What You Didn't Expect in Fertility, Pregnancy & Birth: Real Stories & Expert Insights

This week's episode features details of a pregnancy on a boat. My guest Tanya shared her experiences of her other 4 births on an earlier episodes: Her first episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-you-learn-from-your-first-two-of-5-births/id1546909059?i=1000617239231 The second half of that story: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-happens-when-with-each-birth-you-get-clos...

Today's guest uses IVF to get pregnant * she's successful, but nearly not *she has a relatively straightforward pregnancy, but *hypertension sneaks in at the finish line, and *a not straightforward postpartum, ushered in by a hemorrhage and uterine atony. She  can look back over that experience at both the beautiful and hard parts, and learn something important from them. geriatric patie...

This week we have the end of my conversation with Andria.  She talks about: * how that first birth unfolded * dealing with the unexpected C section and all the pain and fear that it brought * the difficulties of that first postpartum  AND  she also shares: *the research she did for the second birth *the value of the midwife *the empowered birth she created Dr Amutah-Onukagha shares her advice for...

In today's episode I talk to a woman who walked into her pregnancy imagining that: *  it would be relatively easy * miscarriage wasn't a part of the equation and  * that her doctor would tell her everything she needed to know.  It's a very relatable story, given that this is the way a lot of us walk into this experience. It's certainly the way I initially walked into pregnancy....

Note: this episode contains some information about military sexual trauma; no explicit details are shared In today's episode we hear from a woman who navigated her pregnancy and birth with all kinds of obstacles, including that her partner was away on military assignment She also encountered some significant issues in delivery that turned out to be related to an undiagnosed chronic condition-...

In today's episode we talk about: Kelly's second birth, which was at home. As a BIRTH EDUCATOR & LACTATION CONSULTANT, she shares: *Some critical ingredients for an empowered birth (hint: the setting doesn't necessarily matter) *What clues might suggest  that you need breastfeeding help and how to find it * Autoimmune issues that are not uncommon to confront in the postpartum pe...

In today's episode we talk about the many challenges Kelly faced in postpartum, including: * very painful breastfeeding, in part likely due to a significant tongue tie that was never caught, *signs of tongue tie and the difficulties identifying it We also hear about her second birth, which was a home birth. This is the second of three episodes. torticollis https://my.clevelandclinic.org/healt...

In today's episode I talk to a woman about the first of her two births. She talks about HOW her experience in pregnancy and her first birth changed her life in ways she couldn't have anticipated. Because of the things that happened in this pregnancy and birth she left teaching and became a BIRTH EDUCATOR & LACTATION CONSULTANT . She shares  how she faced her fears in the first birth,...

In today's episode I finish my conversation with Chantal.  We talk about: * how she used her experience of her first birth to inform how she walked into the second birth.  One major change she made was in her research strategy: The second time around she traded a home birth for a hospital birth she researched: her doctor her hospital all the procedures that might accompany preeclampsia and mo...

In today's episode,  I talk to a doula who learned a great deal about her body and her pregnancy in a challenging postpartum that included both a hemorrhage and preeclampsia.  we talk about: * the dramatic gap between her expectation: that everything would be easy,  and  * her actual experience: how she managed her home birth, which required a transfer to a hospital after the birth to manage...

In today's episode, Tonya and I talk about her second birth, which was different in almost every way from her first; Her first birth was an emergency C section in the hospital; her second was a smooth and serene home birth, but the aftermath was much trickier. Tonya shares the things she learned about: including children in the home birth process the value of a doula, not only for the birth b...

In today's episode, I speak with a woman who shares her experience of two births.  In the first part of our conversation, which follows, we talk about:  the first pregnancy which included: hyperemesis and how she managed it and a birth that started out as a vaginal birth that came to include:  induction and an emergency C section She shares hard won lessons about the need for surrender when h...

