Birth Kweens

Dominique Richey is sharing her two birth stories with us this week! Dominique is a mom of two who lives with her family in the Houston, TX area. Both of her children were born in San Diego (her 6yo daughter at a hospital and her 4yo son at home with kween Karly!). Both were unmedicated vaginal deliveries, although they were two very different experiences. The birth of her daughter was long and relatively uneventful (healthy baby born after a few days of labor), but Dominique experienced a lot of push back from the hospital staff. Because she didn't feel well supported from the hospital during her first birth, she opted for a home birth for baby #2. Her son's labor also spanned a couple of days and was a very positive experience aside from a pretty significant shoulder dystocia. We hope you enjoy listening to these two awesome birth stories from one badass kween!

Support our sponsor and get the important men in your life a great personalized gift from Swanky Badger. Enter code KWEENS at checkout for 10% off!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

In this episode of the podcast we're talking with Chloe Quinn, MSN, RN, APRN about the importance of childbirth education. Chloe is a board-certified women's health nurse practitioner with more than 10 years of experience working with pregnant women. She started out as a labor and delivery nurse and absolutely loved it. Since then she's worked in all different types of settings from Planned Parenthood to Yale University to telehealth. Today she prefers working online with families to support them on their journeys from pre-conception through postpartum. She also has a complete online pregnancy course called The Pregnancy Prep which prepares you for all nine months of pregnancy as well as the postpartum period. Click here to check out her excellent blog!

Here's an overview of what we covered with Chloe:

• Chloe's background and how she got into obstetric care
• Why investing in thorough childbirth education is worthwhile
• What you can expect to get out of a good childbirth education course
• Who benefits from childbirth education
• How self-learning can be paired with a childbirth education course
• A brief overview of some of the more popular childbirth prep courses available today
• Chloe's personal perspective on childbirth education and what you can expect from her course

Click HERE to sign up for Chloe's online childbirth education course. Enter code KWEENS at checkout for a 10% discount!

Support our sponsor and get the important men in your life a great personalized gift from Swanky Badger. Enter code KWEENS at checkout for 10% off!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotifyto rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

This week's episode is about the one thing that challenges parents everywhere: SLEEP! We're talking with mom of four and sleep consultant Sophie Acott of Sleep Play Love about how to create and maintain healthy sleep habits for your baby kweens. Sophie's approach is based on connecting with your child and she offers some great practical advice about how to make bedtime more peaceful and successful. Click here to buy her new book, Sleep Play Love.

Support our sponsor and get the important men in your life a great personalized gift from Swanky Badger. Enter code KWEENS at checkout for 10% off!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

We're talking with Gail Tully, CPM in this episode of the pod! Gail is a midwife and the founder of Spinning Babies, a series of techniques that promote balance in the pregnant body and optimal positioning for babies in utero. She's a major influencer in the birth world today and we are so honored that she made time to talk with us! Here's an overview of what we discussed with Gail:

• How she got into birth work and became a midwife
• What events in her career helped her understand the importance of fetal position
• The origins of Spinning Babies
• What factors influence a baby's position in utero and why it matters
• Click here to access the Spinning Babies Parent Class
• Click here to access the Daily Essentials Video
• The Three Principles of Spinning Babies
• The Three Sisters
• The daily and weekly activities to do during pregnancy that promote optimal fetal positioning and, thus, a smoother easier birth
• A bit about how/when Spinning Babies techniques can be used in labor
• Info on using belly mapping to figure out what position your baby is in

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

Three birth stories for the price of one, kweens! In this episode, fellow San Diego birth worker Kelly Pappas is sharing the stories of her three kids' births! Her first baby, Keaton, was an unmedicated hospital birth and her two daughters, Selah and Gemma, were both born at home with midwives. Although she had three unmedicated vaginal births, each one was very unique and Kelly reflects on them beautifully. She's an awesome woman and we're so honored she decided to share her birth stories with us!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

Karly and Ali dive into the topic of prenatal testing in this episode! They review all of the typical screenings and tests that are offered from the time you find out you're pregnant until the day your baby kween is born. This episode will be helpful for both expectant families and birth workers alike. Enjoy!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

In this episode, we're talking to Jaren Soloff, RD, CLE about food and nutrition in the postpartum period and beyond. Jaren is a San Diego based Registered Dietitian and is currently obtaining her clinical hours to receive her credential as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) through the University of California, San Diego. With specialized training in treating eating disorders and prenatal/perinatal health, Jaren works with women on all areas of the reproductive spectrum from preconception to postpartum. Jaren's practice is rooted in compassion and evidenced based practices to support all women's innate ability to birth, breastfeed and nourish themselves and their children with confidence. Here's an overview of what's covered in this episode:

