Mommy Labor Nurse: Recent Episodes
Liesel Teen
Welcome to the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, where we firmly believe in the power of education when it comes to giving birth! Tune in each week as we dive into pregnancy-related topics, expert interviews, and a variety of birth stories!
As a reminder, anything you hear on this podcast should not be taken as medical advice, please see mommylabornurse.com/disclaimer for more info.
What actually happens after birth? This episode walks you through the first 48 hours with your newborn – from that golden hour and first latch to bleeding, bathroom trips, and baby checks. No fluff, no fear – just real talk 💁♀️
Think you know all things birth? Let’s put that to the test! In this fun and lighthearted episode, we’re playing a round of birth trivia – with real questions and answers that might surprise you 🤓 Play along and learn something new!
Pregnancy and new motherhood can bring on a lot of emotions – and for many, anxiety is part of that picture.
In this episode, we talk about recognizing anxiety in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and what you can do to manage it. We cover practical coping tools, when to reach out for help, and ways to feel more calm and confident during each stage of the journey.
Whether you’re currently expecting, newly postpartum, or supporting someone who is, this conversation will give you real-life strategies and reassurance.
The postpartum period is a whirlwind – and it’s easy to put your own needs on the back burner.
In this episode, we’re talking about how to nourish your body and support your healing after birth. From nutrient-rich meal ideas to mindset shifts around self-care, you’ll learn simple ways to boost your energy, balance your hormones, and feel your best during those early months.
Whether you’re breastfeeding, recovering from a C-section, or just trying to stay afloat, these tips are for you!
In this heartfelt birth story episode, my guest opens up about her journey through secondary infertility – the challenges, the emotions, and ultimately, the joy of welcoming her new baby.
You’ll hear about the ups and downs of trying to conceive again, how her pregnancy unfolded, and the details of her birth experience.
If you’ve walked a similar road or love hearing real, unfiltered birth stories, this one will inspire and remind you that you’re never alone in your journey.
Ever wonder how you can help your little one start building language skills from the very beginning?
In this episode, I’m joined by The Speech Sisters, two speech-language pathologists and moms who are passionate about helping parents support their baby’s communication journey.
We’re chatting about what’s normal in those early months, how to spot red flags, and easy ways to make everyday moments language-rich.
Whether your baby is in your belly, cooing, babbling, or starting to say words, you’ll walk away with practical tips you can use right away!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re diving into a Q&A episode all about the third trimester! These questions came straight from you on Instagram, and I’m so excited to dig into them with more detail than I can fit in a story slide.
The third trimester can be a wild ride – full of physical changes, emotional shifts, and so many “is this normal?” moments. Whether you're prepping for labor, feeling the nesting urge kick in, or just dealing with discomforts, this episode is here to support you through it all 💪
We’re covering:
- What to expect as labor approaches
- Tips for easing common third-tri symptoms
- How to prep your body and mind for delivery
- Final to-dos before baby arrives
- And lots more real talk + reassurance
Whether this is your first rodeo or your fourth, there’s something here for every mama navigating those final weeks.
🎁 FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack This checklist was made by a labor nurse (hi, it’s me!) to help you feel calm, confident, and ready as birth day gets closer.
📥 Download the 3rd Trimester Prep Pack
🎓 Want to Feel Totally Ready for Birth? Our MLN Birth Classes break it all down – from contractions to pushing to postpartum – in a way that’s clear, supportive, and confidence-building.
💻 Explore the MLN All-Access Birth Classes
📲 Join the MLN Instagram Fam Follow @mommy.labornurse for daily pregnancy tips, birth prep guidance, and real support from a labor nurse who’s been there 💛
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re doing another Ask Me Anything – and this time it’s all about the second trimester!
These episodes are always a hit (and one of my faves to record!) because I get to answer your real questions from Instagram stories – with way more detail than I can fit into a slide.
Inside this episode, we’re covering:
- What’s up with peeing when you sneeze (and what to do about it)
- Kick counting basics – when to start and how it works
- Glucose tolerance testing tips and what to expect
- What to know about placenta previa
- Do you really need a birth class?
- And more second-tri insights you don’t want to miss!
Whether you’re 13 weeks or 27, this one’s full of relatable info and practical tips to help you feel more confident in your pregnancy.
🎁 FREE Second Trimester Prep Pack Registry stress? To-do list overwhelm? This free guide is here to help you stay on track and actually enjoy this trimester!
📥 Grab your 2nd Trimester Prep Pack
🎓 Want to Feel Extra Ready for Labor? Our MLN Birth Classes cover everything you need to know – from contractions to confidence – and are perfect for second-tri mamas looking to get ahead.
💻 Check out the MLN Birth Classes
📲 Let’s Stay Connected Follow @mommy.labornurse for daily pregnancy ed, tips, and a supportive community of 700k+ mamas 💛
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re talking all things first trimester! It’s one of our signature Ask Me Anything episodes – and yes, I love doing these for you guys!
Every question in this episode was submitted by my IG fam (hey Insta besties 👋) – and I picked the ones that needed a deeper dive than stories allow. So if you’re navigating those early weeks and wondering, “Is this normal??” – you’re in the right place.
Inside the episode, we’re chatting about:
- How to handle nausea without losing your mind
- Fatigue hacks that actually help
- What’s up with first-trimester anxiety
- And so much more!
Whether you’re newly pregnant or just want to feel a little less alone in those first 12 weeks, this episode is packed with validation, tips, and real talk 💛
🎁 FREE 1st Trimester Prep Pack Overwhelmed in the early weeks? This free guide will help you feel more in control, more prepared, and more you.
📥 Grab your 1st Trimester Prep Pack here
🎓 Want to Feel Prepared for Every Trimester? Our online birth classes walk you through every stage of pregnancy – from trimester one to postpartum – so you feel confident and supported.
💻 Check out the MLN Birth Classes
📲 Join the MLN Insta Community Follow @mommy.labornurse for daily education, encouragement, and that “you’re not alone” kind of support through pregnancy and beyond 💛
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re welcoming a very special guest – the amazing Dr. Rebecca Dekker from Evidence Based Birth®!
Rebecca is a PhD nurse, researcher, educator, and fierce advocate for evidence-based maternity care. She’s also the author of Babies Are Not Pizzas and host of the Evidence Based Birth® podcast, which has over 4.5 million downloads 👏
In this episode, we’re digging into the topic of natural labor induction – what works, what doesn’t, and how to tell the difference.
Inside the episode:
- Evidence behind common natural induction techniques
- The difference between “throw you into labor” methods vs. gentle nudges
- Pros, cons, and safety of various approaches
- How to think critically and make informed decisions around induction
Whether you’re hoping to avoid a medical induction or just want to be informed, this episode is a must-listen!
🎁 FREE Birth Prep Guide Want to feel more confident and in control heading into labor? Grab this free guide packed with tips, checklists, and prep strategies from a labor nurse!
📥 Download the Birth Prep Guide
🎓 Need a Complete Birth Prep Plan? My MLN Birth Classes will help you feel so ready – with evidence-based lessons, practical tips, and support for every type of birth.
💻 Check out the MLN Birth Classes
📚 Related Episodes & Resources * EP77: Why It’s Important to Prep Your Body for Labor * The Miles Circuit by Sharon Muza
👩⚕️ About Dr. Rebecca Dekker Rebecca is the founder and CEO of Evidence Based Birth®, where she and her team are on a mission to make research on pregnancy and birth accessible and empowering for all families. She’s a former nursing professor, passionate educator, and mom who’s changing the birth world – one fact at a time.
📲 Learn More from Evidence Based Birth® * Visit the Website * Follow on Instagram * Listen to the Podcast
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re chatting about labor signs – but not the obvious ones like contractions or water breaking. We’re talking about the weird, lesser-known signs that your body might be getting ready for labor 👀
Because if you’ve ever found yourself googling, “Is ___ a sign of labor?”...you’re so not alone.
In this episode, I’m sharing:
- The most common (but surprising!) symptoms I see before labor begins
- Why it’s totally normal to feel hyper-aware of every body change in the final weeks
- What to actually pay attention to as you approach labor day
Whether you’re 36 weeks or just curious about what’s coming, this episode will help you feel more in tune with your body and what it’s trying to tell you 💛
🎁 FREE Hospital Bag Checklist Feeling anxious about packing? This free checklist was made by a practicing L&D nurse (hi, that’s me!) to help you pack like a pro and actually feel ready.
📥 Grab your Hospital Bag Checklist
🎓 Want to Feel 1000% More Confident for Birth? My online birth classes are designed to help you feel educated, prepared, and in control no matter how you plan to deliver.
💻 Explore MLN Birth Classes
📲 Come Hang with Me on Instagram Follow @mommy.labornurse for daily tips, relatable education, and solidarity through every stage of pregnancy and postpartum.
IV Narcotics, Nitrous Oxide, and More
One of the most common questions I get during hospital shifts? “What other pain meds can I get if I don’t want (or can’t have) an epidural?”
While epidurals are the go-to for many, they’re definitely not the only option!
In this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I’m diving into:
- IV narcotics: what they are, how they work, and what to expect
- Nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas!): how it’s used for labor pain relief
- Pros and cons of each option
- Plus a few non-medical pain relief ideas to consider too!
Whether you're planning for an unmedicated birth or just want to know your options, this episode will help you feel more educated, empowered, and in control.
🎁 FREE Birth Prep Guide Want to walk into your birth feeling ready for anything? This free guide helps you get organized, make informed choices, and feel confident no matter your birth plan.
📥 Download the Birth Prep Guide here
🎓 Want to Go Deeper with Your Birth Education? My online birth classes cover everything from labor positions to pain management to pushing – all in an easy-to-digest, confidence-boosting format.
💻 Explore MLN All-Access Birth Classes
🎧 Related Episodes 🔹 Epidurals 101: Get Informed About Epidurals for Birth (EP171)
📲 Let’s Connect! Follow @mommy.labornurse for daily tips, birth ed, and relatable moments from a labor nurse who gets you 💛
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I’m joined by my friend and fellow podcaster Dr. Mona Amin to chat about those quirky, confusing, and totally normal things newborns do in the early days.
Dr. Mona is a board-certified pediatrician and parenting expert who’s all about helping new parents feel calm, confident, and informed.
Inside this episode, we’re unpacking:
- Why your baby’s hiccups are nothing to worry about
- What’s going on with day/night confusion
- How much (or little!) your baby really needs to eat in those early days
- And 7 more newborn behaviors that might surprise you!
If you’re a first-time parent or you just want a little reassurance, this episode is full of validation and real talk from two mamas who’ve been there 💛
🎁 FREE Third Trimester Prep Pack Feel organized and so ready for baby with this free printable checklist made by a labor nurse (hi, that’s me 👋)
📥 Grab your 3rd Trimester Prep Pack
🎓 Ready to Feel Fully Prepared for Birth? Whether you’re aiming for an unmedicated birth, planning on an epidural, or prepping for a C-section, our online birth classes will help you feel confident, educated, and in control.
💻 Check out the MLN All-Access Birth Classes
🤱 Sponsored by Motif Luna Looking for a powerful, efficient breast pump that actually fits your lifestyle? The Motif Luna is hospital-strength, insurance-covered, and mom-approved 💪
🎉 Use code MLN23 to get 15% off sitewide – including the Luna pump and accessories (Some exclusions may apply)
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👩⚕️ About Dr. Mona Amin Dr. Mona is a practicing pediatrician, mom of one, and the voice behind the popular PedsDocTalk brand. She’s built a warm, inclusive community of 100k+ parents looking for evidence-based guidance without the judgment. Dr. Mona is passionate about helping new moms and dads actually enjoy those early days through smart, reassuring education.
📲 Stay Connected Follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram for daily pregnancy tips, labor prep, and newborn wisdom from a labor nurse who gets it 💛
Welcome back to The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast! Today we’re talking about one of the most powerful tools you can use to monitor your baby’s well-being in the third trimester: kick counting.
I’m joined by Kimberly Isburg from Count the Kicks, an incredible organization that’s helping parents all over the country improve birth outcomes and reduce stillbirth through awareness and education. Kimberly is a mama of two and a passionate advocate for maternal health – and I’m so excited for you to hear her wisdom and warmth.
Inside the episode, we’re covering:
- Why tracking baby’s movement matters so much in late pregnancy
- Common myths and misconceptions about fetal movement
- How to use the Count the Kicks method and app
- Tips for staying calm, confident, and connected to your baby
This one’s a must-listen – especially if you’re in your third trimester and want to feel empowered and informed 💛
🎁 FREE Third Trimester Prep Pack Take the stress out of your final weeks with this free checklist + guide made by a labor nurse (yep, me!)
📥 Download your 3rd Trimester Prep Pack
🎓 Need More Support Before Birth? Whether you're planning for an unmedicated birth, thinking about an epidural, or preparing for a C-section, our online birth classes will get you ready, confident, and in control.
💻 Explore MLN All-Access Birth Classes
📲 Stay Connected with Count the Kicks * Count the Kicks Website * Follow on Instagram
👩💼 About Kimberly Isburg Kimberly is the Communications Manager for Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the nonprofit behind Count the Kicks. She’s also a mom of two boys and used the Count the Kicks method in both of her pregnancies. Her work helps save lives, and we’re so honored to have her on the show!
💛 Join the MLN Community Follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram for daily pregnancy tips, labor hacks, and support from a labor nurse who gets it.
When it comes to birth, epidurals are a big part of the conversation – whether you’re planning on getting one or just want to be informed.
Most people know that an epidural can take away labor pain…but beyond that? There’s still a lot of mystery around how it all actually works!
In this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I’m diving into:
- How an epidural is placed (step-by-step!)
- Whether it hurts to get one
- What the needle looks like (spoiler: not as scary as you think)
- Common epidural side effects
- And yes – we’re talking about walking epidurals, too!
These are your most-asked questions from my DMs, answered 💬
Whether you’re team epidural, team unmedicated, or just figuring it out – you’ll walk away feeling way more confident.
💌 FREE Epidural Prep Pack! Want to feel educated and empowered before you say yes to an epidural?
🎁 Grab my free Epidural Prep Pack – it’s short, sweet, and packed with what you really need to know before the big day.
➡️ Click here to download it now
🎓 Ready for Birth You Actually Feel Ready For? Whether you're planning to get an epidural or not, understanding your options is key to feeling in control.
My MLN Birth Classes cover everything from contractions to pushing – and help you feel calm, educated, and confident no matter how your story unfolds.
💛 Check out the MLN Birth Classes here
📲 Join the MLN Community Follow @mommy.labornurse for daily pregnancy tips, birth prep advice, and real talk from a labor nurse who’s been there.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re talking all about what to pack (and not pack!) in your hospital bag for birth – plus we’re covering snacks and eating during labor too 🍿
Let me tell you, for my first birth? Total slacker. I didn’t get serious about packing my bag until wayyy late in the game – and it could’ve backfired big time. For baby #2? Totally prepared!
In this episode, I’m breaking it all down:
- What to pack in four separate bags: labor, recovery, partner, and baby
- What to leave at home (because clutter = chaos)
- My go-to list of snacks for labor and what to know about eating during labor
Trust me, being prepared is a major stress reducer – and I’ve got you covered with the ultimate hospital bag prep episode!
🎁 Grab Your FREE Hospital Bag Checklist! This free printable checklist was made by a practicing L&D nurse (hey, it’s me 👋) and it’ll help you feel 10,000% more confident walking into the hospital.
➡️ Download the Hospital Bag Checklist now
💻 Want to Feel Really Ready for Birth? Hospital bag packed? Check. Now let’s prep your mind for labor too. My online birth classes are here to help you feel calm, informed, and in control – no matter how you deliver.
🎉 Click here to explore MLN Birth Classes
🧪 Try This Essential Oil Labor Blend This soothing blend is a fan favorite for labor:
- 2 drops Ylang Ylang
- 7 drops Clary Sage
- 3 drops Lavender
- 3 drops Frankincense
Add to a glass bottle and top off with your favorite carrier oil 💧
💛 Don’t forget to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram for daily tips, education, and relatable mom content – we’re a community of 650k+ strong!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week on the podcast, I had my sister Jenna come on the show for a fun and light hearted episode that I’m really excited to share with you guys.
Jenna and I watched some birth videos – but not the kind of birth videos that you’re thinking of! – and react to them live on the episode.
I thought it’d be interesting coming from me as a labor and delivery nurse and from Jenna, who you know has never been pregnant and doesn’t have any kids.
I’m not gonna spoil too much of the episode. It was a lot of fun to record, but was also a big pain in the butt to get ready for, so I hope you guys like it!
Related Podcast Episodes: * EP116: Pregnancy and Birth Trivia * EP68: The Labor Games * EP61: What’s It Like to Be a Labor and Delivery Nurse
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week I am back to answer your most embarrassing birth questions, part 2! I had so much fun with last week’s episode, I just had to come back and answer more of your questions because we got so many good ones!
Not only are these “Ask Me Anything” style episodes fun, but it’s my hope that they are really informational and educational for you as well. We all have questions that we might be a little embarrassed to ask our provider (even I do!), but have no fear, I’m here to unpack it all.
Questions covered in the episode
- How common is pooping and peeing during birth?
- How do I clean up all the stuff after birth?
- What happens if I get diarrhea in a birth pool?
- How do I pee in a catheter? Does it come out whenever, or do I have to push it out?
- How often do moms have urinary retention after getting an epidural?
- Is it difficult to pee during labor?
- I pooped 3 times – is that normal?
- What are your tips for first postpartum poop pain?
- What if I don’t have control of my bladder and pee during contractions?
- Is it normal for my provider to put their finger in my butt while I am pushing?
- How common is it to fart during pushing?
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get my FREE hospital bag checklist - straight from the brain of an L&D nurse to make sure you are 10000% ready to go!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
Happy New Year podcast fam! If you are listening to this in real time, then you know that this is the very first episode of 2023, and we’re kicking off the year with a super fun “Ask Me Anything” style episode.
This time, I asked our community over on Instagram for their most embarrassing questions that they had about birth (you know, the kind of things that you might be a little bit shy to ask but you really want to know), and let me tell you, you guys delivered – no pun intended!
I had such a great time doing this episode for you because I love talking about embarrassing stuff. And we had so many great questions come in that I actually broke it up into two parts for you, with part two airing next week.
If you love these types of episodes, after listening to this one make sure to check out episodes 58, 137 and 155.
Questions covered in the episode:
- How common are hemorrhoids during delivery, and what causes them?
- I already have painful hemorrhoids; how much more painful will it get and what can I expect during childbirth?
- Does the doctor push the hemorrhoids back in while I’m pushing during birth?
- Can masturbation during labor and delivery help move things along?
- Why was delivering my baby such a relief and is it normal that it felt similar to having an orgasm?
- What kind of outfit do I wear during labor, both for the top and bottom?
- What do I wear in the bathtub or shower if I don’t want to be completely naked?
- Do lots of people really labor while naked? Can you wear pants and underwear?
- What can I do if I’m scared to tear badly during labor and delivery?
- Is it ok to have pubic hair or do I need to shave it? What about waxing?
- Will my vagina go back to normal after birth, and will sex feel different?
Related Episodes:
- EP11: Jeanice Talks To Us About Pelvic Floor Sexual Health
- EP58: FAQs About Labor and Delivery!
- EP121: Tearing During Birth
- EP137: Ask Me Anything About Labor and Delivery
- EP155: Ask Me Anything About Pregnancy and Birth
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to discover my top tips for a more positive birth in my FREE 45-minute mini birth class!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I’m excited to be answering some questions submitted by listeners from the podcast hotline!
First, we have a mom-to-be who is hoping for a VBAC. She explains that she’s already feeling some discomfort around her C-section scar. She is wondering if this could indicate an increased risk for uterine rupture and if pursuing a VBAC is a safe option for her.
Next, we have Taylor, a second-time mom who is curious if her second labor will be similar to her first, which involved very frequent contractions that lead to an epidural she was hoping to avoid.
If you want to submit your question to be featured on the show, all you have to do is call the hotline and leave a voice message! The number is 919-213-8719.
And if you like what you hear, you can listen to Episode 168 which has the same format.
A peek at the questions we covered:
- Why do I have a tugging sensation around my C-section scar?
- What is scar tissue?
- What can affect the sensation of scar tissue?
- What is a uterine rupture?
- As a VBAC candidate, am I at a higher risk for uterine rupture?
- Should I try having a vaginal birth after I had a C-section?
- What factors should I consider when deciding for a VBAC?
- What are the benefits of a VBAC?
- Is my second labor going to be the same as my first?
- Does labor get shorter with the more babies I have?
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
CLICK HERE to get instant access to my free mini birth class to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I’m joined by my sister and MLN team member, Jenna, for a fun get-to-know-me style episode.
Usually, I’m the one interviewing other people, but this week Jenna is going to interview me so that you can get to know me better, professionally and personally!
You’ll hear about how I got started in L&D, my L&D superpower, what I’d be doing if I wasn’t a labor and delivery nurse, and a whole lot more.
What questions do we cover? * Where are you from, how old are you, and what’s your “official” job title? * What was your first exposure to the L&D world? * What were you doing when you decided to become an L&D nurse? * What do you like most about being an L&D nurse? * What do you like least about being an L&D nurse? * What is your L&D superpower? * What might you be doing if you weren’t an L&D nurse? * What are you doing when you’re not working in the hospital or on MLN stuff? * Who tolerates your crazy schedule? * What are three fun facts about yourself?
Related Episodes and Articles * A Typical Day in the Life of a Labor and Delivery Nurse * EP108: What’s It Like Being a Male L&D Nurse? * EP61: What’s It Like to be a Labor and Delivery Nurse?
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
In this podcast, I’m going to go over the ins and outs of tearing, all the different ways you can tear, how to prevent tearing if there is such a thing, how to care for a perineal tear if it does wind up happening to you, and more. My goal with this episode is to rid that fear of tearing from your brain.
More MLN content related to tearing during birth: * Blog Article: How To Prevent Tearing During Birth: Tips from a Labor and Delivery Nurse * Blog Article: Episiotomy Vs Tearing: Which is Better? * Instagram Post: Scared of Tearing During Birth? * Instagram Post: Different Types of Perineal Tears
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get instant access to my FREE Mini Birth Class to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am sharing a twin birth story, but not the kind of twin birth story you are thinking of…no this mom, or should I say moms were not pregnant with twins! I had Sierra and Hailey on the podcast this week, and THEY are twins!
About Sierra:
Sierra O’Toole is a mom to 18-month-old daughter, Kora, and lives in Ventura, CA with her husband Sean O’Toole.
She works as a Marketing Manager for Primal Kitchen and in her free time enjoys surfing, family beach days, reading, cooking, and listening to birth story podcasts.
Connect with Sierra and birth resources she loved:
Instagram: @sierrapartridge
Precipitous Labor Facebook Group
Doula: Anastasia Stone IG: @my_lovestones
OBGYN: Dr Melissa Drake IG: @dr_melissa_drake
About Hailey:
Hailey O’Rourke is mom to 18-month-old son, Patrick, and is currently pregnant with her second baby boy, due in July 2022.
She lives in a suburb of Denver, CO with her husband, Eamonn O’Rourke, and works as a flight attendant for a major US Airline. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, skiing, surfing, and walking her French Bulldog, Finnegan.
Connect with Hailey and birth resources she loved:
Instagram: haileyjorourke
Doula: Anissa Cornelius
Dr. Sterling & Dr. Cassidy’s Prepared Postpartum Course: https://thesterlinglife.com/courses/
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE for our FREE mini birth class. You will discover my top tips for a more positive birth in this 45-minute class.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I’m on solo for you guys! In this episode, I’m answering LOTS of third trimester FAQs. I remember what it was like being in my third trimester (both times) – and that last one really wasn’t that long ago, and gosh I gotta say it can come with quite a few discomforts!
As that due date gets closer and closer it inevitably seems like more questions come up!Some of the topics I cover are: nausea in the third trimester, traveling during pregnancy, baby movements, itchy feet, labial swelling, hip pain, what to do if your water breaks unexpectedly, and more!
Resources from the episode:
This episode was actually inspired by two blog articles we have on the site, so in lieu of detailing out the show content, I’m going to leave the links here for your browsing:
- Third Trimester FAQs and Tips with an L&D Nurse
- All About Water Breaking During Pregnancy
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get your FREE Third Trimester Prep Pack and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag and know you’re not forgetting to do a thing.
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with the lovely Dr. Natalie Crawford all about infertility and more specifically secondary infertility.
Dr. Crawford’s Bio:
Dr. Natalie Crawford is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and is Director of Patient Experience and Education and co-founder of Fora Fertility, a boutique fertility practice in Austin, Texas. Dr. Crawford values developing close connections with her patients throughout their fertility journeys. She is passionate about education and promotes fertility awareness through social media and community outreach.
Connect with Dr. Crawford:
Website: https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/
Instagram: @nataliecrawfordmd
YouTube: Natalie Crawford, MD
TikTok: @nataliecrawfordmd
Twitter: @ncrawfordmd
Podcast: As a Woman
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
Caitlin Karl, a fellow mom who’s actually currently pregnant, came on to share all about her journey to adopting her son AJ. Caitlin shares that she and her husband always knew they wanted to grow their family through adoption and biologically, and was never really quite sure in what order it would happen.
Ultimately, they decided to pursue adoption first because they knew there was a lot of time, resources, and energy required to go through the process of adopting a baby. So in the summer of 2019, they started the whole process and by July they brought their sweet baby boy home.
Caitlyn Karl’s Bio:
Caitlyn Karl is a working mom who lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband Jake, son AJ, and soon daughter (due at the beginning of June). Caitlyn and Jake started their family through the adoption of their son this past year.
You can find Caitlyn Karl on social media here:
Instagram: @k.adoption.journey
Resources from the episode:
- Be the Bridge Transracial Adoption Guide
- The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family Book by David R. Cross, Karyn B. Purvis, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
- Angela Tucker: Transracial adoptee and Public Speaker. @angieadoptee on Instagram, “The Adoptee Next Door” Podcast, “Closure” documentary
- Brandi Ebersole: Adoptee and Adoptive Mom. @brandi_ebersole on Instagram
- Wreckage and Wonder: Torie is an adoptee who shares her perspective on adoption
- Cam Lee Small: Adoptee and adoption informed therapist. @therapyredeemed on Instagram,
- Ashley Mitchell: Birth mother, adoption reform advocate, founder of Lifetime Healing Foundation. @bigtoughgirl on Instagram, “Twisted Sisterhood” Podcast
- Adoption Education Keys: Adoption education from the perspective of a birth mother. @adoptioneducationkeys on Instagram
- Adopt Well: Two adoptive moms who educate about adoption. “Adopt Well Podcast”, @adoptwell on Instagram
- Kindredand.Co: Adoption community, blog, profile books, run by adoptive mom Hannah Eloge. @kindredand.co on Instagram
- Susan VanSyckle: This is the adoption consultant Caitlin and her husband worked with
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
Labor induction – this is a topic that comes up a LOT in my DMs over on Instagram and in the MLN community in general!
So, today on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I’m doing a Q&A-style episode all about planned inductions. Your most burning labor induction FAQs, answered!
I see it all the time, women are nearing the end of their pregnancy, and not planning on an induction, and then all of a sudden, they need one!
When this happens, there’s not always a ton of time to research, prepare and sort through all the info that’s out there. So, I thought I’d put together this episode with some of the most common questions I get about inductions. Let’s go!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get free birth plan templates straight from the brain of an L&D nurse - that’s me!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
In this episode, Malori shares her hotel birth story with us via c-section, and talks about her fertility struggles.
Malori’s Bio:
Malori Mayor is a registered nurse, military wife to Mark, and new mom to Max! After an almost 2-year struggle with infertility, holistic treatments, and surgery for endometriosis, Malori and Mark were finally able to conceive their first child. Aside from being a wife and mom, Malori is passionate about helping other women also going through infertility who want to treat it holistically. While going through infertility herself, she began helping others share their stories of infertility and miscarriage on her blog, and also started a podcast, Restoring Fertility Naturally. Malori spent most of her pregnancy in Germany, where her husband was stationed with the Army, and then gave birth to Max after moving to California. In whatever little free time she has, she enjoys reading a good book, baking, and going on neighborhood walks with her little family and their German Shepherd, Zoey.
Malori’s Birth Story:
Other than moving from Germany to California in my third trimester, I had a pretty easy and normal pregnancy and planned on an unmedicated birth. We lived in a hotel for most of my third trimester while waiting on military housing, so I was fully prepared to bring home our new baby to a hotel room. But otherwise I expected all to go smoothly. I got the biggest surprise of my pregnancy when I went to my 40 week appointment and it was found that baby boy was breech! He had been head down just the week prior. My doctor reviewed all the options with me and I opted for a version the next morning and then would wait it out for natural labor to start. However, baby boy had other plans! I went into labor that evening, as we were moving items into the house we had just gotten the keys to. I was totally in denial that it was labor but finally realized that the contractions weren’t Braxton Hicks anymore! My doctor had me come to the hospital to get checked around 12:30am, and Maximilian John was born via c-section at 1:54am on January 8, 2020! He was born healthy, pink, and screaming, and him being laid on my chest with my husband by my side was incredibly glorious. Even though a c-section was my last choice, that moment was priceless and a beautiful culmination of all our fertility struggles. Max is now 8 months old and is such a happy and active boy!
You can find Malori on social media here:
IG: @warriorlifewellness
Blog: https://www.warriorlifewellness.com
YouTube: http://bit.ly/maloriyoutube
Resources from the episode:
Malori’s podcast where she goes into further details about infertility: http://bit.ly/podcastrfn
This is the model of treatment that Malori used for infertility: http://www.naprotechnology.com/
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive C-section tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
In this episode, my friend Marley talks all about how maternity care differs in the UK!
