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Show Notes:

[2:22] Our Reviewer of the Week, ereese307, says, "Game Changer for a first birth! This podcast was my best pregnancy 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 baby 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 one week old."

[3:08] Mackenzie is a Labor and Delivery and Postpartum nurse. She's been working night shift for 7 years caring for new and experienced parents. During that time, she also became a mom to two little boys. After giving birth & navigating postpartum herself, she saw a need for more accessible, non judgmental, non-biased birth and postpartum education. She...

Show Notes:

[2:24] Our Reviewer of the Week is DoctorChiro, and she says, "As a pediatric and prenatal Doctor of Chiropractic and pregnant for the first time, this has been such a fun podcast to listen to! I work within the birth world and I’m still learning new things during each episode. Planning my first natural birth in a birthing center in October, and excited to have found a podcast that aligns with my views!"

[3:14] This week's birth story is coming from Taylor Ward in London, Ontario. She is the proud mama of a daughter, Lucy. Taylor listened to the podcast during her pregnancy and is also a My Essential Birth Course graduate! She is thankful for the full circle moment of now getting to share Lucy's birth story!

[3:56] Taylor enjoyed being pregnant and was thinking about all the emotions and feelings she had when she found out. She prayed for sign that she was pregnant because it was still too early to test. She said she sat down at her...

Show Notes:

[2:26] Our Reviewer of the Week, kate.e.amsden, said: "This podcast is amazing beyond words. My husband and I are still in preconception, but planning to start trying to conceive in a few months, and I have been obsessively listening to these episodes. I have learned so much from Steph (and Courtney), and feel so prepared and confident - I know I’ll be ready to navigate the twists and turns of pregnancy and delivery when my times comes. Steph shares all of the options and evidence so calmly and clearly, yet her passion for empowering us to assess the data from our own perspective to make the best choices for our own journeys is so obvious and abundant. I am also a pelvic floor and sports physical therapist, and love that the data she presents is accurate and well researched, and that the way she presents it is absolutely in line with empowering each mama to own her options and be at the center of her care - as patients should be. Can’t wait to re-listen...

Show Notes:

[2:00] Our Reviewer of the Week is MariaMartensThiessen, and she said, "I have a little obsession with birth stories and all things birth! I started binge listening to your podcast a couple months ago and absolutely love every single one of them! Currently not pregnant or have any kids but praying the Lord will bless us with kids soon. Can’t wait to experience that and learn all the things! I’ve already learned so much from you! Thank you."

[02:52] This week's topic is low iron or anemia in pregnancy. This topic comes up a lot for pregnant moms, and it's why there is a lot of iron in prenatal vitamins! Low iron levels or hemoglobin may come up in conversation with your provider around the third trimester blood work. For some moms, it might not be an issue, but for some, it may require a blood transfusion or if you're wanting to give birth outside of a hospital, you may not be able to. 

[4:10] Anemia is another word for iron deficiency...

Show Notes:

[2:22] Our Reviewer of the Week, kristenmanske, said: "First, can I say if you are here, send to a friend. This podcast could not be more amazing! I just had my second baby, my VBAC baby successfully with an induction I did not want but was needed due to preeclampsia. I felt so knowledgeable throughout the entire process. At one point during transition I said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up” once out of the contraction I looked at my doula with so much joy and said “Ahhh! I feel like I’m going to throw up” because of my knowledge from this podcast I knew I was in transition at that point in my labor. I can’t thank you enough for what you do for mamas! You are amazing!!!"

[4:03] We have Alisha and Brady Williams joining us for the podcast this week. I love when moms AND dads come on the podcast and share what they experienced through the birth with mom. Their son is a year old now. They got pregnant shortly after...

Show Notes:

[0:39] Our Reviewer of the Week, simply_sabrina_, said "I just LOVE this podcast. I found you just by searching pregnancy podcasts as I am currently almost 20 weeks pregnant with our rainbow baby. I’m naturally anxious and my ways to cope are often educating myself via reading or listening to podcasts. Finding this has been a lifesaver and has actually made me more comfortable with doing a natural delivery and standing in my decision. Even getting hubs into listening too! Going to be signing up for the birth course soon. Can’t wait!! And also thank you for creating this podcast!"

I love that you can just pop this in and feel good about whatever kind of birth you want to have. I will say it's been really interesting over the years to watch women feel empowered behind whatever decision they choose to make.

[2:32] I want to talk about birth control options. It is going to be one of those controversial topics, right? Is this something I take for...

Show Notes:

[2:13] Our Reviewer of the Week is MurphyMLW: "So happy to have found this podcast! I found My Essential Birth at the end of my first trimester. We had hired a doula very early on and was so grateful to have the resources to be able to do so. However, being a military family I think My Essential Birth is awesome for anyone who may not have those resources readily available."

[3:57] Our guest, Grace, is a birth and postpartum doula in Canada. She became a doula about a year and a half ago. She supports families from home births to planned C-sections to epidurals. She does baby wearing education, childbirth education, and truly just found her passion!

[4:56] Grace got into doula work after hiring a doula for herself around 38 weeks pregnant. Her doula encouraged her to take some training and become a doula. She put herself out there and went from having one birth a month to being completely booked out!

[9:03] Grace's first birth experience was in a hospital...

Show Notes:

[2:01] Our Reviewer of the Week is JackieP2022, and she says, "I absolutely love this podcast and literally recommend it to every single pregnant woman I see and to friends and family who are starting their pregnancy journey! I truly believe knowledge is power especially in a world where women tend to have to advocate a little harder than we’d like. I have a 16-month old and my husband and I are starting our journey of adding another babe so naturally I need to re-listen and listen to all the new episodes. Words can’t describe how much I love the podcast - keep doing what you’re doing and know your work is SO appreciated.

[3:05] Today's podcast episode is actually based off of some questions that I've gotten recently on Instagram. Our topic has to do with being pregnant over the age of 35, which is considered "advanced maternal age." 

[3:48] One of our moms asked us "Do you have any thoughts on NSTs, which those are non stress tests for low...

Show Notes:

[2:09] Our Reviewer of the Week, lakakrndus, said, "I loved all of the positive birth stories! I love all the information Stephanie gives and she helped me make informed decisions for my own birth. I was able to become confident and have the unmedicated birth I dreamed of. The weeks before I listened to all of the birth stories over and over to help me dispel some of my fears." Thank you so much for leaving that review, and I'm excited because today I have another birth story for you. So if you are somebody that follows along and you love these birth stories, get ready for another one.

[2:36] Our guest is Lisa Thrower, a mama of two girls. They enjoy camping, gardening, experimenting with new sourdough recipes!

[3:40] Lisa walks us through her pregnancy experience. She had morning sickness during the first trimester. With her second birth, she had gestational diabetes and had to manage her diabetes. 

[5:00] She had a group of midwives versus an...

Show Notes:

[2:25] Our Reviewer of the Week, _smileyriley_, said "This podcast was one of the most fantastic resources throughout my entire pregnancy and helped me feel very prepared and informed ahead of my birth this past spring. I had a spectacular birth experience and was able to navigate conversations with my providers confidently to ensure that my baby and I were safe but that my preferences and values were adhered to and respected. I showed this podcast to my doula and will continue telling friends and family about it any chance I get!"

[4:05] This week's episode is going to be really helpful for moms who are currently pregnant and/or immediately postpartum! This is one of those episodes that you can listen to again and again, and then tuck away for when you need it.

[6:57] We're going to start with what to expect when you get home. We've covered what happens immediately postpartum to your body before! See episodes below. Remember when you get...