The Birth Lounge Podcast

In this episode, HeHe is joined by Laura of The Nesting Place & TumTum Wedge Pillow. She shares her twin and breech hospital birth story. Tune in today to hear her story and explore all of the questions you should consider asking if you have a breech baby or twin pregnancy.   Connect with HeHe on IG     Connect with Laura at:  The Nesting Place on IG TumTum Tummy Time Wedge TumTum on IG   Use...

SSRI's are commonly prescribed for anxiety and depression, so what happens when you get pregnant? Can you stay on these medications? Should you consider a different prescription or different modality of support? Alex Hoeft is a Labor & Delivery Nurse, homeschool mama of 5 & doula here to talk to us about her experience taking an SSRI during pregnancy. We will be diving into the questions t...

You asked and we delivered! In this episode, HeHe and MaMa Nurse Tina bring a human touch to the heavy topic of postpartum hemorrhage. We’re diving into what postpartum hemorrhage is, what increases your risk for experiencing it, some things that to mitigate those risks and then what to ask your providers during prenatals and if you do experience a hemorrhage.    Guest Bio:   Tina has been a labor...

Join HeHe as she sits down with High Risk OBGYN & MFM, Dr. Lexi Hill to discuss Pre-Eclampsia which is a pregnancy complication that generally arises after 20-weeks of pregnancy and often presents as high blood pressure, possible proteins in your urine, a headache that won't go away and intense swelling of legs and feet! Dr. Lexi shares about monitoring yourself for signs & symptoms, diagn...

In this episode, HeHe chats with Jessica Rita of Modern Courage. They discuss the impact an unplanned cesarean can have on the initiation into motherhood including dealing with feelings of failure and many more layers of emotions. Jessica dives a bit into the cause of birth trauma as well as steps you can take to start healing now, including the importance of nervous system regulation, and trigger...

In this episode HeHe sits down with our editor, Alexis Stearns to go through a birth story case study. This is one of the coolest episodes to date! Special thanks to Alexis who shares her story of the classic 'cascade to intervention' cycle that ended with an unwanted, yet emergency (necessary) cesarean induction and VBAC induction stories with a play by play from HeHe on the different options at...

Today's episode is all about Vaginal Birth After 3 C-sections! Petra Cruz, from The VBAC Junkie Podcast, joins HeHe to share her story of 3 cesarean births + a VBAC birth at a hospital that has a 'VBAC Ban' in place! Petra is stepping us through her decision making process to have a VBAC and how hard she had to fight in the hospital.   Join The Birth Lounge Membership!   Download The Birth Lounge...

  Listener Discretion Advised- this episodes shares the story of inappropriate Pitocin use in labor resulting in severe birth trauma and neonatal complications. Please make sure you are in a space to receive this story.   Today's episode is so informative and educates us about the repercussions of inappropriate use of Pitocin in labor! Pitocin is neither good nor bad, it is simply a tool. However,...

This episode is everything that so many of us need! Hannah Gill is a wealth of knowledge with a soothing voice and unmatched determination! Listen in as Hannah shares her story of a primary cesarean followed by an unmedicated, low intervention hospital VBAC-- or Vaginal Birth After Cesarean!   Join The Birth Lounge!    Download The Birth Lounge App!   Connect with Hannah: Website: thehannahgill.co...

We all know that inductions are on the rise and many times they are not founded in evidence-based reasons! With so many women hoping to avoid unnecessary interventions, particularly c-sections, HeHe knew that Dr. Rachel Reed was the perfect expert to share how you can avoid an unnecessary induction which will lead to lower risk of unnecessary interventions and decrease your risk of a c-section.  ...

Unnecessareans (Unnecessary c-sections) are on the rise in America and for many reasons! So many women prepare for labor from a place of wanting to avoid a c-section but fail to understand what actually CAUSES unnecessary cesareans! Without understanding WHAT causes them, it will be very hard to implement HOW to actually avoid one!     There are things you can do, decisions you can make and conver...

HeHe asked yal to submit 'would you rather' questions on her social channels! Tune into to see if your question was featured and how HeHe answers each one!!    Connect with HeHe on IG so you can participate in our community!   Download the Evidence Based Induction Guide   Join The Birth Lounge

From intentionally choosing your birth place to understanding c-section rates in your area, it all plays a role in your birth experience. In this episode of The Birth Lounge Podcast, Dr. Neel Shah dives into what we know about c-sections, why our country has such an astronomical rate of them, and what you can do to decrease your chances of “being sectioned” during labor and delivery.   We dive int...