Marley’s Bio:
Marley is registered midwife from Surrey, UK and is also a mother to 5 children including a set of twins. She has practiced midwifery in various settings over the past 11 years working in hospitals, birth centers and in women’s homes. She cares for women from conception up until 2 weeks postpartum.
Marley is also a widely recognized prenatal education instructor who shares lots of useful information on instagram through her cartoon drawings. Having delivered over 600 babies, Marley is an expert in childbirth and is passionate about helping women to have a positive birth experience no matter what type of birth they may have!
You can find Marley on social media here:
Website: www.midwifemarley.com
Instagram: @midwifemarley
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to learn what to expect, find out about important tests and procedures, and ensure you’re making the most of your prenatal care!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
In this episode, my friend Cierra shares her traumatic birth experience with her first, and her amazing, empowered birth experience with her second after taking Birth it Up!
Cierra’s Birth Story:
After having a traumatic 1st birth of her son, Cierra wanted to have a different experience with the birth of her daughter. Switching providers and educating herself lead to the unmedicated water birth she dreamed of. She had some hurdles breastfeeding at first, but was able to go on to exclusively breast feed for 4 months and counting.
Cierra’s Bio:
Cierra is from Dayton Ohio. She’s married to her husband, Nathan, and a stay at home mom to her two children, Ezekiel and Hannah.
You can find Cierra on social media here:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cierraivey
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
In this episode, my friend Mallory shares her experience with postpartum depression and later I do a Q&A answering your questions about it.
Here are the questions I go over in the Q&A!
- What should I do if I need help?
- What are some of the common treatment methods?
- Are there certain risk factors?
- What should I say to people if they think I’m fine, because I don’t look sick?
- How long will it take for me to feel better?
Mallory’s Bio:
Mallory is a mom to two sweet kids, ages 3.5 and 8 months who fill her heart with joy and her home with mess and never-ending laundry! She and her husband live in Nashville, TN and Mallory spends her time outside the home helping parents and school personnel provide the best services for their kids with special needs. She is a contributing writer for Scary Mommy, the Mighty, and Wallet Path and can be found online at www.iepguru.com, or by email at mallory.a.whitmore@gmail.com.
Resources from the episode:
www.ppdjourney.com
Changes that Heal, by Henry Cloud
When Changing Nothing Changes Everything, by Laurie Short
Unseen, by Sara Hagerty
postpartum.net
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
*Hi guys! Liesel here. I wanted to let you know that the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast as you know it is currently getting a HUGE facelift!
In the meantime, please enjoy this re-air of a fan favorite episode!! And stay tuned to my instagram for updates on when the new and improved Mommy Labor Nurse podcast will be back with all new episodes!*
In this episode, we dive into all things mental health! I sat down with Dr. Ashurina Ream, a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced training in perinatal mental health! We talk about a range of topics including: Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety, Prenatal Mood Disorders, Coping Skills, & more!
Dr. Ream’s Bio:
Dr. Ashurina Ream, PMH-C is a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced training in perinatal mental health. Her passion to help pregnant and postpartum families arose after becoming a mother herself. She recognized the limited support and education in the community regarding the care for women. This resulted in her pursuing additional education as well as creating resources for those impacted by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. In addition to this specialty, Dr. Ream has trained in various disciplines as it pertains to the field of psychology. She has worked with those struggling with body image, eating disorders, parenting, health-related mood impairment, cognitive functioning, and general mental health.
You can find Dr. Ream on social media here:
Instagram: @psychedmommy
Website: psychedmommy.com
Resources from the episode:
postpartum.net
pregnancyafterlosssupport.org
Her postpartum support group on FB can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2432150633740181/
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy & birth info out there? I got ya covered!
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
This week I had Robin Hilmantel on the podcast! Robin is the senior director of editorial strategy and growth at BabyCenter, an online parenting resource and pregnancy app. She has more than a decade of experience in health and lifestyle reporting, writing and editing. Robin works closely with the research team at BabyCenter to conduct studies with moms that produce impactful reports on important topics like maternal health, child care, family finances, and much more. She currently resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she enjoys spending her nonworking hours with her husband, three sons (Marlow, Wylie, and Hobbes), and tripod dog (Kiwi). Here are things we talked about! 👇 1. Can you start by telling us a bit about the research BabyCenter conducted on postpartum care and the main findings? 2. As a mom of three, can you share your personal postpartum care experiences and how they aligned or differed from the research findings? 3. What steps can new moms take to better prepare for their own care during the postpartum period? 4. Can you provide some practical tips for new moms to manage their self-care during the demanding postpartum period? 5. How important are support networks, and what types of support should new moms seek out? Additionally, could you discuss how the high cost of childcare impacts these support networks and the overall wellbeing of new moms? 6. How is BabyCenter working to support new moms in the postpartum period through its content and resources? 7. Based on your insights and research, what trends do you see emerging in the area of postpartum care over the next few years?
Resources: You can download the BabyCenter app here: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pregnancy-tracker-babycenter/id386022579 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.babycenter.pregnancytracker Check out the research we discuss from BabyCenter on postpartum support care gaps for moms, with additional resources for moms: https://www.babycenter.com/baby/postpartum-health/postpartum-care-maternal-health-support-report_41001478 Resources for postpartum mental health support: * Emergency assistance is available 24/7 at 911 * The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988 * The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) * Postpartum Support International Helpline 800-944-4773 * SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP(4357)
You can find BabyCenter (@BabyCenter) on all social platforms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babycenter/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BabyCenter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabyCenter YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/BabyCenter TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@babycenter -- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robinhilmantel/
It's Week 12 of 12 of the 12 weeks of BIRTH! In this episode, I dive into my full birth story! (You can READ my blog post that I’ve written of my birth story HERE, if you prefer to read!)
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's Week 11 of 12 of the 12 weeks of BIRTH!
In this episode, my mom and sister joins the podcast and we talk all about our two vastly different birth stories!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's Week 10 of 12 of the 12 weeks of BIRTH!
In this week’s episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we talked ALL about preparing for labor….and specifically 10 things you shouldn’t forget! Because for most mamas, birth feels like the great unknown amiright?
You’re going to your prenatal visits, checking things off your third-trimester to-do list, maybe your hospital bag is even packed. Yet as your due date draws closer, feelings of anxiety, what-ifs, and maybe even some fear are filling your head. Maybe you’re actually thinking, “Can I really do this?” I’m here to tell you that you CAN. It’s going to be ok! In this podcast episode, my main focus is giving you 10 things you should do before labor starts.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's Week 9 of 12 of the 12 weeks of BIRTH! This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re going to be talking all about your mindset! You guys should know by now that I’m ALL about getting you in the right headspace when it comes to birth.
Your mind is not only your most powerful tool during birth, but it can also be your worst enemy. It takes a lot of self-control, and practice, to be able to talk back to your brain during birth – and that’s exactly what we’re going to be talking about today, with my special guest, Natalie Bacon!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's Week 8 of 12 of the 12 weeks of BIRTH! This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re going to talk all about birthing without an epidural, and answer a question I get all the time - “How do I have a natural birth?”
And while there is no secret formula…I definitely have some insight into what you can do to set yourself up for success.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's week 7 of The 12 Weeks of Birth!
In this re-air, I interview my friend Jeanice all about pelvic floor sexual health!!
Here are the questions we go over!
- What exactly happens during pregnancy (and during delivery) to disrupt sexual health?
- How long should I wait to have sex postpartum?
- Should sex hurt at all? What should I do if it does?
- Give me your best tips for having a pain-free experience.
- When should I seek help from a pelvic floor specialist? How do I even find one?
- What should I expect a typical visit to look like? How long does treatment typically last?
- I’m SO embarrassed (and nervous/scared), and I can’t even think about going to a pelvic floor specialist...what should I do?
- Sex has never really felt great to me, and now that I’ve had a baby it’s even worse. Is this something that pelvic floor therapy can help with?
- Any last tips you have for moms struggling with sexual health after pregnancy?
Feeling alone on your postpartum journey?
CLICK HERE to get supportive tips and advice from an L&D nurse and veteran mom sent straight to your inbox each week!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
You can learn more about Jeanice here:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfloD1PWUhP_IlWbt9ZvWA?view_as=subscriber
- Instagram: @mypelvicfloormuscles
- Website: mypelvicfloormuscles.com or myPFM.com
It's week 6 of The 12 Weeks of Birth! We're halfway through :) This week I chose to air an episode all about birth fears. I talk about pooping, contraction pain, tearing, c-sections, and more!
**CLICK HERE to read the tearing article I reference in the episode!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver. Use code MLN20 to save 20% off your enrollment until June 30th!
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's week 5 of The 12 Weeks of Birth! This week on the podcast, I'm joined by AJ, a male L&D nurse! Yeah! I thought it was so interesting to hear his perspective on being a minority in L&D! I hope you enjoy it!!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's week 4 of The 12 Weeks of Birth! This week on the podcast I have a short and fun re-air for you guys featuring my sister, Jenna!
I quizzed her on some fun pregnancy trivia - it turned out to be WAY HARDER than I thought it was going to be, I think she only got 2 right hah. So, I invite you to play along at home too to see if you can beat her!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It’s day 3 of the 12 days of birth! This week I chose to re-air a solo episode talking all about spontaneous labor versus inductions, and why spontaneous labor is typically preferred. I also touch on the timeline of medical inductions and what that entails.
You’ll learn about a few things you can do during your pregnancy to prep your body for labor, too! And then at the end of the episode I share the quick version of what I personally did with both of my boys to get myself into labor.
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's week 2 of The 12 Days of Birth! Are you wondering what to do while waiting for baby to arrive? I get it, when your due date countdown goes from weeks to days, time can start to feel extra slow. We’ve all heard the joke about the last month of pregnancy lasting 5,654,213 days, right??
Well, this week I’m re-airing an episode to share with you some ways to help pass that time and get you a little more prepared mentally, physically, and sentimentally (is that a thing?) for your baby to arrive.
Keep in mind that these are the things that aren’t absolutely essential, but are a great way to fill those waiting days!
Anxious about packing for the hospital?
Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
It's officially week 1 of The 12 Days of Birth! This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I have a really exciting birth story to share with you guys! I actually had a personal friend of mine, Tess Camp, come on the show to tell the story of her three very different deliveries, with an emphasis on her extremely precipitous labor and second birth!
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
This week I interviewed Maranda Bower, CEO and Founder of Postpartum University®. Maranda lives in her beautiful homestead in Alaska with her husband, 4 children, and many unruly chickens! She’s had 4 home births, each of which has uniquely taught her about herself, and her postpartum experiences. Maranda has such a unique, beautiful story and I can’t wait to share it with you all!
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth?
Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
About Maranda Bower: Maranda Bower is the CEO and Founder of Postpartum University®, dedicated to empowering both mothers and professionals in redefining maternal well-being. With her extensive expertise in biology, nutrition, and perinatal mental health, she stands as a pioneering figure in the field.
Maranda possesses a profound understanding of the intricate physiological processes that underpin postpartum well-being. As a prolific researcher and accomplished author, including the bestselling book "Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness," her impactful work extends globally. She’s also the founder of the Postpartum Nutrition Certification Program, the only functional nutrition certification dedicated to the unique period that is postpartum!
Learn More & Connect With Maranda Here:
www.PostpartumU.com/Podcast
Today, we talk about that golden hour after birth and what to expect in the first 48 hours of your hospital stay.
The golden hour is the uninterrupted first hour of a baby's life and is filled with such great evidence base benefits for both baby and mama, that it’s becoming standard practice in more and more hospitals around the country. We’ll discuss those benefits and after we talk about what to expect from the first 48 hours after birth, because it’s a critical time of recovery for the mom and baby.
It's important to remember that while the golden hour can be beneficial, it should only be pursued if it’s safe. Safety and stability are always the top priorities, and there should be no guilt if the golden hour cannot be achieved due to medical reasons.
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth? Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes EP114: C-Section vs. Vaginal Birth: What is the Better Option?
Welcome back to part 2 of my interview with the amazing Gail Tully! This is an episode we have aired before and are publishing again, because it is just that good of an episode.
In part 2, we are talking about inductions, and how spinning babies can help support you if you're having an induction. We also talk about VBACs, special considerations regarding VBACs and Belly Mapping.
If you haven’t heard of belly mapping before, it is a concept created by Spinning Babies to figure out where your baby is positioned in your pelvis. Super interesting! If you haven’t listened to last week's episode, you might want to hold off on this one and listen to last week's episode first, as that is the first part of this interview. Otherwise, jump right in and enjoy Part 2 of ‘How to have an easier birth’
Want to feel in control before birth? Use our FREE Birth Plan Templates to take the first step towards the birth experience you desire.
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Resources mentioned in this Episode * Spinning Babies techniques and resources
About Gail Tully Gail Tully is a Midwife, renowned author and educator and creator of the Spinning Babies® approach that has contributed to a paradigm shift in childbirth care around the world.
In her home town of Minneapolis, USA, Gail has been coordinator and consultant to multiple well known Doula Programs and is a founding mother of the Childbirth Collective, one of the largest doula organizations in the USA.
Books by Gail Tully Breech Birth Quick GuideSpinning Babies® Quick ReferenceBelly Mapping® Workbook
Videos by Gail Tully Spinning Babies® Parent ClassDaily Essentials (with Sarah Longacre of Blooma)Resolving Shoulder Dystocia
This week, I’ve got a special treat for you guys! We are traveling back in time and re-airing the most popular episode in the history of this podcast.
I'm so excited to put this out again for you guys because I’m talking to Gail Tulley (full bio below) and she is such a wealth of knowledge! She is the founder of Spinning Babies, which talks about the physiology of your baby in the womb and the importance of creating as much space in the pelvis as possible.
In this episode, we talked about ample fetal positioning and why it’s so important to consider which way the baby is facing and how flexed the head is. Gail makes all this really, really easy to understand. We also talked about exercises and movements, posterior babies, what to do when your baby is breech and so much more! Enjoy part one of this super informative episode on how to have an easier birth.
Want to birth without an epidural? Get our FREE Natural Birth Prep Pack to gain the confidence you need - because simply wanting it might not be enough!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources * Spinning Babies techniques and resources * Optimal Fetal Positioning book by Jean Sutton and Pauline Scott * Ina May Gaskin's book about orgasmic birth * Debra Pascali-Bonaro's work on orgasmic birth
About Gail Tully Gail Tully is a Midwife, renowned author and educator and creator of the Spinning Babies® approach that has contributed to a paradigm shift in childbirth care around the world.
In her home town of Minneapolis, USA, Gail has been coordinator and consultant to multiple well known Doula Programs and is a founding mother of the Childbirth Collective, one of the largest doula organizations in the USA.
Books by Gail Tully Breech Birth Quick Guide Spinning Babies® Quick Reference Belly Mapping® Workbook
Videos by Gail Tully Spinning Babies® Parent Class Daily Essentials (with Sarah Longacre of Blooma) Resolving Shoulder Dystocia
In today's episode, I will dive into the critical topic of improving maternal health outcomes for black women and the promising programs that are making a difference.
Black women often face discrimination and stress during their pregnancies, birth and postpartum, leading to the highest rates of maternal mortality and health complications in the US.
However, there is hope on the horizon and Dr. Venice Haynes and Natalie Davis are joining me today to discuss the positive changes that are happening around this topic!
Venice is the Senior Director of Research and community engagement at United States of Care and brings over 14 years of public health experience. And Natalie is the CEO and co-founder of United States of care with nearly two decades of shaping American health care policies.
I'm so thrilled to share this interview in honor of black maternal health week as a means to help raise awareness and support wider adoptions of these crucial programs and practices. And if you want to keep listening to learn more about the realities of black maternal health, I encourage you to listen to Episode 73 after this one.
Resources and Related Episodes * "Bright Spots" Report from United States of Care * Nurse Family Partnerships - Provides resources and support for first-time moms. * Black Mom of Glowing - Peer support group for maternal mental health. * Family Solutions - Provides resources and support for parents and children in rural communities in South Carolina * Maven Clinic - Provides reproductive and family healthcare for members. * Ocean Family Center - Has a program that gives free virtual psychotherapy appointments for mothers. * Shades of Blue Project - Offers a postpartum support group through journaling in Houston, Texas. * Spinning Babies - Provide resources on a physiological approach to preparing for and caring for birth. * EP73: The Realities of Black Maternal Health
In this week's episode, I’m talking to Katie who shares her powerful twin birth story with a surprise gender reveal in the end!
She struggled to find relatable experiences during her own pregnancy, so she decided to share her birth story with us today! Katie talks about her surprising discovery that she was carrying identical twins, the medical complications she faced and a long labor that ended in a vaginal twin delivery. Katie even shares postpartum challenges and hopes her story helps other twin moms feel less alone. Tune in for this intimate look into one mother's twin birth journey.
Want to feel confident before your epidural birth? Get the FREE Epidural Birth Prep Pack to gain a sense of control before the big day!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Today we're talking all about SEX during pregnancy. It's one of those things that feels a little taboo to talk about, but it shouldn’t be!
The benefits of having sex during pregnancy are huge (which we’ll talk about in the episode!) and doctors all over the world are recommending pregnant women to continue their usual sexual activities.
But there is a lot of confusing and contradicting information out there – so I took the top pregnancy sex questions asked among pregnant mamas and compiled them here for you today!
After this episode, I recommend listening to my interview with The Down There Doctors in Episode 211 - we did a pelvic floor deep dive that totally complements everything you're going to learn in this episode!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there? CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
EP211: A Pelvic Floor Deep Dive with the Down There Doctors
Today we're talking about a topic every expecting mom needs to know about - Prenatal Appointments! I'm so excited, because I am going to give you 10 helpful ways to rock these visits. Of course we are going to cover all the basics to give you a good baseline and answer all the most common questions about this topic. Plus I’ll be sharing some really helpful tips to make the best of your prenatal appointments!
Prenatal care feeling tricky to navigate? My FREE 45 Minute Workshop will teach you what to expect, educate you about important tests and procedures, and ensure you’re making the most of your prenatal care!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Today, we'll be diving into a topic that's near and dear to every mom's heart: the often overwhelming expectations of motherhood and the importance of reclaiming joy and fulfillment amidst the chaos.
Joining us is Erica Djossa, a maternal mental health specialist and the founder of the Momwell community. Throughout our conversation, we'll explore Erica's journey into the maternal mental health space, the inspiration behind her book, and some key takeaways that moms everywhere can implement in their own lives.
To hear more from Erica, I encourage you to listen to my two other interviews with her! She came on the show in Episode 79 to talk about the invisible load of motherhood, and in Episode 187 we unpacked postpartum psychosis.
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth?
Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- EP79: The Invisible Load of Motherhood
- EP187: Understanding Postpartum Psychosis with Erica Djossa
- Momwell Workshops & Courses
- Momwell Community
- Erica Djossa’s New Book: "Releasing the Mother Load"
Did you know that over 80% of pregnant women across the US hope to give birth without an epidural?? Can you take a guess on how many women end up getting an epidural - 71%! So what's with this big discrepancy?!
The truth is, many women go into their labor and delivery experience completely unprepared for what an unmedicated birth involves. So today, let's talk about tips and strategies for the mamas that do want to try to birth without an epidural. Because I believe in you and know you can do it!
And even if you are 100% set on getting an epidural, this is a good listen because you just never know how it's going to go down on the big day!
Want to birth without an epidural?
Get our FREE Natural Birth Prep Pack to gain the confidence you need - because simply wanting it might not be enough!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources * EP126: Natural Labor Birth Story After a Traumatic Birth * EP135: A Positive Natural Birth Story * The Leapfrog Group * Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
In this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we are talking about some of the weirder postpartum symptoms you might experience!
I'm sure there are some aspects of postpartum recovery that you're ready for - the bleeding, the exhaustion, the soreness. But did you know about the night sweats that may leave you soaking wet? Or the postpartum chills that will have you wearing a hoodie in the dead of summer?
If not, tune in as I review a thorough list of postpartum symptoms to be on the lookout for! I'm confident after listening, you'll feel at least a little more prepared for postpartum life!
Limited Time Offer!
Grab our brand new (and FREE!) Pregnancy Planner and eliminate that pregnancy and postpartum overwhelm today!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes * EP74: Seriously Why is Postpartum so Hard? * EP113: Postpartum Nutrition and Wellness
In today's episode, we dive into Fallon's incredible journey through pregnancy, birth, and caring for her premature baby. From the minute she found out she was pregnant, to weeks after he was born - Fallon's story has a ton of ups and downs! Her story is one of resilience, intuition, and the power of advocating for yourself in the face of medical challenges. So join me for this rollercoaster of a birth story, and hear about the valuable lessons she learned along the way!
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Pregnancy is often a time centered around the birthing mama. Right from the beginning, you and baby start to bond as he/she grows inside you. But, are you wondering how to get your partner excited about pregnancy too?
On today's episode, we're talking about partners and how to help them get excited about pregnancy right from the start!
We'll talk about bonding ideas between partner and your growing bump, big events your partner can play a role in, and inspire some ‘expecting dates’ you can do in every trimester.
With these ideas, your partner will be just as excited about pregnancy as you are!
Grab our FREE Partner Support Guide!
To prepare your partner to support you in pregnancy, birth, and beyond! You can grab it right here!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP70: Why Do We Fight With Our Partners After Having Babies?
- EP136: Preparing Your Relationship for Baby with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish
In today’s episode we're diving into a topic that sometimes hides in the shadows — anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum.
Anxiety isn't just confined to the postpartum period; it can weave its way into the fabric of pregnancy too. So in this episode we unravel the layers of anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum, explore natural remedies to ease the journey, and talk about when medication is the right move.
If you or a loved one is suffering from ANY perinatal mood disorder, know that there is help out there. Call your provider right away and let them know that something isn't right.
For more acute situations, call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources and Episodes
- EP142: Mental Health in Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Motherhood with Dr. Ashurina Ream
- EP157: Discussing Perinatal Mental Health with Perinatal Psychiatrist, Nichelle Haynes
- EP187: Understanding Postpartum Psychosis with Erica Djossa
- Find a perinatal therapist
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline number: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)
Welcome back to another episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast! Today, we're diving deep into the world of baby movement during pregnancy with special guest, Kimberly Isburg from one of my favorite organizations, Count the Kicks!
Kimberly is a passionate advocate for maternal health causes and is honored to work for an organization that is dedicated to improving birth outcomes and saving the lives of moms and babies.
Inside the interview, I will be exploring crucial aspects of kick counting during pregnancy with Kimberly. She will share her insights on the importance of kick counting, dispel myths surrounding fetal movement, provide valuable tips for expectant mothers, and more!
Want to eliminate stress before birth?
Get your FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack to know everything is done and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episode and Resources
- EP127: Stillbirth Prevention Tips
- Count the Kicks Website
- Count the Kicks FREE App
- Count the Kicks Instagram
About Kimberly Isburg
Kimberly Isburg is the Communications Manager for Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that created the Count the Kicks stillbirth prevention program. Kimberly used Count the Kicks to get to know her babies’ normal movement patterns during both of her pregnancies and is proud to be the mom of two healthy boys.
She is a passionate advocate for maternal health causes and is honored to work for an organization that is dedicated to improving birth outcomes and saving the lives of moms and babies.
This week, let's talk about a situation I hope you never need but should definitely know - how to deliver a baby at home. Better to be prepared, right?!
Listen in as I explore the 10 steps to delivering a baby. From recognizing when it's time to head to the hospital to handling emergency situations, I've got you covered.
This practical guide is designed to empower you with the knowledge you might need in unforeseen circumstances - because, let's face it, life is unpredictable!!
Want to feel more in control of your birth experience?
No matter how you plan to deliver, the FREE Birth Prep Guide is here to help you prepare.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episode
- EP96: Tess's Very Precipitous Birth Story!
Today we're delving into the nitty-gritty of postpartum life - from managing those initial cramps while breastfeeding to understanding the ebb and flow of post-birth bleeding.
We'll also explore C-section recovery, red flags to watch for during those first 6 weeks, and I'll demystify the phenomenon of postpartum night sweats.
This is a great one to listen to whether you are still pregnant or already cuddling your sweet baby!
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth?
Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP81: I Wish I Knew This Before Having My C-Section
- EP167: Preparing for Postpartum: What You Can Do Before Giving Birth
On this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, Mae Yoshikawa joined me all the way from Japan to share her 2 epidural-free birth stories. Her first was born in a birth center in South Japan, and was rather traumatic. Mae dealt with a long, intense labor with a significant amount of pain throughout. Eight years later, she used the wisdom that she's learned from years of intense practice as a yoga and meditation teacher and applied it to her birth. She was able to have an all natural and almost pain free water birth at her home with her husband and midwife by her side. Mae’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact that your mindset can have on your birth experience. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it!
Anxious about packing for the hospital?
Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
About Mae Yoshikawa
Mae is an author, yoga & meditation practitioner, teacher, and mother. In 2006, she became the first Japanese woman to be authorized by the founding school of Ashtanga Yoga in India. Since then, Mae has been a trailblazing force in the wellness field throughout the Asia-Pacific region as Japanese Yogini magazine featured her on 42 consecutive covers.
As the face of Adidas yoga, Mae was awarded the “Yoga People’s Award” in 2016 for her remarkable social impact in the wellness field. Her upcoming book, Kizuki: Life’s Tidal Waves + Epiphanies = Love Beyond Time and Death is a heart-wrenching and heart-arousing memoir that chronicles her experience of finding herself again through grief after the sudden loss of her husband in 2018.
Learn more about Mae and her upcoming book Kizuki at her Flagship Website or on Instagram.
Today we're diving into a topic that's close to the hearts (and stomachs!) of many expecting moms - nausea and vomiting!
I do want to give a little trigger warning that if your nausea is triggered by the discussion of this topic, you may want to skip this episode. I know how sensitive some can be with this stuff!!
I'll start out by exploring some dietary tips to tackle pregnancy nausea head-on. Then, I'll shift the focus to vomiting during labor. It’s definitely not everyone's favorite topic, but it's a reality for many moms-to-be!
Want to feel in control before birth?
Use our FREE Birth Plan Templates to take the first step towards the birth experience you desire.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
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Visit ritual.com/mommylabornurse and 40% off your first month of Ritual will be applied at checkout!
Happy New Year, and welcome back to The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast! We've got a jam-packed line up for 2024, and I can't wait to continue to educate you about all things pregnancy, birth, and baby!
Are you wondering how to get admitted to labor and delivery? You’re certainly not alone!
The funny thing about labor is that most pregnant women (especially first-time mamas!) frequently ask themselves the question, “Am I in labor?” when they aren’t really in labor. But once you are actually in labor, there is literally zero doubt – 9 times out of 10 you will know!
Inside this episode I go over specific labor admission criteria, things that might keep you from being admitted, what happens once you are admitted to labor and delivery, and explore other reasons you might be admitted to the hospital during pregnancy.
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources and Episodes
- EP103: 10 Things You Can Do To Prep For Labor
- The Miles Circuit: My Success with These Stretches to Induce Labor
Today we're diving into a topic that often remains in the shadows despite its profound impact on women's health – the pelvic floor!
Pelvic floor health isn't just a topic for medical professionals; it's something that affects millions of women, and yet, it's often met with silence or uncertainty. That's why we're thrilled to have the "Down There Doctors" here with us today.
Dr. Karyn Eilber and Dr. Victoria Scott are passionate urogynecologists, who have made it their mission to shine a spotlight on pelvic floor health and break the stigma surrounding it.
They're also the co-authors of the candidly titled book, A Woman's Guide to Her Pelvic Floor. What The F@# is Going On Down There*.
In this episode, we'll discuss common challenges women face during and after pregnancy, and uncover practical solutions to empower women with knowledge about their bodies.
Throughout our conversation, we'll learn about the importance of pelvic floor health, break down myths and misconceptions, and uncover how their book aims to empower women with the knowledge they need to navigate this often-overlooked aspect of their well-being.
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources
- A Woman's Guide to Her Pelvic Floor. What The F*@# is Going On Down There.
- Down There Doctors
- Instagram: Down There Doctors
- Instagram: Dr. Victoria Scott
- Instagram: Dr. Karyn Eilber
About Dr. Karyn Eilber
Karyn is a Professor of Urology and Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Program Director for the Cedars-Sinai Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS) fellowship training program. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Eilber practiced at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
She completed medical school, urology residency and a fellowship in female pelvic medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Eilber’ s research focus has been in the areas of urogynecology and female sexual dysfunction, and she has published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters. She has lectured nationally and internationally and instructs other physicians across the country on how to perform certain FPMRS surgical procedures. She is the co-founder of Glissant Intimate Care and a founding medical partner of Doctorpedia.
About Dr. Victoria Scott
Victoria has a long-standing interest in quality-of-care research in female pelvic medicine that began during her medical school training at UCLA. She completed her urology residency and a fellowship in FPMRS at UCLA.
While a resident and fellow at UCLA, her research was focused on developing quality-of-care indicators for women with urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse and improving the quality of care delivered to women with recurrent urinary tract infections. Currently, her efforts are aimed at better educating primary care providers in the treatment of female pelvic floor disorders to further improve the care of women with these conditions.
She has published multiple peer-reviewed manuscripts and presented her research at numerous national conferences. Before joining her current practice with Optum, she was Director of Education for the Cedars-Sinai FPRMS fellowship training program and on the faculty of the Cedars-Sinai Urology Residency training program.
