Birth With Power

This is a special rebroadcast of one of my most essential postpartum episodes — a clear, compassionate conversation about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) and how to recognize when you need support. This episode will help you clearly know what’s “normal,” what’s not, or when to consider treatment.

I’m joined by Dr. Stephanie Waggle — psychiatrist, perinatal mental health–certified physician, cancer survivor, marathon runner, and passionate advocate for improving maternal mental health care. With over 17 years of experience, she brings a rare mix of clinical expertise, research knowledge, and deep empathy for the mental health challenges people face during pregnancy and postpartum.

Together, we break down what PMADs truly look like, why they’re much more than “postpartum depression,” and how to make informed decisions about medication and therapy — including what to do if you were taking medication before pregnancy or are considering restarting postpartum.

This conversation is especially powerful if you’ve ever had intrusive thoughts, felt overwhelmed by anxiety, or been unsure whether what you’re experiencing is simply “new mom adjustment” or something more.

What you’ll learn:

• What PMADs include (it’s far more than postpartum depression)
• How common these conditions really are — in both birthing parents and partners
• Risk factors and why even those without them can still develop PMADs
• How to recognize the difference between baby blues and clinical depression
• What intrusive thoughts are — and why having them does not mean you’re unsafe or “crazy”
• When to seek help and where to turn for reliable support
• How psychiatrists approach medication decisions before, during, and after pregnancy
• The truth about breastfeeding, medication safety, and making choices that protect both you and your baby
• A breakdown of the first FDA-approved medication specifically for postpartum depression — and what you need to know

Resources Mentioned:

• Postpartum Support International: www.postpartum.net
• Improve Life - Dr. Waggle’s practice
• MommyMeds app

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard: Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital
• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You: Ask the right questions and spot red flags early
• Labor Pain Management Playbook: Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Note: This episode is a rebroadcast as part of our Postpartum Power Replay series — spotlighting vital postpartum conversations to support your mental health, your confidence, and your well-being during a season when you deserve exceptional care.

This is a special rebroadcast of one of our most-loved postpartum episodes, a powerful and practical conversation for any parent navigating life after the NICU. Whether you’re currently in the thick of it or simply want to feel more prepared, this replay will leave you feeling supported, grounded, and seen.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jessica Daigle — pediatrician, NICU hospitalist, and founder of Mom & Me MD — whose passion for caring for NICU families shines through in everything she does. With warmth and clarity, Dr. Jess breaks down what truly affects families after a NICU stay, how to ease the transition home, and how parents can let go of unnecessary guilt and step into confidence.

Her insights come from both her professional expertise and her deeply personal journey: miscarriage, extreme preterm delivery, and raising two NICU graduates. This episode is a gift for any parent who needs reassurance, practical tools, or simply a reminder that they’re not alone.

What you’ll learn:

• The five areas of life most impacted when you bring home a new baby (especially after the NICU)
• How to release guilt and self-blame when birth or postpartum don’t go as planned
• Key questions every NICU parent should feel empowered to ask
• Why advocacy and communication with the care team matter
• How to prepare for postpartum while you’re still pregnant
• Practical tips for building support systems that actually make life easier
• 
  

Resources Mentioned:

• Mom & Me MD (concierge NICU + 4th trimester care)
• Dr. Jess on Instagram: @momandme_md

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard: Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital
• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You: Ask the right questions and spot red flags early
• Labor Pain Management Playbook: Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Note: This episode is a rebroadcast as part of our Postpartum Power Replay series — sharing conversations that make postpartum feel more supported, less overwhelming, and filled with the kind of guidance every new parent deserves.

This is a special rebroadcast of one of our most downloaded postpartum episodes, and for good reason. This conversation is for you if your birth didn’t go the way you hoped.

In this replay, I sit down with Kaylee Summers — the Birth Trauma Mama — to unpack what birth trauma actually is, why it’s so common, and how you can begin to heal. Kaylee brings both clinical expertise and lived experience as an amniotic fluid embolism survivor, and her honesty, clarity, and compassion make this episode a must listen if you had a traumatic birth experience.

What you’ll learn:

• What “birth trauma” really means (and why it’s more common than most people think)
• Why trauma is subjective — and why your experience matters
• The signs and symptoms of birth trauma in the early postpartum period
• How treatment works, including what EMDR and other trauma-focused therapies actually do
• When (and how) to seek support if you’re struggling after birth
• The role communication and care team dynamics play in shaping your birth experience

Resources Mentioned:

• Kaylee’s Instagram + TikTok: @thebirthtrauma_mama
• The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast
• Postpartum Support International provider directory
• Touchstone Institute provider directory

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard: Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital
• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You: Ask the right questions and spot red flags early
• Labor Pain Management Playbook: Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Note: This episode is a rebroadcast as part of my December “Postpartum Power Replay” series — revisiting some of the most powerful episodes to support you during a season when postpartum needs often go unseen.

This episode is your invitation for a softer season, a clearer mind, or just a moment to breathe before the year ends. It will feel like a nice warm exhale.

In this reflective end-of-year episode, I’m sharing the milestones, challenges, and growth that shaped my 2025 — from sending my NICU graduate to college, to navigating perimenopause, to choosing rest over hustle. I’m also walking you through the non-negotiable holiday boundaries that matter most during pregnancy and postpartum, and how to give yourself permission to honor what you need this season.

