Today Kate & AJ, the dear friends whom Dee & Sam mentioned meeting in birth class in the past couple of episodes, share their 2nd daughter’s birth story. Following a challenging first birth, Kate shares the specific ways that her 2nd pregnancy and birth was very healing. As Kate has a bit of a long, confusing early labor, they share details of a visit to both Trader Joe’s and to a chapel near their hospital, as well as multiple modes of transport including an Uber Pool, a ferry, another Uber, and a couple of subway rides. They also share the ways they received more optimal support this time around, including from not only the hospital staff, but also their doula, toward the uncomplicated, unmedicated vaginal birth Kate had hoped for. Hold on to the end to hear a few great tips they have for expectant parents regarding building in support, staying flexible, and equipping yourself with information during pregnancy.

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Today we have part 2 of Dee’s & Sam’s 2 birth stories. They’ll share about an even more premature birth of their second daughter, Luna. Due to the identification of an intra-uterine hemorrhage in late pregnancy, the decision is made to induce several weeks before the due date. Hear Dee share how surprised she was that she was able to cope with her induced labor without requesting the epidural, which was something she never thought she’d be able to do. She’ll also share how the use of a squatting bar helped her in the pushing stage and will detail the amazing sense of euphoria she had when her daughter was born. Then Dee & Sam will reflect on Luna’s 2-week stay in the NICU as well as provide some tips on staying flexible in labor and birth. Finally, they’ll discuss the special friendship they made in birth class and how having the support of friends has been essential, particularly during the NICU stay when they had another little one at home.

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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. 

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Today, 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.

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Today we welcome to the show a Birth Matters alum and professional model, Lauren Deckert, to share her birth story. Lauren’s work as a model has been featured in Harpers Bazaar China, Vogue Italia, Brides, Women’s Health, and Muscle & Fitness, hers. She’s walked the runway for top designers at New York Fashion Week, Miami Beach Swim Week, and New York Bridal Fashion Week every year for almost a decade. She’s also been a vegetarian since childhood and studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is a drugless practitioner and certified health & nutrition coach. Her faith & philanthropic efforts are both important values for her and her family, and she founded a nonprofit called “Models Doing More”, which provides volunteer opportunities for Model Ambassadors wishing to offer assistance to underprivileged school children and orphaned elephants in Sri Lanka. While Lauren was pregnant in 2016, she launched a coaching program called “THE MODEL MENTOR” to empower, develop and consult aspiring models, women and model mamas and to act as a guide for those who wish to make positive changes in their lives. Three of the main principles of her coaching are Transformative thinking, Mindfulness or Mindful Eating, and Movement (which, not coincidentally, spell out the initials of The Model Mentor). 

You'll hear Lauren share 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 holistic strategies that helped her to have the unmedicated vaginal birth that she had hoped for, and will also share nuggets of wisdom on prenatal nutrition and will share a little bit about the coach she does with models and moms.

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Today, Emily & Paul share the story of how their “spirited” son was in breech position, or head up, and how the many proactive things they tried to encourage him to flip didn’t work. Because the vast majority of OBs aren’t trained these days in vaginal breech birthing techniques, their practice included, their birth needed to be a scheduled c-section. While this wasn’t even close to their original vision for the way birth would go, they’ll share how the overall compassionate and proactive care their family received made all the difference in the world toward a positive experience. Then things took an unexpected turn when their son needed to go to the NICU when his low blood sugar couldn’t be improved with skin-to-skin or supplementation. Almost simultaneously, Emily was diagnosed with the rare HELLP syndrome, which is a variant of preeclampsia and is fairly rare but very serious, in the hours after birth. Emily shares how she received mostly compassionate care both in the hospital as well as expert care both at the hospital and at home once discharged, with a few bumps along the way.

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Today, Birth Matters alums Liz & Matt will share the details of what they call their “grumpy old Scotsman” son’s uncomplicated birth at Manhattan’s New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell. Liz will share how she had lots of back labor and how the epidural only worked partially and temporarily. Later, she’ll share about her early breastfeeding challenges of oversupply and a food sensitivity they discovered their son has. Matt & Liz will also share some tips for partners and for the postpartum period. Then they’ll reflect on the transition into life with their son, after Matt had a daughter many years ago with another partner.

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Want to hear a birth story in which an almost 10-pound baby boy is born safe and sound at home after 22 hours of labor? Ready or not, that’s what you'll hear today! Hear all about Alishia’s 2nd birth following her first birth in a hospital 15 years prior. Alishia also shares about her journey into birth & lactation work as a woman of color and her hopes of serving underserved populations in central Queens.

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Today you get a 2-for-1 -- 2 birth stories from one mama. Melissa has an almost 3-year-old, Segovia, and a 6-week old, Adelina. She shares her first 1st birth story, which was an unusually quick, 6-hour induction with no pain meds and with doula support. Then she shares her rationale for switching care providers from an OB over to working with a hospital midwife for her 2nd baby’s birth, which was an even faster, 4-hour, unmedicated labor.

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In today's birth story, Amy's labor begins with a spontaneous rupture of the membranes, laboring at home for a number of hours, eventually transferring to the hospital where the labor continues with induction and epidural. As Amy and her husband are both actors, she describes the ways in which their acting training, specifically breath work & bodywork, helped her find her groove in her 3-hour pushing stage with a fairly large baby. She shares about some postpartum struggles with pelvic floor health. Finally, she details some compelling things to consider in partner communication and establishing healthy boundaries entering parenthood, particularly in light of the hormonal roller coaster we experience after birth.

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