In today's episode,  I finish my conversation with Nadia, who shares: * the process she went through in understanding her own history *how she's used things like writing to explore difficult topics  *how she's come to a better understanding about herself and her motivations in an effort to be mindful about what she passes on to her children. I also include more insights from a fanta...

In today's episode, I speak with a woman who shares how her experience of pregnancy and birth shifted her into a space in which she could connect with a buried sexual trauma from her past.  NOTE:  this discussion is not explicit about the details of the trauma In our conversation, we focus on how the physicality of pregnancy and birth could lead someone back to something else that happened to...

The intense things that can happen in the course of this transition can impact:  how you see yourself,  how you see your partner  and how you parent  The better we understand what happened to us, the better we can manage all the things that follow. Today is the second part of my conversation with Alexis about experiencing and healing from her traumatic birth. The first conversation we had was shor...

The intense things that can happen in the course of this transition can impact how you see yourself, how you see your partner and how you parent. The better we understand what happened to us, the better we can manage all the things that follow. Todays episode  focuses on this fact.  I originally interviewed today's guest just after what can reasonably be called a traumatic birth. What you&apo...

In today's episode I talk with Beth Warren LCSW and PMHC a nd author of a new workbook that focuses on helping us manage reproductive trauma. We discuss: * better ways to manage the pain of miscarriage and loss *what trauma in this space looks like * how it can affect both ourselves and our partners, and  * the prospects for healing  October is National pregnancy and infant loss Awareness Mon...

In today's episode  I finish my conversation with melissa.   We talk about: How she manages the births of her two sons on the heels of a challenging reproductive journey I also include the insights of a fantastic therapist who specializes in reproductive trauma.  She talks about:   How attachment might be affected by trauma, How one might identify if they had a traumatic experience Hope for t...

In today's episode:  I talk with a woman who had a very challenging experience with pregnancy. She shares the story of a number of miscarriages and a stillbirth, as well as two pregnancies that led to the births of her two sons. Pregnancy loss is an incredibly common and incredibly hard experience to navigate, and we often do it quietly or alone.  Today's guest wants to change that reali...

in today's episode I finish my conversation with Dawn Thompson , the founder of birthify. We talk about the dramatic difference between *the education you might get in a prenatal class run by a hospital and *the education that Dawn is advocating for, with very specific instances of how these two differ. Ultimately the goal is not to give you the exact birth you want, because that's impos...

In today's episode I talk to a Birth Warrior. She's: * a mother of six  * has been a birth advocate for decades  *was a doula *started Improving Birth *Is the CEO of Birthify, and * has done amazing work in this field to try to make birth safer for all of us. We discuss both: *how birth is conventionally organized, the common traps we all fall into AND *What you can do to improve your ch...

TW: Medical Racism in this episode... In today's episode I talk to a posptartum doula and gentle sleep coach about:  *what she learned from her own experience of birth and postpartum *what  pp doulas do *how to better afford their care *what a gentle sleep coach can offer *links for the pelvic floor : https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22729-pelvic-floor-muscles *links for the role of...

In today's episode I finish my conversation with Alasen Zarndt, the nutrition doula. In the rest of our conversation, she shares * why she offers different recipes for pregnancy and postpartum *why oatmeal is often suggested for breastfeeding   *suggestions for how to get quality sleep, even if the quantity is limited in the early period This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, b...

In today's episode I talk with a woman who shared her story back in 2021. She's on again to share a passion inspired by the challenges she faced in postpartum.  A mechanical engineer turned integrative nutritionist , Alasen gives insights on the many ways you can take care of yourself in postpartum; She talks about important: *foods for pregnancy and postpartum, *why many women gain weig...

In today's episode I finish my conversation with Carlota. We delve more into: *glandular issues with breastfeeding *managing the guilt of not being able to breastfeed *concerns navigating her own care  *the surprising difficulty of finding health care providers who are fluent in Spanish.  I also include the insights of a doctor who has authored research on breastfeeding.  This is a weekly sho...