Birth With Power

Mallory Whitmore knows her stuff about formula! She’s a certified infant feeding tech, leader of education at Bobbie–the only mom-founded and mom-run U.S. formula brand–and she’s the face behind The Formula Mom, an online platform for infant feeding info and support. To be clear, she’s not against breastfeeding, quite the opposite in fact! Her mission is to help parents make informed, confident, a...

Making a birth plan is a really important part of helping you have the birth you want. A birth plan helps you think through the things that you want for your birth and communicate your wishes with your birth team. To make the most of your birth plan, be sure to ask your doctor the 4 key questions you'll learn in this short episode! And to learn 4 more questions to ask as well as how to approac...

Amy had what she calls an "easy pregnancy". The birth was the difficult part. Her labor came on quickly and then stalled. While hospital staff nudged her along by breaking her water and administering Pitocin, it became clear that something was wrong. Amy was sick - she was showing symptoms of infection. As she faded in and out of consciousness, her family and care team discussed the option...

Dysmorphic milk ejection reflex, also known as D-MER, is a condition experienced by lactating women and individuals where you feel a sudden, brief, and very intense negative emotional response just before milk letdown or release. Learn about this important and underrecognized condition in this short episode. Join me LIVE on April 30th for my FREE class - Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way! Grab your...

This episode is being released during Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17). Black Maternal Health Week was created by The Black Mamas Matter Alliance, a national coalition created to ensure all Black Mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.  In this episode you’re going to learn about pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality. Specifically, y...

Black Maternal Health week is April 11-17th! In this short episode I'm sharing some facts about Black Maternal Health. As I've done before, during Black Maternal Health week I'm collecting donations to giveaway spots in my online childbirth education class, The Birth Preparation Course. I'd love for my community to come together and donate enough to give away 10 spots! Please donat...

I love connecting you with other physicians who have a real heart and passion for caring for people and that’s exactly what you’re going to get in this episode with Dr. Jess.  Since she was 10 years old, Dr. Jess Daigle (@momandme_md) knew she wanted to be a pediatrician and neonatologist. Now a board-certified pediatrician and CEO of Mom & Me MD, a concierge practice that focuses on providing...

In this short episode I answer this question from Bailey: I was wondering if you could speak on partial-molar pregnancy in your podcast? My husband and I recently lost our baby due to this and I had to go through with a d&c, and this was something I hadn’t heard of until it happened to us. Thank you. If you have a question you want me to answer in the podcast shoot me a DM on Instagram @drnico...

Andrea planned an induction at 39 weeks, but things didn't go as anticipated. She thought that her water broke just after 38 weeks and went to the hospital. It turned out that it didn't, but her blood pressure was high and her baby had turned to a transverse position - which is basically going across the uterus - and no matter how hard we try, a baby is not going to fit through the vagina...

Stop fighting and listen to your body! This doesn't mean what you think..... Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way - Free Class ! Check out The Birth Preparation Course and get calm, confident, and empowered for your birth. If you like this podcast please support it at drnicolerankins.com/support . Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Down...

Amniotic fluid (AF) is the liquid that surrounds your baby after the first few weeks of pregnancy. An adequate amount of amniotic fluid is absolutely, positively critical for fetal health. If it’s too low, there can be a risk of severe fetal deformations, umbilical cord compression, and in extreme cases, fetal death. On the other side, if it’s too high, there’s a range of other fetal disorders tha...

Social media will have you believing you have to do SO MUCH when you are having a baby. I'm here to tell you that you don't! Learn exactly that things you don't have to do just because you're having a baby. Make A Birth Plan The Right Way - FREE Class ! Click here to support All About Pregnancy & Birth! Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power Get the support, clarity, and c...

This week’s guest is Dr. Andrea Wadley. She is board certified in both pediatrics AND breastfeeding medicine. In fact she’s one of only 100 physicians in the country who is board certified in breastfeeding medicine. With all of the unreliable information out there, it’s so important to seek out authorities like her. It would be great if your doctor was an expert in breastfeeding but the fact is, w...

