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There are many different kinds of doulas who provide a wide range of support and services. A common misconception is that birth doulas are only for those who desire an unmedicated birth. In this episode, Doula Rachael breaks down the many reasons birth doulas can support all types of birthing people and birthing preferences.  You may agree or disagree but I hope you find this episode helpful in understanding how doulas can provide meaningful and effective pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support.

Check out other related episodes:

Ep 76: Five Benefit of Labor Doula Support
Ep 77: Informed and Shared Decision Making
Ep 40: Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices
Ep 38: Heart-Centered Work: Building a Sustainable Doula Business
Ep 25: All About Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)

We hope what we share will make an impact and help someone else along their journey.

We believe that when you are aligned in body, mind, and your intuition, you can conquer anything!

If you like what you are hearing and you don’t want to miss our newest episodes, be sure and tap subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Follow us on Instagram:

Aligned Birth

www.instagram.com/aligned_birth

Dr. Shannon

www.instagram.com/sunrise_chiropractic_wellness

Doula Rachael

www.instagram.com/northatlantabirth

Check out our individual websites:

Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness - www.sunrisechiropracticandwellness.com

North Atlanta Birth Services - www.northatlantabirth.com

Disclaimer

The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast.  The podcast hosts take no money from affiliate links provided in the show notes. 

Podcast Editing by: Chris Godfrey of Godfrey Sound: www.godfreysound.com

Music: "Freedom” by Roa - https://roamusic.wixsite.com/roamusic

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

Did you know cold symptoms can be exacerbated or last longer during pregnancy?  This is because your immune system is working at a slightly lower function and your changing body may not be able to deal with cold symptoms as effectively (like chest congestion). In this episode, Doula Rachael shares a regiment to boost immunity and reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms during pregnancy.  What supplements are safe and what is safe to try at home. This episode covers it all!

Vitamin D Reference

Vitamin C Reference

Probiotics Reference

Echinacea Reference

Zinc Reference

Elderberry Reference

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

Kaitlin McGreyes is the founder of BeHerVillage. She started working as a birth doula in 2014 and quickly became passionate about creating access to maternal care for all. She has supported hundreds of families through their parenthood journeys, founded a doula team, ran a doula mentorship program, has lobbied on behalf of birthing people, and is committed to helping birth workers break into the retail baby gift industry.

BeHerVilalge is helping families get the funds they need to pay for support they deserve:

• Doulas
• Childbirth Education
• Pelvic Floor Health
• Lactation Consultants
• Mental Health Support
• Chiropractic Care
• And more!

In this episode, Dr Shannon and Doula Rachael share a passion-filled, forward thinking, and vulnerable conversation about we, as birth workers, can meaningfully and effectively provide the type of support new parents need in order to feel their best and be able to take care of their family in a way that leaves them feeling lifted up instead of overwhelmed. This conversation was truly magical and left us feeling inspired and on fire to spread the word about BeHerVillage and how they are flipping the script on gift registries and why this is so important!

How to connect with BeHerVillage:

Be Her Village (website)

Be Her Village (Instagram)

We hope what we share will make an impact and help someone else along their journey.

We believe that when you are aligned in body, mind, and your intuition, you can conquer anything!

If you like what you are hearing and you don’t want to miss our newest episodes, be sure and tap subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

Motherhood is a journey, not only of learning and discovering our new baby, but also learning and discovering what it means to be a mother.  And how society and culture views motherhood can impact how we experience it.  It’s easy to “should” on yourself as a new mom.  To feel anxious, guilty, pressured, and selfless.  So what can you do if you resonate with those feelings?  Holistic psychologist and licensed professional counselor, Dr. Meghan Toups joins us on the show today as we dive deep into motherhood.  
We chat about:

What anxiety looks like in motherhood

How anxiety can change in motherhood as our children grow

How our society and culture shape our view of motherhood

Are symptoms messengers of the body inviting us to dig deeper

What tools she goes over with moms to help turn anxiety into an awakening 

Dr. Meghan shares about her own motherhood and wellness journey, which led her to completing her PhD in Psychology and becoming a holistic health coach.  It’s insightful and inspiring to hear other healthcare professionals speak of their own journey and how they use their path to help others.  She also just recently hosted her first holistic wellness women’s retreat, and we chat a little about that too.  

Be sure to connect with her and reach out for support!

Dr. Meghan Toups - website

Dr. Meghan Toups - Instagram

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

If you are pregnant and due around the holidays, this episode is for you. When it comes to navigating the end of pregnancy, there are several mixed feelings and emotions and likely some degree of discomfort and eagerness to meet your baby and for the pregnancy to be over.  Every path is unique for each birthing person. What works for one person may not work for you and what works for you may not work for someone else. The goal is for you to feel as confident and prepared for this time of pregnancy and that you’ve had conversations withs with your provider leading up to your birth to fully understand how they support letting labor begin on its own and this includes going beyond your due date and learning about medical and non-medical reasons a provider may recommend an induction.

