Birth Journeys: Birth Stories and Birth Education for Moms & Pregnant Individuals

Send us Fan Mail Sarah N’Guessan is the mother of of a beautiful girl, an educator, a curly hair specialist, and has her own YouTube channel: "Curl to Curl".  In this episode, Sarah shares the story of her natural childbirth, including how she prepared for it, what techniques worked best, and how she recovered. Support the show Connect with Kelly Hof, BSN, RNC-EFM 🌿 Get my FREE Birth Pl...

Send us Fan Mail Charlie is a doula, is currently in nursing school to become a labor nurse and future midwife. In this episode, Charlie shares and the birth stories of the deliveries of her two boys. Charlie currently works on Labor and Delivery and has her own Doula company B.L.C. (Birth Love Care). In 2018 Charlie completed her DONA Birth Doula Training with the superlative Nicole Heidbreder! C...

Send us Fan Mail Support the show Connect with Kelly Hof, BSN, RNC-EFM 🌿 Get my FREE Birth Plan Workshop! → https://kellyhof.com 🌿 Join the Ready for Birth & Beyond Online Community → https://www.facebook.com/groups/readyforbirthandbeyond 🌿 Listen to more episodes of The Birth Journeys Podcast® → https://thebirthjourneyspodcast.com Medical Disclaimer The Birth Journeys Podcast® is intended...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Rachel Roudik, a labor and deliver nurse, shares her birth stories and pregnancy experiences. Rachel shares a special perspective on her pregnancies and births having assisted hundreds of other women in the same process. Additionally, she was a pregnant during Covid while continuing to work as a labor nurse. Rachel experienced placental abruption with her second d...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Alison Rieke shares her birth stories. Alison is the mother of 2, and she works from home as ambassador for a health and wellness company. Alison experienced HELLP syndrome during one of her pregnancies, and she shares her symptoms and her experience, as well as her wisdom and insight. The acronym HELLP stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platele...

Send us Fan Mail Tiare is a boy mom, a realtor in Indiana, and an amateur bodybuilder. Tiare experienced HELLP syndrome during one of her pregnancies, which is a rare medical condition of pregnancy. The acronym help stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count. In this episode Tiare shares her symptoms and her experience as well as her wisdom and insight from all of her del...

Send us Fan Mail Megan is the mother of three, and she works from home as an ambassador for Plexus Worldwide. Megan experienced help syndrome during one of her pregnancies, which is a rare medical condition of pregnancy. The acronym help stands for hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count, Megan will be sharing her symptoms and her experience as well as her wisdom and insight from...

Send us Fan Mail In the next episodes, I'm going to have friends sharing their birth stories while experiencing HELLP syndrome during their pregnancies. In this episode, I give an overview of HELLP syndrome and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. This episode will help moms gain an understanding of what to expect if they are diagnosed with high blood pressure during pregnancy. It is al...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Anna Gates shares her birth story with us after a pregnancy complicated by a history of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots). Anna shares the expected and unexpected parts of her delivery, as well as what she learned from the experience, and what she wished she would have known going in. Anna also shares how her journey has been going since delivery. To hear about h...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Tiffani shares her birth stories with us, and how her first birth inspired her to become a labor nurse to provide quality care for birthing people. Tiffani talks about on how she advocated for herself in both of her deliveries. Additionally, we discuss how healthcare providers can take steps to bridge the gap toward ensuring quality care for people of color. Suppor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Arya Pretlow, CNM, IBCLC shares her knowledge and recommendations about lactation. Many moms have questions about breastfeeding, lactation, when to pump, how to increase supply, etc. This episode touches on some of those hot-button topics and offers resources that new moms (and experienced moms) can tap into for guidance, peer support, and lactation resources. Con...

Send us Fan Mail Amanda Stoyko is a working mother of (now) 3! Aside from those 2 full time jobs, she sells anti-aging, vegan hair care and skin care. She has been active in health and wellness for over 15 years.  Amanda has returned to tell her birth story after sharing her pregnancy story with us in episode 5. Be sure to go back and listen to her original episode.  You can follow Amanda on  Face...

