Aligned Birth

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael discuss labor contractions. They explain what contractions are, how to differentiate between Braxton Hicks and real contractions, and how to time contractions. They also discuss the importance of understanding the physiological changes during labor contractions and the significance of visualization and changing the narrative around co...

Send us Fan Mail The process of becoming a mother, matresence.  Much like the process of becoming a teenager and adolescence, there are chemical, physical, and emotional changes that occur as we become a mother.  In this episode, Dr. Shannon chats with maternal mental health counselor Kristina Tucker about the change in our identity in motherhood, where society fails us, and what resources are out...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael discuss the different types of doulas and the support they provide. The word doula can be traced back to Ancient Greece meaning “female servant”. Most commonly, people are familiar with a doula surrounding childbirth, but a doula can also provide support for end of life care for the client and family.   Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael s...

Send us Fan Mail Birth not only impacts mom, but baby as well.  In this episode, Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon chat about specific questions she asks during her pediatric chiropractic exams and why those questions are important.  These questions are related to baby position in the womb as well as the entire birth process because the physical aspects of birth (mode of delivery, fast labor, slow lab...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve watched a movie or TV show where a woman is giving birth, most often, it’s in a hospital, she’s in a semi-reclined position, and she’s typically screaming at someone.  But…….your birth doesn’t have to look like that! This conversation explores the importance of pushing positions during labor and childbirth. Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael discuss the downsides of a single...

Send us Fan Mail  Amanda Gorman joins the show today, and through her own two birth and postpartum experiences, she made a career change to share her perinatal knowledge with other moms and families.  She is a Birthing From Within childbirth education instructor, a doula, and is the Program and Policy Manager with Postpartum Support International Georgia Chapter.  We go in-depth with how her birth...

Send us Fan Mail Takeaways: Planning for the postpartum period is crucial and often overlooked. Education and resources are essential for understanding the changes and challenges of the postpartum period. Creating a postpartum support team, including professionals and trusted individuals, is important for receiving the necessary support. Preparing the home and creating a supportive environment can...

Send us Fan Mail (rebroadcast) Are there things we can do during pregnancy to help prepare for postpartum?  Sure thing!  Dr. Brandie Freeman of Connect Pelvic Health shares some of her wisdom and knowledge from working with postpartum moms.  Her own birth and postpartum experience shape how she runs her practice, and her passion is contagious!   Topics discussed: Preparing for postpartum recovery...

Send us Fan Mail *Rebroadcast* Doula Rachael shares the framework that can help guide you along your unique path to giving birth. The Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices are foundational, practical, and effective in helping to ensure you have the best chance at having a safer, healthier, and more satisfying childbirth.   Use these birth practices to help increase your knowledge and confidence and to...

Send us Fan Mail There’s lots of ways to start off the new year - setting goals or resolutions, being intentional about tasks, starting new habits, etc.  In this episode, we chat about an exercise that Dr. Shannon has been doing for several years now - picking a word of the year.  It can be a word, a mantra, a phrase, but something that you can meditate on, pray about, and reflect on throughout th...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a new year!!  In this episode, Rachael and Shannon celebrate the growth they’ve seen over the past year with the Aligned Birth Podcast.  We list out the top episodes of 2023, as well as listing out some lesser known episodes you might have missed.  With over 17K downloads and 140 episodes under our belt, we’re looking forward to continuing our conversations about pregna...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Doula Rachael is talking with Perinatal Mental Health Therapist, Shannon Weist of Maternally Mindful. Shannon Weist is a licensed clinical mental therapist that provides both in person and telehealth services in the state of Georgia. She specializes in infertility, pregnancy and postpartum. Shannon helps to bring awareness and shed light on the importance of creati...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Shannon sits down with pediatric chiropractor, author, and instructor, Dr. Martin Rosen to talk about all things pediatric chiropractic care and craniopathy.  In most of our episodes, we’re talking about prenatal care and pregnancy, but if you’ve listened to any of our postpartum episodes, you know we talk about ways to support yourself after birth.  Not only do we discuss con...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to part 1 of a 2 part series we shared back in 2021, but this interview with LaToya is timeless.   As a self-described “Christian, doula, wife, mother, certified birth nerd” LaToya Murray-Johnson the owner of DoulaviewLLC and founder of The Birth Impact is sharing what it means to be a doula and what it’s like working with her.  She loves being the catalyst that sets mom o...

