My name is Care Messer, I’m an entrepreneur, childbirth educator birth and postpartum doula and the mom of two girls. Birth stories begin before your baby is even conceived and we’re here to talk about it. Join Ashley & I as we create discussions around connection, finding and using your voice and of course, birth stories! We will release an episode each week so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a second!
Hey everyone! Welcome back to the second episode of our chat with Jamilah. Last week, we heard both of her birth stories and now we're moving into her incredible journey towards surrogacy. Her own births led Jamilah birth photography, putting her want for being a doula on the backburner for a whole other profession. It was at a networking event that the surrogacy opportunity presented itself and the pieces began to line up.
We are excited to introduce you to Jamilah in today’s show. Ashley and I just had our headshots taken by Jamilah and her story is just too good not to share! Jamilah is almost due with her surrogate baby and we are discussing the backstory as to why she moved towards surrogacy.
In this show, Jamilah shares the inspiring stories of her two birth experiences and how her mindset of fearlessness, instilled by ...
The video for YouTube and Spotify will be up shortly! For now, please enjoy our audio version.
In this episode, we have a birth story featuring Zach and Kasondra, a couple who recently welcomed their newborn into the world.
In Hypnobirthing class we learned about their love of surfing and always being in the water. Kasondra is also an opera singer so she came into class with expectations on ho...
In this episode, Ashley and I are talking about the sacred aspects of being a doula and how the ultimate role is to 'hold space' for birthing families.What IS holding space? Since it’s different for everyone - we want you to define it for yourself and how it works for each family you serve.
We have found over the years that it’s incredibly hard to hold space if we find ourselves needing or wanting to contr...
This episode is a workshop-style conversation designed to help you tackle your fears and equip yourself with the tools and mindset needed for a positive birth experience. I’m not gonna lie - this conversation got juicy with ideas and information to reshape your thoughts about pain and gathering the courage to use your abilities to become what you have not. Ashley was on fire in this conversation!
In our ...
In today’s show, I interview with Hannah and Cooper, former Hypnobirthing students, to talk about their incredible birth story. From navigating fears of low pain tolerance and the unknowns of labor, Hannah shares her powerful experience of surrendering to the birth process. Low pain tolerance comes up A LOT when women talk about wanting to have a natural birth. In fact, tune in next week because we decided to do a full...
I begin with a mini disclaimer about the audio and video quality due to the last day of Mercury retrograde. Despite the production challenges, we have an important and heartfelt conversation for you today.
I want you to meet Nikki, who is joining my Hypnobirthing series, and this is our first face-to-face talk. Nikki shares her deeply personal and emotional fertility journey, which includes unexpected pre...
In this episode, I welcome April to share her labor denial birth story and the journey of overcoming fears related to pregnancy. April opens up about her past struggles with an eating disorder and how it impacted her initial fears of weight gain during pregnancy. This is an issue that many women face in pregnancy and isn’t talked about enough in my opinion.
April emphasizes the importance of mental health...
I can’t wait for you to hear Courtney’s incredible birth story. From her experiences with pregnancy, labor, and postpartum, to raising her seven-year-old, Courtney's journey is filled with resilience and practical life skills.
Courtney shares her initial vision of a natural birth with a midwife, through her unexpected medical diagnoses ...
In this episode, we have an incredible birth story for you. This is a story where Hannah’s natural birth was quickly overshadowed by an extensive NICU stay with their son. Hannah and Greg took my Hypnobirthing class early in her pregnancy and did extensive preparation. What started as a planned birth center birth became a hospital transfer due to the baby’s early gestation.
Hannah had become the “planner f...
I'm excited today as we have Sierra to share her incredible birth story with us. If you are watching on YouTube you can see her adorable little one. Sierra took my Hypnobirthing class from her work location and her partner joined from home. A definite advantage of attending an online childbirth series!
In this episode, Sierra dives into the nitty-gritty of her unexpected pregnancy journey, her fears surrou...
In this episode, we dive into the topic of birth plans, or as we prefer to call them, 'birth preferences.' This is a more energetic view of how to create an plan that fits your family and what's important to you. The internet is filled with templated plans - but how to you keep it specific without overwhelming yourself and the staff? We emphasize the importance of informed consent and how it allows for autonomy during ...
In this latest episode in our Birth Educator series, we dive into the power of autonomy in childbirth with Maggie, a birth educator who transitioned from student to educator. We find out what the birth world is like in her area and Maggie tells us about an amazing birthing place that left me wanting!
Maggie took every set of classes we offered before the birth of her first son. She studied birth education ...
In this episode, Ashley and I are talking about pushing and why we encourage you to advocate for freedom of movement during the pushing phase of labor. You do not have to be on your back and you are “allowed” to move and push in any way that your body is instinctively telling you to push.
In Hypnobirthing we have multiple discussions on how to communicate your needs effectively with your birth team, the b...
In our final February love fest episode, I chat with Alenna, who shares her personal Hypnobirthing birth story. From how she and her husband accidentally found Hypnobirthing to what happened on delivery day, Alenna and her husband were on the same page about not using medication and did a lot of proactive practice ahead of time. You may hear about the peanut ball and its magic for the first time in this episode!
In this February episode, we welcome back Jeanne Marie Paynel, a seasoned Montessori mentor and host of 'The Art of Parenting' podcast. We are so excited for Jeanne Marie to share with you insights on how Montessori principles can transform your home into a nurturing environment for your children. You’ll also get a sneak peak into what goes on in a Montessorri classroom and how it supports your child’s natural brain de...
In our February love fest we are focusing today on your “nether regions” as we dive into the importance of maintaining a connection with your body during pregnancy. Our guest, Dr. Lauren from Thrive Physical Therapy, shares her experience and expertise on pelvic floor health, from understanding its role and how to keep it flexible and functional, to discussing prenatal pelvic floor therapy. The visuals will best be seen on our YouT...
We are starting season 3! In this episode, we kick off February with Haize Hawke. As doulas and educators we see a lot of relationship dynamics between couples. Today we are focusing on a similarity that happens with most of our hetero couples.
Understanding where men are coming from BEFORE they come into our birth space is a critical piece of information. Our expectations of who and how they should be is...
In this episode especially for doulas, we are covering the new TriWest transition for serving military families. January of 2025 brings new TRICARE provider agreements and hopefully a more streamlined way for billing and receiving timely payments. Be sure to subscribe to our channel on YouTube to see the slides and visuals. A billing video will be coming as the new system rolls out in January that you won't want to mis...
In October, we hosted Traci for her 2 day workshop attended by both Doulas and Childbirth Educators. In this episode, Traci Doula returns to our podcast to hear feedback about her impactful workshop 'Keeping Your Power™ for Doulas.’ I invited Lydia and Jenna to come on as special guests to tell some of the ways the workshop is shifting their birthwork for the better.
Our conversation delves into the importance of doula...
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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