Send us Fan Mail Jennifer Byrnes joins us again to help distinguish between the temporary Baby Blues and when to seek help for postpartum depression. She also discusses how to make a plan to reach out for help ahead of time so that you and your family are not caught off guard. Listen and learn about risk factors and what to look out for. If you'd like to reach out to Jennifer you can find mor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Anna Gates, 37 weeks pregnant at the time, describes her history of deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) caused by a reaction to estrogen.  This history puts her at risk of a blood clot during pregnancy. Anna describes the precautions and medical surveillance during this pregnancy. We also talk through some of her questions and concerns as she goes into labor and del...

Send us Fan Mail Pearls of wisdom is a series of The Birth Journeys Podcast, where I highlight some of the most profound thoughts that each mother has shared with me. It is so powerful for birthing people to hear from others who have been through the metamorphosis of motherhood. And it is so important for women to have a voice in this process.  In this episode, mothers reflect on emotional health....

Send us Fan Mail Megan is the mother of 3 and a therapist specializing in perinatal mental health. In this episode, she shares her birth stories and the postpartum struggles that led her to specialize in perinatal mental health. You can contact Megan and plug into her services using the following websites: www.meganmaccutcheon.com www.empoweringmindfulmoms.com www.perinatalplace.com Support the sh...

Send us Fan Mail Carrie Young is is the mother of two and the host of the Paths in Progress podcast. She is also a higher education professional. In this episode she talks about her journey with infertility, and shares her birth stories. You can listen to the Paths in Progress Podcast at: https://pathsinprogress.buzzsprout.com You can hear my episode on the Paths in Progress Podcast: https://paths...

Send us Fan Mail Jane Slomski is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years counseling experience specializing in the parenting journey of families with children, adolescents, and young adults. Jane is the mother of a baby girl, and in this episode she shares her birth experience. If you find yourself in search of a family therapist, and you want to reach out to Jane Slomski, LCSW, pleas...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Speight is a board certified anesthesiologist who I’ve worked with for many years. In this episode, she shares everything she wants new moms to know about epidurals and labor anesthesia.  Support the show Connect with Kelly Hof, BSN, RNC-EFM 🌿 Get my FREE Birth Plan Workshop! → https://kellyhof.com 🌿 Join the Ready for Birth & Beyond Online Community → https://www.facebo...

Send us Fan Mail Ashley Webb is the Director of Operations at Kingswood U.S. She is a former doula (my former doula), and a mother. In this episode she shares about the unpredictable nature of her pregnancy and birth. Support the show Connect with Kelly Hof, BSN, RNC-EFM 🌿 Get my FREE Birth Plan Workshop! → https://kellyhof.com 🌿 Join the Ready for Birth & Beyond Online Community → https://w...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Goldstein  is a fourth year medical student in the Uniform Services University School of Medicine, and he plans to go into Obstetrics and Gynecology. Mike was the recipient of both the Gibbons award for medical students to attend the armed forces district annual meeting for American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Chairman’s award for the top manuscript a...

Send us Fan Mail Amanda Stoyko is a working mother of (now) 3! Aside from those 2 full time jobs, she sells anti-aging, vegan hair care and skin care. She has been active in health and wellness for over 15 years. Today she tells her first 2 birth stories, and talks about her 3rd pregnancy, which involves prophylaxis for the deep vein thrombosis (DVT blood clot) she experienced in her second pregna...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Goldstein  is a fourth year medical student in the Uniform Services University School of Medicine, and he plans to go into Obstetrics and Gynecology. Mike was the recipient of both the Gibbons award for medical students to attend the armed forces district annual meeting for American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Chairman’s award for the top manuscript a...

Send us Fan Mail Joyanna is the mother of four, a nurse, the founder of Happily Mom, Joyanna shares her birth journey that involves 4 experiences of prodromal labor, which led her to the decision to have a home birth. Support the show Connect with Kelly Hof, BSN, RNC-EFM 🌿 Get my FREE Birth Plan Workshop! → https://kellyhof.com 🌿 Join the Ready for Birth & Beyond Online Community → https://w...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Goldstein  is a fourth year medical student in the Uniform Services University School of Medicine, and he plans to go into Obstetrics and Gynecology. Mike was the recipient of both the Gibbons award for medical students to attend the armed forces district annual meeting for American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Chairman’s award for the top manuscript a...