Aligned Birth

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As you near the end of your pregnancy, and if you’re planning to birth at a hospital, then you might be wondering “when during my labor, do I need to go to the hospital?”  In this episode, Dr. Shannon and Doula Rachael chat about the benefits of laboring at home as long as possible as it pertains to potentially avoiding interventions and using the comfort of your own home to move through early labor.

They discuss:
The stages of labor and an overview of early labor 
Ways to rest during early labor
What the shift into active labor is like 
Early labor coping mechanisms 
Doula and chiropractic support during early labor
Contraction guidelines for when to go to the hospital

Resources mentioned:
Episode 61: Finding your breath - 5 breathing exercises for pregnancy and postpartum
Episode 54: Navigating the final weeks of pregnancy
Episode 24: Comfort during labor 

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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.  

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In this episode, we have a prenatal and pediatric chiropractor, Dr. Danielle Drobbin.  She not only joins us today to chat about prenatal chiropractic care including some things she wishes people knew about how impactful adjustments can be during pregnancy ( helping the birthing community find faith within their body and trust that their body was designed for birth), but we also talk about her book that she’s working on called Birth Brain. 

It’s definitely a labor of love, is in the middle of being born, but was conceived out of a need to bring education to the birthing community.  She mentions chapters that discuss decision science, how to choose between faith vs fear, assessing one’s own personal values and relaying that to the birth space, to help empower the birthing community through education and choosing a provider, and so much more.  She’s so very passionate about helping others and talking about birth.

Connect with Dr. Danielle

Dr. Danielle Drobbin

Midtown Family Wellness

Instagram

Facebook 

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.  

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In today’s episode, Dr Shannon takes the prenatal chiropractic conversation down a different avenue.  A lot of times, she deals with patients who are seeking care for aches and pains related to pregnancy and fetal malposition issues (and we have tons of episodes about how adjustments impact those issues), but chiropractic care impacts how our nervous system functions - it’s not just a pain reliever.  She uses her own birth stories to highlight how important nervous system regulation is for mom’s preparing for birth.  Birth can bring about lots of feeling and emotions such as fears and issues with control which can impact the birthing process.  Chiropractic adjustments can take us from sympathetic dominance into parasympathetic calmness and facilitate the normal birthing process. 

Resources mentioned in the show:

Ep 61: Finding your breath - 5 breathing exercises for pregnancy and postpartum 

Ep 103: Processing the emotions of pregnancy and birth through chiropractic care 

Ep 73: Five benefits of prenatal chiropractic care 

Ep 45: Top reasons to seek chiropractic care during pregnancy 

The Polyvagal Theory

Vagus Nerve as a Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis 

Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity 

Heart Rate Variability to Assess the Changes in Autonomic Nervous System Function Associated with Vertebral Subluxation

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.  

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We recently had doula/photographer/videographer Maegan Hall on the show, but now we’re having her back with one of her clients to talk about the healing power of birth photography.  We always say on this show, birth is unpredictable.  Emma, a local psychotherapist so graciously shares her birth story via a blog with Maegan as well as this interview.  She writes, “Birth brings us to the end of ourselves in ways that we cannot (and maybe aren’t supposed to) anticipate. There are all kinds of childbirth classes intended to prepare us for labor itself, but it seems there is far less conversation around making sense of the birth after the fact.“

Although Emma’s birth was not what she had anticipated, she was able to use the birth images captured by Maegan, to provide clarity around her birth story, and ultimately aid in her ability to process the birth.  

Episode 115: supporting birth and capturing memories with Maegan Hall 

Connect with Emma

Connect with Maegan

The healing power of birth photography blog 

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.  

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One key element to an empowering birth experience is carefully creating your birth support team.  Who are those people you want around you?  How do you want to feel?  What are your birth preferences?  Maybe one of the most important decisions that has the greatest influence over birth outcomes is provider choice.  In this episode, Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon go over some ways to ask questions in a manner that allows you to feel empowered and to really hear how your provider approaches normal physiological birth.  They also provide a comprehensive list of questions to ask (yes this is geared toward hospital births, but these are questions to ask yourself and homebirth midwives too)!  

Here’s another great episode about choosing a care provider:
Ep 86: Important things to consider when choosing your care provider

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.  

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In this episode we take a deep dive into Hypnobabies Childbirth Education with Milène from Harmony Birth Services.  She experienced 4 very different births (emergency cesarean to homebirth), and as she describes her journey as a birth worker, you see how her own birth experiences help her help her clients to advocate for themselves and take charge of their birth experience.   

We discuss:

• What is hypnobirthing
• An outline of the classes and what is taught
• The at-home tasks with the class
• Core memories, critical factors, and pain management (yes - think about the movie Inside Out!)
• What hypnobirthing is not
• How hypnobirthing can transcend birth
• Her doula and photography work
• And more!

Connect with Milène:

Harmony Birth Services

Instagram

Facebook

Resources mentioned: 

Episode 111: from cesarean to unassisted homebirth 

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

Feeling seen, heard, and supported during your pregnancy can impact your emotional and physical well-being during pregnancy, labor, birth, and beyond.  Today we talk about 8 ways your partner can show up with intention and meaning.  This goes beyond just showing up to doctor’s appointments!  From being an active participant in childbirth education classes to working on the birth preferences list together, your partner knows you so intimately and having them involved can boost oxytocin, enhance your bond, and help you have an empowered birth experience.  

Resources mentioned in the show:

Ep 116: informed and shared decision making 

The birth partner

The birth hour podcast

The VBAC link podcast

Doing it at home podcast

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.  

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During pregnancy, there’s a lot of focus and planning that goes into prenatal health, pregnancy support, childbirth education, and labor and birth support, but our postpartum time period needs just as much emphasis and focus (if not more!).  In today’s episode Doula Rachael and Dr. Shannon break down a very small aspect of postpartum: the physical healing, which includes:

• Common postpartum discomforts surrounding the perineum, breastfeeding, and hormones - and remedies
• What meaningful family and friend support can look like
• How to build relationships with your birth support team
• How to plan for the postpartum
• And more!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Ep 3: building your birth support team

Ep 6, 7, 8: postpartum essentials series 

Ep 36: tips for the 4th trimester

Ep 51: how to support someone who just gave birth

Ep 101: postpartum terms to be familiar with  

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

Today, we're exploring a crucial aspect of childbirth: informed and shared decision-making. Join Doula Rachael as she discusses the significance of understanding options, advocating for one's preferences, and fostering a sense of control during the childbirth journey. She shares a comprehensive exploration of how informed and shared decision-making during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, and parenthood can empower parents to take an active role in shaping the entire birthing year.

In this episode you will learn:

• A deeper understanding of informed and shared decision making
• How to achieve informed and shared decision making
• The BRAIN acronym
• When to use the BRAIN decision making tool
• Building trusting relationships with your healthcare providers
• Navigating unexpected turns in your birthing journey
• Balancing information and intuition
• Processing decisions and outcomes after your birth

Keeping listening - check out these helpful episodes:

• Ep 90: Holding Two Truths
• Ep 86: Important Things to Consider When Choosing Your Care Provider
• Ep 76: Five Benefits of Labor Doula Support

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

Maegan Hall joins the show today to talk about her work as a doula, photographer, and a videographer.  She describes how her background in art led to photography work and eventually birth photography and then ultimately tied into becoming a doula to provide labor and birth support.  She feels deeply, cares immensely, and provides images and memories for families to tell their story.  She shares how she captures images of both hospital and home births, vaginal births and cesareans, and she also can provide special sessions for bereavement.  

Connect with Maegan:

Website

Instagram

Pinterest

Facebook

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.