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Show Notes:

[1:34] Our Reviewer of the Week, Kaiti Klucas, says: "1 million stars!  I am 17 weeks pregnant with my first and this podcast is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for. It’s so hard to know what to trust and which ones are worth your time but as soon as I listened to the first episode I KNEW this is what I’ve been looking for. The first one I listened to was one about Unmedicated Birth, and it made me SO EXCITED. I already feel more empowered and ready to ask the right questions and figure out what’s best for me after one 50 minute episode! I look forward to my walks and down time 100x more now specifically because of this podcast. THANK YOU!!!"

[2:42] This week's episode is all about VBAC. You can birth your baby vaginally if you have had a prior cesarean, and I want to tell you why. So if you know anything about me, this is near and dear to my heart because I am a VBAC momma. Stephanie recaps her different birth experiences...

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:

[1:47] Our Reviewer of the Week, Kirstellison, "I just had my third baby a few months ago, and I wish I would have known about this class and podcast for my other two. I never felt more prepared going into birth and even though things didn’t go exactly how I wanted, I was well informed and able to make decisions for my self and able to have a natural birth in a hospital. This podcast has been so great but the class goes into so much more detail and I highly recommend taking it if you haven’t already! I can’t thank you guys enough."

[2:36] Our guest is Dr. Elana Roumell, a Pediatric Naturopathic Doctor and mother of 3, with a mission to teach moms how to safely be a “Doctor Mom!” She loves to teach moms how to transform their fear, panic, and overwhelm when their child gets sick into feeling calm, competent, confident, and well-equipped with the right tools to prevent illness and treat it wisely! She is also the co-host of the...

Show Notes:

[1:12] Our reviewer of the week is Leannachaves2, and she says: “Hi! Not sure what my username is on here, but my name is Leanna. I’m 20 years old and currently 16 weeks pregnant with my very first baby, and I’ve been listening to this podcast since I was 4 weeks pregnant! I’m a researcher. I won’t even take a medication until I’ve researched class, possible side effects, and interactions. This podcast has been such a good resource for me to jump off of, because the second I found out I was pregnant, I KNEW I had to find accurate and reliable sources about pregnancy and childbirth. Originally, I was hoping to specialize in pediatrics, but this podcast has made me want to change and specialize in obstetrics. I’m 100% feminist, and I want to give women a voice and the access to giving informed consent because there is so much misinformation out there. Thank you for everything that you do, and the countless hours that must go into...

OB’s and MD’s and Midwives, oh my! We’re going to talk about the training, certification, and background each of these providers is required to have in order to practice. Maybe you’re like me, and once upon a time, I thought OB’s were the only option when it came to a provider for your birth experience. My goal is for you to know what your options are so you can choose a provider based on the birth experience you want to achieve! 

Show Notes:

[1:12] Jguar9, our reviewer of the week, says: “So thankful! I can’t say enough positive things about this podcast! Educational, organized, captivating, empowering, charming!” She is a mama at the end of pregnancy number five and feeling equipped for labor and delivery! She is thankful to My Essential Birth for providing a much needed resource and changing other mama’s worlds and birth stories. 

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Are you overwhelmed with what to ask your provider, midwife, or hospital regarding what you want for your birth experience? Well, listen in! I walk you through what questions to ask, give background information behind those questions, and encourage you to educate and empower yourself to stand up for the birth you want.

Show Notes:

[1:11] Lulu2394, our reviewer of the week, says, “THE best podcast for birth preparation! I highly recommend this podcast to anyone expecting, and I highly recommend the course as well.” She felt empowered by the podcast and birth course to switch her provider at 32 weeks, and she was able to have the home birth she wanted. Her midwife and doula were impressed with the information she knew and how prepared she was for birth. All thanks to my Essential Birth!  

We love hearing stories about how the podcast empowers our listeners to make such important decisions for their birth experience. We promise the My Essential Birth Course...

So often we are told the benefits of procedures during pregnancy and birth, but how often are we given the risks associated with those procedures too? True informed consent means getting both and then being given the opportunity to consent or decline. The tricky part can be in not really understanding the options. How do you really know if you're getting all the information? Well, that's exactly what we break down for you in this episode!

Informed consent means that a provider explains the benefits and risks of a medication, procedure, (or lack of either), and then allows the mother to give consent.

Informed consent is NOT 

• making you afraid to say no
• telling you only the benefits and downplaying the risks
• telling the mother, "I'm going to do ______". For example, "I'm going to preform a vaginal exam on you."

Our Top Tips for Informed Consent

Since providers may fail to give proper informed consent, you need to remember to use your B.R.A.I.N so that you can get the...