On this week's episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I took a call about epidurals from our listener line. This mama shared the challenges she faced with an epidural during her first birth and she's got some pressing questions about what to expect with her second labor and delivery. Today, we'll chat about it and explore the possibility of that same reaction happening again in a future birth, the alternatives to pain medication, and whether either might lead to increased C-section rates.
Our aim, as always, is to provide you with evidence-based, thorough information to help you make the best decisions for your birth journey!
Want to feel confident before your epidural birth?
Get the FREE Epidural Birth Prep Pack to gain a sense of control before the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Sponsor
Ritual
I know first hand the importance of nourishing your body, especially during pregnancy. That’s why I want to share Ritual and their ‘Essential for Women’ Prenatal Multivitamin with you. This is the prenatal I took during my pregnancy after researching a ton of different options. Ritual is all about transparency. They make sure that 100% of their ingredients are made traceable, so you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Ritual offers a subscription based service with free shipping, control over your delivery date and savings when you bundle. And they are so confident in their products that they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. The essential for women prenatal is a prenatal multivitamin that’s packed with clinically studied nutrients that are essential for both you and your baby! Visit ritual.com/mommylabornurse and 40% off your first month of Ritual will be applied at checkout!
Inductions are a hot topic in the labor and delivery world! There is a lot of information floating around (both positive and negative), and it seems like every person has their own, differing opinion.
And I would venture to say that a lot of people get a sour taste in their mouth when they hear the word induction. But I am here to tell you that it’s possible to have a positive and uncomplicated birth experience with an induction. Trust me mama, I see it happen all the time!
In this episode, I will spend some time exploring the ARRIVE Trial with you and will also cover the pros and cons of induction vs. spontaneous labor.
Want to feel more in control of your birth experience?
No matter how you plan to deliver, the FREE Birth Prep Guide is here to help you prepare.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources
- ACOG: Induction of Labor at 39 Weeks
I am so excited for this week's episode because I have a longtime friend coming on to the podcast to talk about her birth experiences, as well as share her expertise on how to approach tough decisions in pregnancy (and life!).
Natalie Bacon is a certified mindfulness life coach, and helps moms do inner work to overcome daily challenges and live a more purpose driven life.
Natalie was on the podcast about 2 years ago to talk about mindset tips for pregnancy and birth. It's actually one of the most popular episodes on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast - definitely check it out if you haven't done so already!
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episode
- EP106: Mindset Tips for Pregnancy and Birth with Natalie Bacon
About Natalie Bacon
Natalie Bacon is a wife, boy mom, and professionally certified life coach for moms. Natalie is the host of a five-star rated podcast, Design Your Dream Life, and is on a mission to help over 10,000 moms overcome challenges and live better lives. When she's not coaching, Natalie can be found in the Western Suburbs of Chicago with her husband, sons, and two dogs enjoying family life. * IG: @NatalieBaconCoaching * Website: NatalieBacon.com * Free PDF: Mama Mindset Mantras
Welcome back to another episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, your go-to destination for all things pregnancy and birth!
Today we're diving into a magical moment in every pregnancy journey - those first baby movements!
In this episode, I’ll unpack quickening in pregnancy and provide you with the information you need to know including a fun segment where veteran moms describe what those first movements felt like. I promise you don't want to miss it!
After finishing this episode, you’ll know exactly what to look for when it comes to those first baby movements. So let’s get into it!
Pregnancy to-dos piling up already?
Get your FREE Second Trimester Prep Pack to create your registry with ease and know you’re staying on track!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources
- PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy
- Count the Kicks App
Many expectant mothers experience heartburn during pregnancy - a fiery sensation in your chest that is simply no fun!
Today we will explore what heartburn is, why it is so common during pregnancy, and most importantly, we’ll go through 14 effective home remedies to help you feel a bit better!!
Feeling overwhelmed in the first trimester?
Get support in the early weeks with our FREE 1st Trimester Prep Pack and gain a sense of control!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes
- EP5: Everything from Red Raspberry Tea, Turning a Breech Baby, Round Ligament Pain & More!
- EP195: Itching During Pregnancy: What's Normal and What's Not!
Sponsor
Ritual
I know first hand the importance of nourishing your body, especially during pregnancy. That’s why I want to share Ritual and their ‘Essential for Women’ Prenatal Multivitamin with you. This is the prenatal I took during my pregnancy after researching a ton of different options. Ritual is all about transparency. They make sure that 100% of their ingredients are made traceable, so you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Ritual offers a subscription based service with free shipping, control over your delivery date, and savings when you bundle. And they are so confident in their products that they offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee.
Visit ritual.com/mommylabornurse and 40% off your first month of Ritual will be applied at checkout!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I'm honored to have a distinguished guest, Dr. Wanda Barfield, joining us in support of the CDC's Hear Her Campaign. This initiative aims to raise awareness about maternal health issues and promote respectful maternity care.
The CDC has recently released its 2023 Vital Signs Report, shedding light on crucial statistics and findings related to maternal care in the United States.
During our time with Dr. Barfield, we'll explore the report's insights, discuss the importance of addressing mistreatment during pregnancy and delivery, and learn how the Hear Her campaign is working to improve communication between healthcare providers and pregnant and postpartum patients.
Want to feel more in control of your birth experience?
No matter how you plan to deliver, the FREE Birth Prep Guide is here to help you prepare.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
About Dr. Wanda Barfield
Wanda Barfield, MD, MPH, FAAP, is the Director of the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She also serves as Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service.
She received her medical and public health degrees from Harvard University and completed a pediatrics residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Harvard’s Joint Program in Neonatology (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, and Children’s Hospital, Boston). Before joining CDC in 2000, she was Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.
She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She is a Fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and is the CDC liaison to the AAP Section on Perinatal Pediatrics (SoPPe) and Committee on Fetus and Newborn (COFN). She continues to do clinical work in neonatology, providing care to critically ill newborns in Atlanta, Georgia.
Hi MLN Podcast fam! I am so glad you are here for part 2 of our new series - Baby Registry 101! If you haven't listened to part 1 (episode 198) be sure to check that out to learn where to start with your registry. But today, let's move our focus to nursery essentials!
Designing and decorating your baby's nursery is one of the most exciting tasks of pregnancy! But let's be honest - it can also be kind of overwhelming too! So today, I'll guide you through the must-have items you need to create a cozy and safe sleep environment for your baby.
From cribs and mattresses, to bedding and sound machines, we're going to talk through it all - with a healthy dose of pros and cons thrown in!
Want even more baby registry support?! Grab my FREE Baby Registry Guide - 150+ pages of pros and cons, considerations, and shoppable links for every price point!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- Episode 136: Preparing Your Relationship for Baby with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish
- Episode 198: Baby Registry 101: Where to Start
- Newton Crib Mattress - Use code LIESEL for $50 off
- Snoo Bassinet
Sponsor
Ritual
I know first hand the importance of nourishing your body, especially during pregnancy. That’s why I want to share Ritual and their ‘Essential for Women’ Prenatal Multivitamin with you. This is the prenatal I took during my pregnancy after researching a ton of different options. Ritual is all about transparency. They make sure that 100% of their ingredients are made traceable, so you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Ritual offers a subscription based service with free shipping, control over your delivery date, and savings when you bundle. And they are so confident in their products that they offer a 30-day, money-back guarantee.
Visit ritual.com/mommylabornurse and 40% off your first month of Ritual will be applied at checkout!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm here to answer a question that I get asked ALL the time in my DMs...what gifts or gift basket items should I get for my labor and delivery team??
While nurse gift baskets are very much appreciated, they absolutely aren’t expected and certainly don’t have any impact on the care you receive during your birth.
But since I do get asked about this topic a lot, I wanted to take a moment to share some potential nurse gift basket ideas with you today!
Anxious about packing for the hospital?
Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP165: What (and What Not!) to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for Birth and a Bit About Eating During Labor
On this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, Laura Rush joins me to share the story of the birth of her son, Tate!
Laura thoroughly enjoyed listening to birth stories throughout her pregnancy, but she often found most birth stories to be "crazy" or with something really unusual happening.
Her own birth was relatively "normal" with no major complications, and she felt compelled to share her story hoping that other mamas would find it encouraging and relatable.
Want to feel confident before your epidural birth? Get the FREE Epidural Birth Prep Pack to gain a sense of control before the big day!
Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes * EP84: Kim Perry's Three Very Different Births * EP135: A Positive Natural Birth Story * EP184: Andrea's Inspiring Natural Birth Story
You spoke (literally!), and we listened! In this episode, I'm diving into two more questions from our podcast listener line.
Today we'll be talking in depth about breech positioning and what that means for birth, the recurrence rate of breech pregnancies, how to VBAC after a breech Cesarean, and more.
Then we'll be unpacking pregnancy anxiety and fear related to birth too! This is actually a topic I'm really passionate about, and one of the main reasons I started Mommy Labor Nurse (and this podcast!) to begin with!!
If you have a burning question about pregnancy, birth, or postpartum that you'd like me to answer on the show, all you have to do is call 919-213-8719 and leave a voicemail!
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- Episode 168: Ask Me Anything
- Episode 174: Ask Me Anything: Talking Placentas, Epidurals, and Second Pregnancies
- Episode 191: Me Anything: Placenta Previas to Postpartum Recovery
Happy 200 MLN Podcast fam!!
To celebrate, I'm giving away five $50 Amazon gift cards!
All you have to do is leave a written review of the podcast, take a screenshot of your review, and send it to podcast@mommylabornurse.com - that's it!! Entry closes on October 8th, 2023.
In this episode, I thought it would be fun to take a little walk down memory lane and give you some behind the scenes insight into the podcast! My sister Jenna is joining me and we're going to talk all about some of my most memorable episodes!
Whenever you joined the MLN podcast community, I want you to know how grateful I am that you're here! I love getting to connect in this way every week, and this show would never be possible if it weren't for all of you.
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Episodes Mentioned
Favorite expert interviews:
- Episode 17: How to Have An Easier Labor! – Interview with Gail Tully from Spinning Babies®
- Episode 38: Gail Tully from Spinning Babies Talks Inductions, VBACs, Belly Mapping, & More!
Favorite birth stories:
- Episode 37: Camila’s Story – The Fight To Flourish
- Episode 196: Christa's Empowering Birth Story
Funniest:
- Episode 140: Liesel and Jenna’s Live Reactions to Birth Scenes in the Media
Most proud of:
- Episode 54: A Fellow Labor Nurse’s Birth Story! (Part 1)
- Episode 55: A Fellow Labor Nurse’s Birth Story! (Part 2)
A must listen:
- EP106: Mindset Tips for Pregnancy and Birth with Natalie Bacon
The week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we have a very special guest – the incredible Dr. Rebecca Dekker from Evidence Based Birth®!
Rebecca is a renowned expert in the field of evidence-based maternity care, with a PhD in nursing. She's dedicated her life to being a full-time entrepreneur and patient advocate for evidence-based care.
In this episode, we'll be exploring the topic of natural labor induction and examining the evidence behind various methods. We'll be distinguishing between techniques that might "throw you into labor" and those that gently encourage spontaneous labor over time. And of course we'll talk about pros, cons, safety and more!
Want to feel more in control of your birth experience?
No matter how you plan to deliver, the FREE Birth Prep Guide is here to help you prepare.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- EP77: Why It’s Important to Prep Your Body for Labor
- The Miles Circuit by Sharon Muza
About Dr. Rebecca Dekker
Rebecca Dekker, a nurse with her PhD, is the founder and CEO of Evidence Based Birth® and the author of “Babies Are Not Pizzas: They’re Born, Not Delivered!” Previously, Dr. Dekker was an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Kentucky. In 2016, she shifted gears to focus full time on the mission of Evidence Based Birth.®
Dr. Dekker and Team EBB are committed to creating a world in which all families have access to safe, respectful, evidence based, and empowering care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They do this by boldly making the research evidence on childbirth freely and publicly accessible. Dr. Dekker is also host of the Evidence Based Birth® podcast, with more than 4.5 million downloads!
You can learn more about Rebecca and Evidence Based Birth® below.
- Evidence Based Birth® website
- Evidence Based Birth® Instagram
- Evidence Based Birth® podcast
Today on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I am kicking off our new series - Baby Registry 101! My hope is that with my help, you'll be able to check this item off your pregnancy to-do list while having a lot of fun along the way!
In this episode, I focus on the first steps to create your registry. I'll talk through when you should get your registry started and things to consider when choosing where to register at.
If you're past the point of starting your baby registry and are looking for something else to listen to today, check out Episode 167: Preparing for Postpartum: What You Can Do Before Giving Birth. It's a must-listen for every mama!!
And if you're already in the newborn days, Episode 169: 10 Surprisingly Common Newborn Behaviors with Dr. Mona Amin is definitely worth a listen!
Want even more baby registry support?
Grab my FREE Baby Registry Guide - 150+ pages of pros & cons, considerations, and shoppable links for every price point!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources and Episodes
- Amazon Registry
- Babylist Registry
A question I get asked during almost every shift at the hospital is for a list of pharmaceutical pain medications other than epidurals.
And while epidurals are kind of the gold standard when it comes to contraction pain - there actually are some other choices!
So, today on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm going to dive into pain meds other than epidurals, with a special focus on IV narcotics and nitrous oxide for labor.
I'll be touching on some non-medical pain management options and ideas too.
Want to feel more in control of your birth experience?
No matter how you plan to deliver, the FREE Birth Prep Guide is here to help you prepare.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP171: Epidurals 101: Get Informed About Epidurals for Birth
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I have a very special birth story from my good friend Christa Innis, host of the Mom Talks with Christa Podcast
She is one of my oldest Mommy Labor Nurse friends and she just had her first baby about four months ago. When she reached out to share her story it was an easy yes!
I'm so excited to have her share her very positive and amazing birth story with you in today's episode.
Don't forget to grab our FREE Birth Prep Guide!
40+ pages of exclusive birth prep content to get confident and prepated! CLICK HERE to grab it!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP184: Andrea's Inspiring Natural Birth Story
- EP190: Different Types of Twins: Molli's MoMo Twin Birth Story
About Christa Innis
Christa Innis is a dedicated Senior Social Media and Content Manager at Mommy Knows Best and LaVie Mom, deeply committed to empowering mothers on their breastfeeding and postpartum journey. Based in Wisconsin with her husband, she combines her expertise in content creation with her role as a new mom to a 5-month-old, fostering support and positive change within the parenting community.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re going to address itching during pregnancy and cover what’s normal and what’s not!
The thing about itching in pregnancy is that it might be nothing, but it might actually be a sign of something more serious – which is why I wanted to do an episode about this!
During pregnancy, your body goes through so many changes. The changes can be physical, emotional, psychological, or a combination of all three! It can be really hard, especially if it’s your first pregnancy, to know whether or not something is normal and when you need to notify your provider.
You are probably familiar with the big red flags: vaginal bleeding, severe pain, and decreased fetal movement, but itching isn’t one of those things that we typically think of as being concerning during pregnancy. And it actually can be!
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP107: Let's Chat Third Trimester FAQs
Resources from this Episode
- Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we have a Q&A style episode that's ALL about the third trimester, based on questions you asked over on my Instagram stories.
The third trimester is definitely a transformative time, but it also brings its fair share of uncertainties, questions, and discomforts. From bracing for labor and delivery to nesting instincts and everything in between, we've got you covered!
We handpicked a selection of your most commonly asked questions to create an episode that's bursting with helpful information and practical advice. We're here to support you through these final weeks of pregnancy and ensure you're feeling confident and prepared for the journey ahead.
Whether you're a first-time mom or a seasoned pro, we know that every pregnancy is unique. And that's why this episode is tailored to address a variety of questions and concerns that pregnant mamas like you are facing right now.
Want to eliminate stress before birth?
Get your FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack to know everything is done and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP107: Let's Chat Third Trimester FAQs
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
We're honored to have Dr. Robyn Thompson joining us, an experienced midwife, Maternal Child & Family Health Nurse, Breastfeeding Specialist, and founder of The Thompson Method (TTM) Breastfeeding Program.
During her 45 years as a hospital and home birth midwife, she observed that many women were being discharged from the hospital with painful breastfeeding complications, while those who gave birth at home were breastfeeding successfully. Passionately inquisitive by nature, she made it her mission to discover what was causing this disparity.
Seven years and a PhD later, her research clearly showed that the practice of rushing women through the system and forcing babies to the breast, increased the risk of painful nipple trauma. This ground-breaking knowledge formed the foundation for The Thompson Method Breastfeeding program and the Thompson Method Breastfeeding Academy.
I'm so excited to share Dr. Robyn's valuable perspective and insights with you today - particularly if you are an expecting mama that's hoping to breastfeed.
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth?
Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episode and resources
- EP145: Preparing to Breastfeed with IBCLC, Erica Campbell
- The Thompson Method Program for Pregnant Women
- The Thompson Method Program for Breastfeeding Women
- The Thompson Method Breastfeeding Academy
- YouTube: @TheThompsonMethod
Sponsors
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
About Dr. Robyn Thompson
Dr. Robyn Thompson is an experienced Midwife, Maternal Child & Family Health Nurse (MCaFHNA), Breastfeeding Specialist, and founder of The Thompson Method (TTM) Breastfeeding Program. Most recently, she was awarded an honorary appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor with the College of Nursing and Midwifery at Charles Darwin University, NT.
Dr. Robyn has helped thousands of mothers breastfeed pain-free, but her ultimate ambition is to double breastfeeding rates worldwide. And as her 80th birthday approaches, it doesn’t look like Dr. Robyn will be slowing down any time soon!
I could probably come up with a list of 100 or more, but today I’m going to focus on 20 pregnancy milestones that you definitely don’t want to miss.
Pregnancy is a time that’s typically filled with lots of emotions. But there’s no doubt that whether it’s your first or your 8th, there is a lot that goes on in the nine (give or take) months of growing your baby.
Pregnancy to-dos piling up already?
Get your FREE Second Trimester Prep Pack to create your registry with ease and know you’re staying on track!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes and resources
- The Very Best Ways to Do a Pregnancy Announcement to Family
- Hospital Bag Checklist
- EP103: 10 Things You Can Do to Prep for Labor
Sponsor
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
In this week's episode, I am going to answer two questions submitted by mamas to the MLN listener line!!
The first question is from Sarah, who is currently pregnant and looking for more information about placenta previa! I love this question because it is actually pretty common to get told you have a previa at your anatomy scan - but there is still a LOT of time for it to move. Listen in as I answer her question and educate about previas in general!
The second question will have us shifting to postpartum to talk about what's normal and what's not when it comes to rib pain after birth.
And if YOU want to submit a question to be answered on an upcoming show, simply call 919-213-8719 and leave a voicemail!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- EP137: Ask Me Anything About Labor and Delivery
- Placenta previa balloon demo
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we’re talking about a twin birth story. But it’s not just any old twin birth story - it’s about MoMo twins!
MoMo twins are the rarest type of twins out there - occurring in less than 1% of twins, and .1% of all pregnancies.
Most people don't realize that when it comes to twins, it's not just fraternal versus identical. There are actually quite a few types!
Molli joins me on the podcast to share her story of pregnancy and birth with MoMo twins. Molli did a fabulous job of telling her story and shedding light on the medical, emotional, and physical aspects of a MoMo twin pregnancy and birth.
Want to feel in control before birth?
Use our FREE Birth Plan Templates to take the first step towards the birth experience you desire.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Sponsor
Simply Magnetic Me
Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep!
You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits.
Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we're going to tackle a topic that many of you may relate to: keeping your pregnancy a secret during those early stages.
I remember this all too well with BOTH of my pregnancies...cue the image of me stealthily filling an empty beer bottle with water – gotta love those clever hacks!
It's incredibly common for women to want to keep their pregnancy under wraps until the end of the first trimester when the risk of miscarriage tends to decrease.
But let's face it, hiding your pregnancy while dealing with all those less-than-pleasant first-trimester symptoms can be quite the challenge! In today's episode, I've got some great tips to help you out!
Feeling overwhelmed in the first trimester?
Get support in the early weeks with our FREE 1st Trimester Prep Pack and gain a sense of control!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP179: All Your First Trimester Questions Answered
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we're talking all about newborn reflexes! Did you know that when your sweet baby is born they come into this world with 6 distinct reflexes?
Yep, it’s true. And if you’ve got a newborn at home, you’ve probably already witnessed them without even knowing it! Have you ever tickled the sole of your newborn’s foot and watched their toes curl? Or maybe you brushed their cheek with your finger, and they instantly opened up their mouth.
Sure, these little actions are pretty adorable to watch, but did you know that there’s actually a purpose for them? Today we’re going to learn all about this fascinating topic.
Anxious about packing for the hospital?
Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP169: 10 Surprisingly Common Newborn Behaviors with Dr. Mona Amin
Sponsor
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
Simply Magnetic Me
Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep!
You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits.
Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order.
In this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, we'll be taking a deep dive into a topic that has sadly been coming up more and more in national news and deserves our attention: Postpartum Psychosis. These news stories have shed light on the impact of postpartum psychosis and brought this issue to the forefront of our minds, highlighting the importance of awareness and understanding.
We'll be joined by my friend Erica Djossa, a maternal mental health expert and past guest, who will provide valuable insights, education, awareness, and support on this difficult topic.
In today's discussion, we aim to strike a balance between raising awareness and providing reassurance. We want to ensure that our listeners are well-informed about postpartum psychosis, its red flags, and preventive measures. However, we also want to avoid fear-mongering; postpartum psychosis is a relatively rare condition!
After this episode, you can keep learning about maternal mental health in EP142: Mental Health in Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Motherhood with Dr. Ashurina Ream and in EP157: Discussing Perinatal Mental Health with Perinatal Psychiatrist, Nichelle Haynes.
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth?
Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Resources from this episode
Momwell.com: A Sleep Plan For Mom
Momwell.com: Free resources
Momwell: Virtual therapy support
Erica Djossa - Momwell Founder
Related Episodes
EP142: Mental Health in Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Motherhood with Dr. Ashurina Ream
EP157: Discussing Perinatal Mental Health with Perinatal Psychiatrist, Nichelle Haynes
SPONSORS
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
On this week's episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, we'll be discussing second-trimester topics in an "ask me anything" style episode.
I love doing these for you all, and it seems that you enjoy them too! We'll cover subjects such as peeing while sneezing, kick counts, the glucose tolerance test, birth classes, placenta previa, and more!
All the questions on today's show were submitted via Instagram stories, and I've selected a few that I want to answer in more detail than I can provide on Instagram.
Pregnancy to-dos piling up already?
Get your FREE Second Trimester Prep Pack to create your registry with ease and know you’re staying on track!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- Episode 168: Ask Me Anything
- Dr. Sara Reardon: Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
- Jeanice Mitchell: Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
- Pushpregnancy.org
Sponsor
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
In this episode, I’m going to talk about how to prepare for your labor induction by going through the do's and don'ts before your big day. Some are more obvious than others, but I'm going to be as thorough as possible.
I also want you to know that this list is intended for low-risk moms with uncomplicated pregnancies and scheduled inductions. It’s a bit different if you have a high-risk pregnancy with complications like preeclampsia or being preterm.
Want to eliminate stress before birth?
Get your FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack to know everything is done and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- Episode 72: Help! What is an induction?
- Episode 117: Black Maternal Morbidity + Advocacy in Pregnancy and Birth
- MLN Birth Plan Templates
- Hospital Bag Checklist
Sponsors
Aeroflow
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
Simply Magnetic Me
Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep!
You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits.
Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I have Andrea with me today and she will be sharing her birth story. she will go into details about her really incredible natural birth.
This is the episode that you want to listen to right before you give birth. I'm just envisioning myself, full term pregnant and wanting to be done with it. And also wanting to give birth without an epidural. In that situation, listening to a really positive natural birth story would just really, really brighten my day. That's what I think of when I think of this episode. I'm not gonna give you any detail other than that this was just a really amazing natural birth story. So if you're interested in natural birth, stay tuned!
Want to birth without an epidural?
Get the FREE Natural Birth Prep Pack for the confidence you need, because simply wanting it might not be enough!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- Episode 172: How One Mama's Birth Started with the Midwives' Brew
- Episode 178: Marissa's Positive Planned Induction story
Sponsor
Simply Magnetic Me
Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep!
You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits.
Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I'm excited to be answering some questions submitted by listeners from the podcast hotline!
First, we have a mom-to-be who is hoping for a VBAC. She explains that she's already feeling some discomfort around her C-section scar. She is wondering if this could indicate an increased risk for uterine rupture and if pursuing a VBAC is a safe option for her.
Next, we have Taylor, a second-time mom who is curious if her second labor will be similar to her first, which involved very frequent contractions that lead to an epidural she was hoping to avoid.
If you want to submit your question to be featured on the show, all you have to do is call the hotline and leave a voice message! The number is 919-213-8719.
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP168: Ask Me Anything
Today, we dive into one of the most common questions that I get asked about epidurals: How do you push a baby out with an epidural?
This is a question that can cause a lot of anxiety for expectant mothers. So, I'm going to share all the juicy details on epidural pushing positions, tips, and tricks to make pushing a breeze.
I'll also talk about what to expect during labor and how to work with your body to help you deliver your beautiful baby.
Want to feel confident before your epidural birth?
Get the FREE Epidural Birth Prep Pack to gain a sense of control before the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP171: Epidurals 101: Get Informed About Epidurals for Birth
Sponsors
Aeroflow Breastpumps
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
Simply Magnetic Me
Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get your baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep!
You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits.
Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm interviewing Daphne Delvaux who is also known as the Mamattorney!! Daphne is a practicing attorney with her own law firm that specializes in gender discrimination cases and helping women at work. Her platform, the Mamattorney aims to empower and inspire women to become educated about their rights at work so that they can embrace their motherhood journey without compromising their career growth. Inside of today's episode, you'll hear Daphne answer questions related to pregnancy discrimination, pregnancy accommodations in the workplace, and how to address issues that may come up. Then we shift into talking about all things maternity leave including your federal rights, tips and tricks to get some protected leave (even if your job doesn't qualify for FMLA), how you might be able to extend your leave, and more! Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth? Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP136: Preparing Your Relationship for Baby with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish
- EP167: Preparing for Postpartum: What You Can Do Before Giving Birth
Sponsors
Aeroflow Breastpumps
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
Simply Magnetic Me
Simply Magnetic Me offers GOTS certified 100% organic cotton essentials like footies, coveralls and bodysuits—all featuring safety-tested magnetic closures. No fumbling with tiny snaps or buttons during those middle of the night diaper changes. You can get your baby dressed quickly so everyone can get back to sleep!
You may have heard of Magnetic Me. Simply is their new sister brand that offers the same beloved magnetic closures at a more affordable price. You can create a custom bundle on their website, combining the prints, styles, and sizes you want, with outfits as low as $15. The more outfits in your cart, the more you save. And trust me, babies need a lot of outfits.
Say no to snaps and head to simplymagneticme.com to stock up on no-fuss essentials and use code MLN20 for 20% off your order.
Daphne Delvaux Daphne Delvaux, Esq. is an award-winning trial attorney and Founder of Delvaux Law, a firm devoted to women's rights at work. She represents employees in discrimination, retaliation and harassment cases, and specializes in gender discrimination cases. In her work as a trial attorney, Daphne has recovered countless 6- and 7-figure settlements and verdicts on behalf of client; obtaining the monetary justice her clients deserved while restoring their sense of dignity and self-worth. She has been recognized by major news outlets (both nationally and internationally) as a leader of the women’s rights movement, and has received the award of Outstanding Trial Lawyer by Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for winning an equal pay trial.
In addition to her work as a trial attorney, Delvaux is a mother to two boys. Her passion for women’s and mother’s rights has led her to champion women in a myriad of ways outside of her law practice. She is the Co-Founder of Chamber of Mothers; a collective movement to focus America's priorities on mothers’ rights. Their primary goal is to secure federal paid leave, affordable childcare and fight gun violence. In recognition of her work, Daphne was invited to the White House to meet the President.
Delvaux is also the creator of the Mamattorney, a platform on a mission to educate women on their rights at work and teach them how to advocate for their needs so they can receive more money and time freedom without sacrificing their career goals. Currently at 80k followers, Daphne is routinely seen as the expert on pregnancy and postpartum discrimination as well as maternity leave regulations.
Did you know that an estimated 60% of expecting couples take a babymoon before the birth of their first child? It’s true! And while it’s most common among first-time parents – veteran parents can (and do!) take a babymoon before their next baby’s birth as well.
So in today's episode, I thought it would be fun to talk more about babymoons! We'll talk about why you should do it, when you should do it, planning tips, destination ideas, and more.
But first, I'll start the episode with some pregnancy travel advice and tips so that you can travel safely during your pregnancy! I've got info surrounding flying during pregnancy, long car rides, what to pack, and lots of other great advice.
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- EP160: Ask an OBGYN Anything with Dr. Jennifer Lincoln
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am focusing exclusively on the first trimester of pregnancy!! It's an ask me anything style episode which I LOVE doing for you guys!
All of the questions on today's show were submitted via Instagram stories. I selected a bunch that I wanted to answer with more detail than I can on Instagram - and this episode was born!
Are you ready to learn how to tackle nausea, fatigue, anxiety, and so much more? Let's get into it!
Feeling overwhelmed in the first trimester?
Get support in the early weeks with our FREE 1st Trimester Prep Pack and gain a sense of control!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes and Resources
- Episode 35: FAQ’s About the First Trimester!
- MLN Weekly Pregnancy Email Series
- Expectful App
- Pedialyte Popsicles
Sponsor
Did you know that your health insurance will cover the cost of a breast pump? It’s true! In fact, many health insurance plans also cover milk storage bags, breastfeeding prep courses, and more.
At Aeroflow Breastpumps, you can shop top-rated breast pumps from brands like Medela, Spectra, and Motif without ever opening your wallet. Fill out their quick and easy insurance eligibility form and they’ll take care of the rest! It might just be the easiest thing you do this pregnancy.
Visit aeroflowbreastpumps.com/mommylabornurse to find out why more than 1 million moms have chosen Aeroflow Breastpumps to get their pump through insurance.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I have a positive planned induction birth story from MLN Community mama, Marissa!
Marissa described her birth as difficult, amazing, and fast, even though it took a while. This is a perfect example of how birth can be a mix of different feelings and perceptions all at once - something that I definitely see as true! Marissa's story includes a hospital-planned induction and epidural.
Want to feel in control before birth?
Use our FREE Birth Plan Templates to take the first step towards the birth experience you desire.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes
- EP166: Giving Birth Overseas: One Mom’s Birth Story Navigating an International Healthcare System
- EP172: How One Mama’s Birth Started with the Midwives’ Brew
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am going to talk about one of my absolute favorite things - birth affirmations!! And no I'm not kidding. I'm obsessed with them and know how much they can help you manage your labor pain.
You see, our minds can be one of our best assets to help manage the pain and anxiety associated with childbirth! And birth affirmations are one of my favorite ways to tap into that mental strength.
What are they? Simply positive words and statements about the birth process that can give you extra confidence, a sense of calm, and even impact your perception of pain.
To get the most out of using birth affirmations during your labor, I recommend repeating them regularly leading up to birth – and actually saying them aloud – I promise it makes ALL the difference.
Then during labor, you can say them out loud, listen to them, read them, or simply think them! But we’ll get more into that inside the episode.
Want to birth without an epidural?
Get the FREE Natural Birth Prep Pack for the confidence you need, because simply wanting it might not be enough!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes
- Episode 106: Mindset Tips for Pregnancy and Birth with Natalie Bacon
- Episode 154: Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts from Peloton Talks Yoga & Meditation During Pregnancy
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we're talking all about labor signs! And more specifically the weird signs of labor you might not know about yet!
I think it’s safe to say that if you’ve ever been pregnant, you’ve probably found yourself googling, “Is XYZ a sign of labor?”. And there are actually quite a few weird things that happen before labor!
The anticipation of meeting your little one soon can definitely cause mamas to be on high alert for any sort of body changes. And this is a good thing! It’s great to be in tune with your body, especially during pregnancy.
Aside from the obvious signs of labor: contractions and water breaking (which isn’t always as obvious as you might think!) there are quite a few other things that can give you a clue that labor is near!
Anxious about packing for the hospital?
Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Sponsor
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Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
In this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I am joined by Charles Johnson, the founder of 4Kira4Moms. Charles tragically lost his wife Kira during a routine C-section at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California in 2016. This experience led him to create 4Kira4moms in 2017.
The goal of 4Kira4Moms is to be a voice for other mothers and families facing unnecessary maternal loss and to help put an end to the black maternal mortality health crisis.
It is a sad reality that in the US, black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than white women. This is due to implicit bias and systemic racism within the healthcare system, as well as a lack of access to high-quality maternal healthcare and resources.
Inside the episode, Charles and I discuss this tragic epidemic and talk about what platforms like 4Kira4Moms are doing to spark change and shed light on the issue. Then we get into what we can do to support his mission!
Tune in to hear Kira's story and learn how you can help make a difference.
Learn more about Charles Johnson
Charles Johnson has dedicated his life to the pursuit of what his own family failed to receive – safe, respectful, and equitable maternal health outcomes in America. His passion for systemic change is driven by his love for his wife, Kira, who passed away following the birth of their second child. In April 2016, Kira underwent a routine C-section following an uncomplicated pregnancy. Hours later, she died from internal hemorrhaging despite adamant pleas for help from medical professionals by her husband and loved ones. Her story exemplifies the current crises happening in America: rising rates of maternal mortality and the silencing of Black voices.
After experiencing the unimaginable, Charles harnessed his pain and used it to pursue the highest level of good. He channeled his grief into founding 4Kira4Moms, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving birth outcomes in America. Charles knows childbirth should be empowering and free of fear for all mothers. 4Kira4Moms advocates for improved maternal health policies and regulations, educates about the impact of maternal mortality in our communities, provides support to victims’ loved ones, and approaches maternal mortality as a human rights issue. Mothers are the very framework of our society. They teach us how to love unconditionally and are willing to protect the most vulnerable among us. The loss of even one at the hands of an unjust system robs our country of what it needs most.
Charles has used his voice and story to advocate for change at countless events and media appearances all over the country. He is a board member of March for Moms and serves as Chairman of the Fairness of Injured Patients Act, which seeks to restore the rights of victims of medical negligence in California. Charles has testified twice before Congress and helped pass key legislation including: the Preventing Maternal Death Act of 2018, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021, and the California Momnibus. He is currently working with Congress to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, an unprecedented set of bills addressing every aspect of the maternal health crisis happening in America. Charles was also honored by Oprah Winfrey on OWNSpotlight’s 2020 fatherhood special entitled, “Honoring our Kings – Celebrating Black Fatherhood.”
In addition to his advocacy work, Charles is busy raising his two beautiful boys, Charles V and Langston, who keep their mothers’ spirit alive powerfully every day.
Learn more about 4Kira4Moms
- 4Kira4Moms
- HR 1318 - Preventing Maternal Death Acts of 2018
- Kira Johnson Act
- Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast you'll hear an Ask Me Anything style episode, where I give in-depth answers to a few labor and delivery questions left on the podcast hotline.
I'm covering questions about extra placental lobes, timing an epidural to potentially avoid blood pressure-related side effects, postpartum hemorrhages (particularly if you've had one before!), and if there are any specific things that moms can do in their second pregnancies to prepare for birth.
If you have a burning question about pregnancy, birth, or postpartum that you'd like me to answer on the show, all you have to do is call 919-213-8719 and leave a voicemail!
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes and resources
- Episode 168: Ask Me Anything
- Sibling Basket Ideas
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Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we're going to talk about your cervix! To be more specific, we'll be diving into cervical checks and membrane sweeps.
Your cervix is essential to birth and can often be used as an indicator of how “prepped” your body is for labor before labor even starts. Today, you'll learn how cervical checks are done, how to handle them, and the general pros and cons during pregnancy and labor.
Then, we'll talk about membrane sweeps, which involve the cervix and are one of several things you can do to help jump-start labor. So, what exactly is a membrane sweep? Here’s a hint, it has nothing to do with actual broom sweeping! Tune in to learn more.
Want to birth without an epidural?
Get the FREE Natural Birth Prep Pack for the confidence you need, because simply wanting it might not be enough!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes
- Episode 77: Why It's Important to Prep Your Body for Labor
- Episode 112: Chatting Prenatal Fitness with Ashley Knowe of Get Mom Strong
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Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
In this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, Sami shares her birth story where she tried a well-known, and semi-controversial method to kickstart labor! I have never actually talked to anyone who has tried this before so it was very interesting to hear about her experience!
When she was pregnant with her daughter, she tried a bunch of things to jump-start labor, but ultimately ended up being induced. But for her son, she thought she’d try the same things plus one other method that we will talk about today. So stay tuned to see if it worked!
Want to feel in control before birth?
Use our FREE Birth Plan Templates to take the first step towards the birth experience you desire.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Resources
- The Midwives' Brew: A Natural Way To Induce Labor You've Probably Never Heard Of...
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Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
When it comes to talking about birth, epidurals are often a part of the conversation in one way or another. And I’d guess that most of you already know that epidural placement eliminates labor pain.
But beyond that? Well, a lot of people don’t actually know that much!
I often get questions about how epidurals are placed, how big an epidural needle is, if getting an epidural hurts, and lots more! So in this episode I unpack these epidural placement FAQs that frequently show up in my DMs. Additionally, you’ll get a bit of deep dive into WALKING epidurals.
Walking epidurals are very similar to a traditional epidural, but they allow for greater feeling and movement in the lower half of the body.
This makes them very appealing to mamas that want a sort of “hybrid” birth experience. One where the edge is taken off the pain, but not so much that they can’t move or feel the sensations of labor and delivery.
Want to feel confident before your epidural birth?
Get the FREE Epidural Birth Prep Pack to gain a sense of control before the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
- Episode 31: What it's like to get an epidural
- Episode 101: Talking Anesthesia and L&D with Dr. Magnolia Printz
Baby-Led Weaning Made Easy Podcast
The Baby Led Weaning Made Easy Podcast hosted by my friend Katie Ferraro is a total must-listen for expecting and new mamas alike! Katie’s podcast is an absolute treasure trove of information related to baby led weaning, where babies learn to feed themselves the safe, age-appropriate foods you offer them. To listen to her show, simply search Baby-Led Weaning wherever you listen to podcasts or go to blwpodcast.com! Sponsor
Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we're going to dive into the topic of medical induction of labor. I'm going to talk about the reasons you might be induced and the various induction methods your provider may use.
But before we get into it, I want to quickly review what induction is, just in case you're not quite sure! Induction of labor is exactly what it sounds like: you aren't in labor yet so we put you into labor (or we attempt to push you into labor!) through different methods.
There comes a point in pregnancy where the risk of continuing the pregnancy is actually greater than the benefits of keeping baby inside. And that point can be different for different moms!
Keep listening to learn more about why you might need one and how we might do it.
Want to erase anxiety and actually feel excited about birth?
Get instant access to my FREE Birth Workshop to learn tons of pain-coping strategies and actionable tips today!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes
- Episode 72: Help! What is an induction?
- Episode 36: Haley's Positive Induction Story!
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Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
This week on The Mommy Labour Nurse Podcast, I am joined by my friend and fellow podcaster Dr. Mona from PedsDocTalk to discuss common newborn behaviors.
Dr. Mona Amin is a pediatrician and parenting expert who equips parents with the tools they need to thrive and feel confident in parenthood.
In today's episode, Dr. Mona is going to go through 10 newborn realities that are actually very standard - things like hiccups, day and night reversal, and feeding volumes.
And after you're done with this episode, you can keep learning about the newborn days with Dr. Mona. She was on my podcast way back in Episode 9 when she came on the show to answer your most common newborn questions.
Want to eliminate stress before birth?
Get your FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack to know everything is done and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes and resources
- Episode 9: Mona the Pediatrician Answers Your Most Common Newborn Questions!
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Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
About Dr. Mona Amin
Mona is a first-generation Indian American, born and raised in southern California. She attended UCLA for her undergraduate training, majoring in psychobiology (the study of how the brain affects our behaviors).
She went on to attend medical school at ATSU-SOMA in Arizona where she obtained her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree.
After medical school, she completed pediatric residency training at the Bernard and Millie Duker Children’s Hospital in Albany, New York.
She is a currently practicing Pediatrician where she sees babies and moms of every ethnicity and social circumstance.
She loves her work and sharing smart, helpful advice to make the motherhood journey a little easier and a lot more joyful. She's built an inclusive and caring community of over 100,000 fans and followers on her various channels.
This week I'm coming at you with an "Ask Me Anything" episode based on questions my listeners submitted on our new podcast hotline!
My plan for 2023 is to do more "Ask me Anything"-style episodes, and to make it even more fun, I want to feature voices from the community!
So, if you've got a burning question about pregnancy, birth, or postpartum that you'd like me to answer on the show - all you have to do is call: 919-213-8719 and leave a voice message.
If chosen, I will play the question on a future episode and answer it right here on the show!
In this episode, I will be covering questions about cholestasis, placenta encapsulation, epidurals, and more.
If you love episodes where it's just me answering questions, do yourself a favor and go listen to the most embarrassing questions about pregnancy and birth on Episode 161 and Episode 162.
Overwhelmed by the amount of pregnancy info out there?
CLICK HERE to get helpful and supportive tips, info, and resources from an L&D nurse sent straight to your inbox every week, and never sort through search results again!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related episodes and resources
- Episode 161: Your Most Embarrassing Birth Questions Answered - Part 1
- Episode 162: Your Most Embarrassing Birth Questions Answered - Part 2
- Pine tar bar soap
- Cholestasis research article
Sponsor
Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm doing an episode all about postpartum prep!
As a labor and delivery nurse, I am ALL about getting you prepared for birth. But in my opinion, preparing for birth ALSO means preparing for postpartum.
Because when it’s all said and done, you’re going to have a newborn to take care of, and YOU are going to be an entirely new person as well.
Inside of today's episode, we’re going to unpack what you can do during pregnancy to prepare for postpartum including education, supplies, mindset tips, and more.
Getting educated for birth is so, so important, but truly, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t make sure you were ready for postpartum too.
Not sure how to care for yourself down there after birth?
Access our FREE Postpartum Essentials Checklist to know you’ve got what you need to feel clean and comfortable while you’re healing from birth.
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
Episode 48: How Has Liesel's Postpartum Experience Been? Part 1 of 2
Sponsor
Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
In this week’s episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I am joined by a fellow mom with an extraordinary birth story that entails being pregnant and giving birth in a foreign country.
This birth story is told by Katie, whose husband was stationed at an American army base in Germany.
With the war in Afghanistan coming to an end and a flood of refugees needing medical attention, Katie wasn’t able to receive care at the base but found herself giving birth in a German hospital instead.
Today, she will share with us how she experienced the differences in healthcare systems and how a C-section unexpectedly became part of this international birth story.
Want to eliminate stress before birth?
Get your FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack to know everything is done and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum!
Related Episodes
Episode 45: Midwife Marley Talks To Us About UK Maternity Care!
Sponsor
Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about the Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we are chatting about hospital bags! For a first-time mom, I was SUCH a slacker when it came to packing my hospital bag for labor. I was lucky I didn’t go into labor a few weeks early, because I would not have been prepared! For my second birth, I was way more organized and prepared.
Because I know this is a very buzz-worthy topic when it comes to birth prep, I thought it only made sense to make an episode out of it! You see, I’m a BIG fan of packing individual bags for labor, recovery, partner, and baby. This keeps everything so much more organized.
Inside the episode, I'll get into what should be in each of those bags. I'll also cover some things to specifically NOT bring with you, and then we'll talk in-depth about snacks for labor and touch a bit on eating during labor too.
Anxious about packing for the hospital?
Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day!
Have an even better birth!
CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver.
Resources from this episode Liesel's essential oil blend
- 2 drops Yang Ylang
- 7 drops Clary Sage
- 3 drops Lavender
- 3 drops Frankincense
Combine oils in glass bottle and fill to top with a carrier oil.
Motif Luna Breast Pump
Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about the Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
When it comes to making decisions surrounding your birth, you need to think about the immediate after birth, too! Often, we think that’s just for newborn care procedures, but today, I want to talk in depth about cord blood banking, placenta donation, and placenta encapsulation.
As always, the purpose of this podcast episode is to inform you so that you can make the right decisions for your birth and family. I encourage you to take this information, do your own research, and discuss this decision with your OBGYN or midwife before giving birth.
Click HERE to grab your FREE Birth Plan Templates designed by my team of labor and delivery nurses
Click HERE to learn more about our online, on-demand childbirth classes
Are you in search of the perfect pump for your breastfeeding days? Proven to provide more milk in less time, the Motif Luna is a powerful breast pump that’s built for modern motherhood and covered by insurance. With a battery-powered or non-battery version, the Luna is perfect for today’s busy mom.
Click HERE to learn more about the Luna and order one for your breastfeeding and pumping journey. And as a special offer for MLN podcast listeners you can get 15% off site-wide, including the Luna plus all supplies and accessories with code: MLN23. Some exclusions may apply.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am joined by the amazing Dr. Nicole Callaway Rankins who you may know from her very popular pregnancy podcast, All About Pregnancy and Birth Podcast!
Similar to Mommy Labor Nurse, Dr. Rankins offers amazing, online resources for pregnant women because she too knows what a critical role education plays in a woman's ability to advocate for herself during birth and reduce any sense of fear or anxiety she may have.
On today's show, Dr. Rankins is going to share with us more about what it's like to be an OBGYN, memorable moments from her years of practice, thoughts on doula and midwifery care, a bit of birth advice, and more. I'm so excited to share Dr. Rankins with you today, so let's get right into it!
Click HERE to sign up for FREE Weekly Pregnancy Updates tailored to your exact due date
Click HERE to learn more about our online, on-demand childbirth classes
About Dr. Nicole Rankins
Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins is a board-certified, practicing OBGYN and mom of 2 who empowers first-time moms to feel calm, confident, and empowered for pregnancy and birth. In her over 15 year career she’s helped more than 1,000 babies into this world and has demystified pregnancy and childbirth for thousands more women through her popular podcast All About Pregnancy & Birth, which has been downloaded over 1.25 million times.
She regularly shares holistic, evidence-based pregnancy and birth info with her community of 19K+ on Instagram @drnicolerankins, and has served thousands of moms-to-be through her online birth plan class, Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way, and comprehensive online childbirth education class, The Birth Preparation Course.
This week I am back to answer your most embarrassing birth questions, part 2! I had so much fun with last week’s episode, I just had to come back and answer more of your questions because we got so many good ones!
Not only are these “Ask Me Anything” style episodes fun, but it’s my hope that they are really informational and educational for you as well. We all have questions that we might be a little embarrassed to ask our provider (even I do!), but have no fear, I’m here to unpack it all.
And be sure to tune into next week's episode, where I chat with OBGYN Dr. Nicole Rankins on what it's like to be an OBGYN, doula care, midwifery care, and much more! You definitely don't want to miss this one!
Click HERE to access our FREE Hospital Bag Checklist
Click HERE to access our FREE Birth Plan Template
Click HERE to learn more about our online, on-demand childbirth classes
Related episodes and resources discussed in this episode:
Episode 20: Liesel Answers Your Most Common Breastfeeding Questions - Part 2
Episode 137: Ask Me Anything About Labor and Delivery
Episode 155: Ask Me Anything About Pregnancy and Birth
Episode 161: Your Most Embarrassing Birth Questions Answered - Part 1
Happy New Year podcast fam! If you are listening to this in real time, then you know that this is the very first episode of 2023, and we’re kicking off the year with a super fun “Ask Me Anything” style episode. This time, I asked our community over on Instagram for their most embarrassing questions that they had around birth (you know, the kind of things that you might be a little bit shy to ask but you really want to know), and let me tell you, you guys delivered - no pun intended!
I had such a great time doing this episode for you because I love talking about embarrassing stuff. And we had so many questions come in that I actually broke it up into two parts for you, with part two airing next week.
Click HERE to access our FREE Birth Workshop, 3 Secrets to an Even Better Birth
Click HERE to learn more about our online, on-demand childbirth classes
Related episodes and resources discussed in this episode:
Episode 11: Jeanice Talks To Us About Pelvic Floor Sexual Health
Episode 58: FAQs About Labor and Delivery
Episode 121: Tearing During Birth
Episode 137: Ask Me Anything About Labor and Delivery
Episode 155: Ask Me Anything About Pregnancy and Birth
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I had the chance to interview the amazing Dr. Jennifer Lincoln! Jen is a board-certified OB/GYN that works as an OB hospitalist, and she is also an IBCLC.
In addition to her bedside work, Jen is a total TikTok Doc celebrity with 2.8 million followers where, in her words, she makes educational videos that are “the health class you wish you had in high school”.
Inside of today’s episode, we did an “ask an OBGYN anything” based on questions submitted by the MLN community. We covered a broad range of topics and used questions that we saw submitted frequently to make sure they would appeal to the widest audience.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re talking all about group B strep and how it might affect your birth.
Here we’re going to learn the details about this infection, how GBS disease can impact your baby, and how your provider will screen for GBS. Lastly, we’ll take a look at what it means for birth if you’re GBS positive. If you do have group B strep, your birth will be a little bit different, because antibiotic treatment is highly recommended. But luckily, it’s not as big of a deal as it sounds. Ready to learn!? Let’s do it.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we are talking about perinatal mental health - a topic that is near and dear to my heart. My guest, Dr. Nichelle Haynes is a Clinical Psychiatrist who specializes in perinatal mental health.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we are talking about perinatal mental health - a topic that is near and dear to my heart. My guest, Dr. Nichelle Haynes is a Clinical Psychiatrist who specializes in perinatal mental health.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I chatted with Sally about the birth of her first son, Bodey.
Sally and her husband Ash are a queer couple that conceived at home with donor sperm from a good friend of theirs!
Once pregnant, Sally discussed navigating hyperemesis gravidarum, switching care providers later in her pregnancy, and a pretty scary event that disrupted Bodey’s entrance into this world.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm coming at you with a good old ask me anything style episode.
For this episode, I pulled some questions I didn't get to and addressed them here! There's a good mix of questions in this episode covering epidurals, sex in pregnancy, water birth, milk supply, and more!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm coming at you with a good old ask me anything style episode.
For this episode, I pulled some questions I didn't get to and addressed them here! There's a good mix of questions in this episode covering epidurals, sex in pregnancy, water birth, milk supply, and more!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am so excited to share my interview with internationally celebrated Peloton yoga teacher and scholar, Chelsea Roberts.
As some of you may know, Chelsea is currently pregnant with her first child and during today’s interview, we talked all about the ways pregnancy has impacted her own yoga and meditation practice, and her teaching.
We touched on the benefits of yoga for pregnancy, the mindset with which women should approach prenatal fitness and their changing bodies, how yoga and meditation can play a role in erasing some of the fear and unknown of birth, and so much more.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am so excited to share my interview with internationally celebrated Peloton yoga teacher and scholar, Chelsea Roberts.
As some of you may know, Chelsea is currently pregnant with her first child and during today’s interview, we talked all about the ways pregnancy has impacted her own yoga and meditation practice, and her teaching.
We touched on the benefits of yoga for pregnancy, the mindset with which women should approach prenatal fitness and their changing bodies, how yoga and meditation can play a role in erasing some of the fear and unknown of birth, and so much more.
content warning for this episode because we do talk about child loss. If this subject could trigger you, please skip this episode and tune in next week.
Shea's daughter was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, which was found at a genetic screening in the first trimester. Trisomy 13 is a genetic disorder caused by an extra 13th chromosome. This extra chromosome can cause severe mental and physical problems. Unfortunately, this diagnosis is usually associated with a short life expectancy, and some babies are not even born alive.
content warning for this episode because we do talk about child loss. If this subject could trigger you, please skip this episode and tune in next week.
Shea's daughter was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, which was found at a genetic screening in the first trimester. Trisomy 13 is a genetic disorder caused by an extra 13th chromosome. This extra chromosome can cause severe mental and physical problems. Unfortunately, this diagnosis is usually associated with a short life expectancy, and some babies are not even born alive.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I'm joined by my sister and MLN team member, Jenna, for a fun get-to-know-me style episode.
Usually, I'm the one interviewing other people, but this week Jenna is going to interview me so that you can get to know me better, professionally and personally!
You'll hear about how I got started in L&D, my L&D superpower, what I'd be doing if I wasn't a labor and delivery nurse, and a whole lot more.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am joined by speech and language experts, Brooke and Bridget who you probably know better as The Speech Sisters on Instagram! Brooke and Bridget are Certified Speech Therapists, and have an incredible platform dedicated to getting your child talking.
Inside the episode you’ll hear us talk about key things moms can do right from birth, the role of baby sign language in early communication, examples of how to incorporate these things into daily routines, very early speech and language development milestones to be on the lookout for, and lots more.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I am airing a special episode in honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, which is observed on October 15th every year.
For our special episode, I had the chance to chat with Danielle Lampman. She shared the birth story of her daughter, Rosie Noelle, with me.
Rosie was stillborn in December of 2021 when Danielle was 37.5 weeks gestation - it was all completely unexpected. It is always so special when mamas reach out to share the stories of their stillborn babies, and it is my absolute honor to share Danielle and Rosie’s story with you today.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I’m going to share tips for choosing a pediatrician. Because as you’re working your way through (your seemingly endless) to-do list before birth, one important task is choosing a provider for your newborn.
In this episode, I'll share a list of considerations for choosing a pediatrician, questions to ask a pediatrician before deciding, and even a little bit about what to expect from your newborn pediatrician visits. Let’s tackle this item that’s been sitting on your to-do list mama! And let’s take it on with confidence!
the founder of a program called workweek lunch - a blog and digital meal plan subscription that has helped 1000s of people all over the world master the art of meal prep. She is also the author of The Workweek Lunch Cookbook, which includes 60 approachable and delicious recipes that are designed to be prepped and stored.
On this episode, we talk about the benefits of meal prepping for pregnancy and postpartum, how to get started, and tips for meal prepping in that last month of your pregnancy to make your life easier once baby comes.
the founder of a program called workweek lunch - a blog and digital meal plan subscription that has helped 1000s of people all over the world master the art of meal prep. She is also the author of The Workweek Lunch Cookbook, which includes 60 approachable and delicious recipes that are designed to be prepped and stored.
On this episode, we talk about the benefits of meal prepping for pregnancy and postpartum, how to get started, and tips for meal prepping in that last month of your pregnancy to make your life easier once baby comes.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I have Jordan joining me to talk about her birth story! Jordan is a black woman & first-time mom who had a fairly uneventful pregnancy but unfortunately dealt with some traumatic events that occurred during the birth of her son.
Jordan tells me in the episode that while pregnant, she had educated herself about the racial disparities that unfortunately exist here in the US and she felt informed, and prepared going into her birth. She never really thought she would actually be treated differently because of the way that she looked.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I have Jordan joining me to talk about her birth story! Jordan is a black woman & first-time mom who had a fairly uneventful pregnancy but unfortunately dealt with some traumatic events that occurred during the birth of her son.
Jordan tells me in the episode that while pregnant, she had educated herself about the racial disparities that unfortunately exist here in the US and she felt informed, and prepared going into her birth. She never really thought she would actually be treated differently because of the way that she looked.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re going to talk all about birthing without an epidural, and answer a question I get all the time - “How do I have a natural birth?”
And while there is no secret formula…I definitely have some insight into what you can do to set yourself up for success.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re going to talk all about birthing without an epidural, and answer a question I get all the time - “How do I have a natural birth?”
And while there is no secret formula…I definitely have some insight into what you can do to set yourself up for success.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Erica Campbell, who is a mom of two, registered nurse, and international board-certified lactation consultant! Erica is also the face behind the growing Instagram platform @themilkmanual, where she aims to make lactation education chill and attainable for all.
In the episode, you’ll learn more about Erica and her platform, find out what she recommends for breastfeeding prep during pregnancy, learn about the benefits of hand expression during pregnancy, and then we’ll get into lactation and the NICU!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Erica Campbell, who is a mom of two, registered nurse, and international board-certified lactation consultant! Erica is also the face behind the growing Instagram platform @themilkmanual, where she aims to make lactation education chill and attainable for all.
In the episode, you’ll learn more about Erica and her platform, find out what she recommends for breastfeeding prep during pregnancy, learn about the benefits of hand expression during pregnancy, and then we’ll get into lactation and the NICU!
On this episode, Carly talks about her journey to motherhood. Carly is a part of a two-mom family, and she's actually now pregnant with her 3rd baby! She and her wife used the same sperm donor for all three of their babies, but the way Carly got pregnant was different all three times.
It's a very interesting, and heartfelt story that you don't want to miss!
Are you wondering what to do while waiting for baby to arrive? I get it, when your due date countdown goes from weeks to days, time can start to feel extra slow. We’ve all heard the joke about the last month of pregnancy lasting 5,654,213 days, right??
Well, this week I’m going to share some ways to help you pass that time and get you a little more prepared mentally, physically, and sentimentally (is that a thing?) for your baby to arrive.
Keep in mind that these are the things that aren’t absolutely essential, but are a great way to fill those waiting days!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I was joined by my good friend and fellow Instagram educator, Dr. Ashurina Ream - you may know her as @psychedmommy on Instagram. Ashurina is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with certification in perinatal mental health.
I put out a call for questions on my Instagram story for this one, and we were able to group questions into three categories to help keep the episode structured.
You’ll hear us cover mental health in pregnancy, mental health after birth, and then some mental health “in general” questions. I always learn so much anytime I have the chance to chat with Dr. Ream, and I know you will too.
I am so excited to share this podcast episode with you guys. I am doing a birth story today with Cathryn. And you know that feeling that you get when you watch a really feel-good movie made me really sad in the beginning and then there's like these really, really feel good parts at the end. You're just like, oh, I just feel so good after watching this movie.
I'm not trying to compare her story to a movie, but that is how I feel right now! I just got off recording with her, and I just can't wait to share this story with you guys.
Cathryn struggled with secondary infertility with the birth of her daughter, it was actually a full 18 months that she went through rounds of Clomid, IUI, and IVF. And it was just really, really tremendous to hear that whole process, have her explain how she was feeling throughout it, and just everything that goes along with infertility because there's a lot and it can be really, really hard to relate to others who are going through infertility if you haven't been through it yourself.
This week on the podcast, I had my sister Jenna come on the show for a fun and light-hearted episode that I'm really excited to share with you guys.
Jenna and I watched some birth videos - and not the kind of birth videos that you're thinking of - just some birth videos, and we reacted to them live for this episode.
I thought it'd be interesting coming from me as a labor and delivery nurse and Jenna, who you know has never been pregnant and has no kids. I'm not going to spoil too much of the episode. It was a lot of fun to record. It was a big pain in the butt to get ready for but it was a lot of fun to record. So let's dive right in.
For today’s episode, we spoke specifically about flipping the narrative on working mom guilt and Sarah weighed in with her brain expertise to share why being a working mom benefits children and their development!
