tracks every evening, even making my own to relax with before and during labor. I had the labor and delivery experience of my dreams and was truly able to be present during every moment, enjoying the spa- like ambiance of the birthing center culminating in a beautiful water birth. Watching my previously skeptical physician husband fully shift...

Show Notes:

[1:35] This week's episode is all about how to include people into your birth space as kind of your own personal doula. If you have your mom, sister, aunt, birth partner, friend, or other family member that you want in that birth space, send them this episode if they are planning to be there to assist you, and you want to give them a crash course.

[2:11] What are the benefits of having someone who can guide you through birth?

• You will reduce your length of labor. When you have support people that know what they're doing and can be of support to you, your labor time is less.
• Studies have shown to decrease the amount of pain that a mom experiences.
• It is shown to boost confidence and improve the experience of labor, including how you feel when you look back on it, hopefully with joy.

[6:20] If you are a My Essential Birth mom, and you have somebody helping you out, they should definitely be watching the birth course. There are definitely...

Show Notes:

[1:37] Our Reviewer of the Week, Madi-12-12, said: "I give this podcast credit for my amazing unmedicated birth experience! Education is key to an amazing birth experience and this podcast provides it! I was unable to take the birth course by the time l found this podcast because I was already enrolled in another, but I learned more from this podcast then I did from that other birth course. I will definitely sign up for their birth course for my next pregnancy! Thank you so much for the time and effort put into this podcast!"

[2:51] This topic came up in our Facebook group for My Essential Birth. What do we do when postpartum goes a little bit sideways? I think there are some things, I'm going to go over some of the more serious things that you need to be aware of immediately. Some things that we can catch right away. And then some of those that you might not be so easy to catch. 

[4:38] Let's talk about these three big warning signs...

Show Notes:

[1:27] Our Reviewer of the Week, Care_bear_21, said: "I am so thankful for this podcast. I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first and I have been listening to this podcast for the majority of my pregnancy and I love it. I used to think that if I ever got pregnant I would definitely want to have a Cesarean birth because the thought of having my baby vaginally absolutely terrified me. Well not anymore. I look forward to trying my absolute best to have not just a vaginal birth, but an unmedicated vaginal birth. And that is all thanks to this podcast. I feel so much more confident and educated about birth that I actually look forward to it now. I always look forward to that time of day where I can just turn on the podcast and just listen to these ladies talk. I’m not even halfway done with the podcast but I’m already sad just thinking about once I’ll be caught up and won’t have anything to listen to daily. Thank you so much for this podcast."

...

Show Notes:

[1:28] Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based nutrition. She is the founder of the Institute for Prenatal NutritionⓇ, co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy, and the author of three books: Real Food for Fertility, Real Food for Pregnancy, and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. 

[4:19] "The health of the baby is the health of the placenta. So it really is kind of like a full spectrum view at reproduction. We also need to think about, you know, the partner's health too. Sperm quality plays a role in the health of a pregnancy."

[8:05] When should you start paying attention to your nutrition before conception? "The most sensitive period for the effects of nutrients and toxin exposure and things like that and egg quality is in the last three or so months right before ovulation. There's a little less than three months, 70...

Show Notes:

[0:22] We have gotten a request to talk about siblings and having them there for your birth. Not your siblings, but your child's siblings. So if this is second, third, fourth, whatever, or you're pregnant with your first, stay right here, because you will eventually have another baby, and this is one of those fun things that we get to discuss.

[2:16] I will say children are so much more in tune to the needs, the situation, and the sacredness of the space than we give them credit for. The births that I have been a part of where siblings have been part of that birth story, they just get it.

[6:07] Little kids are smart. So we don't have to sugarcoat things. You can really be clear with them that baby's coming out of mommy's privates or vagina. Or I might make some vocal noises at this time, or this might happen, but if you understand what's going on with your body so that you can walk them through the process of what it might look like and what...

Show Notes:

[2:02] Our Review of the Week is Katie, who says, "I had felt so defeated after having a traumatic vaginal birth full of interventions and a painful C-section with my 2nd. With my 3rd, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to even try for a VBAC as I had no confidence in my own ability to birth my baby. Then…. as if by divine intervention, I found this podcast during that 3rd pregnancy. It changed everything for me. I went from feeling like birth happened to me twice to going on to have two more babies via beautiful and redemptive VBACs (last one completely unmedicated). Stephanie does a great job informing mothers on their options and potential hiccups in the pregnancy and birthing process so listeners can make the best decision for themselves and their babies. This podcast and the birth course are a must for any woman. My husband was also grateful for the easily digestible information from both the podcast and course. I am forever thankful and still listen to...

Show Notes:

[0:43] Intro

[1:45] Today's episode was actually inspired by one of our My Essential Birth Mamas from the birth course. She posted in the Facebook group asking, "I'm a young mom, and I've got a couple of children. I'm feeling overwhelmed and touched out by the time my husband gets home. Is this normal? I'm over stimulated, overwhelmed. I want to be nice to my kids. I want to be nice to my husband." What was awesome about it was there was just a flood of moms that were like, "Oh my gosh, I'm with you. I see you. I get it. And yes, it's normal."

So we reached out to some of our moms that had really great advice and we asked them to share it with you today.

[3:00] Chelsie's advice - "Don't sweat the small stuff."

[6:02] Rebekah's advice - "Give yourself time throughout the day." "When you have kids, you have to just lower your standards about what you're able to do. Even after the baby starts growing up, then you have to take care of this little one on top of...

Show Notes:

1:32 - Reviewer of the week

2:56 - Megan's background

12:19 - Leading into labor

13:46 - Induced labor and Pitocin

18:31 - Birth #2

23:39 - Megan's providers

24:45 - What changed for Megan's next pregnancy?

33:07 - What inspired Megan to interview an out-of-hospital provider?

35:21 - 42-hour labor

40:21 - Megan's mission

43:00 - Is there a certain time to get a VBAC?

45:29 - How much does uterine rupture increase with multiple VBACs?

48:55 - Do most midwives accept patients who are planning a VBAC?

51:17 - Preparing for your VBAC

53:31 - Where to find Megan

• Instagram
• Website
• Podcast

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Links Mentioned:

• My Essential Birth Course
• My Essential Birth...

Show Notes:

[0:47] Our guest today is Dr. Jessica London, a doctor of physical therapy, pelvic floor therapist, pre and postnatal coach, podcast host of "What about Mom?" and founder and owner of Your Postpartum PT. 

[1:48] Jessica's background 

[4:14] "Pelvic health doesn't even start. It starts before pregnancy. Oftentimes, what we see is problems being exacerbated by pregnancy or the childbirth itself. A lot of times people think, 'Oh, I'm only going to have pelvic floor issues once I have a child and I'm pregnant and I am postpartum.' But we have a lot of women that also struggle with leakage or prolapse or pain with intimacy, even prior to ever bearing a child or becoming pregnant."

[5:24] Heavy feeling in the pelvic area after giving birth 

[7:49] When to start preventative exercises 

[9:34] "I find that you get the best outcomes and the best support if you start in pregnancy, but also just to validate it's never too early and it's never too...