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This is another extra special episode because I am here with my sister. If you have been following along for a while you know I said I hoped to have her on the podcast one day and I’m really excited for all of you to listen in to her story. It is one of strength, courage, and resilience. She talks about her many obstacles and wins throughout her pregnancy, different ways in which she advocated for herself, and how at the end she was able to make an informed decision for herself and her baby. She is one of the most powerful women I have ever met, an incredible mother, and I can't wait for you to hear her pregnancy and birth story.

Show Notes

4:43 - Amanda shares a little about her struggle in becoming pregnant in the first place. She talks about her journey with multiple care providers and Endometriosis.

7:39 - I share an excellent resource for Endometriosis, as well as some information about what to look for, how you know if you have it, and differences between surgical...

I can't believe I get to be here with you for the 100th Episode of this podcast! With my many years of experience, professionally and personally, I thought this would be the perfect time to gather together the very most important things for pregnancy and birth. These are things, time and time again, that help mothers to have the births that they desire. These are things that will make the biggest difference in helping you achieve the birth of your dreams.

Show Notes

3:11 - If you guessed that the #1 thing you're going to need for your best birth is your provider, you guessed right! If you've been following along, you know I repeat this over and over and over. I go a little deeper about why this makes a difference for your pregnancy and birth.

8:18 - The other part of your birth support is your partner. Are they supportive and knowledgeable? What if they're not? Who should you have in your birth space?

10:23 - Partners are encouraged to encourage you within the birth course. It makes...

If you're considering cloth diapering, I may just firehose you (in a good way) on this episode so I apologize, and you're welcome. It's a ton of information and I hope you give you a better idea of what you are in for. I cover everything from the benefits for baby and parents, what the upkeep looks like, what's not so great about cloth diapering, and onto how to care for them and some options for cloth diapers for when you're ready to buy.

Show Notes

3:45 - Did you know disposable diapers have chemicals? It's true. If you're looking for benefits, this is definitely one to cloth diapering. I list several more here.

8:15 - If you've had a baby who wakes up from a nap and gets into their diaper, and you are considering duck taping your child's diaper so they can't get into it ...I have a little trick for you!

9:45 - Benefits for moms and dads! I'm talking money, cute diaper prints, it's fun, and getting it on your baby registry!

11:41 - The upkeep for diapers may or may not have you...

The partner's point of view can be kind of a mystery and I've had a lot of women asking me what their partner should know and do. Well, you're welcome...and I'm sorry. This week I brought my dear husband on the show and I truly hope you get something good out of it as we laugh our way through pregnancy, birth, marriage, love, and parenting. We talk about what it was like to support me during a cesarean birth, a medicated VBAC, and an unmedicated VBAC. He even talks about postpartum depression, for the partner, and his best recommendations for how to handle it. True story, I did not know he went through this until he mentioned it on the podcast. Plus, we take time to let him answer your questions that we collected before the show.

Show Notes

4:02 - We discuss communication and a little bit of our background into becoming pregnant with our first baby.

5:32 - Our birth prep with our first baby was the best we knew to do at the time. We talk about how that wasn't maybe the best thing...

Birth stories are a window into the powerful work we do as women to get our babies earthside and Eryn's story is no exception. She was a student of mine when she was preparing for her very first birth. Her and her husband worked hard together to prepare for this task of birth ahead of them and when they came back to share their story, after they had their sweet baby, I was amazed at the details of the birth as well as how her and her husband handled it. There is so much strength that comes from listening to other strong women walk through one of the most trying and rewarding things we are blessed to be able to do in this life.

Stick with this episode until the end because not only does she tell a story of her first birth, which while challenging, ultimately led her to the career path she has today, but she also tells of the drastic and beautiful difference between her first and second birth. I hope you will listen, learn, and love this episode.

Show Notes

5:00 - Eryn tells us where...

This is quick and information-filled episode about placenta previa, including, what it is, how it's diagnosed during pregnancy, how it will affect your birth, and of course I leave you with all the good news. Maybe you're early in pregnancy and don't know what this even is yet, or perhaps you're later in pregnancy and have been diagnosed. Either way, this is an excellent topic for every mom to know so the you have the knowledge and remove the fear that may be attached to it. I even give you the best questions to ask your provider so you know what's going on in the future of your pregnancy and birth. Still have questions? Shoot me an email at [email protected] or message me on Instagram @myessentialbirth.

Show Notes

2:08 - What the placenta is, what is does (it's pretty neat), and where it may attach. Most women won't even know where their placenta is attached unless it's in a less than usual location.

3:48 - Placenta previa is when the placenta attaches to your uterus down...

**To enter this giveaway for a Placenta Kit for your birth bag: leave a review for the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy podcast and send me an email to: [email protected] with a copy of the review or the username you used. If you have left a review before send me that and you will be entered!**

This episode dives deep into everything you want to know about placenta encapsulation. From postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, to what to do if your partner isn't on board. Listen in as expert, Shannon Sheppard, answers all of these questions and much more.

Show Notes

2:55 - Is placenta encapsulation for me? Introduction of Shannon Sheppard, Placenta Encapsulation Expert.

7:58 - After being trained in placenta encapsulation, Shannon immediately started seeing the benefits first hand in her clients. 

11:36 - What do we know about placenta encapsulation? We know that in the animal kingdom, animals eat their placenta instinctually. It can help increase...

We know from our years of serving women, taking them step by step through childbirth education, that there is a power to birth and work to be done in order to achieve the birth you desire. This episode highlights some important key things for you to do in order prepare for the birth that you want! From exercises, to meditation, and labor rehearsals, all the work that you put into preparing will pay off in a huge way when it comes time for the real thing! We know that if you're researching, listening to this podcast, taking our birth course, and following our posts on instagram that you are envisioning the birth that you want. We're here to help you achieve that goal. We love being your support and helping you find and make the choices that are right for you! We love hearing about all of the amazing stories of your empowered and successful births! You were made for birth and we know you can do this.

Show Notes

1:55 - We know that you can do this! You are strong and capable and...

 Our loving warning to you is to make sure you get pregnant before letting your partner listen to this adorable list! Ha! We must say we had a ton of fun recording this podcast and thinking through all of things our poor partners have to deal with. As moms, we mostly embrace all of the changes that happen to our body like our growing belly, lack of sleep and funny food cravings because, well, it's happening to us. We get excited even if it's not fun, knowing that it is all part of growing a baby. Partners though, they really kind of get taken by surprise with some of the changes and expectations in pregnancy, birth and postpartum so we thought it was fun to dive right in and cover those here. We hope you have a good laugh and learn along the way.

Show Notes

2:38 - As women, we get pretty excited about the changes that happen during pregnancy, but how do our partners feel about all of this?

3:28 - Get ready for the pregnancy list: room on the bed dwindling, lots of pillows,...

We stress the importance of having a vision for your birth and finding the right provider to support you through that process, but how exactly do you get there? There are likely going to be some obstacles you will face as you work through what you know you want for your birth, understanding what questions to ask your provider, thinking through real-life scenarios you may come up against, and having the knowledge and the voice to advocate for yourself during pregnancy and birth. This episode will walk you through each step and help you feel more clear and calm about the process for your own birth.

Show Notes

3:16 - You and your provider may view birth differently. That's ok!

6:25 - The first thing you need to be able to do to effectively advocate for yourself.

9:51 - Questions to discuss with your provider as well as what the red flags might look like.

17:33 - How to work through the deal-breaker questions and figure out where there's some give-and-take necessary to get the...