You’ll hear as discuss what working mom guilt typically looks like, research-backed reasons why being a working mom can benefit your children, discuss the pros and cons of daycare vs. nanny care in the first year from a neuro-development perspective, and maternity/parental leave in general here in the US.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I have a birth story to share with you guys from Bryce Reddy who you probably know as @mombrain.therapist over on Instagram.
You'll hear Bryce open up about her struggles, what it was like to navigate this unexpected pregnancy and the amazing birth story of her third little kiddo.
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I had my sister, Jenna, come on the show to help me do an "ask me anything about labor and delivery" episode! I haven't done an episode like this in a while, and it was very fun to bring it back!
These questions came straight from the MLN community - and when you listen you'll hear me talk about inductions, the big baby myth, epidural side effects, partner tips, and more!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I was joined by psychologist and couples therapist, Dr. Tracy Dalgleish to talk all about preparing your relationship for baby before they're here! Inside of the episode, you'll learn actionable tips and systems you can put into place now, hear about common pitfalls and obstacles that couples often have so that you can prepare for them, and so much more!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I'm excited to share Natalie Portman and her birth story with you guys! Natalie reached out to me to share the story of her positive, natural birth!
Natalie hopes that her story will help women who are on the fence about unmedicated birth or that are just scared about giving birth, in general, to know that although you can’t control everything about the situation, there is still a lot you can do. In her words, Knowledge is power, and trust is power
Inside of the episode I spoke with Courtney Miller, IBCLC all about the benefits of virtual lactation consultants. Then we switched gears and did a total deep dive into the topic of tongue ties - which I know is something that a LOT of you are curious about.
There's so much great info packed into this episode, so definitely tune in!
On this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I'm talking all about the first 48 hours after birth.
We'll start with details about the very first hour - also known as the golden hour. This is because an uninterrupted first hour of life is actually filled with evidence-based benefits for both mama and baby!
Then we'll get into the duration of your hospital stay so that you’re totally prepared for that too! The first 48 hours after birth are a critical time of recovery for you, and there’s a lot you can do during your hospital stay to make your transition home with your baby a bit easier.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I had my friend and follow Instagram Nurse/Educator Tori Meskin come onto the show to talk to us all about the NICU!
Today on the show, Tori shared her insights into what it's like to be a NICU nurse, the most common reasons babies are admitted into the NICU, what the deal is with visiting babies in the NICU, all about kangaroo care, feeding your NICU baby, and so much more!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I have a birth story to share with you guys from Heather Evans.
Heather reached out to me to share her story because she hopes that it will help those with infertility, those considering egg donation, mamas of multiples, preemie moms, and moms of kiddos with special needs. And furthermore, her career as a pelvic health PT offers insight to ALL moms!
In this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, we're going to talk all about your placenta and the umbilical cord!
You will learn all about the placenta, potential complications, how it’s expelled, and more!
We’re also going to cover umbilical cords so that you understand what’s normal and what’s not with baby’s cord, too.
In this episode, Anita Lambert, pelvic floor PT, shared her expertise on diastasis recti so that we could do a deep dive for you guys! In the interview, you'll learn about what diastasis recti is, how to tell if you're suffering, what pregnant women can do proactively to help prevent it from happening, and what to expect if you do have a separation and seek out professional help!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, fellow mom Payton Bridges came on the show to share her incredible birth story.
In the episode, you'll hear her tell that story about how they tried to keep her growing as long as possible, but that she ended up having an emergent c section at 26 weeks after lots of ups and downs.
She explained how when she was going through this she did what we all do, and went to Google to look at statistics and other stories. But it was SO difficult to find positive information on Mirror Syndrome and positive outcomes.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast we’re talking about stillbirth prevention. And I know that this topic can be very heavy and can provoke anxiety for a lot of mamas. It’s not something that anyone really wants to talk about.
Here you’ll learn about what stillbirth is, some statistics surrounding this tragedy, risk factors, and some actionable things you can do to help prevent stillbirth!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I'm happy to share the birth stories of Kat Tepylo Murphy with you guys!
Kat reached out to me to share about the redemptive, natural birth of her son after a traumatic first birth.
In this episode, I chatted with my friend Kristen Krahl who is an experienced pumping mama, certified lactation consultant, and the face behind the amazing platform Be My Breast Friend! Inside of today's episode, Kristen weighs in on, well, all things pumping! She talked about what to look for in a pump, sizing, when to start pumping, tips for exclusive pumpers, what to do if you're seeing a dip in supply, and so. much. more.
This episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast is all about the realities of black maternal health here in the US, and what we can do to spark change!
I actually put this article out last year, but I wanted to re-release it this week in honor of Black Maternal Health Week 2022.
to spark any kind of change surrounding racism in healthcare (and specifically in black maternal health) I truly believe that awareness is the first step.
In this episode, I chatted with Leslee, a dietician who specializes in counseling mamas who have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.
Sierra and Hailey are identical twin sisters who had their first babies born within one week of each other.
And you guys, hold on to your hats. These stories are WILD. I don't want to spoil the episode, but let's just say this episode may have been longer than both of their labors combined.
In this podcast, I’m going to go over the ins and outs of tearing, all the different types of ways to tear, how to prevent tearing if there is such a thing, how to care for a perineal tear if it does wind up happening to you and more.
My goal with this episode is to rid that fear of tearing from your brain. Ready to talk vaginal tears? Let’s do it.
This week on the podcast we are talking all things TODDLERS! I know a lot of you guys that listen to the podcast each week are veteran moms, who might have toddlers at home.
One topic that is brought up, again and again, is how adding a new baby to your family can affect your other kiddos.
Devon Kuntzman joined me today from Transforming Toddlerhood, to talk about tips you can do during your pregnancy to help prep your little (or littles) for your new baby!
We talked about behaviors you can expect, tips for that first meeting, how to cope with dividing your time now that you have an additional child, and more!
This week on the podcast we have part 2 of Addie's story featuring birth after still birth. If you missed last week, she shared all about her pregnancy and emergency C-Section with her first daughter, Sophie, who died shortly after birth due to what can only be described as negligence on the part of her labor and delivery team. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, it is an emotional episode but one that gives context to today's part of the story.
Here in part 2, you'll hear Addie share about the birth of her rainbow baby, and then in her words, her pot of gold baby - an empowering VBAC after two previous C-Sections. Like I said last week, Addie is a fabulous storyteller and it was an absolute pleasure to have her on the show.
This is part 1 of Addie's 2 party birth story. Addie had an emergency c-section with her first daughter, Sophie, who unfortunately did not survive. Addie goes into detail about the events leading up to that day, and what I can only describe as negligence by her care team during the birth of her first daughter. She then found herself pregnant again 3 months later with her rainbow baby, and this time chose an elective C-section for her birth. 9 months after the birth of her rainbow, she becomes pregnant with, in her words, her "pot of gold" baby -his birth was an empowering VBAC after her previous two C-Sections.
In this episode I share actionable ways that you can educate and advocate for yourself throughout pregnancy and birth and shed some light on the tragic black maternal death rates in the US – because it NEEDS attention!
This week on the podcast I have a short and fun episode for you guys featuring my sister, Jenna! I wanted to keep it light-hearted this time because we've had quite a few longer educational episodes lately.
I quizzed her on some fun pregnancy trivia - it turned out to be WAY HARDER than I thought it was going to be, I think she only got 2 right hah. So, I invite you to play along at home too to see if you can beat her!
Birth trauma is such a heavy subject and needs SO MUCH MORE light shed on to it. Dr. Cassidy is seriously one of the best guests to discuss birth trauma. She not only has personally encountered birth trauma during one of her births, which she will share in the episode, she's also worked with countless moms who also have in her professional practice. Today we're talking about risk factors, how birth trauma affects support people, how to process birth trauma if you've been through it, and so much more.
In this episode, we are talking about c-section birth vs. vaginal birth. We're going to talk about some common myths regarding c-sections and the pros and cons of the two types of birth. We're also going to discuss emergency c-sections and why they happen, what the recovery looks like between the two, and more!
Today I had Alison from Motherwell Nutrition on the podcast, and we chatted all about hormonal imbalances post-birth.
She discussed how to support our bodies through this period of change, some great ways to move your body in addition to focusing on your nutritional needs, and how to find a functional nutritionist in your area if you want to learn more.
I admit before I recorded this episode I really didn't quite understand what functional nutrition was...but it's SO interesting how our hormones and body systems are all connected in a lot of of what we eat!
This week on the podcast I'm chatting with pre and post-natal corrective exercise specialist, Ashley from Get Mom Strong.
She talked to me all about prenatal fitness myths vs facts, ab training, how to even START working out as a pregnant lady if you weren't pre-pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and more!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I'm joined by my friend and homebirth midwife, Anne Margolis, from Home Sweet Homebirth! Yeah, we're chatting all about homebirth this week!
Homebirth is something I am NOT very familiar with, from a practitioner standpoint - I've only EVER attended hospital births - but I do respect that some women choose home birth as an alternative to birthing in a traditional hospital setting.
Because of this, I thought it would be really educational (and fun) to have a homebirth midwife on the podcast to talk to us about some of her experiences and answer some of my questions about home birth! Anne has been in practice for over 25 years as a midwife, so she's really seen it all!
Today we talked about home birth prenatal care, water births, hospital transfers, and so much more! You guys are going to love Anne and all she has to say in this episode!
This week on The Mommy Labor Nurse podcast we talked ALL about your birth team! These are the people who will help support you throughout your labor.
First, we will discuss the different types of providers that can deliver your baby! There are two main “categories” of providers you can choose from for this job – an obstetrician or a midwife, and both come with their own set of benefits! Then we’ll differentiate between two other essential birth team members – doulas and labor and delivery nurses (like me!).
Kayleigh Summers joined me to share the story of her son's birth. Kayleigh went in for what she anticipated to be a routine induction to meet her son, only to suffer an incredibly rare complication known as an Amniotic Fluid Embolism right as she was beginning to push him out.
Amniotic Fluid Embolism happens in approximately 1 in 100,000 births. The infant survival rate is only about 70%, and the maternal survival rate is somewhere between 30-50%. Yeah, basically everyone's worst nightmare!
Luckily Kayleigh is here to tell her story today of being an AFE survivor, and I'm honored I had the opportunity to sit down with her and share it with you guys.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with a male L&D nurse. Which is not something I come across every day!
You guys are going to absolutely love AJ, he was so much fun to chat with, and he is also HILARIOUS! I thought he was the perfect person to join me this week, and I can't wait for you guys to listen, so let's dive right in!
This week I'm talking all about third trimester FAQs! As that due date gets closer and closer it inevitably seems like we naturally get more questions that come up!
In this episode I’m going to discuss nausea in the third trimester, traveling during pregnancy, baby movements, itchy feet, labial swelling, hip pain, what to do if you water breaks unexpectedly, and more!
This week on the MLN Podcast we're going to be talking all about mindset! You guys should know by now that I'm ALL about getting you in the right headspace when it comes to birth with life coach, Natalie Bacon.
In this episode we talk about educating yourself, being open to change, pain coping techniques, listening to what your body is telling you, and so much more! Let's dive right!
This week on the podcast I am joined by friend Nikki over at the BelleMethod and we're talking all about pelvic floor health!
Nikki is a women’s fitness expert, Master Pilates Trainer, and passionate pelvic health advocate.
We talked about pelvic floor strength after birth, diastasis recti, signs that you may have pelvic floor weaknesses (or tension), getting back into fitness post-birth, and more!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I have a birth story lined up for yall! And, let me just preface, this is not any ordinary birth story. This one is INTENSE and shall I even say the word? COVID-filled. Yup.
This week I had Laurel join me on the podcast to talk all about giving birth in the heart of this pandemic that we all know too well. Laurel and her husband BOTH got covid a few days before she was due, and unfortunately, her husband was not able to attend her birth, and she had to give birth in the hospital alone.
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/covid-birth-story/
In this week's episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, we talked ALL about preparing for labor....and specifically 10 things you shouldn't forget!
As your due date draws closer, feelings of anxiety, what-ifs, and maybe even some fear are filling your head. Maybe you're actually thinking, "Can I really do this?"
My main focus is giving you 10 things you should do before labor starts.
Have you ever wanted to be pregnant at the same time as your BFF? Well, that's exactly what happened with this week's guests! Shanna and Laura came onto the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast this week and talked all about being pregnant at the SAME time - what the journey was like, and even brought up some struggles they faced.
What do TikTok and Anesthesia have in common? Well, nothing really - unless you’re my friend Dr. Maggie Printz who joined me for this week’s episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast.
Dr. Magnolia Printz is a board-certified anesthesiologist from Wisconsin, and at the time of recording she has over 800k followers on TikTok.
n this episode, I sat down with Maggie, and we chatted about all things anesthesia – especially as it relates to birth.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I was joined by Sara who reached out to me because she wanted to come on the show and talk about her journey to becoming a single mother by choice.
The big day of Sara’s embryo transfer happened just two days before we recorded, and I loved that timing because everything was so fresh in her mind.
During our conversation, you’ll hear her talk about the decision and process of freezing her eggs when she was in her early 30s, and all of the thought and steps that went into actually deciding to become a single mother by choice when she turned 40 years old.
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/single-mother-by-choice
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I have an induction birth story for guys! Caitlyn Karl is a fellow mom who was on the podcast way back in episode 78. During that episode she shared with us all about her infant adoption story for her son AJ.
It was such a cool conversation and I learned SO much about what the infant adoption process looks like. At the time of recording for that show, Caitlyn was actually pregnant and expecting her first biological baby!
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/induction-birth-story
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I had Brooke from @thesouthernishmama come on the show to talk all about her pregnancies and birth!
Brooke has a popular Instagram page where she does a lot of fun and relatable content surrounding pregnancy, motherhood, and other lifestyle topics with the use of her letterboard.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I had a chance to chat with Katie from The Breastfeeding Mama. Katie is a mom of three boys, and after the birth of her second baby, she faced a ton of challenges with breastfeeding.
That’s where her journey towards becoming The Breastfeeding Mama started, and really where her passion for helping other women succeed at breastfeeding began too.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I have a really exciting birth story to share with you guys! I actually had a personal friend of mine, Tess Camp, come on the show to tell the story of her three very different deliveries, with an emphasis on her extremely precipitous labor and second birth!
Read more at: mommylabornurse.com/precipitous-labor-birth-story
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with the lovely Dr. Natalie Crawford all about infertility and more specifically secondary infertility.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/infertility-natalie-crawford-md/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I was joined by Caitlin Fitzgerald for the very eventful and traumatic birth story of her first baby during the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caitlin opens up about her unexpected induction, unplanned C-section, a NICU stay, postpartum struggles and so much more!
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/eventful-and-traumatic-birth-story/
This is a special bonus episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, where we are going to **dive into all things COVID and the COVID vaccine during pregnancy**. I get questions about these topics all the time in my DMs, and totally understand that there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty surrounding pregnancy and COVID-19. As you know, I am a healthcare professional, but I decided that this wasn’t a topic I wanted to cover completely on my own.
I wanted to have an OBGYN come on here so that we could have this discussion together. And I was so fortunate to be joined by board-certified OB-GYN, Dr. Marta Perez of @dr.martaperez over on Instagram.
She regularly shares evidence information surrounding COVID during pregnancy and the COVID vaccine, so I thought she was the perfect person to come on here and talk about myths and facts in a level-headed, evidence-based manner.
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I had a chance to chat with the founders of Feeding Littles! Feeding Littles is a platform that’s dedicated to helping parents learn how to confidently feed their babies, toddlers, and older kids. They offer online courses and resources to share their knowledge as feeding experts with families around the world.
I’ve got a special episode for you guys this week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast! I had the chance to sit down with Tiffany, my good friend and a team member here at MLN, in honor of my second baby’s first birthday. We talked all about this past year – the struggles and the wins – and what it’s like to be a mom of 2.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/being-a-mom-of-2/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had Alexandra Cunningham from the This Family Tree podcast come on the show to share her birth stories. After I was on her podcast a few months ago, she and I hit it off really well, so it only made sense to have her come on!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/medical-birth-story/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast we are talking all about infant car seat safety with a certified child passenger safety technician and preventable injury specialist, Brigette Watson.
This is a topic that I am always happy to discuss and bring awareness to because car seats are something many of us use every day with our little ones, and it’s actually so easy to make mistakes without even realizing it. I know even I can be guilty of it!
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I had Maya Vorderstrasse, aka that one letterboard mom, come on the show to share her THREE unique and amazing birth stories.
Maya is a mom of three, her first two babies are what are known as Irish twins (born just shy of 12 months apart!) and then she had a third baby boy. You all know I have heard a lot of birth stories, but this one is a real treat. Even I got chills a couple of times throughout our conversation.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/preparing-postpartum/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast we’ve got part two of our two-part episode with the lovely, Lindsey Shipley, from Lactation Link. She’s a board-certified lactation consultant and a fellow labor and delivery nurse.
Last week on the show we had so much fun chatting and demystifying some of the most common, yet lesser understood L&D terms you might come across during your pregnancy and birth. And this week we’re focusing on your top breastfeeding questions!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/breastfeeding-questions/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I had the opportunity to chat with Lindsey Shipley from over at Lactation Link. This episode is actually episode one of a two-part series where we address some labor and delivery terms and other terminology surrounding pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding!
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/labor-and-delivery-terms
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I chatted with Allison Janadu, a potty training consultant and the face behind the popular potty training Instagram account @pottytrainingconsultant all about potty training! At the time this episode aired, she and her team at Potty Training Consultants have helped over 2000 families meet their potty-training goals.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/potty-training-tips/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I did a solo episode all about scheduled C-sections vs. emergency C-sections. I get asked about this a lot during Sunday story questions, but it’s one of those topics that definitely needs (and deserves) more of an in depth discussion!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/scheduled-vs-emergency-c-section/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I had a chance to chat with Kim Perry about her birth stories! Kim is a prenatal and postnatal fitness specialist and the face behind the very popular Instagram account @kimperryco, where she shares glimpses into her life as a mom to three little ones, and educates and empowers women to stay fit, strong, and healthy during pregnancy and beyond.
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/kim-perry-birth-story
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I had Katie Ferraro from @babyledweanteam come on the show to share her very unique experience as a mom to seven! She had one singleton baby, gave birth to quadruplets, and then had a set of twins! As you’ll hear her talk about in the episode, there was a point where they had seven kids 3 and under. Katie is an amazing person, and she shared so much awesome advice during today’s episode related to parenting multiples, pregnancy with multiples, and prenatal nutrition in general. I can’t wait to share her with you.
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/pregnant-with-multiples/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I had Sarah, a prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher, come on the show to talk through the ins and outs of yoga during pregnancy!
We talked about some of the benefits that prenatal yoga can provide to pregnant moms, if it’s safe in all trimesters, and when’s the best trimester to do prenatal yoga. She talked about some of her favorite poses and some of the more popular poses. And then we talked about postnatal yoga and baby yoga as well!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/prenatal-yoga-expert/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I did a solo episode talking all about C-section recovery! I put together this episode in honor of our new C-section birth class, Birth It Up: The C-Section Series that’s launching in July 2021!
As the basis for this episode, I was able to pull recovery tips that veteran C-section mamas dropped for me over on Instagram. I figured there is no one who can better speak to this better than the mamas that have gone through it first hand.
I start off the episode by talking about what veteran C-section mamas wish they had put in their C-section hospital bag. In fact, I pulled this info from an article I put together last year (read it here!) because you guys blew me away with the suggestions! There is so much good advice.
Read more at mommylabornurse.com/c-section-recovery-tips
On this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Erica from Happy as a Mother. She’s a registered psychotherapist with a master’s degree in counseling psychology and postgraduate certificates in couples and family therapy as well as maternal mental health.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/ep79-the-invisible-load-of-motherhood/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I’m excited to have a first-ever kind of “birth” story for this show, and that is an infant adoption story!
Caitlin Karl, a fellow mom who’s actually currently pregnant, came on to share all about their journey to adopting their son AJ. Caitlin shares that she and her husband always knew they wanted to grow their family through adoption and biologically, and was never really quite sure what the order would like that.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/infant-adoption-story
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I hosted a solo episode talking all about spontaneous labor versus inductions, and why spontaneous labor is typically preferred. I also touch on the timeline of medical inductions and what that entails.
You’ll learn about a few things you can do during your pregnancy to prep your body for labor, too! And then at the end of the episode I share the quick version of what I personally did with both of my boys to get myself into labor.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/prep-your-body-for-labor/
This week on the MLN Podcast, I had Carole Kramer, the founder of Boston Baby Nurse and Nanny come on the show to talk about newborn care specialists and overnight newborn services!
Sleep is such a necessity to maintaining our mental health, that sometimes it DOES make sense to bring in some professional support in the early days, especially if you don’t have local support that can help you overnight.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/newborn-care-specialists/
In this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast I had my friend (and doula!) Stephanie come on the show to share her unique twin birth story!
A lot of people don’t realize that twins do NOT have to be born via C-section. Tons of mamas are able to birth their twins vaginally. Your ability to do this depends mostly on the way the presenting baby is positioned. If they are head down, you’ll often get the green light for a vaginal birth.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/twin-birth-story/
This episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast is all about postpartum anxiety and preparing for postpartum during pregnancy.
Postpartum anxiety is a common, but less talked about reality for many new moms and one that I personally struggled with after both of my babies were born.
Read more at: https://mommylabornurse.com/preparing-postpartum/
his episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast is all about the realities of black maternal health here in the US, and what we can do to spark change!
We’ve done some feed posts over on IG about this topic before to help raise awareness, but I knew I wanted to take more of a deep dive over here.
It’s a topic that can be really heavy in some ways, but it’s one that needs a LOT of light! If we’re going to spark any kind of change surrounding racism in healthcare (and specifically in black maternal health) I truly believe that awareness is the first step.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/black-maternal-health/
Labor induction – this is a topic that comes up a LOT in my DMs over on Instagram and in the MLN community in general!
So, today on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast I’m doing a Q&A-style episode all about planned inductions. Your most burning labor induction FAQs, answered!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/labor-induction-faqs/
In this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had fellow mom Kyriaki come on the show to talk about her challenging postpartum experience after the birth of her first son.
The story is emotional from the start but ends with a beautiful, redemptive, second birth that completely heals Kyriaki physically and emotionally.
Read more about the episode at https://mommylabornurse.com/healing-after-traumatic-birth-story/
In this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had licensed therapist and creator behind the Instagram page @loveafterbaby, Sheina Schochet, come on the show to talk about the challenges of, yup, love after baby!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/love-after-baby-sheina-schochet/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had the chance to have a chat with Dr. Darria, an ER doctor, regular contributor on CNN, NBC, and the Dr. Oz show, and author of Mom Hacks. Her book hit the list of top 25 nation bestseller list, and when she reached out about coming on the show, I was so excited to have her come on to personally share some of her best mom hacks with the MLN community!
In today’s episode, Dr. Darria shares some her top tips and hacks for mamas that are currently pregnant, recently gave birth, breastfeeding, or have a young child at home!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/mom-hacks-dr-darria-interview/
This episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast is light-hearted and fun! I always like to feature interesting and unconventional birth stories, interview experts on various pregnancy symptoms and complications, and discuss all things labor and delivery.
But every once in a while, I like to do an episode that is just, well, FUN! And that’s where this idea came from.
My sister Jenna (who has never been pregnant and is not currently pregnant!) came on for a little segment I’m calling “labor games”. I broke it up into four categories – and they were all a total hit!
So, if you’re looking for some easy listening, pregnancy-related fun, you’re in the right place.
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/labor-games-baby-shower-games/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, I had a chance to do an expert interview with the fabulous Kathlena from @TheAllergyChef.
The episode is about all allergies, specifically food allergies, and even more specifically, milk allergies!
Read more at https://mommylabornurse.com/the-allergy-chef-interview/
In this episode, I had professional dog trainer, Michelle, come on the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast to talk all about dogs and babies.
Learn more about Michelle and her services:
- On her website: www.PoochParenting.net
- Over on Instagram: @PoochParenting
- On her new podcast: Pooch Parenting
- And in the free Facebook group: Parenting Kids and Dogs
On this episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, I had the opportunity to talk to a fellow mom, Serena, about her little one’s incredible liver transplant story!
It’s a little different than some of our other birth stories, but I was so thrilled to have her come on and share her inspiring and miraculous story, and raise awareness about the power and importance of organ donation.
In this episode, I interview Kelly The Car Mom all about buying the right car for you as a parent.
For more info on the episode, check out our blog post at https://mommylabornurse.com/best-mom-car/
This week on the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast, Lindsey Wimmer the founder and director of Star Legacy Foundation came on the show to talk about stillbirth and poor pregnancy outcomes.
Stillbirth, neonatal death, and pregnancy loss are difficult topics to discuss, but raising awareness, opening dialogue, and knowing where to find support are crucial for those experiencing these realities.
Are you a mama that’s searching for the right formula? Maybe you’re breastfeeding and curious about supplementing? Or maybe you just wanna be more educated on the topic of formula and help denounce the narrative that formula is poison!
Whatever the case may be, I’m so excited to have you join me for this week’s episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse podcast. Today we’ve got Mallory, Certified Infant Feeding Technician, formula expert, and the face behind the SUPER helpful Instagram account and website The Formula Mom.
In today’s episode of the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast we’re going to set the record straight on pregnancy fitness! I’m interviewing Sarah Kuhn, a prenatal and postnatal exercise specialist and the founder of Juna!
Sponsor: Juna App This week’s episode was sponsored by the app Sarah founded - Juna. It was created to provide scientifically backed, up to date fitness and nutrition information, all in one place to pregnant and postpartum mamas.
When you download Juna you’ll enter your baby’s due date - if you’re expecting - or your baby’s birthday if you’ve already had your baby, & you’ll be put directly into the appropriate week of your journey.
There’s a key nutrient every single week with recipe suggestions, a daily trimester-specific workout, and pregnancy and postpartum tips from Sarah and the team at Juna. There’s really no other app like it out there!
Sarah is giving a special offer to Mommy Labor Nurse listeners so right now you can get Juna for 20% off your subscription by using the code LIESEL at subscribe.juna.co.
In this episode, my mom and sister joins the podcast and we talk all about our two vastly different birth stories!
Sharon's Bio:
Sharon lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and currently owns and renovates rental properties with her husband. She has two daughters, Liesel and Jenna, and two grandsons, Walter and Ryland, who she loves to pieces!
In this episode, I answer your most commonly asked questions about labor and delivery!
Here are the questions I go over!
- Any advice on choosing a pediatrician?
- Is it standard to have to lie down to push? Dr. told me I couldn’t deliver while standing or squatting.
- Is it normal for Braxton Hicks to slow down? I had them more often last month
- Fetal hiccups. Went to worry? I’m 31 weeks
- Third pregnancy, 37 weeks, baby hasn’t dropped yet, previous babies dropped early, normal?
- If my water breaks and I go to the hospital am I stuck on the bed?
- Have you had any moms with polycystic kidney disease have a success for delivery without a C-section?
- 3 1/2 months postpartum normal delivery. Having white glass like discharge in vagina. Is this normal?
- Is it true that you must wake up to do a night feed to keep milk supply up? at what time?
- Can you explain what stations mean? Midwife said I was -2 at 36 weeks pregnant?
- How long will your cervix stay dilated at 10 cm?
- What are good thank you gifts for nurse’s? I’m 36 weeks!
- It’s lightning crotch OK to have at 28 weeks?
- Is it possible to do skin to skin immediately after a C-section? I felt like it was forever to see my baby
- How often is your nurse typically in the room? Is Covid changing this?
- Where in the arm is a saline lock to IV usually in place? Are different placements better for movement?
- Any TV shows about labor and delivery?
SPONSORS Kindred Bravely
Kindred Bravely is a company built on love—a love that is poured into every piece of clothing they bring to life. Their clothes are meticulously designed to make your motherhood journey easier, from the bump to the breast and beyond. You deserve to look and feel great all of the time, Mama!
They have two goals: creating maternity and nursing clothes that are beautiful, useful, and comfortable, and building a community of moms who support and encourage each other on the motherhood journey.
Use code MLN20 to get 20% off all Kindred Bravely products (excluding gift cards and bundles) at KindredBravely.com!
Uqora
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Use code MOMMY to get 30% off all Uqora products at uqora.com/mommy!
In this episode, Kelsey shares her two very different birth stories with her son and daughter, the second being a healing experience after the trauma from her first.
Kelsey's Bio:
Kelsey Fay is a 27 year old stay at home mother of 2. She and her husband has been married for almost 4 years, together for 11 years total! She welcomed her first child in February of 2018, experiencing a somewhat traumatic birth, including a failed epidural, a fast labor that resulted in her doctor not arriving in time, and an experience with a less than helpful lactation consultant. Her second birth, in December of 2019, was another quick birth, and required vacuum assistance as a result of her son’s heart rate dropping quite a few time. However, even though her second birth required some unexpected interventions due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around her son’s neck multiple times, she felt that it was very much a healing experience after the trauma of her daughter’s birth. Kelsey also addresses her two very different experiences with breastfeeding and lactation support, and how education for expectant mothers is crucial.
SPONSOR Milkology
This episode is sponsored by Milkology! Milkology provides affordable yet high quality online courses all about breastfeeding and pumping. Milkology has The Ultimate Breastfeeding Class, The Ultimate Back to Work Pumping Class, The Ultimate Exclusive Pumping Class, Pump it Up, and Master your Milk Supply!
Use code MLN10 to get 10% off any Milkology course!