I have a terrible time with seasonal allergies! And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have a hard time too, they might get worse in pregnancy. Get info on medication-free techniques (where I recommend you start) and medications to help with those turrrrible seasonal allergies! Also, please do me a big favor and leave a review of the podcast in Apple podcasts. It's SUCH a huge hel...

I think this might be the first time I’ve had a guest describe their birth as “beautiful,” “joyful,” and even “relaxing”! Erin wasn’t expecting to be somebody who loved her birth story but she absolutely does. Today, she’s here to share her perspective that a hospital birth can be beautiful. I didn’t realize until we started talking, but Erin actually gave birth in the hospital where I work! I was...

In this shorty episode I'm answering a listener question that was sent to me via Instagram DM - "Hi Dr. Rankins! I love your podcast and just signed up for your free birth class. I’m [in my first trimester]. This is my first pregnancy and I’m a little nervous. I was born with one kidney and a bicornuate uterus. I am learning I may be at higher risk for breech and may have to have a c-secti...

This episode is all about helping you during those first six weeks postpartum! The reality is that once you get discharged from the hospital, your doctor likely won't see you for six weeks. Experts recommend some degree of contact within the first three weeks postpartum. However, the reality is that it isn’t common. So in this episode, you're going to get some great information to help you...

IV (intravenous) fluids are extremely common and even routine during labor but are they really necessary? In this shorty episode I’ll break that down for you! You’ll learn what IV fluids are why they're given during labor My recommendation for IV fluids during labor use the code DRNICOLE and get 10% off my online childbirth education class, The Birth Preparation Course ! Free Resources to Help...

If you’ve been listening to this show for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big proponent of doulas. What you might not know is that doulas can assist at all kinds of births - even planned cesareans! Today’s guest, Hehe Stewart, is the founder of Tranquility by HeHe Maternity Concierge and is a doula herself. Finding the right support for your birth can be overwhelming and there is a ton of good inf...

Your baby should be with YOU after birth! I break down the 3 pieces to that in this episode: skin to skin contact after birth delayed cord clamping baby being in your room at all times Be sure to get these things by making a birth plan! I teach you the RIGHT way to do that in my FREE class: drnicolerankins.com/birthplan Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power Get the support, clarity, and conf...

Today Caitlin is here to share her story of having a baby with a cleft lip and palate. Usually, we talk mostly about the birth in birth story episodes of the podcast, but this episode is a little different. Caitlin reached out because despite it being relatively common, she noticed that I’d never touched upon cleft lip and palate on the podcast before and she wanted to share her experience and hel...

The concern about pregnant women changing kitty litter comes from the possibility of getting infected with something called toxoplasmosis. What is toxoplasmosis, what problems does it cause, and can you really get it from kitty litter? Take my free birth plan class! - drnicolerankins.com/birthplan Join my community on Instagram - instagram.com/drnicolerankins Free Resources to Help You Birth With...

In this episode you're going to learn exactly what happens during your menstrual cycle. I decided to talk about this because, quite frankly, it’s something that many of us don’t fully understand. We talk about our cycles in relation to pregnancy but there’s a lot more to periods than ovulation! Your cycle can influence so many aspects of your life: libido, mood, energy, skin, appetite, and mor...

In this shorty episode you'll learn the changes that can happen with your sleep during pregnancy, why we recommend you don't sleep on your back during pregnancy, and strategies to get a good night's sleep (don't drink chamomile tea!). Take my free birth plan class! - drnicolerankins.com/birthplan Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power Get the support, clarity, and confidence y...

What can an attorney teach you about your labor and birth? A lot, it turns out! Gina Mundy specializes in childbirth cases defending medical professionals. Over the course of her 20+ year career, she has learned about the mistakes that can happen in hospitals and she’s here to share those insights with us. Her book, "A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth," helps parents prevent errors...