Doula Ann shares her 2nd baby’s waterbirth at home with midwives using Christian hypnobirthing techniques.

A character duo Liza & Jon share their scheduled belly birth story for breech position and share the details of what made it a positive, meaningful experience.

Jaymie & Kurt switch from a hospital to home birth and share the story of a peaceful, unmedicated labor/birth in the suburbs of Boston attended by midwives.

Gratitude is the theme of today’s story, shared by Laura — a pandemic hospital induction with epidural with lots of support (partner & doula) and respectful, patient-centered care. Laura also expresses gratitude for the great support her postpartum doula provided both in person as well as virtually once she and her husband get a surprise positive Covid test only 9 days after birth.

Scharisse was getting lackluster care in her pregnancy at a hospital under Medicaid and thought she’d just have to deal until she met a doula who encouraged her that she deserves to have respectful care and a great birth. With the doula’s help, Scharisse switches to giving birth at home -- something she never thought someone on Medicaid could do. She shares about the radically better care she received from her team and details specific ways in which she felt heard and safe.

Sasha planned to give birth with a midwife and developed a birth plan for a peaceful, unmedicated birth. Some of her plans necessarily go out the window when, at 37 weeks, Sasha is diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and has to immediately come to the hospital in the snow to be induced for the safety of her and her daughter. This story will help expectant parents think through their choices in care providers both in pregnancy as well as for baby, and also drives home the value of hiring a doula.

Linnea shares 2 birth stories in which she used Hypnobirthing techniques in different ways: 1 hospital birth and 1 home birth — both with midwives. She also shares some challenges she faced with a couple of early health issues her two newborns had, and reflects on the loss of her mother prior to becoming a mom.

Today birth professional Simone Toomer joins us again to share her second baby’s birth story, which was similarly short but very different in that she had a planned home birth instead of hospital. She also discusses how the struggles she had with her second in breastfeeding and getting a tongue tie corrected has informed her approach to supporting nursing parents.

In this and next week's episode, birth & fertility doula Alison Wehr shares stories of her two babies’ IVF conception and birth stories. *Trigger alert: this first part includes some stories of loss in the process of trying to conceive.* She spends early labor at a Broadway play with her husband and then shares about a post-Hurricane Sandy blackout just after they came home with baby.

Marise Angibeau-Gray, a Black mother and full spectrum doula, shares the story of 3 pregnancy losses -- one in each trimester -- that led up to her 4th baby’s birth story. (TRIGGER ALERT: Please note that this episode may be upsetting for anyone who has experienced pregnancy loss or trauma.) Marise shares aspects of the emotional journey as well as how she selected each of her care providers and eventually found an optimal fit who would give her customized care. She also shares insights on a couple of things that are NOT helpful to say to someone who has experienced pregnancy loss.

Today is part 2 of Adriane’s 2nd IVF and birth story. this is a story of a transfer from a homebirth in the pushing stage due to the fact that her baby was in an awkward position. We left off last week just before Adriane’s midwife advises them to transfer to the hospital. Today she shares how she was still able to have a vaginal birth, but also shares some of the challenges she faced in the hospital environment, particularly after the birth.

This episode kicks off our fertility journey series as postpartum doula and babywearing educator Adriane Stare, who shared her first baby’s conception and birth story in Episode 40, returns to share her 2nd baby’s Christmas Day birth story. This is a story of a frozen embryo IVF conception and then a planned home birth that needed to transfer to the hospital in the pushing stage that results in a vaginal birth.

When Erin shows up for her weekly prenatal appointment around 37 weeks without her partner due to Covid restrictions, she's caught by surprise when she’s told an induction is necessary because they don’t detect enough fetal movement. Erin & Mike share their story of a fairly uncomplicated induction in which baby has to go to the NICU for a short while.

Alissa describes how birth surprised her by not being the scary event she built it up to be in her head. She shares the story of her first baby's uncomplicated vaginal birth with an epidural, and then shares about how her struggles with breastfeeding led to the difficult decision to switch to bottle-feeding because of the negative effects it was having on her mental health.

Kirtan shares her baby's birth story — an unmedicated, vaginal birth in which she shows up at the hospital just in time to push. She also describes the anxiety she experienced with regard to breastfeeding and introducing solids, and also shares an entertaining story about the time she had to pump milk on an NYC subway on her way home from work.

Traci Stahley shares all 3 of her babies’ birth stories, which were fairly uncomplicated, vaginal births — the first being in NYC and the 2nd and 3rd in Indianapolis. She shares how, while her first two had no nursing issues and were actually avid breastfeeders, her third baby surprised them by having pretty significant feeding issues. They soon discovered that he had a condition called Laryngomalacia, where the tissue of the larynx is softer and floppier than normal. This created the challenges with breastfeeding and, later, some speech issues, both of which required some work with a speech therapist.

Simone Toomer, a Brooklyn-based Black doula, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, sleep educator shares her first baby’s uncomplicated birth story in a hospital in which she shows up pretty much just in time to push and give birth. Simone will also share a bit about the great work she’s doing to improve breastfeeding outcomes for Black families through nursing support groups with Chocolate Milk Cafe.

Mila goes into labor before she and her husband, Shawn, can finish shooting an episode of HOUSE HUNTERS. They share details about their hospital induction and their premature baby's stay in the NICU, and Mila shares about ways she addressed her struggles with clinical anxiety in the transition into parenthood.

First-time mom and preschool teacher Kelsey -- along with her midwife, Jenna Sood of Central Park Midwifery, and her doula, Christine Gibson -- shares her baby's unmedicated Manhattan hospital birth story.

A psychotherapist shares the story of her first baby's induction just past her due date due to elevated blood pressure. Toni uses strategies from her professional expertise in mindfulness & meditation to labor and give birth without pain medications and with the support of a doula, her husband, candles, dancing, celebration...and even a drum.