You’ll learn:

– Why rest is a necessary part of preparing for birth, postpartum, and motherhood

– How I’m protecting my peace during the holidays — and how you can too

– Simple, clear scripts for setting boundaries with family and visitors

– What my family milestones taught me about growth, identity, and motherhood

– Why I’m stepping back for the remainder of December (and how you can build your own pause)

Resources Mentioned:

Instagram: @drnicolerankins

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Hospital birth may not be the right path for every OB/GYN.

This week, I’m in conversation with Dr. Nathan Riley, an OB-GYN and palliative care physician who left conventional medicine to support home birth and midwifery-led care. We talk about what the system gets wrong, what it does right, and how honoring true autonomy can transform the birth experience.

You’ll hear two OBs with very different paths, get real about training gaps, liability fears, and what actually supports healthy birth. Whether you’re planning a home birth, a hospital birth, or you’re just curious about your options, this is an episode that challenges assumptions and opens possibilities.

You’ll learn:

• Why Dr. Riley left the hospital system — and what he does now
• How hospital training limits women’s birth choices
• What really happens during an emergency C-section
• The untold truth about vaginal breech birth
• What autonomy actually looks like in labor (and how to prepare for it)

Resources mentioned:

• Dr. Nathan Riley on Instagram
• Born Free Method
• Beloved Holistics

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Today’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing a home birth story! Home birth can be safe, supported, and deeply empowering when planned well.

In this birth story, I’m joined by Leah, a writer, mom of two, and aspiring childbirth educator who planned a home birth after a positive but impersonal hospital birth with her first child. Despite navigating insurance barriers, and anticipating a large baby, Leah created the low-intervention experience she wanted, and welcomed her 11-pound daughter after just a three-and-a-half-hour labor. 

Her story is full of advocacy, intuition, humor (yes, she was poked in the eye mid-contraction), and practical insights you’ll walk away with.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What made Leah choose a planned home birth after a hospital birth
• How she advocated for weight-inclusive prenatal care
• The realities of insurance challenges for home birth families
• How she prepared mentally and physically for a fast, intense labor
• Why her postpartum experience at home was dramatically different — and better
• What she wants every pregnant person to know about big babies and birth options

Resources Mentioned:

• Bradley Method book: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

This Thanksgiving, I’m inviting you into my heart.

After more than two decades in obstetrics, raising a family, and building this platform — I’m pausing to name what I’m deeply grateful for. It’s more than a holiday checklist. This is about honoring the anchors that carry me through birth work and life.

Whether you’re cooking, commuting, or just catching your breath, I hope this episode reminds you to reconnect with what’s holding you up this season.

In this special episode, I share:

• How my body is still showing up strong at 51 (yoga poses included!)
• What I’ve learned from 20 years of marriage and motherhood
• Why my OB-GYN skills go beyond technique — and why that matters
• The power of a team that truly supports women
• How you — yes, you — keep this platform alive and impactful

Resources Mentioned:

Serial Season 1 (my first podcast love!)

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

What if the key to your fertility isn’t just in your hormones—but in your mouth?

In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with Dr. Katie Lee, dentist, entrepreneur, and author of Saved by the Mouth, to uncover the powerful connection between oral health and reproductive outcomes. We break down how bacteria in your mouth can influence conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and even stillbirth—and what you can do to protect your fertility, pregnancy, and long-term health.

You’ll Learn:

• How oral bacteria affect fertility and pregnancy outcomes
• Why inflammation in your gums triggers inflammation throughout your body
• The truth about dental care during pregnancy (and why skipping the dentist could backfire)
• How salivary testing works—and what it can reveal about your reproductive health
• Everyday oral care habits that protect your fertility
• 
  

Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. Katie Lee: collectivehealthsociety.com
• Saved by the Mouth by Dr. Katie Lee
• Follow Dr. Lee on Instagram

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

Bleeding early in pregnancy can be terrifying — but in many (even most) cases, it’s not as dangerous as it seems.

In this short episode, I’m unpacking what it means when you’re told there’s a subchorionic hematoma. I’ll walk you through what’s actually happening in your body, how it’s diagnosed, what it means for your baby, and — most importantly — why it’s usually not your fault.

You’ll learn:

• What a subchorionic hematoma is and how common it really is
• Why it happens (and why you didn’t cause it)
• How doctors monitor it over time
• What to expect with follow-up ultrasounds
• Practical tips to protect your peace during the waiting period
• 
  

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow me on Instagram for more pregnancy education: @drnicolerankins

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients

What happens when a perinatal psychologist — who supports women through fertility and birth trauma — becomes the patient herself?

In this honest and heartfelt episode, I chat with Dr. Allison Altman, a Bay Area psychologist who specializes in women’s mental health and trauma, about her deeply personal journey through infertility, IVF, and an unexpectedly fast hospital birth. Allison opens up about the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy after infertility, how her professional training shaped her experience, and why advocacy and flexibility made all the difference.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What it’s really like to go through IVF — and how uncertainty takes a toll on your mental health
• How anxiety can show up during pregnancy after infertility (and what helps)
• What an IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) diagnosis means and how to navigate induction decisions
• How Allison balanced her birth preferences with hospital protocols — and why she said “no” to breaking her water early
• The surprising speed of her labor (from 4 cm to baby in 20 minutes!) and how she processed it afterward
• Why setting up postpartum support before birth matters more than you think
• 
  

Resources Mentioned:

• Dr. Allison Altman’s website
• The Birth With Power Pathway — my online childbirth class

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients