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If there is one thing I have learned as a life lesson that is also 100% applicable to all things birth, it's that every single challenge can be an incredible learning lesson and this holds true for what happened while women were pregnant and birthing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenges like pulling birth partners out of the birth rooms (unacceptable btw), moving healthy, low-risk moms to out of hospital births (the challenge is in the unexpected), mental health, women being pushed to their limits. They were all so daunting and so difficult.

But...

Tune into this episode because the other side of those challenges are so beautiful. Birth partners figured out what they need to know and how to support these moms - because what if they could get in but the doula wasn't allowed?, women realized how strong they were and that their bodies were made for birth when they moved their care out of hospital, women found their voices and started asking questions about policy and...

Placenta encapsulation was a foreign concept just a few years ago, but now as it becomes more mainstream there are tons of questions around who should have it done, what the benefits actually are, if there are risks involved and when to avoid encapsulation, how Covid-19 has affected placentas, and how to find someone who really knows what they're doing. Today I get to answer all of those questions with doula and almost midwife , Bonnie Baker. For as long as I have known Bonnie in the birth world, she has been involved in finding ways to improve birthing outcomes and take care of mothers during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. This includes the wonderful work of encapsulating placentas. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

 1:15 - Our reviewer of the week talks about the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy being her very favorite after listening to thousands of hours of birthing podcasts! Thanks mama!

3:20 - Bonnie discusses the details of the placenta encapsulation process and the history behind...

It's not that you can't eat a ton, or that you're swollen, the heartburn, exhaustion, or crazy pregnancy dreams, so do you know what it is!? We have seen a massive increase in this challenge for pregnant women especially since Covid hit in 2020. Don't worry though, we've got you covered. We'll tell you what you need to know, what your options are, and how to be prepared for this. We know...we haven't said what it is. But that's what the episode is for! So take a guess and a listen!

Show Notes

2:21 - Your biggest challenge in the third trimester is not that you can't eat a ton, or that you're swollen, or your crazy pregnancy nightmares. So if you're wondering what it is, listen in here.

8:34 - This is our absolute biggest pet peeve with inductions plus everything you need to know about how it's done and what your options are.

15:32 - More managed births affect our mental state while we birth. It's easier to believe that a mother's body "doesn't work on its own" when we jump-start it...

This is a two-part series that serves two purposes. 1. If you are on the fence about where to have your baby, hopefully, these episodes will help you envision where you see yourself birthing & help you make that decision. 2. If you already know where you are giving birth, these episodes will reaffirm that choice. 

If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that between the 2 of us, we have given birth almost every way. In hospital unmedicated, cesarean, in-hospital with an epidural, at a birth center, and a homebirth. So we’ll be drawing on that and our experience supporting women in all these settings & scenarios.

There are many pros to giving birth in a hospital setting and we wanted to encourage and support you if this is the path you have chosen or are leaning towards. 

BIG REASONS WE THINK HOSPITAL BIRTH IS BETTER

1. You have advanced, life-saving measures available should you need them. There are lots of peace of mind that can come...

Peace is a choice. We can choose to do those things that invite peace into our lives, even when so much around us seems out of control. And that's the topic that we want to introduce to you guys this week- what you can control in your pregnancy and birth. We fear that there's this illusion out there amongst birthing women, that there is no control.

In fact, what triggered this topic for us was coming across a birth story post on Instagram. This woman shared her rather traumatic birth story and concluded it by telling her followers that there's no point in having a birth plan or preparing for the experience because it's all out of your control. 

Maybe having that perspective was a coping strategy for her, a way to process a disappointing experience. Because when you don't believe you can control anything, perhaps you're able to maybe more easily release the experience you've had, especially if it wasn't a great one. BUT! women who head into pregnancy and birth...