Episodes mentioned in this podcast:

• Ep 26: Due Dates and Holidays
• Ep 40: Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices
• Ep 54: Navigating Final Weeks of Pregnancy
• Ep 61: Finding Your Breath: 5 Breathing Exercises for Pregnancy and Postpartum
• Ep 65: Gentle Induction
• Ep 71: All About Prenatal Massage Therapy with Tara Thompson
• Ep 77: Informed and Shared Decision Making

Other Resources:

• Spinning Babies - Daily Activities
• The Guide by Ann Marie Gilligan

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

Informed and shared decision making is an evidence based practice that is proven to increase client satisfaction, increase positive relations among the care team, and increase levels of trust. In this episode with Doula Rachael, you will learn the benefits of informed and shared decision making and the things you can do now to help you navigate your pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and beyond with more ease and confidence.  You matter, your birth matters, how you feel while giving birth matters and your birth has the potential to change you forever (good or bad and everything in between). The goal is for you to have the tools and resources to ensure you have the best chance at having the best and safest birth possible. 

This podcast was created from a desire to share conversations and interviews about topics from pregnancy and birth to motherhood and the importance of a healthy body and mind through it all.  Our goal is to bring you fun, interesting, and helpful conversations that excite you and make you want to learn more.  We hope what we share will make an impact and help someone else along their journey.  We believe that when you are aligned in body, mind, and your intuition, you can conquer anything!  If you like what you are hearing and you don’t want to miss our newest episodes, be sure and tap subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

There are many benefits to having a birth doula as part of your birth support team.  Some of these benefits are well-known and some may be new to you. The goal is for doula care to become the norm and to achieve teamwork between all care providers. Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon discusses the many benefits to having birth doula support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and beyond. In this episode, you will hear about how doulas provide:

1. Informational support
2. Physical support
3. Emotional support
4. Support for the partner
5. Teaching advocacy (to decrease fear and instill confidence)

Having this type of support and with a doula present increases:

1. The likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth
2. Satisfaction with the birth experience (for both the birther and their partner)
3. Rates of breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum
4. The birther’s self-esteem.

Having a doula present, decreases the likelihood of:

1. Utilizing medicinal pain relief, including an epidural
2. Labor induction and augmentation with synthetic oxytocin
3. C-section birth
4. Vacuum or forceps assisted birth

Additional resources:

Episode 56: Who to Invite Into Your Birth Space

Episode 40: Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices

Episode 38: Heart-Centered Work: Building a Sustainable Doula Business

Episode 20: Interview with LaToya Murray-Johnson: Owner/Founder Doula View 

Episode 17: All About Birth Doulas with Rachael Hutchins

Episode 3: Building Your Birth Support Team

Follow us on Instagram:

Aligned Birth

www.instagram.com/aligned_birth

Check out our individual websites:

Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness - www.sunrisechiropracticandwellness.com

North Atlanta Birth Services - www.northatlantabirth.com

Disclaimer

The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast.  The podcast hosts take no money from affiliate links provided in the show notes. 

Podcast Editing by: Chris Godfrey of Godfrey Sound

Music: "Freedom” by Roa 

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

If you have a new baby chances are you’ve been asked by your health care providers about how your baby is doing during tummy time.  So what’s the big deal?  In this episode, Dr. Shannon interviews Michelle Emanuel, a pediatric occupational therapist, who specializes in posture, feeding, neurodevelopment, social nervous system, and manual therapies.  In her 26 years of working with infants in a hospital setting, and infants and older kids in private practice, she was able to combine her expertise and understanding of neurological development and create a program to help parents who were struggling with tummy time.  In this interview, Michelle and Dr. Shannon geek out a bit on neurological development, but it really sets the stage for understanding why tummy time is important.  

We talk about:

• Why tummy time is important
• Some of the common issues she sees
• Why she created the program
• What TUMMYTIME! Method offers parents and professionals
• Tips for tummy time
• Her background and why she created the program
• Some of the other programs she’s created (linked below)

How to connect with Michelle:

TUMMYTIME! Method 

Instagram

YouTube 

Tongue Tie Babies
This podcast was created from a desire to share conversations and interviews about topics from pregnancy and birth to motherhood and the importance of a healthy body and mind through it all.  Our goal is to bring you fun, interesting, and helpful conversations that excite you and make you want to learn more.  We hope what we share will make an impact and help someone else along their journey.  We believe that when you are aligned in body, mind, and your intuition, you can conquer anything!  If you like what you are hearing and you don’t want to miss our newest episodes, be sure and tap subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Follow us on Instagram:

Aligned Birth

www.instagram.com/aligned_birth

Dr. Shannon

www.instagram.com/sunrise_chiropractic_wellness

Doula Rachael

www.instagram.com/northatlantabirth

Check out our individual websites:

Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness - www.sunrisechiropracticandwellness.com

North Atlanta Birth Services - www.northatlantabirth.com

Disclaimer

The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast.  The podcast hosts take no money from affiliate links provided in the show notes. 

