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 Show Notes:

[2:11] - Our Reviewer of the Week is hellotrb, and she says "As I was pregnant with my second kiddo, I started to routinely listen to this podcast. I wanted a natural birth SO bad as my first one wasn’t. I hired a doula, read natural child birth books, and was glued to this podcast. On 1/19/23, I naturally delivered my sweet baby boy and have NEVER felt so great. I felt like going into this birth, I knew what my options were. The MOST important thing I learned from this podcast was deep breathing and meditation. Stephanie, you suggested practicing it every night and so I did. I truly feel that’s was got me through each contraction in a manageable way. Thank you!"

Thank you for your sweet review, and I love when you guys put this stuff into action. Congratulations on your baby. That's really exciting!

[3:01] Our guest this week is Sleep & Well-Being Expert, Taylor Kulik! When it comes to baby sleep, I think it's exciting to know what's...

Show Notes:

We're celebrating our 200th Episode for My Essential Birth! To celebrate, Stephanie King, the host of the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast and creator of the My Essential Birth Course AND My Essential Postpartum Course, will be sharing her birth stories (one Cesarean, one VBAC, and one home birth!) and how it impacted her to become a doula! You won't want to miss this celebration episode! 

"When it was time to have my third baby, we were moving from overseas back to the States, and the area in which we were moving had one hospital. When I called and said, Hey, this is my experience and I'm ready for another VBAC, they said, 'Nope, plan for another cesarean. We don't care that you've had a VBAC.' And I was like, no, no, no, no. I have worked too hard, too long. I know the risks and the benefits of what I am trying to do. Like that's not happening."

[1:28] - It's HERE! The My Essential Birth Postpartum Course is HERE! Whether you're pregnant, just...

Show Notes:

Our reviewer of the Week NSITT95, says: "I  found this podcast when I was about 12 week’s pregnant and binged so many episodes. This podcast gave me the enough information that I was able to recall advice and birth stories, and feel confident to listen to my body while having contractions at 33 weeks pregnant and realizing this was it. My baby was ready to meet me earth-side and wanted celebrate Mother’s Day with me. I’ve only read birth plans with my husband over short conversations, no details. I was able to get through labor with confidence because I was able to remember the stages of labor. This podcast is a MUST HAVE!!! I’m so thankful I found this podcast and that you put so much effort into giving great information, advice and making everything about pregnancy and labor relatable. I give so much credit to my confidence to this podcast. Thank you so much for changing my life and helping me welcome my sweet baby girl into this world."

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[1:11] Our Reviewer of the Week, debbielovedan, says “So thankful I found this podcast! I’m in a first time pregnancy in my 30’s, and I saw someone else mention this podcast a few weeks ago. Well, I’ve been binging it every day since. I even make my husband listen when we’re both in the car. I feel empowered when I go to my OB appointments and ask the questions. My husband and I signed up for the birth course last night, and I’m so excited to get started. Thank you for helping me feel confident in my first pregnancy!”

Thank you so much. What an excellent review! I love it.

[2:05] This week’s episode is a birth story from Valerrie Craig. She is a first time mom and has a 15 month old now. She is a life coach and a healer with Reiki and lives in San Diego. 

[3:30] Valerrie walks us through her pregnancy journey, which was overall very easy. She lives with her mother and grandmother who were jealous of her easy...

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[1:11] Our Reviewer of the Week is HannahBelle02, and she says, “Hi my name is Hannah and I’m currently 26 weeks pregnant and found this podcast back when me and my husband first started trying. All of the information in this podcast is easy to digest and non bias. I love hearing about all of my options for birth and learning about all the ways my partner can support me throughout. We recently began taking the My Essential Birth course and we are feeling confident and educated as we get closer to our due date. Absolutely recommend to anybody looking for ways to feel more prepared and in control of your birth no matter what that looks like for you!”

I absolutely love when I hear you guys say that you felt “confident and prepared” when it came to your birth! Whether that be medicated or unmedicated, if you have all the knowledge and information, you can make a decision that is right for you!

[2:28] Today’s topic is about preeclampsia....

Show Notes

[1:11] Our Reviewer of the Week is ashking223, and she says “I found this podcast at six weeks pregnant while bedridden due to my HG pregnancy. This has been the most helpful podcast with so much amazing information in every episode. I want to let every mom-to-be know about it. I'm 27 weeks now!”

[1:51] My guest is Gigi Vincent, a postpartum doula, newborn care specialist, and host of the Ready for Baby podcast located in Orange County, CA. She is committed to shifting the disparity between the amount of focus most families place on birth versus preparing for the fourth trimester.  She is a strong advocate of preparing for postpartum by investing in maternal support instead of fancy baby equipment. Gigi empowers families so that once your baby arrives, they can focus on resting and bonding, instead of researching or stressing. Knowing there isn’t one right way to have and raise a tiny human, Gigi works with parents as they find their way to thrive...

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:

[1:10] Our reviewer of the week, informed.dad, says “Fantastic podcast! The information tips, recommendations, and stories really enable me to support my wife from a place of understanding and confidence. Excited to dive into more as we move into our third trimester. Recommend this highly so more men can support and engage in birthing discussion from an informed place. Cheers!”

I LOVE THIS! If I could have more dads join me on the podcast, I would absolutely love to hear from you! If you are a Dad listening, and you want to share some nuggets of knowledge that helped you support your birth partner, let me know!

Whether you go right up to your guess date or pass it, having that number in your head can really throw you for a loop! But at the end of the day, your body and your baby know when the time is right. So trust that your body knows what it's doing. This week, Stephanie Bratton shares her home birth story after going 43+1 weeks with her...

Show Notes:

[1:12] We’re changing things up, and we’re diving right into a guided meditation. This is something I feel like is really useful for moms in any stage of pregnancy. I don’t know about you and if you’ve been feeling any anxiety in the air, but it feels like every mama I talk to is feeling stressed, heavy, or overwhelmed. If that sounds like you, let’s dive into a pregnancy meditation.

[1:57] Meditation can be powerful. The mind is very powerful and very suggestive during pregnancy. We want to give it the good stuff to help us have a good mindset for pregnancy & birth. This simple, guided meditation will help you feel calm, relaxed, and in-tune with your body.

[2:22] Make sure you are in a safe, quiet place. Set the mood (lighting, smell, comfort of what you’re wearing or laying on). Lay in your bed or sit on a chair. Pause, get yourself comfortable, and let’s begin.

[3:15] Stephanie walks us through a guided meditation.

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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...