Labor Lessons

How can movement help you cope with pain during labor? Welcome to the First Day of Christmas special episode! In this short episode, I share how movement can be helpful in progressing labor, and what that movement might look like. I also share how moving can help you manage pain during a natural birth. Stick around! There's 11 more days to go! Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY mus...

Jennifer is a certified life coach who specializes in pregnancy loss recovery coaching. She is also the creator and host of the Navigating Baby Loss podcast. Jennifer's third pregnancy ended in the stillbirth of her twin daughters, weeks before they were to be born. She had two young sons she was caring for, and didn't process her grief until much later. She suffered from physical ailmen...

During Krista's fourth pregnancy, she had difficulty finding a provider and the care that she needed. She wanted to birth with a midwife, but there wasn't one accessible in her area.  She ended up planning to deliver at a hospital that was pretty far from her house. She had recently moved and didn't have family nearby, and worried about what to do with her other children when she we...

Eir got pregnant unexpectedly after years of suffering from endometriosis. During her pregnancy, she had two partial placental abruptions and was put on bed rest. At about six months pregnant, Eir began to have severe pain in her abdomen. She tried multiple times to call her doctor, but was written off as a first-time mom who was experiencing ligament pain. Even with her history of TWO partial abr...

Alissa Alter is also known as the "Amy Poehler of Vaginas" for her unfiltered and unapologetic approach to exploring the female experience. She is a former Broadway performer, certified pilates instructor, pelvic health expert, comedian, author, host of the podcast Alter Your Life, and co founder of pstprtm.com While in labor at the hospital, Alissa knew that something didn't feel r...

Monica's first three labors got progressively shorter. The first one was around 7 hours long, the second one a few hours shorter, and her third labor lasted just 3 hours total.  With her third baby, Monica barely had enough time to make it to the hospital before her daughter was born! Monica expected her fourth labor to be even faster. She told her doctor that she was going to sneeze and birt...

In Christie's first birth, she was treated like an assembly line part, not a first-time mom who was scared and had no birthing experience.  She didn't know how to advocate for herself. She trusted that the doctors and nurses would support her. It was a traumatic experience for her.  The nurses treated her horribly, and she didn't feel like she mattered. She developed postpartum anxi...

Dr. Stephanie Rimka is a holistic brain optimization specialist. She built Brain and Body Solutions in Atlanta, Georgia, where she focuses on neurotherapies to identify and address the root causes of mental illness, chronic illness, and learning disorders. In this episode, Dr. Rimka shares how copper toxicity can cause postpartum depression. During pregnancy, our need for copper rises. It helps cr...

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. Danielle had a stillbirth at 25 weeks of pregnancy. She was young, and was completely unaware of what her or her baby's rights were. In addition to being treated horribly, Danielle never received a birth certificate or a death certificate for her son. Later, when Danielle was in nursing school, she learned that she could have advocated for...

CA Kanooble is a comedian, author, podcast host, and mental health advocate. But before all that, she became a mom. CA  expected a calm, supportive birthing environment for her first-time experience. But instead, she was neglected, disrespected, and uncared for. She still has long-lasting effects from the epidural that was improperly inserted multiple times.  Instead of wanting to remember every b...

Anum struggled with being anxious before she became pregnant for the first time. She was so anxious, she would worry that she didn't have anything to worry about! When she became pregnant with her first child, Anum worked to change her mindset. She told herself that everything was great, and that she would have an easy labor and delivery. And she did! She has since implemented that positive m...

If you're pursuing a VBAC, you might have gotten the advice to find a supportive provider. But what does a VBAC supportive provider look like? How you do know if yours is one? In this week's quick tip, I discuss what conditions might be placed on your labor by a provider that is not supportive. I also include what those conditions look like for a provider who is VBAC supportive. I also s...