In this episode, Brittany shares her unplanned 39-hour long induction at 37 weeks.
Brittany's Bio:
Brittany Dougherty is a mom to a 1.5 year old and is currently pregnant with baby number two. She lives in Reno, Nevada with her husband, son, and two dogs. She is a civil engineer by trade, but she enjoys talking about pregnancy and babies whenever she gets the chance.
You can follow Brittany on social media here:
Growing Our Family Podcast & Blog Website: https://growingourfamily.com/
Insta, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter: @growingrfamily
Listen to Brittany's podcast episode that I was on here!
In this episode, my employee and personal friend Tiffany shares her empowering unmedicated birth story with her second son, Callan.
Tiffany's Bio:
Tiffany is a long-time friend to Liesel, an employee at Mommy Labor Nurse, and a fellow labor and delivery nurse. At about 3 1/2 months postpartum, Tiffany found out she was pregnant for the second time and on April 28th, 2020 delivered her second son, Callan.
In this episode, my employee and personal friend Tiffany shares her birth story and difficult postpartum experience with her first son, Wyatt.
Tiffany's Bio:
Tiffany is a long-time friend to Liesel, an employee at Mommy Labor Nurse, and a fellow labor and delivery nurse. After marrying her husband Ben, Tiffany got pregnant shortly afterwards and on April 18th, 2019 delivered her first son, Wyatt.
SPONSOR: Kindred Bravely
Kindred Bravely is a company built on love—a love that is poured into every piece of clothing they bring to life. Their clothes are meticulously designed to make your motherhood journey easier, from the bump to the breast and beyond. You deserve to look and feel great all of the time, Mama!
They have two goals: creating maternity and nursing clothes that are beautiful, useful, and comfortable, and building a community of moms who support and encourage each other on the motherhood journey.
Use code MLN20 to get 20% off all Kindred Bravely products (excluding gift cards and bundles) at KindredBravely.com!
In this episode, I interview my friend Parijat, a high-risk pregnancy specialist, all about stress and how it relates to pregnancy and delivery.
Here are the questions we go over!
- Talk to me about how stress can play a part in pregnancy?
- How is stress related to preterm labor/other complications during pregnancy?
- What are some of the high risk complications that can occur related to stress?
- What are some tips we can do to reduce our stress during pregnancy?
- How about postpartum - is stress related to complications during postpartum as well?
Parijat's Bio:
Parijat Deshpande is the leading high-risk pregnancy specialist, somatic trauma professional and speaker and author who guides women to improve their pregnancy complications so they can reduce their risk of preterm birth. Her unique neurobiological approach has served hundreds of women to manage pregnancy complications and reclaim a safety and trust in their bodies that they thought was eroded forever. Parijat is the author of bestselling book Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy. She is also the host of the popular podcast Delivering Miracles®, that discusses the real, raw side of family-building including infertility, loss, high-risk pregnancy, bed rest, prematurity and healing once baby comes home. Learn more at parijatdeshpande.com
You can follow Parijat here:
Website: https://parijatdeshpande.com/
IG: @healthy.highriskpregnancy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParijatDesh/
Parijat's Book, Pregnancy Brain - Available on Kindle and paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble: https://parijatdeshpande.lpages.co/pregnancybrain/
Listen to the Delivering Miracles® podcast - https://www.parijatdeshpande.com/podcast
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**Our listeners get 10% off your first month at trybetterhelp.com/labornurse!**
In this episode, Erin shares her traumatic birth story with her twin daughters and her redemptive unmedicated birth story with her son.
Erin's Bio:
Erin is a mom of three kids aged three and under living in Chicago. After a traumatic birth with her twin daughters, Erin shares why the unmedicated hospital birth of her son was a long-awaited redemptive experience -- and also like being in the passenger seat of a really crazy car ride!
Resources from the episode:
Birth it Up: The Natural Series: Erin's birth course to help her prepare for her second delivery (AKA my birth course!) Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Helpful book Erin read to help prepare for her second delivery http://www.chicagobirthboutique.com/: Erin's doula, Lauren Elliott in Chicago SPONSOR: Juna Juna is THE companion app for your Motherhood Journey. Juna was created to provide scientifically backed, up to date fitness and nutrition information, all in one place. When you download Juna you’ll enter your baby’s due date — if you’re expecting or your babies birthday if you’ve already had your baby and you’ll be put directly into the appropriate week of your journey. There’s a key nutrient every single week with recipe suggestions, a daily trimester specific workout, and pregnancy and postpartum tips from the team at Juna. There’s really no other app like it out there.
You can get Juna for 20% off your subscription by using the code LIESEL at subscribe.juna.co!
In this episode, I interview my friend KC all about
KC's Bio:
KC is a pediatric physical therapist, specializing in motor development of children 0-3 years of age. She has been working in the physical therapy field with children for just under a decade, and is passionate about arming parents with knowledge & instilling confidence while teaching them how to understand & foster their child’s development. She is also a wife, mother to two girls, and the founder of Milestones & Motherhood, a community focused on parent education. She found after working in the field that parents simply weren’t provided information about what to expect in regards to milestones & their child’s development, which often leads to stress, comparison, & fears. She began her instagram page to provide free tips, tricks & information to parents to bridge this gap. You can find KC on social media here: Instagram: @milestones.and.motherhood, Website: www.milestonesandmotherhood.com Resources from the episode: KC created a Motor Milestone PDF that covers the first 3 years of gross motor milestones, including activities and photos to encourage milestone acquisition, general developmental information, when to speak to your pediatrician, & tips for other areas of development. Use code MOMMYLABOR5 for $5 off the Motor PDF Newborn Basics 101 I’m still basking in the newborn snuggles (and struggles) over here and feeling super excited about Halloween with my TWO little ones this year.
With a newborn around, I’ve been catapulted back into newborn care 101 myself these days.
And you better believe I’m putting ALL the info in my Newborn Basics course to the test. The swaddling, the cord care, the witching hour – I’m living it mama!
What’s awesome about this for you? I FULLY UPDATED Newborn Basics to include video content and demonstrations with my real live newborn! To celebrate the course updates, I’m having a site-wide sale from October 30th at 10am EST until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, November 1st!
All of my individual products will be 30% off and bundles will be 10% off!
I can’t wait to be a part of your journey!!!
In this episode, Madison shares her positive natural induction story with her daughter Everly.
Madison's Bio:
Madison is a former teacher turned stay-at-home mom after the birth of her first daughter, Everly, in October 2019. Through her blog, Little Teacher Wife, she shares posts about marriage, family, and teaching to help make fellow mom’s lives a little bit easier!
Madison's Birth Story:
After 40 weeks of pregnancy, including a few hospital stays and a surgery for kidney stones, I was definitely ready for my baby girl to be earth side! I had a strong desire to delivery naturally without pain medication or epidural, and was worried about how an induction might interfere with that plan.
At less than 1cm dilated, and after trying all the tricks to get labor going on my own, my doctor and I decided to give my body one more week (until 40w5) to go into labor spontaneously. If not, we would induce with a Foley bulb on Sunday, October 13.
Of course, October 13 came with no signs of progression, so we headed in to the hospital to start the induction process. The on-call doctor placed the Foley bulb at 6pm on Sunday night, and I spent that night in a bit of discomfort, but nothing terrible. At 7am on Monday morning, just as the nurse was setting me up on the portable monitors, my water broke! I was able to get one lap around the labor hallways before the intense contractions started. I spent the next 11 hours alternating between a rocking chair, yoga ball, hands and knees, in the shower, and standing. I did use nitrous oxide on two occasions which helped me relax quite a bit.
At 6:00 pm, I was fully dilated and ready to push! The doctor quickly realized that this was a big baby, and it was going to take a while to push her out! 2 hours of intense pushing later, 26 hours after the Foley Bulb was placed, I delivered my little girl!
After an hour of skin-to-skin and bonding as a new family, the nurses took her stats and I was able to get up, walk around and get cleaned up and changed. Then back to resting with our 9 pound, 12 ounce, 22 inch long baby girl!
Resources from the episode:
Baby Registry Must-Haves
Natural Birth Tips
Postpartum Essentials
You can follow Madison on social media here:
Blog
In this episode, my employees and I continue the conversation about my second postpartum experience with Ryland!
Here are the questions we go over!
- How was your bleeding within those first couple of days after giving birth?
- Can you tell us more about how your bleeding transitioned - from giving birth to now being 7 weeks postpartum.
- Let’s talk more about that 2nd degree tear. How was your recovery with that?
- What kinds of things did you do to help with the pain and discomfort?
- How do things feel now that you are 7 weeks out?
- How has your mental health been since having Ryland, and how does it differ from the postpartum stage with Walter?
- If you have been following Mommy Labor Nurse for a while, you probably know that Liesel had some struggles with breastfeeding Walter. Liesel, why don’t you just give us a quick recap of your breastfeeding journey with him.
- Knowing you struggled with a low supply with Walter, did you do anything during this pregnancy to help prepare your body for breastfeeding?
- Let’s talk about those first couple of weeks after Ryland was born - how was breastfeeding going? What did you do differently this time around compared to Walter?
- And now 6 weeks out from birth - how is nursing going?
- On Monday you went to your 6 week postpartum appointment. Can you share what exactly was done at that appointment?
- Now that you are 7 weeks out from delivery, what next? (talk about pelvic floor PT, chiropractor, Pebble?)
- Overall how did the transition go bringing home a second baby? What did you think it was going to be like and how did the reality compare? Which was harder - bringing home Walter or Ryland?
- Any tips for moms out there you are going to be bringing a second baby home soon? How did you juggle having a toddler and a newborn?
In this episode, my employees and I discuss my second postpartum experience with Ryland!
Here are the questions we go over!
- We ended the last podcast with Ryland being born. So we are going to kick this one off with what happened next: the placenta being delivered! Tell us how that felt in comparison to Ryland being born.
- Did you tear at all?
- We know that you didn’t have an epidural, explain the process of how they repaired the tear. How long did it take?
- Let’s talk more about the first 2 hours after delivery. What kinds of things were happening during those first couple of hours after Ryland was born?
- What are fundal rubs? Why are they important and what are the nurses looking for when doing them? Does it hurt to have your fundus rubbed?
- At what point did you try to latch Ryland on for the first time? How did that go?
- At the hospital where you delivered, the labor rooms are different from the postpartum rooms. At smaller hospitals many times the room you have a baby in, is also the room you stay in during the postpartum period. So you stayed in your labor and delivery room for about 2 hours and then transferred to postpartum. Tell us a little bit about what happened once you arrived to your postpartum room.
- How were the first 24 hours after delivery?
- Bleeding
- 2nd degree tear recovery
- Pain
- Breastfeeding
- How were the first 24 hours after delivery for Bryan?
- How long did you stay in the hospital for?
- And how did introducing Walter to Ryland go? I know you prepared a gift for Ryland to give Walter - at what point did you give that to him?
- Anything you wish you would have done differently?
- At what point did you take Ryland to the pediatrician for the first time? What things happened at his first appointment?
- When did you take him back to the pediatrician?
In this episode, I interview my friend Brookes, a nurse practitioner, all about women's health! We talk about PCOS, fertility, endometriosis, and more!
Brookes's Bio:
Brookes is the Founder of The Women’s Health Company and a Board Certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner with over 5 years of experience in Women’s Healthcare. Brookes received her BS in Public Health from UGA and her WHNP from Vanderbilt University. Brookes’ passion is to educate, equip and empower women to become whole and healthy by providing them with evidence-based Women’s Health resources and life-giving encouragement. Brookes is a lover of the Georgia Dawgs, dirty chai lattes, and healthy baking. She lives outside of Athens, GA with her husband, Schuyler, and golden retriever, Riggins.
You can find Brookes on social media here:
Instagram: @thewomenshealthcompany and @brookesbvaughan_np
Website: thewomenshealthcompany.com
Resources from the episode:
Recommended Registered Dietician
In this episode, Malori shares her hotel birth story with us via c-section, and talks about her fertility struggles.
Malori's Bio: Malori Mayor is a registered nurse, military wife to Mark, and new mom to Max! After an almost 2-year struggle with infertility, holistic treatments, and surgery for endometriosis, Malori and Mark were finally able to conceive their first child. Aside from being a wife and mom, Malori is passionate about helping other women also going through infertility who want to treat it holistically. While going through infertility herself, she began helping others share their stories of infertility and miscarriage on her blog, and also started a podcast, Restoring Fertility Naturally. Malori spent most of her pregnancy in Germany, where her husband was stationed with the Army, and then gave birth to Max after moving to California. In whatever little free time she has, she enjoys reading a good book, baking, and going on neighborhood walks with her little family and their German Shepherd, Zoey. Malori's Birth Story: Other than moving from Germany to California in my third trimester, I had a pretty easy and normal pregnancy and planned on an unmedicated birth. We lived in a hotel for most of my third trimester while waiting on military housing, so I was fully prepared to bring home our new baby to a hotel room. But otherwise I expected all to go smoothly. I got the biggest surprise of my pregnancy when I went to my 40 week appointment and it was found that baby boy was breech! He had been head down just the week prior. My doctor reviewed all the options with me and I opted for a version the next morning and then would wait it out for natural labor to start. However, baby boy had other plans! I went into labor that evening, as we were moving items into the house we had just gotten the keys to. I was totally in denial that it was labor but finally realized that the contractions weren't Braxton Hicks anymore! My doctor had me come to the hospital to get checked around 12:30am, and Maximilian John was born via c-section at 1:54am on January 8, 2020! He was born healthy, pink, and screaming, and him being laid on my chest with my husband by my side was incredibly glorious. Even though a c-section was my last choice, that moment was priceless and a beautiful culmination of all our fertility struggles. Max is now 8 months old and is such a happy and active boy! Resources: Malori's podcast where she goes into further details about infertility - http://bit.ly/podcastrfn This is the model of treatment that Malori used for infertility: http://www.naprotechnology.com/ You can follow Malori on social media here: IG - @warriorlifewellness Blog - https://www.warriorlifewellness.com YouTube - http://bit.ly/maloriyoutube
In this episode, my friend Marley talks all about how maternity care differs in the UK!
Marley's Bio:
Marley is registered midwife from Surrey, UK and is also a mother to 5 children including a set of twins. She has practiced midwifery in various settings over the past 11 years working in hospitals, birth centers and in women's homes. She cares for women from conception up until 2 weeks postpartum.
Marley is also a widely recognized prenatal education instructor who shares lots of useful information on instagram through her cartoon drawings. Having delivered over 600 babies, Marley is an expert in childbirth and is passionate about helping women to have a positive birth experience no matter what type of birth they may have! You can find Marley on social media here:
Website: www.midwifemarley.com
Instagram: @midwifemarley
In this episode, my employees and I discuss my second birth story with my son Ryland!
My Birth Story:
Tuesday 8/11 I woke up at 40 weeks and 4 days - totally was mentally DONE being pregnant at this point, guys, and my plan for that day was to do more things throughout the day to hopefully help prep my cervix/initiate labor. I had been doing stuff all week (sex, pineapple, walking, curb walking, yoga ball etc) - and that day I had planned to do the Miles Circuit & get a reflexology session later that evening. Anyway, woke up, hung out with Walter all day since he didn’t have school, and we ended up going over to my parents’ house for a few hours during lunch. I had been having on and off contractions through the day, but nothing crazy - this was also the main reason I wanted to try the Miles Circuit, to see if I could get them more regular! So, after a trip to my parent’s, I came home with a Walter and did the circuit for an hour and a half, followed by a reflexology session. Came home, ate dinner, and it was about 7:30/7:45 when I started to feel some stronger contractions pick up. Again, nothing too crazy, but they were definitely stronger than what I had felt for pretty much the whole day. I went upstairs with Walter to put him to bed, and they were already about 3-5 minutes apart, but only lasting 30ish seconds. I had a feeling this was the real thing though. I put Walter to bed, and went into my husband’s office where he was playing a video game and let him know what was going on (this was about 8pm). I went back downstairs, took a shower, sat on my ball and laid in bed for awhile to see how things were going to progress. At 10pm, I put on my breast pump to try to strengthen them even more, which only lasted about 30 mins in total. By 10:30 they were pretty strong and I went ahead and called my mom to come to our house to stay with Walter overnight. At 11pm, she showed up, we left for the hospital which is right down the block, and got up to triage at about 11:20 or so. My doctor came to check me and I was still only 3cm 😑 I was 3/80/-1, which was a change from my 3/50/-2 that I was in office that week, but I was totally bummed at that point because they were pretty darn strong and I was totally questioning what the heck was going on! We ended up hanging out in triage for 90 mins, and then at about 1am my nurse came to check me and I was 6/90/0! Yay! Alllll in my back though, which SUCKED. I was super happy that I had progressed 3cm in 90 mins though, and at that point I was thinking to myself, “ok great hopefully this continues to pick up and I have a baby really soon!” So, for admitted, got out to a room with a tub & labored in and out of the tub for a good hour after I was admitted. At about 2am, my nurse checked again and I was 8/90/0! 👏🏻 Also super happy that it was continuing to pick up, BUT still allllllll the pain was in my back....and that was no fun. By this point though, I was fairly composed, I was joking between contractions, and really utilizing my relaxation/breathing & doing lots of rag doll! My doctor came to break my water at this point per my request, and then at about 2:45 my nurse checked again because things were seriously picking up & I was a rim! (about 9.5 centimeters). I was today starting to lose my sht at this point, but still generally in a good mental state because I could tell labor was still progressing well. Wellllll...this is when I started to stall...and REALLY started to lose my mind. At about 3:30am (about 45 mins later) with no progress or evidence of this being done, hah, I begged my nurse for a dose of IV pain medication which she gave me. This helped tremendously to calm me down and help me relax in between the contractions. I remember just being soooo mentally done, and so angry that I was stalling, it was crazy! So, got a dose of IV pain meds, chilled out for about 15-20 mins with a few contractions and then of course the medication pretty much wore off and it was right back to horrible back labor and no signs of it being over (didn’t have the urge to push etc). At this point it was probably 4am, and I started to do everything I could to get him out! Lots of position changes, trying to push past that last centimeter etc. it was horrid! FINALLY I remember I was on my hands n knees on the bed with my nurse and I was pushing wirh her and she finally said, “Ok Liesel you’re 10, it’s gone!” So I flipped over and pushed for another 15 mins on my back/side and voila....baby BOY!!! He ended up spinning from posterior to anterior AS HE WAS COMING OUT....ow hah 🤪 I remember being SO happy that I was done, but also being SO mad that I stalled for that long!! I totally went into this labor expecting it was going to be a quick labor...and overall it was definitely faster than my first, but geez! Definitely did not expect to get stuck at 9.5cm as a second time mom for THAT long! Coming away from it, again, SO happy I was done...but also SO shell shocked! It’s definitely taught me to once again....don’t go into labor expecting ANYTHING...even if you’re Mommy Labor Nurse! 🤣 ♥️♥️♥️♥️ Resources from the episode:*
http://www.milescircuit.com/
In this episode, my friend Stephanie and I talk about everything doula!
Here are the questions we go over:
1. Tell me about your business providing doula care, what sort of care do you provide moms? 2. For those who don’t exactly know what a doula is, how would you best describe yourself? (Might be too similar to above question hah but some people just don’t know what doulas are so I want to be super clear lol!) 3. What are some of the advantages of having a doula during birth? 4. Do you provide postpartum doula care as well? 5. What is the average cost for doula care, is anything covered by insurance? 6. Would you recommend someone hire a doula if they plan for an epidural? What about for a scheduled c-section? 7. How do I go about finding a doula in my area? 8. Do you provide any virtual care, especially now with COVID 19? Have you had to change anything about your business? 9. Any last tips for moms on the fence about hiring one? **Stephanie's Bio:**
Stephanie is from Minnesota. She is a wife of 8 years to her husband, Brian, who is a Golf Professional. She is also a mom of three, including twins. She loves to spend her days home with her six year old daughter and boy/girl two year old twins. She lives for nights out with her husband and scrapbooking getaways with her girlfriends. She is also pretty much obsessed with motherhood and thinks the world of other moms, babies, birth and all things positive! Because of her love for women, especially moms, Stephanie founded How 2 Mom in 2015. How 2 Mom is a community and support group for all moms. They also offer birth services for prenatal, birth and postpartum care and have a team of birth professionals. They share tips, tricks, products and stories through How 2 Mom’s Blog.
Stephanie strives to be the type of influencer through How 2 Mom that showcases all sides of motherhood; the good and the hard! After becoming a new mom she noticed that this type of community was missing in her own circle of influence, so she created it. She has a vision of a one-stop-shop since motherhood is already so overwhelming. She's even created a Resource Directory on the website featuring a loyal list of professionals for their mom community.
Since creating this dynamic and authentic community, they’ve gained a strong and loyal community who voted How 2 Mom as Parent Blogger of the Year in 2018. How 2 Mom has also been featured on podcasts and hosts monthly events and support groups to connect, support and educate women on all things motherhood. Be on the lookout for her upcoming online program for moms and The Mom 2 Mom Podcast!
**You can find Stephanie on social media here:** https://www.how2mom.com/ https://www.instagram.com/how2mom https://www.facebook.com/how2mom **Resources from the episode:** https://spinningbabies.com/ https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/ https://www.how2mom.com/what-is-a-birth-doula/ https://www.how2mom.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-hire-a-birth-doula/ https://www.how2mom.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-hire-a-birth-doula/ https://doulamatch.net/
In this episode, my friend Ashley talks to us about her three very different birth experiences, ranging from a c-section to VBAC to a traumatic birth. She has also experienced preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and IUGR.
Ashley's Bio
Ashley Boyd was born and raised in Colorado and now calls Columbus, Ohio home. She has a bachelors degree in Vocal performance and has sung with Opera Colorado and Opera Europa. Ashley married her husband in 2012 and now keeps busy taking care of their three young children. When she manages to find free time, Ashley likes to read, play games, and sing. **You can follow Ashley on social media here:** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theboydtales/
In this episode, Samantha shares her powerful unmedicated birth story with her third using mindfulness and meditation techniques!
Samantha's Birth Story:
My third birth experience was SO powerful. Mindfulness and meditation allowed me to have a peaceful, 20-hour unmedicated labor and delivery. A few months after we recorded the podcast, I had my fourth baby, once again an unmedicated birth! This one was different because my labor stalled out, but meditation and mindfulness once again made a huge difference. **You can follow Samantha on social media here:**
Blog: Evidence-based Mommy
Pinterest: pinterest.com/evidencemommy Resources from the episode: A recorded a set of meditations to listen to while preparing for birth. SPONSOR Mommy Knows Best Mommy Knows Best empowers all moms with the tools and resources necessary to give your newborn the best start in life! From an assortment of delicious lactation cookies to supplements and beyond, their products contain all natural herbal remedies traditionally and effectively used for generations to treat low milk supply.
Whether you’re a new mom or a pro, Mommy Knows Best gives you plenty of options, all of which are created with the health and safety of both baby and mom in mind.
Plus, I’m really excited to tell you they just added a new gluten and dairy free lactation cookie mix this week!
Use code: LABORNURSE10 to get 10% off all Mommy Knows Best products valid at MommyKnowsBest.com!
In this episode, I interview my friend Karrie, a postpartum and nursery RN, all about what she does to take care of patients postpartum, recovery, breastfeeding, bleeding, and more!
Here are the questions we go over!
- What sort of work do you currently do - what kind of care do you provide? How long have you been a postpartum RN/how much do you work on the floor? - What are some of the most common complaints you see moms/parents face in those first few days? - Do you assist moms with breastfeeding, what is your philosophy on breastfeeding? - Let’s talk about infant care - what are some of the common things new parents struggle with regarding infant care?- Let’s do a deep dive into wet/dirty diapers - what to look for, what’s abnormal, how much/how little should baby be putting out? - For mom’s recovery, let’s talk about bleeding - vaginal delivery vs. c/section - What are some of the most common things you wished everyone knew as far as postpartum recovery? - Are there any MUST HAVE items that mom should have on hand in hospital or upon return to home to assist with recovery? **Karrie's Bio:** I’m Karrie— a Postpartum + Nursery RN and mama to 3 young kids all 4 and under! I have been a Postpartum/Nursery RN in the hospital setting for 8 years and love the education portion of my job. After becoming a mother, myself, I really recognized how *little* the postpartum period is discussed— not just in the hospital, but at home: hormones, milk supply, no sleep, mental health, pain, and more. I created my Instagram page (@karrie\_locher) & website (karingforpostpartum.com) to help educate, inform, encourage, and support other mamas. We can celebrate the bliss & support each other through the struggles motherhood brings. The biggest asset to the postpartum experience is being informed— I’ve got you. **You can follow Marta on social media here:** Instagram: www.instagram.com/karrie\_locher Website: www.karingforpostpartum.com Entering Motherhood Checklist bundle: http://karingforpostpartum.com/enteringmotherhood/ Baby cheat sheets: http://karingforpostpartum.com/karing-for-baby-2/ **SPONSOR:** **Mommy Labor Nurse** This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
Did you know I have a Newborn Basics course? This course will cover what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends when caring for your baby. In fact, that's where MOST of this information is derived from - so you know it's coming from a good source!
You can expect a lot of detailed information, troubleshooting, step-by-step guides, and tips/takeaways from a fellow mom.
My courses include:
- 20+ Lessons with Text and Audio!
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In this episode, my friend Marta shares her birth story having TRIPLETS!
Marta's Birth Story: After struggling to get pregnant, Marta sought the help of a specialist and found a mild case of endometriosis and PCOS. 6 months later, with the help of a cycle of hormonal stimulation, she got her first positive test of a triplet pregnancy. Among many mixed feelings and the emotional toll of a high-risk pregnancy, she delivered the babies at 34 weeks via C-section. Here's a link to an article where she goes into more detail: https://www.denverparent.net/2020/02/coming-to-terms-with-having-triplets-the-3-lessons-ive-learned Marta's Bio Marta Spirk is a writer, woman empowerment coach, and triplet mom. Her focus is helping selfless, overwhelmed women learn to put themselves first, stop people-pleasing and become their own support system. Through her podcast The Empowered Woman, her virtual self-improvement membership and workshops, she hopes to encourage and uplift women to step into their own power and realize they ALREADY have it all! You can find Marta on social media here: www.martaspirk.com www.instagram.com/martaspirk www.facebook.com/spirkmarta SPONSOR: This episode is sponsored by Juna!
Juna is THE companion app for your Motherhood Journey. Juna was created to provide scientifically backed, up to date fitness and nutrition information, all in one place. When you download Juna you’ll enter your baby’s due date — if you’re expecting or your babies birthday if you’ve already had your baby and you’ll be put directly into the appropriate week of your journey. There’s a key nutrient every single week with recipe suggestions, a daily trimester specific workout, and pregnancy and postpartum tips from the team at Juna. There’s really no other app like it out there.
You can get Juna for 20% off your subscription by using the code LIESEL at subscribe.juna.co!
In this episode, my friend Gail, the founder of Spinning Babies®, comes back a second time to talk inductions, VBACs, belly mapping, and more!
Click here to listen to part 1!
Here are the questions we go over!
- Inductions are becoming more and more the common thing (at least here in the US) -first off, what are you thoughts on inductions, and how can we still incorporate Spinning Babies methodologies during an induced labor?
- For moms who plan to VBAC - are there any differences, and/or special considerations you recommend for these moms?
- Let’s talk about Belly Mapping! (I know this is something you guys coined!) What is Belly Mapping?
- Any last tips for moms?
SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by Spinning Babies!
The word “Spinning” in Spinning Babies® means how babies move through the pelvis to find the most space to come down. What makes birth easier for baby is what makes birth easier for Mom.
Our Spinning Babies® mission is to make physiological birth more accessible to birthing people and providers alike. For instance, we believe that being head down is only half the story. How baby’s head enters the top of the pelvis correlates with length of labor and ease of labor. When facing forward a first baby may not be able to rotate for a day or two. We offer daily activities to add comfort in pregnancy now and ease in labor later.
The Daily Essentials video is the easiest way to learn the habits and moves. Starting in mid-pregnancy is ideal.
The Parent Class video or an in-person Parent Class for late pregnancy. The Parent Class video has lots of labor tips and techniques for comfort and also to help labor stay on track to help avoid cesareans simply because baby’s not aiming into the pelvis.
Does your doctor or midwife require baby to be head down before labor? Do they do cesarean birth for all breeches? Are you pregnant and hoping to avoid surgery? Then the Helping Your Breech Baby Turn eBook is for you. Prepare for an easier childbirth with this eBook, a self-directed 6-day program for pregnant parents with a breech baby developed by a Certified Professional Midwife.
Listeners of Mommy Nurse Labor podcast can use the code MOMMY15 on the Spinning Babies® online shop for 15% off your purchase of the Helping Your Breech Baby Turn eBook.
Belly Mapping Workbook
Pregnancy Week-Week Pages
Warning: This episode talks about infant loss. If you have experienced infant and/or pregnancy loss, please proceed with caution.
In this very special episode, my friend Maria (the winner of my giveaway!) shares her story with us about her beautiful daughter, Camila.
Maria's Bio
Maria “Eva” Itriago Rivera is a 25 year old woman from Venezuela (South America) currently living in Southwest Kansas Area. She is a Licensed Nursing Assistant, CPR Instructor and Spanish Interpreter with personal and professional experience on the medical field. Eva is a wife to Reinaldo who is a hard-working and loving man, mother to Camila who went to heaven on 5/9/2019 due to a CHD and Di George’s Syndrome and Aurora who is expected to arrive on November 2020. She enjoys singing, working out, spending time with her family and going to church. Since 06/19 she is working for a non for profit organization in Kansas as an Administrative Assistant and Spanish interpreter, helping families receive free early intervention services for children 0-3 years old that have a delay or a disability. This organization also helps mothers who are pregnant get education about their pregnancy, lactation consultation, and connecting them with the community resources available to help them meet their needs.