• Jaren's background and how she got into the fields of nutrition and lactation
• Exploration of the term 'intuitive eating'
• Nutrition-related challenges in the postpartum period, including some of the most common nutrition/weight/body image struggles that people face during this time.
• How breastfeeding can impact nutritional needs and one's relationship with food.
• What a difficult breastfeeding journey can do to someone's body image and relationship with food.
• Supporting women who've struggled with an eating disorder(s) through the postpartum period.
• How to raise intuitive eaters, including practical examples of how to encourage positive food relationships for children.
• Resources recommended by Jaren:
  • The Ellyn Satter Institute
  • Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter
  • Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming by Ellyn Satter
  • How to Get Your Kids to Eat: But Not Too Much by Ellyn Satter
  • Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family by Ellyn Satter
  • The Intuitive Eating book
• Click here to get in touch with Jaren

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

This episode we're talking to Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE about gestational diabetes. Lily is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition and exercise. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and unapologetically critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She's the author of two bestselling books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Here's what we covered in our conversation with her:

• How Lily got into this field (specifically, how the outdated approach to treating GD piqued her interest)
• The definition of gestational diabetes
• How GD is diagnosed, including the evidence for using A1C levels as a diagnostic indicator of GD in early pregnancy
• The different classifications of GD and how each one is treated
• Why having GD can be a big deal both during pregnancy and for the remainder of a pregnant person's life
• The potential complications and risk factors than can occur when someone has GD/high blood sugar in pregnancy
• The potential negative consequences of chronically unmanaged blood sugar levels for a baby (both in utero/during birth and for the rest of their lives)
• A discussion about standard GD testing methods and possible alternatives
• Lily's two blog posts about her own experience with the Glucola test
  • https://lilynicholsrdn.com/why-i-drank-the-glucola/
  • https://lilynicholsrdn.com/i-failed-the-glucola/
• Another great article by Lily on common myths about GD - https://lilynicholsrdn.com/9-gestational-diabetes-myths/
• A discussion about ketosis in pregnancy and whether it's actually harmful for a developing baby
• The important role that exercise plays in blood sugar management
• How vitamin D supplementation can impact blood sugar regulation in pregnancy
• The relationship between the microbiome and blood sugar control

Click here to check out Lily's website and access all of the resources she has to offer (including some great freebies!). You can follow Lily on Instagram and Facebook and buy her two amazing books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes.

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

Buckle up for a thorough discussion about cervical exams, kweens! Here's what you'll hear about in this episode:

• What is a cervical exam and how are they performed
• What's being assessed in a cervical exam (i.e. dilation, effacement, station, cervical ripeness and position, etc.)
• How to do a respectful cervical exam
• Tips for how to make exams more comfortable for the person receiving them
• Cervical exams during pregnancy – why they're done and whether they're actually necessary
• The role that cervical exams play in inductions of labor and why it's important to know your Bishop's Score before starting an induction
• Definition of a membrane sweep (aka – stretch and sweep)
• The lowdown on cervical exams during labor, including the risks and benefits
• The normal frequencies of cervical exams in labor in a hospital vs. birth center/home birth
• Discussion about the recent change in definition of the start of active labor from 4cm to 6cm
  • https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Obstetric-Care-Consensus-Series/Safe-Prevention-of-the-Primary-Cesarean-Delivery
  • https://evidencebasedbirth.com/friedmans-curve-and-failure-to-progress-a-leading-cause-of-unplanned-c-sections/
  • https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(13)01690-6/abstract
• Some myths about cervical exams and dilation in labor
• The resources mentioned about the uterine infection chorioamnionitis
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008318/
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22432485
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22617572
• The pros and cons of the birthing person knowing the numbers associated with their cervical exams in labor
• Discussion about how labor progress and cervical dilation are not always linear

Support our sponsor and get your own subscription to Ritual vitamins by going to Ritual.com/KWEENS.

Get yourself some Birth Kweens gear in our new online shop!

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!

This episode is another great birth story! Our guest, Beth, shares about the birth of her daughter, Fiona. Beth needed to be induced, but with the help of her awesome husband, a supportive birth team, and a solid foundation of childbirth education she was still able to have an empowering and positive birth experience! She shares about the process of finding a supportive care provider (after being told that she'd haveto have a cesarean by her first doctor), hiring a doula, and navigating the process of an induction without using any pain medication.

Here's where you can find the great birth affirmation cards that Beth mentions in this episode - http://www.amothersnaturebirth.com/store/p4/42_Pregnancy_and_Birth_Affirmation_Cards.html

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If you liked this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, tell your friends! And go to iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show. For more from us, visit www.BirthKweens.com to sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens, join our Facebook group the Birth Kweens Podcast Community, and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback. Also, be sure to click here so that you can support the show while doing your regular Amazon shopping!