Katie's first birth was an induction that ended in a c-section. Being in the medical field, she knew it was possible to have a vaginal birth after a c-section (VBAC). Katie knew she wanted a VBAC for her next child.  When she got pregnant with her second baby, Katie told her doctors right away that she wanted to try for a vaginal birth. She scheduled a repeat c-section, but was hoping to be i...

Amanda had a lot of anxiety while pregnant with her first baby. People's comments about how big her baby might be contributed to her anxiety and her need to control things. Amanda's first birth experience was full of interventions and ended traumatically. For her second pregnancy, Amanda knew she had to relax and trust her body to birth her baby. This time, she was able to advocate for h...

Do you know how to advocate for yourself during labor? Do you know how to make an informed decision, or give informed consent? Today's quick tip walks you through using the acronym BRAIN to advocate for yourself. I also use a real-life example so you can see it in action. When you are informed, you can confidently make the best decisions for you and your baby. If you enjoy this podcast, pleas...

Betsy's induced labor was long, painful, and extremely traumatic. At many point during her labor, she asked the doctors to give her a c-section, but they refused. After 12 hours in excruciating pain, the doctors finally decided that Betsy needed to have a c-section. Betsy's birth story may have happened 38 years ago, but it is still relevant today. Her doctors ignored her requests, the t...

Whether you are planning to go unmedicated or know ahead of time you want pain relief, it's a good idea to labor at home for a while before you head to the hospital or birth center. How can you prepare for managing contractions during labor?  Have you heard of the ice cube exercise? Doing it can help you train your mind and your body to focus in and relax during contractions. This makes for a...

Cassie's first two labors were long and extremely painful. After doing some research about the labor process, Cassie's next two labors were short and a lot less painful. In this episode, Cassie shares about the hormones that are involved during the labor process, and how to create an environment that helps produce those hormones. She also discusses how to manage pain during labor. Cassie...

A lot of us hold a strong loyalty to our medical providers, even though we may feel unheard or unsupported by them. In this week's quick tip, I'll let you in on a little secret that some people may not know. It could change the way you think about your current provider.  LaborLessons.com Enjoy listening to Labor Lessons? Leave a review here! Let me know what your favorite episode is and...

Once Ariell began to create her birth plan, she realized how difficult it would be to stick to it with her current provider. She decided to look for a birth center and found one near her. Ariell did her research, made some changes, and set herself up for success. Her birth plan went exactly as she hoped, and she had an amazing birthing experience. Listen as she recounts her birth story: the proces...

Do you know what a "gentle c-section" is? Gentle c-sections, also called  "family centered c-sections" are being offered at more and more hospitals. They are less traumatic and have better outcomes for both mom and baby.  Listen, and find out what some of the options are during a gentle c-section.  LaborLessons.com Enjoy listening to Labor Lessons? Leave a review here! Let me k...

April's first labor with her daughter ended in a c-section. It wasn't what she expected, but she quickly learned what helped her during recovery. April's three subsequent children were also c-sections.  After having multiple c-sections with small children at home to care for, April is a bit of an expert. She shares some of the struggles and some of the joys, and offers advice for wo...

One of the most commonly asked questions when preparing for labor is: what should I pack in my hospital bag?  Today's episode is a quick tip of something you definitely should bring that you might not think of. Pack this in your hospital bag, and you'll be glad you did! LaborLessons.com Enjoy listening to Labor Lessons? Leave a review here! Let me know what your favorite episode is and w...

Christine's experience wearing glasses for her first labor and delivery did not go well. They kept fogging up and falling off. She didn't see her son until he was lying on her chest after being born.  For her second birth, she decided to take what she had learned the first time around and make some changes. In this episode, Christine shares what made her decide to wear glasses or contact...

Physically recovering from birth is difficult enough, but tearing or having an episiotomy can make it worse. Lauren had an episiotomy while birthing her son. Afterwards, she had difficulty peeing.  When she did,  it burned so bad it made her not want to. She also had trouble sitting down and getting around. In this interview with Lauren, she talks about certain aspects of the physical recovery tha...