Eva is passionate about helping others, as the only child of a single mother she grew up facing many challenges, but at the same time her mother was a role model for her, a true example of how to be unstoppable. The many struggles she has faced in her short life have made her understand that regardless of your current situation, you always need to “Fight to Flourish – Jennie Lusko”.
Maria's Birth Story
December 2018 was the due date for the birth of my firstborn daughter “Camila”. My belly was enormous to use a more graceful term. At 35-weeks my doctor found out I had high levels of amniotic fluid, per ultrasound report: severe polyhydramnios. The doctor checked me out, but he did not understand the cause because I was “healthy”. At 39 weeks on 12/07 I had a scheduled C-section early in the morning, I was taken to the OR for the surgery, and I was very scared and excited about the birth of Camila. My anesthesiologist placed the epidural but it did not numb my body, and then they put me to sleep immediately after that under general anesthesia. Little did I know what was waiting for me.
When I woke up from the C-Section there wasn’t anyone around me, and I immediately knew that something was wrong. I just wanted to hold my baby, but instead my husband got into the room with a face that told me something was wrong. He told me that my baby was having trouble breathing and she needed to be flown out in an emergency flight to a bigger hospital 3 hours away from us. I was so confused, panicked, hurt, I felt that the weight of the world was over my body and I just wanted to really wake up. With the strength I had left I stand up, got into a wheel chair and kissed my baby good bye at the NICU, with no guarantees she would survive the flight. That moment broke my heart forever, my expectations and dreams of the birth of my daughter, and to this day this moment hunts before I go to bed. The nurses wanted me to pump, but I had no energy knowing that my baby was away from me and I was still hospitalized, and couldn’t go with her. She made it safely to the other Hospital, and a few hours later my cellphone ringed with the worst news: Camila has a severe heart problem that we cannot fix here in Kansas, she needs to go now to Colorado. I think my own heart skipped a beat after that call, and after that call our lives and my expectations of motherhood changed forever.
Camila's Story
At 1 day old Camila had to be taken in an emergency flight from Kansas to Colorado (her second medical flight in a little over 24hrs). I asked the doctor permission to take a flight to Denver after I was discharged (4 days after my C-section). That flight was the worst nightmare of my life, I was going to pass out from the bleeding, nausea, anemia, pain and panic. I made it to Aurora, CO with my family and checked-in at the Ronald McDonalds House. Upon arrival at the hospital, I was desperate to be with my baby girl.
When I got into that CICU room, she was peacefully sleeping and I just feel like I heard: "mama I was waiting for you" in my inside, that connection... I cannot explain. That same day I ended up in the ER with a very high blood pressure and unstable but I was able to be discharged at night. The next day I went back to the CICU to hold her for the first time and be with her every second, and that same day the doctors gave us the worst news of our lives. Your daughter has: Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia and MAPCAS, and this diagnosis usually has a base genetic disorder called Di George's Syndrome or 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome which she is tested positive for 3 weeks after the blood sample was taken.... That day my life was turned upside down.
With these news my husband and I decided that we were not going to give into sadness but that we were going to give her the best life we could, give her the best of the best from our hearts and advocate like no other, after all, I knew God had prepared me for this moment
She went through a lot: X-Rays, CTs, PICC line, 3 Hearth Catheterizations, 1 failed G-J tube Surgery, NG tubes, 1 Nissen Surgery with G-tube (which I had to advocate for and propose to the medical board since they did not know what to do with her, I had another momma help me find out about this option for her on Instagram). She was intubated multiple times, had CPAP, high flow, nasal cannula, breathing treatments ...lots of labs, meds, monitors.
I knew God had not sent me to this battle without preparing me, since I had worked with every department at the rural Hospital where I gave birth (I got to learn from amazing healthcare professionals) I knew how to help her most of the time, I would provide direct care for her, even during the most critical times. She needed a 20-hour open heart and lung surgery to be able to have some chance at life, and on May 9th, 2019 at 9:00pm while I went to RMH for dinner she went into Cardiac and Respiratory arrest after getting upset while having her RT treatment.
I arrived in the middle of the episode, she did not respond to epinephrine or any other meds used for resuscitation, neither CPR. She was 3 days away from her heart surgery and 2 days away from our first mother's day together. While watching the team trying to bring her back to life, I felt an unexplainable weight in my chest, I knew in my heart it was her time, because we knew there was nothing else with could do, it was her time to go to heaven, we fought a hard battle but the decision of her life in earth unfortunately was not ours.
I held her lifeless and surprisingly weightless body one last time that night.
We spent 5 months in the Cardiac ICU with her. I must say she had everything she needed: best medical care, us as her parents by her side at all times, her grandparents got to meet her and serve her as well, and she had 2 baby showers and had tons of things, which I took as much as I could to her hospital room so she could feel at home. After her passing all these items were sent to Venezuela for the children and moms in need, and some others were donated to Ronald McDonalds House.
She never made it home, she never made it out of the hospital but she stayed forever in our hearts and minds. She changed us forever. Now I understand that her spirit was so strong, so big that her earthly and broken body could not hold. Never forgotten, always loved … My Dear Camila mommy and Daddy Love You.
You can find Maria on social media here:
Instagram:
hopeforcamila and mariaevaitriago
Resources: For more support with Di George’s Syndrome (22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome)
https://www.22q.org/
https://22qfamilyfoundation.org/what-22q/22q-overview
For Free Early Intervention Services and Pregnancy Support in Southwest Kansas Area:
Russell Child Development Center
(620)-275-0291
https://www.rcdc4kids.org/
FB: RUSSELL CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Books for Grieving Families:
“The Fight to Flourish” by Jennie Lusko
“It was not supposed to be this way” by Lisa TerKeurst
“Be the One to Heal Yourself” by Beth Rogerson, PhD
In this episode, we discuss Haley’s positive induction birth story, chat about prodromal labor, epidurals, the choice to bottle feed and mental health. We also dive into what a virtual doula is and how important it is to advocate for yourself! Tune in for some awesome birth motivation and empowerment. Haley's Bio: Haley is a mom of two wildlings. Grayson is 2.5 years old and Blakely is 5 months old. Haley has been a doula for 2 years. In addition to helping mommas out with their birthing journey, Haley also empowers her online community by providing positive affirmations and creating a safe place to express the struggles of motherhood. On her blog she also shares traveling adventures, toddler learning and endless pictures of her tribe. You can find Haley on social media here:
Instagram.com/mywanderlust.tribe Instagram.com/doula.mommanurture Instagram.com/empowered.motherhood
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In this episode, I answer the most commonly asked questions about the first trimester!
Here are the questions I go over!
What are some of the first things I should do when I find out I’m pregnant? How do I calculate my due date? Will it change? What are some of the common symptoms I may experience? Let’s talk about morning sickness Does my work environment pose any risk to my pregnancy? When do I tell my boss? Can I continue to exercise? What does first prenatal visit entail? When should I call my provider? Is bleeding/cramping normal? Mommy Labor Nurse
This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
My courses include:
- 30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Facebook Groups
- Money Back Guaranteed!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn’t the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I’m going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what’s going to happen in your upcoming birth. Go to mommylabornurse.com/podcast to take a short quiz to find out which course is best for you! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off any course!
In this episode, I interview my friend Sandy, a lactation consultant, and we answer all of your breastfeeding questions!
Here are the questions we go over!
-Standard symptoms that moms will feel once they initially start to breastfeed - nipple pain, engorgement, etc. and how to help some of these remedies? -What are some of the common complaints you see in your breastfeeding group? -What are your recommendations on starting to build a freezer supply for when you return to work? -What does a typical nursing/pumping schedule look like? Is there even a schedule, and how does this change over time? -Milk supply issues - what should I do if I feel like I’m not making enough milk? -Another milk supply issue - I’m making too much, what should I do? -Nipple Shields? I Can you explain how they work and best practices? -Any last tips for moms? **Sandy's Bio:** Sandy is a Lamaze trained Childbirth Educator, Certified Lactation Consultant and works in Labor and Delivery at WakeMed Raleigh Campus. Sandy has 21 years of experience working with mothers and babies.
SPONSOR: **Mommy Knows Best**
Today’s episode is sponsored by Mommy Knows Best!
Mommy Knows Best empowers all moms with the tools and resources necessary to give your newborn the best start in life! From an assortment of delicious lactation cookies to supplements and beyond, their products contain all natural herbal remedies traditionally and effectively used for generations to treat low milk supply.
Whether you’re a new mom or a pro, Mommy Knows Best gives you plenty of options, all of which are created with the health and safety of both baby and mom in mind.
Plus, I’m really excited to tell you they just added a new gluten and dairy free lactation cookie mix this week!
Use code: LABORNURSE10 to get 10% off all Mommy Knows Best products valid at MommyKnowsBest.com!
In this episode, Jasmine shares her preemie story at 25 weeks.
Jasmine's Bio: Jasmine Hill is a 27 year old, soon to be mother of 2, a prematurity awareness advocate and an entrepreneur who develops natural hair care products to women of all backgrounds. She has been married to her husband for almost 4 years, and was not expecting to be able to get pregnant due to her stage 4 endometriosis. However she and her husband both received the shock of their lives when they found out they were expecting in Nov of 2018. Little did they they know, their pregnancy would have some issues that could have potentially caused their son to be born premature and spend 108 days in the NICU. Due to their experience Jasmine's husband, Rodney, has developed a small clothing line to raise awareness about preterm births and prematurity, She currently 7 months pregnant again, due in April of this year. Here is their story. Jasmine's Birth Story My whole pregnancy from week 10, I was having UTI/kidney issues but the doctors could never pinpoint what was going on. At 22 weeks went back to the hospital, and was admitted again for possible kidney infection. The results were negative to any bacteria. However, at this point I started contracting not knowing I was, so they put a monitor on me to view my contractions and sure enough they were true because it dilated my cervix 1cm. In the following week, I had multiple OB appointments, maternal specialist appointment and coming to find out I was 80% effaced and my cervix measured 1.5cm in length. I was devastated. I did not want my baby to come at 24 weeks. Upon the doctors examining she sent me directly to the hospital for bed rest. I was there for about a week, had various scans and ultrasound and funny thing, Is nothing was wrong with Miguel he was always fine. A strong little guy! The doctors were doing all they could to keep him in. Mag drips, steroid shots, morphine, change positions, relaxation but Miguel had a mind of his own. At about 8p March 30. I was having some unusual pain, like menstrual pain combined with terrible back aches and I called the nurse who called the doctor. They just gave me more mag. About 2 hours later the pain increased and I started to bleed. The doctor who examined me and said I was still just 2cm and no change. I did not think that to be true. He gave me morphine, and it worked for about 2 hours and through the night the pain was just excruciating! I could hardly sleep let alone breathe. It got so bad I called for the doc again but he said he was just gonna leave me for the morning doctor. I was livid! But it worked out to be a blessing because the night before, I prayed if I was gonna deliver I wanted a specific doctor and that morning that is exactly who walked in. From that point I knew it was a lot we were up against but God was holding our hand.As soon as she came in, she did an ultrasound and a cervical check and told me..."we are going to be delivering your baby today. You are fully dilated...I was shocked but reassured. Instantly I was rushed into the delivery room and asked if I wanted a epidural. Of course I consented because of the pain I had been in. I was in so much pain, I didn't even know they had given it to me, but Once it was given, I shook for a little bit and then I slept for 2 whole hours. Then she came back in and said he is crowning and ready to come out. His head is coming out. It took all of 2 pushes to get him out. On March 31st at 12:46pm Miguel was at 25 weeks 2 days gestation and came out weighing 1lb 10oz. Although small, red and extremely premature our little fight let out the loudest cry with his eyes opened to show us God had him. Though has been thru many struggles such as, anemia, brain bleeds, lung bleeds, possible sepsis, pneumonia, UTI, and been on 5 different levels of respiratory support. With faith, we all have made it thru the N.I.C.U journey 108 days later weighing 7lbs 4oz. We are happy to have him home now for about 6 months and now weighing 21lbs. We owe all of his and our strength to God for looking out for him and not forgetting us. SPONSOR: Betterhelp
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In this episode, I interview my friend Ryann all about pregnancy nutrition and other factors that relate such as cravings, morning sickness, prenatal vitamins, and more!
Here are the questions we go over!
-When should we start thinking about dietary needs in regards to pregnancy? Before…or once you find out? -What are some of the most important nutrients needed during pregnancy? -What about morning sickness, how do I get nutrients? If I’m sick all the time, is my baby being depleted? -Talk to us about prenatal vitamins, how do I look for a good quality one? Aren’t they all the same? -I have some intense cravings, should I just listen to my body or should I restrict my crazy cravings? -DAIRY! I am normally lactose intolerant but for some reason I’m not now that I’m pregnant, what is up with that? -Let’s talk about anemia and iron needs-adding iron through foods and/or taking supplements, when it’s needed. -Kombucha, what is the deal…is it safe? -Do you have experience with counseling women who have Gestational Diabetes? What are some things you tell them in regards to diet? -Weight gain….what if I’m “gaining too much weight” what do I do? **Ryann's Bio:** Ryann is a clinically trained Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Lactation Educator, and Author of The Feel-Good Pregnancy Cookbook. She is the founder of The Prenatal Nutritionist, a virtual nutrition private practice, which focuses on preparing women for pregnancy and conquering nutrition during and after pregnancy. She helps women feel confident in their ability to properly nourish a growing baby through a real food approach. Aside from one on one nutrition counseling, Ryann is a nutrition writer, recipe developer, and nutrition content creator. You can find her most often on her popular Instagram account @prenatalnutritionist.
**FREE 5-day prenatal meal plan**: bit.ly/5daymealplan **Learn about Ryann's new online program:** bit.ly/pplusmethod **Instagram:** instagram.com/prenatalnutritionist
In this episode, I go over a highly requested topic that you guys have sent me: EPIDURALS!!
Here are the questions we go over!
- What is it like to get an epidural? What Is the procedure like? 2. What are some common side effects & complications? 3. Common myths vs facts regarding epidurals? SPONSORS Larken Larken was born out of a struggle to find a comfortable and simple way to nurse and pump. While pumping and nursing their daughters, the Larken Co-Founders tried several bulky, ill-fitting tops and bras with irritating elastic and cumbersome snaps and zippers. Frustrated with the options on the market, they knew there had to be a better way. So they designed it.
Their all-in-one nursing and hands-free pumping bra is the first without any irritating elastic, snaps, zippers, or other hardware. It's super easy to use and ultra-comfortable. It provides relaxed support without being restrictive. All of their products are hardware free and are made with incredibly soft, breathable materials with great stretch and recovery so they can adapt to mom's changing body. Their customers have shared that they love being able to wear them all day for easy transitions between nursing and pumping without ever having to change bras or undress, and they also sleep in them at night because of how comfortable they are. We've been named by The Bump, Scary Mommy, US Weekly and New York Magazine as a best hands-free pumping bra.
Use code LIESEL15 for 15% off any Larken products at Larken.com!
Maria’s Birth Story: Maria Topper is a 23 year old mom of 2, blogger, and activist, she lives in germany with her kids and they’re a blended family. she uses her voice and social channels to talk about motherhood and its realities. At 19 years old she found out she was pregnant, she was living in a foreign country and a seemingly normal pregnancy turned into any mom to be worst scenario when doctors refused to listen to her and she developed eclampsia. She delivered a baby at 30 weeks via emergency c section, and her baby girl spent 6 weeks in the NICU. Adjusting to life after the NICU wasn’t easy and she suffered with PPD and PTSD. Few years later she wanted to extend her family and was met by the hard road that trying to conceive can be for some couples, after multiple miscarriages she was diagnosed with anti phospholipid syndrome but was able to get pregnant and delivered a healthy term baby via Vbac. Maria urges moms to be to use their voice during pregnancy, to stand up for themselves if needed and know that they are important as are their feelings and concerns. “Don’t worry about being THAT pregnant lady, it might save your baby” You can follow Maria on social media here: Instagram.com/maria.ftopper Mariatopper.com SPONSORS: Juna Today's episode is sponsored by Juna. Juna is THE companion app for your Motherhood Journey. Juna was created to provide scientifically backed, up to date fitness and nutrition information, all in one place. When you download Juna you’ll enter your baby’s due date -- if you’re expecting or your babies birthday if you’ve already had your baby and you'll be put directly into the appropriate week of your journey. There’s a key nutrient every single week with recipe suggestions, a daily trimester specific workout, and pregnancy and postpartum tips from the team at Juna. There’s really no other app like it out there. Juna is giving a special offer to Mommy Labor Nurse Listeners so right now you can get Juna for 20% off your subscription by using the code LIESEL at subscribe.juna.co.
In this episode, my friend Marta and I went over some important topics related to OBGYN.
Here are the questions we go over!
1. Let’s talk about preconception visits, are they necessary, what exactly does one entail? 2. Genetic screening tests, pros, cons, how invasive, what does it tell you? 3. High risk pregnancies-why you do NST’s, what else do you do during a high risk pregnancy? 4. Inductions-pros and cons? 5. How are OB’s trained, what kind of places do you all work? 6. How do you find a provider who you can trust? **Marta's Bio:** Dr. Marta Perez is a practicing OB-GYN in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to a busy practice taking care of women of all ages, delivering babies, and performing surgery, she enjoys spending time with her fiance and puppy, running, yoga, cooking, reading, and creating educational content for my IG to help women live their happiest, healthiest lives. **You can follow Marta on social media here:** Instagram: @Marta Perez Youtube channel: Marta Perez Website: drmartaperez.com - sign up for my newsletter! **SPONSOR:** **Mommy Knows Best**
Today’s episode is sponsored by Mommy Knows Best!
Mommy Knows Best empowers all moms with the tools and resources necessary to give your newborn the best start in life! From an assortment of delicious lactation cookies to supplements and beyond, their products contain all natural herbal remedies traditionally and effectively used for generations to treat low milk supply.
Whether you’re a new mom or a pro, Mommy Knows Best gives you plenty of options, all of which are created with the health and safety of both baby and mom in mind.
Plus, I’m really excited to tell you they just added a new gluten and dairy free lactation cookie mix this week!
Use code: LABORNURSE10 to get 10% off all Mommy Knows Best products valid at MommyKnowsBest.com!
There are a lot of questions and fear surrounding labor! In this episode, I go over some common labor and delivery fears such as pooping, tearing, c-sections, and more!
Here are the questions we go over! 1. Will I poop/what if I poop? 2. What if I tear/how bad will I tear? 3. What if I have to have a C-section? 4. How bad does labor actually hurt? 5. What if it’s too late to get an epidural? 6. How does a baby legit fit through my vagina?
Sources:
https://mommylabornurse.com/how-to-prevent-tearing-during-delivery/
https://mommylabornurse.com/scheduled-c-section-what-to-expect/
SPONSORS: Kindred Bravely Kindred Bravely is a company built on love—a love that is poured into every piece of clothing they bring to life. Their clothes are meticulously designed to make your motherhood journey easier, from the bump to the breast and beyond. You deserve to look and feel great all of the time, Mama!
They have two goals: creating maternity and nursing clothes that are beautiful, useful, and comfortable, and building a community of moms who support and encourage each other on the motherhood journey.
Kindred Bravely has donated over $500,000 worth of Hands-Free Pumping and Nursing Bras to mamas who are currently working in healthcare during this pandemic as a thank you for what they’re doing every day.
Use code MLN20 to get 20% off all Kindred Bravely products (excluding gift cards and bundles) at KindredBravely.com!
Mommy Labor Nurse This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My Newborn Basics 101 course is OUT NOW!
This course includes:
- 20+ Lessons with Text and Audio!
- Full E-book of the course
- Baby Gear & Home Essentials Checklist
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Postpartum Facebook Group
- Money Back Guaranteed!
Newborns can be scary - I get it! I've been there, not having a CLUE what I was doing as a new mom. You can expect a lot of detailed information, troubleshooting, step-by-step guides, and tips/takeaways from a fellow mom.
Click here to check it out! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off! (Excluding bundles)
In this episode, my friend Meaghan shares her induction experience followed by an agonizing 4th degree vaginal tear!
Meaghan's Birth Story: Pre-pregnancy I was diagnosed with Chrohn’s disease and PCOS. Finding out I was pregnant was a huge surprise, but a welcomed one! My Chrohn’s symptoms were completely suppressed in pregnancy, and I was able to be off my medication the entire time which was unexpected! After a pretty normal pregnancy, I was induced 5 days after my due date on a Wednesday night. After about 12 hours of pitocin and cytotec to soften the cervix not much was happening and a foley balloon was placed to get my cervix to 4cm. I had a foley balloon in for almost 10 hours and Thursday late afternoon I was finally at 4cm and able to remove the balloon. Within a few hours, I reached around 7cm and the doctor broke my bag of water manually. I was able to try a “walking” epidural where there is no lidocaine so I could get pain relief and stay out of bed. Within 30 minutes I was asked to stay seated because of stress on the baby, so I switch to a full epidural. I got to 9 1/2 cm late Thursday night and stayed there for about 8 hours until 7 AM. My nurse practiced spinning babies and many positions to help, but it was long and I was tired! I started pushing 9:30am Friday and delivered my son at 1:30 after 4 hours of pushing! He came out with his fist next to his head, and many of my tissues or a weakened from Crohn’s so there was initial obvious tearing. My son had to go to the nicU initially for breathing, and in that time my doctor discovered I have a fourth-Degree tear. Which she said was the second in her 15 year career. After about an hour of active stitching in a second doctor to help I was stitched up and asked to rest. I was able to see my son a few hours later from the nicU and he was doing great. Later that day when the nurses try to get me out of bed, I fainted. This continue to happen through the night so I wasn’t able to leave my bed. The next morning it showed my blood count was down 40% and I wouldn’t be able to go to bed until I got a blood transfusion or wait it out with saline. I got two bags of blood and by the end of Saturday was able to take a shower and get out of bed. Thankfully my husband was a huge help And baby was doing great and breast-feeding well. Healing a tear that bad it’s tough work and made for a tough postpartum. I had two infections that are so painful I could barely stand that came with high fevers and I had anabiotic’s for both. Because of the anabiotic’s the baby and I both had thrush which a different medication as needed for. After about five weeks I finally started feeling more myself and able to fully care for my baby right when my husband went back to work. I’ve done pelvic floor therapy since six weeks postpartum and it’s helped a ton. I’m still dealing with tailbone pain if I sit too long And pain with intercourse, but have plans to see a specialist about scar tissue and potential trapped nerves. Coming out of my delivery I couldn’t find a lot of information about tears this bad, and I want to encourage others that you can really do the work to get a lot of your body back and it can be OK.
Meaghan's Bio: Meagan lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband Zac and son Lincoln, who is turning one in August. Meagan previously worked in hospitality sales before choosing to stay home with Lincoln. She loves to cook, take walks with their dog ralphie and read.
SPONSORS: Mommy Knows Best Mommy Knows Best empowers all moms with the tools and resources necessary to give your newborn the best start in life! From an assortment of delicious lactation cookies to supplements and beyond, their products contain all natural herbal remedies traditionally and effectively used for generations to treat low milk supply.
Whether you’re a new mom or a pro, Mommy Knows Best gives you plenty of options, all of which are created with the health and safety of both baby and mom in mind. Plus, I’m really excited to tell you they just added a new gluten and dairy free lactation cookie mix! Use code LABORNURSE10 to get 10% off all Mommy Knows Best products valid on Amazon or MommyKnowsBest.com! Kindred Bravely Kindred Bravely is a company built on love—a love that is poured into every piece of clothing they bring to life. Their clothes are meticulously designed to make your motherhood journey easier, from the bump to the breast and beyond. You deserve to look and feel great all of the time, Mama!
They have two goals: creating maternity and nursing clothes that are beautiful, useful, and comfortable, and building a community of moms who support and encourage each other on the motherhood journey.
Kindred Bravely has donated over $500,000 worth of Hands-Free Pumping and Nursing Bras to mamas who are currently working in healthcare during this pandemic as a thank you for what they're doing every day.
Use code MLN20 to get 20% off all Kindred Bravely products (excluding gift cards and bundles) at KindredBravely.com!
Mommy Labor Nurse This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
My courses include:
- 30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Facebook Groups
- Money Back Guaranteed!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn't the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I'm going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what's going to happen in your upcoming birth. Click here to take a short quiz to find out which course is best for you! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off any course!
In this episode, my friend Brittany shares her story with us about her 3 miscarriages. In the second-half of the episode, I answer some of your common questions about miscarriages and loss.
Here are the questions I go over:
- How common is miscarriage?
- What are the signs/symptoms of miscarriage?
- How does age increase the risk of miscarriage?
- What exactly happens when you have a miscarriage?
- What are some of the treatment options?
- What may I see? What do I do if I am managing it at home?
- How soon can I conceive again?
Brittany's Story:
Brittany had one healthy pregnancy with 3 miscarriages and is currently 18 weeks pregnant. She wanted to talk today about miscarrying, the physical and emotional pains, and be a resource to any mom out there who is having issues with fertility.
Brittany's Bio: Dr. Brittany is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist in Virginia. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a BSeD and Duke University for her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. When she is not helping pregnant and postpartum women, she loves spending time with her husband, 3 year old and little one on the way. You can follow Brittany on social media here: Instagram: www.instagram.com/brittanyswannwilmoth
In this episode, I interview my friend Lisa, the founder of Bumpin Blends, about common nutritional needs during pregnancy!
Here are the topics we go over:
-Iron deficiency -PICA -DASH diet for preeclampsia -Gestational Diabetes **Lisa's Bio:** THERE I WAS, 8 MONTHS PREGNANT, CRYING OVER SPILLED CHIA SEEDS…
I had used smoothies throughout my pregnancy as a means to meet my baby’s needs while nurturing my own -- getting my nutrients in while including ingredients to soothe my nausea, bring down my swollen ankles, and of course, to satisfy my cookie dough cravings!
As a registered dietitian, even I was overwhelmed by not only the sheer number of nutritional needs to be met when making a tiny human (folate, and vitamin D, and omega-3s… oh my!), but how challenging it was to squeeze all these nutrients into my day (especially since I really just felt like eating mac n cheese and mint chip ice cream).
On that particular morning, accidentally breaking open a full bag of chia seeds and having them spill all over the floor was no surprise. It was one of many recent clumsy moments in the kitchen, including blending a wooden spatula into an acai bowl, visiting the ER after a failed chopping carrots situation (ten stitches!), staining our countertop with wild blueberries, just to name a few… I was officially too pregnant to play in the kitchen, which made me wonder if other mamas out there were feeling that way, too.
So, I set out to help other women, moms, and soon-to-be mamas meet their nutritional needs and nurture their symptoms in an easy, fast, and delicious way. No more crying over spilled chia seeds.
SPONSORS: Bumpin Blends Imagine customized smoothies to meet your exact needs… and for pregnant and postpartum nursing moms, those of your baby as well! Bumpin Blends is an amazing way to get the nutrients you require while expecting and what your body is craving postpartum. This genius solution to help improve the many symptoms of new motherhood creates custom pre-blended, frozen smoothie cubes that are delivered every 2 weeks! Each of their 22 smoothie blends is designed to support a particular symptom of motherhood from pregnancy symptoms (like morning sickness and swollen ankles) to postpartum needs (like boosting milk supply and mood) to the many needs of an on-the-go mom (like energy and reducing anxiety). The process is simple: - Fill in your symptoms, due date or baby’s age, and dietary preferences. - Bumpin Blends customizes seven different smoothies specific to your needs and sets you up with your own 24/7 nutritionist. Your smoothie cubes are delivered to your door every other week. - Pour a packet of pre-blended cubes into the blender, add liquid, and enjoy! The packets are even designed to be opened with one hand - making them perfect for a mom juggling it all! Mommy Labor Nurse listeners can take 20% off their order on bumpinblends.com with the code MOMMYLABORNURSE! Mommy Labor Nurse This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
My courses include:
- 30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Facebook Groups
- Money Back Guaranteed!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn't the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I'm going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what's going to happen in your upcoming birth. Go to mommylabornurse.com/podcast to take a short quiz to find out which course is best for you! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off any course!
In this episode, my friend Amanda shares her stillborn story with us about her beautiful daughter, Juniper Ann.
Amanda's Birth Story: On Thursday, August 9, 2018 my husband and I went to our last MFM appointment in the cities for a growth ultrasound, before my scheduled induction that was just 4 days away. We heard the words at this appointment no pregnant woman ever wants to hear "I'm sorry there is no heartbeat." Our precious baby had died, in my womb. Absolutely numb, we left the clinic, stopped home, and then headed to the hospital. You still have to give birth when your baby dies. After being induced, 5 hours of labor, and then over 2 hours of pushing, we got to meet our gorgeous daughter Juniper, but the only cries we heard were our own. She was silent but absolutely perfect. Our families came to meet her, I am so glad everyone got to hold her. We spent the night with Juniper at the hospital, the nurses keeping a close eye on my blood pressure as I had preeclampsia (which is what caused Junie's IUGR and ultimately led to her death.) She was stillborn but she is still loved! Resources: Resources: Instagram: instagram.com/orangeafmama Star Legacy Foundation: https://starlegacyfoundation.org/ Stillbirth support & research organization. Please mention their online support groups where you are able! They are so helpful and easy to access, and free. Still Standing Magazine Facebook Still Standing Magazine Instagram Faith's Lodge: Retreat for loss families Books: Empty Cradle, Broken Heart Ask Me His Name Its Ok That You're Not Ok The Baby Loss Guide
In this episode, I interview my friends Julie and Meagan all about VBACS!
