Entering Motherhood: Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Support

When contractions hit, clarity is a lifeline. In this episode, doula Sarah Marie Bilger leads you through the exact questions to ask your provider, doula, partner, and yourself so that you enter labor informed, calm, and in control of your choices. Using relatable stories and practical prompts, she helps you rehearse responses, name your fears and non‑negotiables, and build a birth team that under...

In this episode Sarah Marie Bilger sits down with Chelsea Ann, a former labor-and-delivery nurse turned integrative health practitioner. Chelsea recounts training with legendary midwife Ina May Gaskin, choosing home birth, and a later divorce that pushed her to the edge and ultimately led her back to her true feminine nature. Through vivid stories and practical tools, Chelsea challenges cultural e...

Walk into labor like a story unfolding, not like a crisis to survive. In this episode, Sarah Marie Bilger guides you through a gentle, practical narrative that turns racing thoughts into a clear plan: breathe with intention, rehearse your coping tools, shape your sanctuary, and build a support team that steadies you when the intensity rises. You'll hear how small rehearsals and honest conversation...

Aimee Minnaugh’s story begins with heartbreak and unfolds into purpose: after multiple miscarriages and the discovery of a genetic mutation that blocked her body’s ability to process folic acid, she refused to accept inadequate prenatal care. In this episode she guides listeners through her personal search for answers, the science that changed everything, and the moment she teamed up with clinicia...

Sink into this short, honest episode with Sarah Marie Bilger as she speaks directly to the worn, comparing, and over-caffeinated new mama inside you. She paints a small, real scene—coffee, a messy living room, a tiny warm baby in your arms...and invites you to breathe, to let the noise of shoulds fall away, and to choose what actually brings peace to your household. Through quiet encouragement and...

Host Sarah Marie Bilger welcomes Courtney, founder of Le Lolo, as she shares a candid postpartum story, from feeling like a patient in a new body to reclaiming confidence through caregiving and design. Inspired by sterile products that erased her sense of self, Courtney built a line of functional, beautiful accessories that put moms first, offering gentle reminders of worth and resilience in the c...

At 41 weeks, Sarah’s quiet night shifts from anxious waiting to full-blown labor in one generous breath: her water breaks, there’s unexpected bleeding, and a choice that will shape everything, go to the hospital or stay home. With intuition and a steady birth team, she chooses home, setting the stage for an intimate, wildly human experience. A husband with a to-do list, doulas braiding hair and ho...

Join host Sarah Marie Bilger as she sits down with Christine Eck, a postpartum doula and Ayurvedic practitioner whose own difficult recovery after her first child propelled her into a life of healing work. Through Christine’s story we move from struggle to reclamation, discovering how age‑old practices can turn the postpartum window into a sacred time of restoration. Christine blends personal anec...

Join Sarah Marie Bilger as she walks you through the quiet revelations that came with baby number three. With vivid memories of labor and the hush of newborn cuddles, she shares the exact moments that shifted her from anxious planner to grounded parent, and she wishes she could hold your hand through it all. Through short, honest stories about messy days, surprising joys, and the slow softening of...

Walk into a story that begins in a high‑school dressing room with a boombox looking pump, and follow Amber Ginn as she navigates emergency C‑sections, double mastitis, and the dismissal of well‑meaning professionals. This episode is full of raw moments of struggle, a life‑changing encounter with a WIC peer counselor, and the fierce determination that turns painful beginnings into purpose. From a t...

Join host Sarah Marie Bilger as she unfolds the late-pregnancy mystery of tightenings that feel like everything and nothing all at once. Through candid stories from her three pregnancies, client births she’s attended, and the honest hum of a newborn co-host in the background, Sarah guides you into the difference between practice contractions, prodromal labor, and the real thing. Short, clear cues...

Sarah interviews Fionna, founder of Wellness Womb, about how her own birth trauma inspired her to become a doula specializing in birth, postpartum, and sibling doula care. They explain the role of sibling doulas; relationship-building date nights, on-call support, preparing children for birth, advocacy during labor, and practical tips for building a village when family isn’t nearby. Find Fiona on...

