Labor Lessons

Natalie is a second-time mom and co-host of The Golden Hour podcast. Last year, I spoke with Liz, the other co-host of The Golden Hour podcast, about her postpartum anxiety. In this episode, Natalie shares her battles with prenatal and postpartum mood disorders. 

After Natalie's son was born, she had postpartum anxiety. That anxiety was never fully resolved before she got pregnant with her daughter, and it carried ove...

Allison is an intuitive medium and owner of Souls of a Feather where she offers readings online. In this episode, she shares her experience with both prenatal and postpartum mood disorders.

Allison suffered from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), and tried for two years to get pregnant. She finally decided to take a break from trying to focus on her health. She asked her doctor for birth control and in the time it took t...

One year ago today, Natalia's son Xavian was born. Just 12 hours later, he passed away. 

Natalia is originally from Russia, and currently lives in Brazil. She and her husband love to travel.  While in Egypt, she found out she was pregnant. They looked for a place to settle down and have their baby, and at six months pregnant decided on Brazil. She found a Russian midwife there and was excited to start a new chapter of...

Maureen Farrell is a lactation counselor, doula, herbalist, and homebirth midwife practicing in rural West Virginia. She is also the co-host of the Milk Minute podcast, which provides evidence-based and entertaining breastfeeding information.

Maureen had her first child at home before she became a midwife. Preparing for her first birth, she read a lot of books and thought that she needed to be calm and relaxed during her ...

One of the most common things I hear when talking with women about their birth experiences is that they didn't know how to advocate for themselves going in. Whether they were overwhelmed by what they were feeling, or they were mistreated by the medical staff, they were unsure how to make themselves heard and respected. 

In this episode, 10 doulas share their best piece of advice for advocating for yourself during lab...

Stefanie lives in Scandinavia where she raises her two boys. Throughout her journey into motherhood, she experienced the benefits of a health system where midwives are the forefront of pregnancy and birth.

Stefanie's first son asphyxiated right after being born. What could have been a traumatic event for her was not, due to her strong support system. Her birth team calmly handled the situation, while keeping her info...

Jenna was induced with her first son at 41 weeks. She went into labor without having taken a birth class, and without doing any research because she believed that knowing too much about giving birth might hinder her ability to do it.

Her body didn't respond to the Pitocin, which was continually increased. When her provider broke her water, labor kicked in very fast. However, due to the increase of Pitocin, there was ...

At 36 weeks pregnant with her first child, Kimberly was concerned that her baby wasn't moving enough. Her doctor sent her for monitoring and even though she wasn't dilated, they decided to induce her. That night, she ended up going into labor naturally on her own!

The epidural didn't work at first, but her labor progressed slowly enough that there was time to fix it. She ended up with a second degree tear a...

Jen is very much a type A personality. She loves to plan way in advance of events taking place. Even with all of her planning, she still wasn't prepared for how her first birth went.

Her daughter was stuck and delivered by forceps. She had her clavicle broken in the process of being delivered. Jen ended up with a third degree episiotomy, and needed a lot of time to recover.

Jen spent a few extra days in the...

Adrianne Babbitt is a Christian author, blogger, proofreader, and mentor. She recently relauched her debut book, "The Miscarriage Project" and her launched her new children's book series, "Princess With A Purpose". In addition, she also runs her own Christian lifestyle blog, The Haven.

Adrianne's first labor did not go as she expected. Her water broke two days before labor started and she ende...

Eileen Joy is the Money Coach for Moms. She's also the woman who FIRED four doctors to have the birth she dreamed about!

When she got pregnant with her son, Eileen totally changed her life around. She ate very clean and got rid of toxic chemicals in her house. She cared deeply about what she was putting into her body, and how she was treating her unborn son.

This lifestyle carried over into her medical care....

In this episode, I share some of my struggle with postpartum anxiety. During my unplanned c-section, I was left feeling out of control, with no one explaining to me what was happening. I felt like a bystander, watching birth happen to me.

Afterwards, my anxiety was triggered when they took my daughter for her newborn screening tests. Again, no one explained to me what was happening or how long she would be gone for.
...

Liz from the Golden Hour podcast joins me in this episode to share her story!  Liz has always been a planner, and spent a lot of time preparing for birth. She found a birth center attached to a hospital, and loved the welcoming atmosphere. She hired a doula, and felt confident that her birth would go well. 

While Liz planned a lot for birth, she didn't plan as much for postpartum. She ended up hemorrhaging after birth...

What the heck is a TENS unit? TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It works by sending electrical pulses through a handheld device through your body, to your spinal cord and brain.

In this episode, I talk about what a TENS unit is and why it works. I share what it feels like and where you can find them if you're interested in trying them out.

TENS Unit


Song "Christ...

How can visualization exercises help you manage pain during labor? They help keep your mind focused, and can relieve anxiety and fear that you might feel. 

In this special episode, I share a few visualization exercises that I like, and explain how to do them.

Birthing From Within

Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

...

This tool comes from the book "Birthing From Within", by Pam England and Rob Horowitz. Pam calls it a "self-hypnotic jingle". It's a rhythmic affirmation that states an outcome you want.

In this episode, I share the story behind Pam's "chocolate  cake" jingle, and the one I created for myself for my second labor.

Birthing From Within

Song "Christmas" by ...

How can a comb help you manage pain during labor?

Squeezing a comb during labor activates the Gates Control Theory of Pain, which says that when the pain "gates" are closed, you feel less pain.

In this episode, I share about how a comb is a little known hack that can be used to help you feel less pain during contractions, and why this works.  


Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY...

We've talked about counterpressure and light touch, but let's talk about something everyone loves: a good massage.

A massager can help relieve pain during contractions and can be used to help you relax in between contractions. In this episode, I talk about why a massage gun is a good tool to bring with you to the hospital.

Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson....

Aromatherapy works by stimulating the part of your brain responsible for emotions and memories. This includes the part responsible for anxiety and fear.

In this episode, I share how aromatherapy can help lower pain during labor, and the best types of essential oils to use.


Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

LaborLessons...