HeHe gets the pleasure of sitting down with the founder of Expectful, Nathalie Walton. Expectful is a meditation app for pregnancy. This episodes shares the scientific benefits of meditation, how it can transform your birth prep and how it can act as pain relief in birth!   Download the Expectful app & SAVE on an Annual Subscription to Expectful with code HEHE25OFF    Learn more about Expectfu...

Today's episode is filled with so many learning moments for HeHe as she interviews Paige Connell, @shesapaigeturner on IG and TikTok, about the mental load of motherhood! Paige so eloquently describes the mental burden that comes with being the primary parent. We dive into how society encourages and upholds the idea of disrespecting & devaluing women's time, how men can be active participants...

Today's episode is one that is life changing for all dads! HeHe gets to interview, JJ Lowry, the author of Becoming Dad: A Pregnancy Guide for Dads. What started as a deep dive researching information about becoming a father turned into a book laying out exactly what men need to know to help their families flourish in welcoming a baby!    The Book: Becoming Dad   Download Dad Daze Course   Join Th...

This episode is everything you need to get your newborn sleeping through the night in the first 16 weeks after birth! All the tips shared in this episode are actionable TODAY to get you better sleep starting tonight!   Connect with HeHe on IG   Download the Newborn Sleep Solutions Guide  for infants 0-16 weeks   Join our FREE Masterclass about How to Decrease Your Risk of a C-section!

Dig out your scuba gear, cause we’re taking a deep dive into the world of twin sleep! In this episode HeHe meets with Kim West ( The Sleep Lady ) and Natalie Diaz ( Twiniversity ). Sleep training can be a bit of a hot topic and today we’re talking about common ways *cough* cry it out *cough* people have tried to sleep train, and alternatives to cry it out that actually work. Listen in as we discus...

Are you familiar with mirror neurons and their role in the way our brain works? If not, you'll want to understand exactly what they are and how they have the potential to positively or negatively impact your labor experience!    Evidence Based Pitocin Guide Connect with HeHe on IG   Work with Dr. Jaz The Active Experience Connect with Dr. Jaz on IG   Dr. Jaz Bio:  Dr. Jaz Robbins is a therapist, n...

It takes a village to raise a child… but where is that village?! In this episode, HeHe sits down with Maranda Bower of Postpartum University to discuss how postpartum looks very different today than it did when our parents were having children & what that means for the way we need to prepare for postpartum.  Connect with HeHe on IG   Connect with Maranda on IG https://postpartumu.com/   Join T...

Your bladder plays a huge role in labor! If it is full, it is taking up valuable space that baby needs to continue their descent down and out. You should be emptying your bladder frequently during labor—and that’s exactly what this episode is about! HeHe is diving into the why and when behind peeing often in labor.   A 2017 study stated that postpartum hemorrhage occurs in 3% of births, but the CD...

Today's episode is with a guest who is well-versed on mom shaming and bullying in online spaces-- Taylor Kulik, a holistic sleep and parenting educator! Taylor always meets online criticism with kindness and compassion-- a skill that many of us could use some practice with! Join HeHe & Taylor as they chat about how the way you were parented, your inner dialogue and your past traumas impact the...

I've been recently getting more and more calls from moms who have a freezer full of pumped breastmilk and don't know what to do with it! If that's you, this is a must-listen episode!   Join The Birth Lounge   Connect with HeHe on IG   Data: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33098117/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6572138/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7926441/   CDC: ht...

  Today's episode is featuring Lara Proud, RN, who is joining HeHe to discuss the signs + symptoms of Mastitis, what professionals can help & what options you have for remedying it! We also dive into preventative measures and what to consider when it comes to antibiotic use with Mastitis!    Lara’s Bio:  Beyond The Bump was started when Lara Proud went on maternity leave with her son in 2018....

This episode dives into the what it takes to be an exclusively pumping parent-- the mental load, the time, the commitment, all of it! Jacquie Ciccione, RN & CLC, joins HeHe to dive into how to know if you are using the correct flange size, what are common issues that arise when someone exclusively pumps and so much more!    Jacquie's Bio: My name is Jacquie Ciccone.  I am a wife, mom, register...