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Show Notes:

[3:26] Our Reviewer of the Week, MaggieMc1217, says "So much great info, I truly can't stop listening! I was quite nervous about birth before but honestly cannot wait. Thank you for all of the great content and your advocacy for a natural birth!"

If you are listening and you have any kind of fear regarding birth, if you're uncertain about anything, if you have questions about things and you don't know where to start, you're in the right place. Stick with me. I take you step by step, making pregnancy and birth topics totally a breeze so that you completely understand what is coming up for you during your pregnancy, what your options are, and how to speak to your provider about it.

[4:52] This episode is a product of questions we've gotten as a follow up to Part 1 on the topic of subchorionic hemorrhage. We love getting feedback from our listeners and want you to be as informed as possible when it comes to birth, pregnancy, and labor!

[6:32] What is a...

Show Notes:

[0:21] Our Reviewer of the Week, kpalsson, says, "I found this podcast about a week ago and have not stopped binging episodes. I really love the positive birth stories! It seems most of my friends have traumatizing birth experiences, normally ending in an emergency C-section. Since before getting pregnant, my husband and I have discussed working towards an unmedicated hospital birth. I’m now 23 weeks pregnant and feeling more confident than ever that we can do this! Thanks for giving an amazing resource of knowledge and positivity!"

I think it's really important that you have positive places, spaces, and people around you as you prepare for your birth so that you can be excited, confident, and ready for this experience, rather than fearing it or being really concerned about what is to come.

[4:31] This week's topic is about what it looks like if you don't have the best support. Which can range from people who are close to you that don't...

Show Notes:

[2:02] Our Reviewer of the Week, Courtmess412, said, "I am SO thankful for you and for this podcast. Through binge listening daily (haven’t even taken the course yet!), I have no fear or anxiety about delivering my first baby in November. As soon as I found out I was pregnant in March, I started listening to your podcast and feel so empowered, educated and excited for the remainder of my first pregnancy and for birth and postpartum!"

[3:07]  Subchorionic Hemorrhage is any kind of bleeding that you have during pregnancy, and it is gonna be scary. The first thought is probably always the worst one like miscarriage or an emergency situation, which are totally valid. Any time that you see, uh, any kind of trickle of blood or there's any kind of bleeding, at any time during pregnancy, then obviously that's time to go see your provider.

[4:47] - What causes a Subchorionic Hemorrhage? At the location where the placenta originally attached to your...

Show Notes:

I want this episode to give you some things to think about when it comes to delayed cord-clamping and questions to ask your provider. We’ll talk about the pros and cons and different methods of cord-clamping, which I hope will help you make the decision of how you want to handle it for you and your baby a little easier!

[1:11] Our reviewer of the week, KaitlynL2021, says: “Absolutely love this podcast. My husband and I are hoping to get pregnant in the next year, and this podcast makes me so excited. When we started talking about having kids I was nervous because I didn’t know anything. Now I feel confident and like I know what I’m getting myself into. I also feel like I have options and there isn’t one “right” way to give birth. I love that this podcast gives all of the options from crunchy to conventional, and I can’t wait to be in the birth class one day in the future!”

I am so excited! You totally get it and...

Show Notes:

[1:11] Our reviewer of the week is blessedmama01, and she says: “Best podcast out there! Stephanie is so easy to listen to and gives such wonderful and helpful advice! I listened to this podcast all though out my pregnancy and felt so confident and prepared to have my baby. I cannot say enough good about Stephanie and highly recommend this podcast!”

This is going to be one of my quick, simple advice episodes! This time of year, it is SO important to avoid the holiday induction, because YES. It is real. We’ll be talking about five tips to keep baby right where he should be!

Side Note: It’s not just our providers that we need to be aware of and their plans, schedules, etc. Our families’ (and even our own) expectations and desires also need to be kept in check as well when deciding what’s best for baby and for mom during this busy time of year.

[2:48] Tip #1: Be open and honest with your provider about your feelings and concerns....

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...

I can't wait for you to listen to this inspiring birth story with Anne, a My Essential Birth Course mama, who takes us through her journey from conception, pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. It is a perfect story about what it's really like to walk through everything pregnancy, birth, and postpartum for the very first time. Her and her husband did an excellent job preparing and supporting each other. I hope you will find something special and learn tons, for both you and your partner as you listen. Enjoy!!

Show Notes

3:24 Anne tells us a little bit about herself and her husband, a bit of their history and what conception was like for them. 

5:10 Anne gives us some inside on what pregnancy was like for her. She talks about the different feelings she experienced every trimester and the changes she felt along the way. I also ask Anne about her provider experience, how she found her provider and what solidified her choice. We continue of conversation about her provider and...

 Since it's the simple things that can trip us up the most when it comes to trying to create the birth experience we’re really aiming for, I want to throw a few "obvious" but not so obvious lies you will likely believe if you hear them during your pregnancy. I’m hoping as I give you some more details about each of these three lies your mind will start to sort through all of the information and you will continue to build on that knowledge so you have it for when you need it. Overall, I want you to realize how much power you have over your birth experience and that you are truly the one in charge. So I will tell you each lie, give you all the nitty gritty facts, and then end with the truth. Remember I am not a medical provider and cannot provide medical advice. I’m just a birth nerd who loves to know what my options are when it comes to birthing and then be able to share them with all of you.

Show Notes

5:01 - The first lie that is told when it comes to...

Women are being forced into unnecessary inductions which makes me pose the question, do women’s bodies need to be forced into labor as much as they are being right now, and if there is a medically-necessary reason for this, how can we make it an excellent experience? In this episode I want to discuss what would constitute some medical reasons for inductions AND what you can do when an induction becomes necessary. This is something I get asked quite a bit. Once you do have a medical reason for induction, how does that change the birth plan? What do you need to know? I want you to have all of the best evidence-based information that will help you ask good questions, get all the information, and ultimately be able to make the decision that is best AND feels best for you. 

Show Notes

4:48 - I talk about the number one reason women are typically encouraged to get an induction. I discuss how moms should be approached by their provider & when this conversation should occur....

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...