Send us Fan Mail This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite episodes! One of the goals of this podcast is to help you gain knowledge and confidence to makee informed decisions that align with you and your needs and preferences.  One way to do that is to surround yourself with knowledgeable birth workers.  That’s why this episode is all about building your birth support team.  We dive deep into t...

Send us Fan Mail Creating a vision board is fun, creative, and beneficial in helping you create your goals for your life, your work, and even your birth.  In this episode, we discuss: Dr. Shannon’s vision board events (past and present) What is a vision board? Why do people create vision boards? How to create a vision board? Hint, there is no right or wrong way! The benefits of implementing visual...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know cold symptoms can be exacerbated or last longer during pregnancy?  This is because your immune system is working at a slightly lower function and your changing body may not be able to deal with cold symptoms as effectively (like chest congestion). In this episode, Doula Rachael shares a regiment to boost immunity and reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms dur...

Send us Fan Mail Today Dr. Shannon chats with Mazi Robinson founder and director of Cultivate: a counseling center with community gatherings which aims to encourage women to cultivate joy, courage, and freedom in their lives as they pursue emotional, relational, and spiritual health.  They discuss the identity changes that come with motherhood and how that impacts our friendships, as well as lots...

Send us Fan Mail If you are pregnant and due around the holidays, this episode is for you. When it comes to navigating the end of pregnancy, there are several mixed feelings and emotions and likely some degree of discomfort and eagerness to meet your baby and for the pregnancy to be over.  Every path is unique for each birthing person. What works for one person may not work for you and what works...

Send us Fan Mail There’s power in writing your thoughts, in putting pen to paper, and processing feelings/emotions.  In today’s episode Dr. Shannon talks about creating a pregnancy journal to document this important and transformative time in your life.  From just writing down what you’re feeling, to using specific journal prompts to help you dig even deeper into your thoughts, journaling has the...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s interview is with Jana Birdseye from Lactation Consultants of Atlanta .  From ties, to latch issues, to constipation and digestive issues, to pumping support, and feeding schedules, having a successful nursing experience can take work and support.   In this episode, they chat about essential support that lactation consultants provide and: What is an IBCLC and the education...

Send us Fan Mail We’ve talked a lot about how movement and exercise are important during pregnancy.  It helps with sleep, digestion, cramping, bloating, energy levels, back pain, and lots more.  But if fitness hasn’t been a part of your life before pregnancy, it can be daunting to figure out what to do.  And sometimes the hard part also is figuring out how to fit it in.  In this episode we chat ab...

Send us Fan Mail The time immediately following birth, where you can snuggle skin-to-skin with your baby is often called the golden hour.  It’s an important time because having uninterrupted close contact with your baby can lead to better stress response of mom and baby, better immune function for baby, promotes bonding of mom and baby, can help with uterine contractions, and so much more.  But, i...

Send us Fan Mail Birth has a way of transforming us.  Bringing forth new life requires us to dig deep, to find a part of ourselves that is bigger than ourselves, that you may not even know you have, that asks you to surrender and turn inward and trust.  This episode is loosely based on a Pathways to Family Wellness Article - titled The Treasure Box.   Where a midwife discusses with a client how tr...

Send us Fan Mail During labor, there’s this beautiful dance between oxytocin/endorphins and adrenaline/cortisol.  The innate wisdom of the body craves calmness and peace and safety and security during labor.  When those feelings are achieved, labor has an easier time progressing and the hormones dance more efficiently.   Sometimes the sights, sounds, and smells of hospitals can interrupt the flow...