Here are the questions we go over!
- What are some of the first things I can do if I am interested in VBAC? 2. How do I find a VBAC friendly provider? Is there a best way? 3. What are some of the biggest misconceptions out there about VBAC? 4.Can you talk about the “my pelvis is too small” myth regarding VBAC? (This might come up in the previous question) 5. Can you talk about about "failure to progress” and why that gets labeled so frequently? 6. I have my own personal beliefs about epidurals and their relationship to c-sections and VBAC's - how do you guys feel about this? 7. What are some of the differences in preparing for VBAC vs. preparing for birth (after not having a c-section). 8. What are some of the best resources to check out? VBAC LINK's Bio: The VBAC Link’s mission is to make birth after Cesarean better by providing education, support, and a community of like-minded people. Organized by Julie Francom, and Meagan Heaton, VBAC moms, doulas, educators, and doula trainers, they have supported over 700 women on their individual VBAC journeys and have a community of thousands of women all over the world. Their reach is far, wide, and impactful. Resources: Podcast: The VBAC Link, find wherever you listen to podcasts or at thevbaclink.com/podcasts/ Parents VBAC Prep Class: https://www.thevbaclink.com/vbac-class/ Advanced VBAC Doula Certification: https://www.thevbaclink.com/vbac-doula-training/ VBAC Blog: https://www.thevbaclink.com/blog/ They are also on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube as The VBAC Link! (@thevbaclink) SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
My courses include:
- 30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Facebook Groups
- Money Back Guaranteed!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn't the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I'm going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what's going to happen in your upcoming birth. Go to mommylabornurse.com/podcast to take a short quiz to find out which course is best for you! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off any course!
In this episode, my friend Mallory shares her experience with postpartum depression and later I do a Q&A answering your questions about it.
Here are the questions I go over in the Q&A!
- What should I do if I need help?
- What are some of the common treatment methods?
- Are there certain risk factors?
- What should I say to people if they think I’m fine, because I don’t look sick?
- How long will it take for me to feel better?
Mallory's Bio: Mallory is a mom to two sweet kids, ages 3.5 and 8 months who fill her heart with joy and her home with mess and never-ending laundry! She and her husband live in Nashville, TN and Mallory spends her time outside the home helping parents and school personnel provide the best services for their kids with special needs. She is a contributing writer for Scary Mommy, the Mighty, and Wallet Path and can be found online at www.iepguru.com, or by email at mallory.a.whitmore@gmail.com. Resources: * www.ppdjourney.com
* Changes that Heal, by Henry Cloud
-
When Changing Nothing Changes Everything, by Laurie Short
- Unseen, by Sara Hagerty
- postpartum.net
SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
My courses include:
- 30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Facebook Groups
- Money Back Guaranteed!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn't the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I'm going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what's going to happen in your upcoming birth. Go to mommylabornurse.com/podcast to take a short quiz to find out which course is best for you! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off any course!
In this episode, my friend Sienna shares her crazy vaginal breech birth and postpartum experience!
Sienna's Birth Story: Phew! How am I going to summarize this? I had a very healthy pregnancy with very normal (annoying) pregnancy symptoms. Morning sickness, exhaustion, and sciatic nerve pain got the best of me most days, but all in all, I can't complain about too much. At 37 weeks I began feeling a lot of pressure in my pelvis and the pregnancy waddle was much worse than before! At my doctor's appointment that week I was already 3cm and 90% effaced and the baby was head down and ready to go. A week later I had progressed to 4cm, still 90%. My doctor said I could literally have this baby any day- and I did. My water broke (or should I say trickled) around 2pm on July 15th at 38 weeks 3 days. I wasn't sure if it was actually my water that had broken or just extra discharge (ew). I went in to get checked to see if it had really broken or not, and it did, yet I wasn't feeling pain with any of my contractions. I was still 4cm and 90%. I kept not progressing or feeling any pain, so they started Pitocin at 9:30pm. They also did an ultrasound to see what position the baby was in and he was still head down. After waiting and waiting, around 4am those dang contractions hit me like a brick. I could write a novel on how they felt/ how I managed them/ how much of a support my husband was... but I'm going to focus elsewhere- just know it was miserable. Around 5:50 they wanted me to start "Practice Pushes" and to my relief they actually made the contractions SO much more manageable. It's like pushing relieved my tense muscles. As time went on, my baby was just not descending like he should have been and I was exhausted. It was about to be shift change and I was relieved because that meant my OBGYN would be there to deliver my baby instead of the other doctor I had never seen before. The nurses had me halt on pushing until she got there but that was much easier said than done! I mean, we could literally see my baby. The nurses joked that my baby was bald and there was not a single hair on his head. Around 7:20 my body started involuntarily pushing, it was such a weird experience feeling my body completely take over to do what was so natural for it. But my doctor wasn't here yet! Thankfully, she ran in seconds later and scrambled to get dressed and ready. She took one look at what was supposedly my baby's head and her faced dropped in what seemed like slow motion. "This baby is breach!" She said we were looking at his booty and not his head. HOLY CRAP. So can we like push him back up in there and turn him or something?? HA. If only it was that simple. Not only was he breach, but he was booty first and folded in half. Just thinking about him coming out made me cringe. My body had another contraction and started pushing and she said very confidently that we were delivering him breach. Luckily, she just so happened to be a high risk doctor who has delivered many breach babies and actually opted for that route in many cases. She knew exactly what to do. Talk about a miracle! She said as soon as his bum and torso were out, they were going to snap the bed down, and turn him to get his shoulders to come out. It all happened so fast, and exactly how she said it would. Everett Layne was born at 7:27am on July 16th. He was all bruised up from being squeeze through folded in half, but so happy to finally be out. He didn't even cry, just laid on my chest and looked up at me with his big beautiful eyes. I ended up getting a 3rd degree tear and felt every bit of it without any medication or epidural. But as many moms will tell you, it was all so, SO worth it. You can find Sienna on social media here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sienna_skousen/
SPONSOR: Today’s episode is sponsored by Juna! Juna is THE companion app for your Motherhood Journey.
Sarah, the founder of Juna, created the app to provide scientifically backed, up to date fitness and nutrition information, all in one place.
When you download Juna you’ll enter your baby’s due date -if you’re expecting, or your baby’s birthday if you’ve already had your baby, & you’ll be put directly into the appropriate week of your journey.
There’s a key nutrient every single week with recipe suggestions, a daily trimester-specific workout, and pregnancy and postpartum tips from Sarah and the team at Juna. There’s really no other app like it out there!
Sarah is giving a special offer to Mommy Labor Nurse listeners so right now you can get Juna for 20% off your subscription by using the code LIESEL at subscribe.juna.co. 🙂
In this episode, I do an extended q&a session-taking questions that you guys have given me about breastfeeding - part 2!
Here are the questions we go over!
- How long should my baby nurse at each feeding? How do I know if baby is finished?
- How do I really know if my baby is getting enough milk?
- What to do if my baby is really having difficulty with a latch?
- How does ovulation play into breastfeeding? Can you still get pregnant while you breastfeed?
- What do I do about leaking breasts? How to manage?
- What to do about sore nipples?
- Clogged ducts!! What to do?
- Should I stop breastfeeding if I am sick?
SPONSORS: Wellements
This episode is sponsored by Wellements!
Wellements is a supplement and remedy line for infants and toddlers with products for teething, tummy, vitamins & minerals, sniffle season, etc!
All of their products are…
-
- USDA certified organic
- Preservative-Free
- Bottled in glass – the best choice for the health of our planet and for the health of our tiniest humans!
Use code MOMMYLABORNURSE or visit https://wellements.com/mommylabornurse for 15% off any products!
Mommy Labor Nurse
This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
My courses include:
- 30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
- Free Access FOREVER!
- Free Access to my Facebook Groups
- Money Back Guaranteed!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn't the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I'm going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what's going to happen in your upcoming birth.
Go to mommylabornurse.com/podcast to take a short quiz to find out with course is best for you! Use code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20% off any course!
In this episode, my friend Cierra shares her traumatic birth experience with her first, and her amazing, empowered birth experience with her second after taking Birth it Up!
Cierra's Birth Story: After having a traumatic 1st birth of her son, Cierra wanted to have a different experience with the birth of her daughter. Switching providers and educating herself lead to the unmedicated water birth she dreamed of. She had some hurdles breastfeeding at first, but was able to go on to exclusively breast feed for 4 months and counting.
You can find Cierra on social media here:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cierraivey
SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
My updated prenatal courses, Birth it Up: The Natural Series and Birth it Up: The Epidural Series are OUT NOW!
Use code IAMPREGNANT to save 40% during the launch which ends Thursday, February 27th!
30+ Lessons with Teaching Videos!
I will hold your hand through this entire series. This isn't the kind of course where I leave you a book to read. I'm going to be talking to you throughout this whole course, and explaining EXACTLY what you need to know about what's going to happen in your upcoming birth.
From how your body preps for labor, to what to do if you can't effectively push with your epidural, we are going to go over all of it.
Sign up for my email list below, to receive updates on my prenatal courses!
https://mommylabornurse.com/hey-instagram-mama/
In this episode, I interview my friend Gail, the founder of Spinning Babies®!
Here are the questions we go over!
1. How did you start Spinning Babies?
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Ample fetal positioning (specifically, that head-down is not enough), and creating room in a woman’s pelvis are two key points I learned from my spinning babies workshop - can you elaborate on the importance of these regarding labor?
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Are there exercises/movements/tips you recommend we implement during pregnancy for an easier labor? 4. I often have women asking “how do I turn my breech baby?”, do you have advice, best resources on this question? 5. What about posterior babies (they are so common) - how can we prevent or avoid a posterior position during labor? 6. Let’s talk about asyncliticism - what that is, and how to overcome a baby who is asynclitic. See SpinningBabies.com for more information on Gail Tully, the Approved Trainers and Spinning Babies. Interested in bringing Gail or another Approved Trainer to your city? See the current list of Approved Trainer on our Spinning Babies website and book a workshop with this form Organize a Spinning Babies® Workshop” Inquiry Form
In this episode, I do an extended q&a session-taking questions that you guys have given me about breastfeeding!
Here are the questions we go over!
- How does breast milk supply work?
- What are some of the best ways to increase my milk supply?
- What is the best pump? What are the types of ways to express milk?
- What about weaning? Do you have any tips on safely weaning from breastfeeding?
- Going into breastfeeding, what are some of the best resources I can use to prepare myself?
- What do I do if I’m having trouble?
- My supply is too much! How do I decrease it?
- I’m going back to work soon, what are some good tips for going back?
- Is it ok to give formula and breastfeed at the same time? How does that work?
RESOURCES: Milkology course:
https://milkology.teachable.com/p/breastfeedingclass?affcode=86567_maixfogg
Kelly Mom - a great website for breastfeeding moms:
https://kellymom.com/
My article on weaning:
https://mommylabornurse.com/when-to-stop-breastfeeding/
My article on increasing supply:
https://mommylabornurse.com/how-to-increase-milk-supply/
SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by Mommy Knows Best!
Mommy Knows Best empowers all moms with the tools and resources necessary to give your newborn the best start in life! From an assortment of delicious lactation cookies to supplements and beyond, their products contain all natural herbal remedies traditionally and effectively used for generations to treat low milk supply.
Whether you’re a new mom or a pro, Mommy Knows Best gives you plenty of options, all of which are created with the health and safety of both baby and mom in mind. Plus, I’m really excited to tell you they just added a new gluten and dairy free lactation cookie mix this week! Use code LABORNURSE20 to get 20% off all Mommy Knows Best products valid on Amazon or MommyKnowsBest.com!
In this episode, my friend Carly shares her VBAC experience after having two c-sections, and finding a great provider who was supportive of her wishes!
Carly's Birth Story:
Carly's first 2 births were 19 months apart and very similar. Healthy pregnancies, in labor on her own before her due date, pushing for a while, then resulting in a c-section due to failure to progress from baby's posterior position. For baby #3, Carly's original OBGYN told her they would no longer support attempting a VBAC after 2 c-sections in a row so she began searching for a provider who would evaluate her 3rd pregnancy on its own merits, not simply because of doctor liability. After finding a doctor who was supportive of Carly's wishes, she was confident about her 3rd pregnancy. At 9 weeks pregnant, Carly experienced a major subchorionic hemorrhage that she was told could result in a miscarriage. Bleeding lasted on and off for roughly 2 weeks and an ultrasound showed that the hemorrhage encompassed more than 50% of her uterine wall. Thankfully, after bed rest, pelvic rest, and no lifting, a followup ultrasound revealed the hemorrhage had dissolved and baby was perfectly healthy! Carly went into labor around 9am in the morning 2 days before her due date. She headed to the hospital wondering how this 3rd birth would end up! After laboring for about 5 hours at the hospital she was ready to push! While pushing for about a half hour, Carly was remembering how she had been to this point before and still ended in a c-section so didn't want to get her hopes too up. But during a contraction while closing her eyes to push as hard as she could she heard her doctor say words she'll never forget: "open your eyes and look at your baby!" Baby Jude came out a happy, healthy, quiet little 7lb 13oz bundle. Everyone in the room was ELATED knowing the previous birth history. Now she wants to share her story more because she struggled to find support and positive stories from other experiences of vaginal births after 2 c-sections. You can find Carly on social media here: Website: www.debtfreemom.co Instagram: www.instagram.com/debtfree.mom SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by Spinning Babies!
The word "Spinning" in Spinning Babies® means how babies move through the pelvis to find the most space to come down. What makes birth easier for baby is what makes birth easier for Mom.
Our Spinning Babies® mission is to make physiological birth more accessible to birthing people and providers alike. For instance, we believe that being head down is only half the story. How baby's head enters the top of the pelvis correlates with length of labor and ease of labor. When facing forward a first baby may not be able to rotate for a day or two. We offer daily activities to add comfort in pregnancy now and ease in labor later.
The Daily Essentials video is the easiest way to learn the habits and moves. Starting in mid-pregnancy is ideal.
The Parent Class video or an in-person Parent Class for late pregnancy. The Parent Class video has lots of labor tips and techniques for comfort and also to help labor stay on track to help avoid cesareans simply because baby's not aiming into the pelvis.
Does your doctor or midwife require baby to be head down before labor? Do they do cesarean birth for all breeches? Are you pregnant and hoping to avoid surgery? Then the Helping Your Breech Baby Turn eBook is for you. Prepare for an easier childbirth with this eBook, a self-directed 6-day program for pregnant parents with a breech baby developed by a Certified Professional Midwife. Listeners of Mommy Nurse Labor podcast can use the code mommy15 on the Spinning Babies® online shop for 15% off your purchase of the Helping Your Breech Baby Turn eBook.
In this episode, I interview my friend Danielle all about twins, and she shares her personal experience with having twins!
Here are the questions we go over!
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What are some of the main differences between a twin pregnancy and a singleton pregnancy? 2. What are some of the main differences I can expect during a twin delivery, that would be different from a singleton? 3. What are the different types of twins? Which are the most common and which are the ones that come with the most risk? 4. Can I have a vaginal delivery if I have twins? Or can I only have a c-section? (We might basically answer this in the above questions) 5. Do I have to have an epidural if have twins? 6. How do I count kicks effectively if I have twins? How do I know both are doing ok? 7. Can I still breastfeed if I have twins? You can find Danielle on social media here:
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YouTube: MDJ & Crew
- Instagram: @MamaDoctorJones
- Blog: MindOnMed.com
In this episode, I do an extended q&a session-taking questions that you guys have given me about c-sections!
Here are the questions we go over!
- What are some reasons why a c-section is warranted?
- What can I expect when I go the hospital for my scheduled c-section?
- Can you still do skin to skin?
- Can you be awake in an emergency c-section if you haven’t had an epidural/spinal block?
- How long after my c-section can I start massaging my scar?
- If you have an anterior placenta- how does the surgeon know where the placenta is before they cut?
- Why can’t I eat or drink before the c-section?
- Do they cut through your old scar for repeat c-sections?
- Any tips or tricks to distract me so I can handle the spinal?
- Why did I vomit so much during my c-section? Will that happen again?
- Why do your feet swell up again after your c-section?
- Can a c-section affect your milk supply?
In this episode, my friend Kara shares her 31 week preterm birth story and her term delivery of her 2nd baby!
Kara's Birth Story
My first baby, Quinn, turned my world upside down. His birth came as quite the surprise when my water broke one night at 30 weeks and 6 days while cooking dinner. After getting to the hospital and running a series of tests it was confirmed that my water had broken and I was transferred to a different hospital with a level 4 NICU. I was placed on a series of different medications to help his lungs develop and stop my contractions for 2 days. After I was "steroid complete" I was taken off the medication to stop my contractions and Quinn was born a few hours later. He was 3 lbs 8oz of scrawny cuteness. He spent 28 days in the NICU and was what they called a "feeder and grower" without any complications during his stay other than the typical preemie breathing and heart rate issues. Quinn is now a healthy, funny, sweet almost 4 year old who loves trucks and playing outside.
We always wanted a big family, so after a lot of thought we decided we were ready to try for baby number 2. My pregnancy with Evie was medically uncomplicated but I dealt with a lot of PTSD and anxiety over the possibility of having another preemie. Due to my history of premature delivery I had cervical length measurements every 2 weeks through my 2nd trimester, and got weekly progesterone shots from weeks 16 to 36. Evie was both at 39 weeks in the lightning fast one hour labor from start to finish. My water broke at home at 10pm. We got into the delivery room at 11:10 and she was born at 11:12pm. Her feisty almost 2 year old personality very much matches her entrance to the world. I am now pregnant with my 3rd baby and we are receiving co-care through my OB office for the progesterone shots and cervical length ultrasounds and planning a home birth with a midwife team. If the 3rd baby is usually a wild card this little one has a lot to live up to! You can find Kara on social media here:
Free resources: https://karacoffin.com/free-resources/
Prenatal fitness membership: https://programs.karacoffin.com/ 20% off with code Liesel20 (postpartum coming soon!) Website: www.karacoffin.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/kara.coffin/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/karacoffin.ces/ SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by yours truly!
Did you guys know I have a newborn sleep course? Use the code PODCASTLISTENER to save 20%!
Baby We're Home, Now Let's Sleep!
In this episode, I interview my friend Jeanice all about pelvic floor sexual health!
Here are the questions we go over!
- Ok, so what exactly happens during pregnancy, and during delivery, to disrupt sexual health?
- Let’s start talking about postpartum sex, how long should I wait?
- Should it hurt at all? What should I do if it does?
- Give me your best tips for having a pain-free experience
- When should I seek help from a pelvic floor specialist? How do I even find one?
- What should I expect a typical visit to look like? How long does the treatment typically last?
- I’m SO embarrassed (and nervous/scared), and I can’t even think about going to a pelvic floor specialist..what should I do?
- Sex has never really felt great to me, and now that I’ve had a baby it’s worse & painful, is this something that pelvic floor therapy can help?
- Any last tips you have for moms struggling with sexual health after pregnancy?
You can find Jeanice on social media here: * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfloD1PWUhP_IlWbt9ZvWA?view_as=subscriber * Instagram: @mypelvicfloormuscles * Website: mypelvicfloormuscles.com or myPFM.com
Sponsor: This episode of the MLN Podcast was sponsored by Pebble!
Did you ever notice that women are monitored closely for 40 weeks of pregnancy, but once we have our babies we’re sent home with no follow-ups aside from one short visit 6 weeks later? Sadly, our healthcare system falls short in providing postnatal care for the very typical challenges nearly every mother encounters after birth. Our bodies don’t just “snap back” as most of us assume, and postpartum health outcomes impact a mother’s overall future health, as well as the health of future pregnancies.
Pebble is reinventing the postpartum care experience. Through their website, book live video appointments with top-rated pregnancy and postpartum healthcare specialists all from the comfort of home - because, let’s face it, it can be tough to get out of the house with a newborn!
Pebble’s new, first-of-its-kind, comprehensive postnatal care program is designed to provide all you need to support your recovery from childbirth and see to your successful transition to motherhood. Pebble Complete Care highlights include:
✔ 1 on 1 Care through 30-60 min virtual appointments with your dedicated Care Partner
✔ Education: Learn about what to expect BEFORE it happens
✔ Emotional Wellness: Ongoing emotional support and screening for postpartum depression/anxiety
✔ Physical Recovery: Visit a Women’s Health Physical Therapist to check for complications (this usually goes unidentified and pops up later!)
✔ Breastfeeding Help: Ongoing education and support - they’ll even send a lactation consultant (IBCLC) to your home!
✔ Partner Support: Involve your partner to support their own transition to parenthood
✔ Unlimited Access: Unlimited messaging with your Care Partner
✔ Peer Community: Join a group of peers going on this wild ride of motherhood alongside you!
Visit www.pebbleparents.com to schedule a free call to learn more. And for our listeners they’re offering an amazing discount - use code MLN200 to get $200 off the Complete Care program!
Lindsay's Birth Story
My pregnancy with my oldest son, Wyatt, was quite eventful. My pregnancy started out normal and uneventful but I developed Shingles in my 2nd trimester. I have Crohn's disease and take a strong immunsuppresive medication and was advised by my OB to stop the medication, for fear the Shingles would spread and get much worse if my immune system was weakened. While that plan did help the Shingles calm down, it also kicked off an intense Crohn's disease flare, which ultimately lead to a 3 week early emergency c-section birth. While my birth with our oldest was scary and stressful, he was born perfectly happy and healthy, which was a tremendous blessing.
Fast forward 3.5 years and I was lucky enough to get pregnant a second time. My pregnancy was very normal and my Crohns was well managed by my medication. I had to decide between a VBAC and a scheduled c-section and my personal choice was to schedule a c-section. My fear was I would attempt a VBAC, it would not go as planned, and I would end up with another emergency c-section. My c-section stories are different but at the end of the day, they resulted in healthy, happy, baby boys and for that I am so grateful.
In this episode, I interview my friend Dr. Mona Amin! She is a board-certified pediatrician and she will be answering some of your most common pediatric questions! This was a fabulous episode with so much great info!
Here are the questions we go over!
- When is the best time to start looking for a pediatrician? What are some questions I should ask? 2. Reflux! What helps? 3. Cradle Cap? How long does it stay for and what do I do? 4. Baby acne-remedies? 5. Solids? When is the best time to introduce and what are your recommendations? 6. COLIC HELP! 7. Are vit d drops truly necessary for breastfed babies? How do they help? 8. My baby is breastfed and is going long stretches without pooping-is that normal? 9. Gas remedies? 10. My baby is coughing and congested at night, what can I do? He can’t seem to even eat because he’s so stuffed up!
In this episode, we dive into all things car seats! As you know, car seat safety so so crazy important!
Here are the questions we go over!
- If I am just bringing my baby home from the hospital, let’s go over the basics when buckling baby in?
- Talk to me about the “pinch test”
- What about my baby’s head and how it hangs? I’m concerned he can’t breathe!
- So, how do I buckle my baby in with a coat? What if he is cold?
- What about sleeping babies in car seats? How long is that ok?
- Rear-facing vs. Front Facing - what are the biggest safety concerns? When is it safe to switch my child to front-facing?
- I’m concerned my baby’s legs are bent too much and he is uncomfortable rear-facing? (Let’s debunk that myth lol)
- Where should I go or who should I contact if I need help installing my car seat and/or making sure my baby is buckled in?
- Any last tips you have for moms!
In this episode, we dive into all things baby sleep! If you don't already know, Andrea and I are actually coming out with a BRAND NEW baby sleep program in ONE WEEK! (November 18th, 2019)
We've worked super hard on this program, and we are super excited to bring it to you! This podcast episode is just a sneak peek into what the program will entail, AND Andrea is answering some of the most common sleep-related questions!
Here are the questions we go over!
- When should I start thinking about prepping for a newborn in regards to sleep? What sort of things should I do to prepare? Read books, take a class, talk to parents etc?
- What are some common sleep cues a newborn will give me to let them know they are sleepy
- Why do you do what you do?
- My baby seems to only want to sleep for 30-45 minute naps at a time…why do some babies sleep for 2-3 hours? Why won’t my baby sleep longer?
- Cry it out makes me so nervous and I can’t even think about “sleep training” my baby, but I really want to sleep! What do I do?
- My family seems to think I stress out too much about baby sleep but I can't stop- what should i do?
- When do babies start to sleep longer than 2-3 hours at a time? Mine is still waking up consistently through the night to breastfeed- 7 weeks
- My baby sleeps great at night, 6 hr stretches, but during the day his naps are awful, when will the day time sleep get better?
- How do you know when your baby is ready to start giving up naps? How do you even do that?
In this episode, I do an extended q&a session-taking questions that you guys have given me from Instagram!
I dive much deeper into these answers-and spend a lot longer than a 15 second Instagram story answering each one!
Here are the questions I go over!
- Know anything about red raspberry leaf tea? Worth it?
- When should baby be head down by?
- What about round ligament pain?
- Can your mucus plug come out over a few weeks?
- At what week should you start doing fetal kick counts? Specifically for those with anterior placentas?
- Is it normal for your pregnancy symptoms to subside all of a sudden?
- How do you know for sure when it's real labor vs Braxton hicks?
- I'm 14 weeks, is it ok to sleep on my stomach?
- What is the best way to relieve sciatica pain?
- How to get morning sickness relief?
In this episode, Sarah Kuhn shares her two vaginal birth stories, following her struggles with multiple losses & TWO ectopic pregnancies!
Sarah's Birth Stories: Pregnancy 1: About 3 days before my due date I felt some leaking and went to the hospital, they said all was fine and it was probably discharge and sent me home. This happened 2 more times over the next 2 days. I was positive I was leaking amniotic fluid but...then at about 7 PM on my due date after I ate a very large Burrito I felt a big gush and new this was my full water breaking. I called the hospital and they told me I could labor at home, or come in. Considering I had no intention of having an unmedicated birth we packed up our stuff and went to the hospital. They gave me misoprostyl to ripen my cervix and that sent me into full blown labor. I labored until midnight and then got the epidural. At 9 am they checked me and I was ready to push. 6 Pushes and 14 minutes later my healthy son was on my chest with a VERY coneshaped head.
Pregnancy 2: 4 Days before my due date I was having very minor and irregular contractions, this continued for 2 days but never intensified or regulated. At 7:30 pm I was carrying my son into his room after his bath and all of a sudden I felt this huge pop and then a huge gush came. I put my son down and turned to my husband and said "welp, my water just broke". We put my son down, went downstairs and told our inlaws who were staying with us in anticipation that it was go time. We drove to the hospital and during the drive my contractions starting kicking up big time. By the time they checked me in I was having contractions every 4-5 minutes but I wasnt that dilated. They finally admitted me and I got into my room around 10:30, I labored for a couple of hours without an epidural and at midnight decided it was time. They came in gave me an epidural and about 10 minutes later I was SURE I had to poop, the nurse came in and decided that she should have my checked and it turns out I was ready and the baby was making its way down. They got the room ready and in 4 pushes my daughter (gender was not known prior) came out. The recovery was SO much better and faster the second time around.
In this episode, we dive into all things mental health! I sat down with Dr. Ashurina Ream, a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced training in perinatal mental health! We talk about a range of topics including: Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Anxiety, Prenatal Mood Disorders, Coping Skills, & more!
Dr. Ream's Bio: Dr. Ashurina Ream, PMH-C is a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced training in perinatal mental health. Her passion to help pregnant and postpartum families arose after becoming a mother herself. She recognized the limited support and education in the community regarding the care for women. This resulted in her pursuing additional education as well as creating resources for those impacted by perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. In addition to this specialty, Dr. Ream has trained in various disciplines as it pertains to the field of psychology. She has worked with those struggling with body image, eating disorders, parenting, health-related mood impairment, cognitive functioning, and general mental health.
You can find Dr. Ream on social media here:
Instagram: @psychedmommy Website: psychedmommy.com
In this episode, I dive into my full birth story!
I begin by talking about the year I got pregnant, finding out I was pregnant, and my first trimester! I experienced some bleeding in my first trimester that was quite scary. After dealing with that, my pregnancy went pretty smoothly and I genuinely enjoyed every second!
Flash forward to a few days before I gave birth, I did EVERYTHING I could think of to get myself into labor.....and....it worked! The next morning I woke up with contractions, labored at home for 14 hrs, and then headed up to my hospital (the one I work at!). After about 6 hours of labor, my son Walter was born!
SPONSOR: This episode was sponsored by TUSHY!
Do you wipe your booty with toilet paper after you poop? Of course you do, we all do! If you had poop on ANY other part of your body, would you just wipe it away with DRY PAPER?? OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T, EW IT’S POOP!
Tushy is a sleek, bidet attachment you can hook up to the back of ANY toilet! It sprays your butt completely clean with fresh water (NOT toilet water), and replaces your toilet paper! It has CHANGED MY LIFE YOU GUYS and I tell everyone I can about them!
Go to hellotushy.com/MLN to get 10% off your first order! 🙂
Welcome to the Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast!
Hooray! I am so excited about this podcast! Episode one of the MLN podcast is NOW LIVE! :)
In this episode, I do an extended q&a session-taking questions that you guys have given me from Instagram.
I dive much deeper into these answers-and spend a lot longer than a 15 second Instagram story answering each one!
You can expect everything from enemas, membrane strips, and what to expect at your first prenatal appointment in this episode!!