What does it really take to have a good birth in a hospital?

In this episode, we're joined by Care Messer, Founder of the Birth Education Center in San Diego. She’s a certified hypnobirthing instructor, a DONA-certified doula, and a childbirth educator who also trains doulas. Care teaches engaging, partner-friendly online classes that have helped many families prepare for birth with more clarity and confidence.

We get into what it means to prepare early, why most women don’t realize how much choice they actually have, and what it looks like to create a safe, grounded birth experience inside a hospital system. From power dynamics with providers to the small, practical things that shift your sense of safety, this conversation breaks down what women and their partners need to know before walking through those hospital doors.

You’ll Learn:

• Why choosing the right hospital and provider early changes everything
• What it feels like to enter a system where you’re treated as room number instead of a person giving birth
• Why staying home longer in early labor can dramatically shift your hospital experience
• The surprising link between hospital C-section rates and NICU levels
• How eye masks, dim lights, and warm blankets keep your body in labor mode
• When partners step into the role of protector and advocate in the birth room
• The quiet damage of being a passive participant versus owning your birth decisions
• Why hospital classes often train you to be a “good patient” instead of giving you real options
• How listening to birth stories helps you recognize and avoid common intervention cascades

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[03:00] How preparation and safety shape the hospital birth experience

[09:22] Rethinking what safety really means in birth

[13:01] Choosing the right hospital, provider, and birth team

[20:20] The partner’s role in protecting space and shifting power dynamics

[36:37] Practical ways to protect labor hormones in a hospital birth

[50:15] Arming with education and optimizing the hospital environment for labor

Resources Mentioned:

Episode 65: All About VBAC pt.1: Perspectives from an OB, Midwife, and Doula with Care Messer | Spotify or Apple

Birth Education Center | Website

Bucky Eye Mask | Amazon

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. | Book or Audiobook

Men, Love & Birth by Mark Harris | Book or Audiobook

Labor Like A Goddess by Alexandria Moran and Lauren Mahana | Book

Birth Psychology | Website

Dr. Morgan’s First Birth | Video

Learn more about the Birth Education Care by visiting their website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.

Follow Care on Instagram, LinkedIn and listen to her Podcast on Apple or Spotify.

Find more from Dr. Leah:

Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram

Dr. Leah Gordon | Website

Womanhood Wellness | Website

Find more from Dr. Morgan:

Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram

Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website

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