Today you’ll hear a story shared by Amayra, a Black woman living in NYC who initially planned to give birth at home due to her knowledge about the poor outcomes for Black birthing folks in hospitals. Things took an unexpected turn when she learned her baby had a cleft diagnosis so that she needed to switch to a hospital birth attended by midwives. Amayra shares how she intentionally chose Black care providers not only for her birth support team, including her doula, but also as she selected a surgeon during pregnancy to correct the cleft soon after birth. Amayra also provides a bunch of excellent tips for expectant and new parents toward the end, too, so be sure to listen to the whole episode.

Sarah & Chris share their story of a multiple-days-long, planned home birth that eventually transfers to the hospital. Ultimately, Sarah gives birth via c-section after her waters have been ruptured for 90+hours and there was meconium in the fluid. This amazing mama demonstrated heroic positivity and determination and, while birth didn’t go as she had hoped, they see it as a beautiful, positive birth of their firstborn baby boy.

Sarah & Chris share their story of a multiple-days-long, planned home birth that eventually transfers to the hospital. Ultimately, Sarah gives birth via c-section after her waters have been ruptured for 90+hours and there was meconium in the fluid. This amazing mama demonstrated heroic positivity and determination and, while birth didn’t go as she had hoped, they see it as a beautiful, positive birth of their firstborn baby boy.

After Amanda hires a midwife and a doula in hopes of an unmedicated, vaginal birth, she develops cholestasis later in pregnancy and has to be induced. When the baby’s heartbeat is too low for too long, their son needs to be born via cesarean month. Our 2nd story for Cesarean Awareness Month.

Birth Matters alums Jess & Rich share the story of their firstborn son’s birth. While she had very much hoped for a completely unmedicated birth, she and Rich were able to swing with the curve balls they were dealt toward a satisfying, great birth experience. They go into details about being induced at 41 weeks 6 days after refusing to be scheduled for several days leading up to that, and proceeding with an induction using cytotec, a foley balloon, and artificially rupturing the membranes. This story is an example of an induction in which pitocin wasn’t needed (not the most common road for an induction to take, but can happen), for which Jess was very thankful. They’ll also share about how they chose a doula, how Rich and doula Tia worked together optimally, and about early breastfeeding challenges and receiving the support of both Tia and then an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). Finally, they’ll share a couple of tips for the journey into parenthood.

In today's story, Nicole shares about an unexpectedly brief, 6-hour, unmedicated first labor in a Long Island hospital with midwives and with the support of her husband and a doula. Before she goes into her birth story, she describes her background as a child life specialist in a hospital setting as well as her love for teaching prenatal yoga and pursuit of education in aromatherapy. She also details the ways she learned to really listen to and honor her body in slowing down, reflecting and journaling to connect with her baby. Listen to hear how, after her water breaks at home, Nicole decides to calmly make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast for not only her and her husband, but for a house guest from Japan whom JP brings home from the airport the very morning she goes into labor. They join up with their doula for the hour-long drive out on Long Island to their hospital, arriving simultaneously with their midwife pretty much just in time to push and give birth. She goes over newborn protocols and special requests she made and provides details about early challenges she and her baby faced in breastfeeding. Learn about a model of care that Nicole found to be super supportive, whereby a lactation consultant was in-house at her pediatrician’s office. Finally, Nicole shares about the benefits of prenatal yoga from the perspective of both a yoga teacher as well as from having continued the practice as a pregnant person.

Today, Desire shares her son’s birth story just a few weeks after the birth, which was a 3-day long hospital induction at Forest Hills Hospital in Queens.

For today's and next week’s episodes, we have another 2-parter for you as Dee & Sam share their two daughters’ preemie birth stories. You’ll hear these two soulful parents share some pretty incredible details about their two hospital births. In this episode, labor begins prematurely, several weeks before the due time, and soon after one of the biggest snowstorms New York has seen in many years. I might add it happens all while Dee’s husband, Sam, is having fun down in Austin for South by Southwest with his brother, and he makes it back in the nick of time. Hear how Dee’s best friend comes up to visit while Sam’s away thinking they’ll get some girl time, but little did they know her girlfriend would be a labor support partner until Sam could get on the next flight to return! Due to the amount of bleeding she had, they ended up admitting her earlier than they normally would. Dee’s water breaks right around the time that Sam arrives from the airport, and her contractions immediately get much stronger, which leads her to opt for the epidural, which she always thought she would opt for. Hear how she details the ways in which having a doula made a huge difference in how her labor went, especially in light of having so much back labor due to the baby not quite being in an optimal position. She also describes how quickly the pushing stage went for her, and Sam will give a few of his reflections on being present for the birth. 

Meredith & Thomas share their story of an uncomplicated, unmedicated vaginal birth in Atlanta, Georgia. Hear these 5-week old parents give tips for moving during pregnancy as they describe their last-minute, third trimester move from Brooklyn to Atlanta, moving in with Meredith’s parents. You’ll hear the ways in which they believe they received care that was more aligned with their preferences than they might have received in New York. They’ll also share about early breastfeeding, including how the laid-back breastfeeding position (detailed in the Natural Breastfeeding online course she’ll refer to) was so much less painful and easier than other positions, how getting a bit overzealous with pumping in the early days backfired, and how receiving expert support from a lactation consultant made a difference for the better. Finally, they’ll describe how they tag-teamed the baby responsibilities in the first few weeks and briefly discuss soothing techniques that have worked for their daughter.

NYC fashion model & wellness coach Lauren Deckert shares her son’s birth story, in which she chose to leave New York to give birth in her hometown in Maryland in the hospital where she was born. She’ll share details about this and other strategies that helped her to have the unmedicated vaginal birth that she had hoped for.