Podcast Editing by:

Chris Godfrey of Godfrey Sound: www.godfreysound.com

Music:

"Freedom” by Roa - https://roamusic.wixsite.com/roamusic

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

Many new mothers do not plan to give birth via cesarean birth, yet around 1-in-3 women in the United States give birth this way. When medically necessary, c-sections can save lives. However, when conducted as an elective procedure or when performed unnecessarily, the risks outweigh the benefits. 

In this episode, Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon discusses evidence-based practices that can help increase the rate of vaginal births and decrease the rate of unnecessary cesarean birth. Our goal is to help more people view birth as normal so that birthing people can feel more confident as they navigate their unique and unpredictable path to giving birth. 

Seeing normal birth in the media and amongst our friends and family has the potential to have a ripple effect that can last for generations to come. In this episode we will discuss:

• Building confidence in the normal physiological birth process
• Choosing low risk providers for low risk birthing people
• Promoting awareness of birth options
• Avoiding laboring and pushing on your back
• Encouraging movement in labor
• Limiting induction and augmentation of labor
• Having a doula as part of your birth support team
• Taking an out of hospital childbirth education course
• Encouraging natural comfort measures
• Normalizing VBAC

Additional resources and podcasts episodes to listen to:

Episode 60: The Role of Pain and Hormones During Labor

Episode 58: Eating and Drinking During Labor

Episode 50: Hospital Based vs Independent Childbirth Class

Episode 40: Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices

Episode 26: Due Dates and the Holidays

Episode 25: All About VBAC

Episode 17: All About Birth Doulas with Rachael Hutchins

Episode 11: Creating a Birth Plan

Episode 3: Building Your Birth Support Team

Follow us on Instagram:

Aligned Birth

Disclaimer

The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast.  The podcast hosts take no money from affiliate links provided in the show notes. 

Podcast Editing by: Chris Godfrey of Godfrey Sound

Music: "Freedom” by Roa 

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.  

Send us Fan Mail

Prenatal chiropractic care has some well”ish”-known benefits (of course Dr. Shannon thinks more people could know about the benefits) but she has been documenting some of those lesser-known ones for a bit too and has compiled a list of commonalities.  You might be familiar with pregnant women seeking chiropractic care for aches and pains such as sciatica, low back pain, and pelvic pain.  You might also be familiar with women seeking chiropractic care for overall prenatal wellness and to balance the pelvis and sacrum to assist with optimal fetal positioning.  But have you heard of pregnant women talking about better sleep and better post-partum recovery because they got adjusted?  And what about women having a history of pre-term labor, but after getting adjusted, they’ve been able to go full-term?  Oh and be sure to listen to the full episode because there are some additional benefits we go over. 
Resources mentioned:

Episode 49: Common Pregnancy Discomforts & Remedies

Episode 19: All About Prenatal Chiropractic Care with Dr. Shannon

Episode 55: Tips For Optimal Fetal Positioning

This podcast was created from a desire to share conversations and interviews about topics from pregnancy and birth to motherhood and the importance of a healthy body and mind through it all.  Our goal is to bring you fun, interesting, and helpful conversations that excite you and make you want to learn more.  We hope what we share will make an impact and help someone else along their journey.  We believe that when you are aligned in body, mind, and your intuition, you can conquer anything!  If you like what you are hearing and you don’t want to miss our newest episodes, be sure and tap subscribe. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Follow us on Instagram:

Aligned Birth

www.instagram.com/aligned_birth

Dr. Shannon

www.instagram.com/sunrise_chiropractic_wellness

Doula Rachael

www.instagram.com/northatlantabirth

Check out our individual websites:

Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness - www.sunrisechiropracticandwellness.com

North Atlanta Birth Services - www.northatlantabirth.com

Disclaimer

The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast.  The podcast hosts take no money from affiliate links provided in the show notes. 

Podcast Editing by:

Chris Godfrey of Godfrey Sound: www.godfreysound.com

Music:

"Freedom” by Roa - https://roamusic.wixsite.com/roamusic

Support the show

Want to show your support? Want to help us continue doing this important and impactful work: Support the Show (we greatly appreciate it!)

Don't miss new episodes: Join the Aligned Birth Community

Instagram: Aligned Birth

Email: [email protected]

Find us online:
Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness
North Atlanta Birth Services

Editing: Godfrey Sound
Music: "Freedom” by Roa

Disclaimer: The information shared, obtained, and discussed in this podcast is not intended as medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation with a qualified healthcare provider familiar with your individual medical needs. By listening to this podcast you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.  Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.  This disclaimer includes  all guests or contributors to the podcast.