Host Sarah Marie Bilger explains why fetal positioning matters and how simple movements and positions can help baby settle into an easier, safer path for birth. Learn clear, practical techniques including the Spinning Babies approach (balance, gravity, movement), the mile circuit (open knee–chest, side‑lying, upright open pelvis), peanut ball and birth‑ball positions, hands‑and‑knees, squats, lung...

He-He, founder of Tranquility by He-He and The Birth Lounge, joins Sarah Marie Bilger to discuss empowering women to use their voice through pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. The episode covers consent, respectful communication, understanding medical options, evidence-based information, patients' rights (including EMTALA), and the freedom to accept, decline, or change care decisions. Listener...

This episode guides partners on how to meaningfully prepare for birth and the postpartum period, covering mental and physical preparation, comfort techniques, logistics, and how to create a supportive environment. Listeners will get practical tips for communication, packing, advocacy, and postpartum support to help the birthing person feel safe, seen, and cared for throughout the journey. Find the...

In this episode Emily Swann, an IBCLC and former labor and delivery nurse, shares her unconventional path from surfing and working in a tattoo shop to becoming a lactation consultant. She opens up about her own painful breastfeeding struggles, the importance of finding individualized support, and how mindset and intuition shaped her births and postpartum experience. Emily offers practical guidance...

Join Sarah-Marie Bilger as she walks through how to prepare for a home birth, focusing on creating a calm, comfortable environment, what your midwife typically provides, and the key supplies to have on hand before labor. This episode offers a concise checklist covering birth-space setup, water birth and pool tools, postpartum recovery items, newborn basics, and practical doula tips to help you fee...

Host Sarah Marie Bilger talks with Taylor, a holistic doula, about preparing for the final weeks of pregnancy, especially for home birth. They cover the hormonal progression before labor, shifting your mindset from doing to allowing, boosting oxytocin through rest and connection, and simple physical practices (gentle movement, Spinning Babies, prenatal bodywork). Taylor also shares concrete home-b...

In this episode Sarah Marie Bilger walks through a clear, practical hospital bag checklist: when to pack, what hospitals usually supply, and which personal items will make labor and postpartum more comfortable. Key tips include packing two smaller bags (one for labor and one for postpartum/baby), prioritizing essentials like ID and chargers, and bringing comfort items, snacks, toiletries, nursing...

In this episode Sarah Marie walks through practical ways to prepare for the postpartum period, including meal planning and freezer meals, creating nursing stations, stocking healing supplies (peri bottles, pads, nipple cream), and organizing helpers with clear lists and expectations. She also discuss emotional and professional support, lining up lactation consultants, pediatricians, doulas, and th...

Host Sarah Marie Bilger talks with Lindsay Taylor (The Food Doula) about realistic pregnancy and postpartum nutrition, covering Lindsay’s new cookbook and practical strategies to make nourishing your body simple and sustainable. They debunk myths about relying only on soups, highlight one-handed savory snacks, prepped proteins (meatballs, egg squares, salmon bites), meal train tips, and the import...

Sarah Marie Bilger shares practical guidance for late-pregnancy preparation, covering birth bags, comfort items, birth plans (including cesarean and NICU contingencies), and the differences between home, birth center, and hospital births. She offers actionable tips—using a doula, prenatal check-ins, chiropractic care, red raspberry leaf and dates, and a birth vision planner—to help you feel inform...

Host Sarah Marie Bilger guides listeners through how to build a birth team that supports your emotional and physical needs during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. She explains the difference between medical providers and support roles, why boundaries matter, and how doulas and other helpers can improve birth outcomes. The episode covers options for hospital, birth center, and home births, tips fo...

In this episode Sarah Marie Bilger and Katelyn discuss the power of consistency during pregnancy, offering practical tips like checklists, habit-stacking, and accountability to help you stay on track. They cover involving partners, using doulas and apps, prepping essentials (hospital bag, freezer meals, diapers), honoring your capacity and rest, and building routines that carry into postpartum. Fi...

Host Sarah Marie Bilger talks with Mary Farrelly, a Level 4 NICU nurse and founder of The NICU Translator, about the realities of NICU care, common myths, and how families can prepare whether a stay is expected or unexpected. They cover NICU levels, separation and bonding, feeding and pumping decisions, communication and advocacy, practical birth-plan options, and resources to reduce trauma and bu...