In this short episode you're going to learn my honest thoughts about the term pregnant people.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about this! Shoot me a message through my website drnicolerankins.com/contact or send me a DM on Instagram @drnicolerankins.

And Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way in my free class! Sign up here.

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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


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I’ve heard and been a part of a LOT of birth stories but I have never heard a birth story quite like this one. Vincia’s second birth was the epitome of precipitous labor. Baby number one arrived two days past his due date after 36 hours of labor - eight hours medicated with Pitocin and an epidural. For the second time around she was dreaming of fifteen hours of labor or less. She never could’ve imagined that it was going to be less than three hours from her first contraction to her baby being born.

They had planned for a hospital birth. Their bags were packed, childcare was secured, and the car was warm. But her daughter had different plans. Thankfully, all of their childbirth education (including my podcast and childbirth education course) prepared Vincia and her husband to handle the unexpected home birth. I couldn’t wait to hear her story, and you’re going to love it!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How Vincia could tell she was pregnant
• Why physicians need to do a better job of addressing weight during pregnancy
• What made getting a doula so important to Vincia and her family
• Why she tried to stay home longer for her second labor
• What her husband did to assist her during contractions
• How long it took her to progress to active labor
• How her husband and in-laws worked as her delivery team

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode231

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right 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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

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This is called an umbilical cord prolapse and it’s a true obstetric emergency.

The cord can get squeezed and cut off blood supply to the baby.

Listen to learn the unique way I handled this situation.

Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way! - FREE Class drnicolerankins.com/birth-plan

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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hypnosis during labor and birth has come up several times on the podcast and today I’m interviewing an expert. Kerry Tuschhoff is a doula, birth instructor, and founder of Hypnobabies. No, they don’t hypnotize babies :). It’s an online resource for hypnosis classes and courses for childbirth.

Kerry was shocked at how severe the pain of childbirth was and decided to dedicate herself to finding a way to make it easier. That path led her to hypno-anesthesia and eventually becoming a professional hypnotherapist. She has so many great tips and lots of good resources to share in this episode!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What hypnosis actually is
• Who is a good candidate for hypnotherapy and who is not
• How hypnosis is used during childbirth
• Why you may want to practice meditation and visualization
• How your birth partner can support your hypnobirth 
• How hypnosis can help your birthing partner

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode230

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right 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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this quick story time episode you'll hear how I found out I was pregnant with both of our girls.

Spoiler alert - somehow all my OB/GYN knowledge and training went out the window both times :)!

Use the code DRNICOLE to get 20% off your first order of personalized prenatal vitamins at helloellement.com

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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

If you’re considering VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), this episode is a must listen! Most individuals with one (or two!) prior low transverse cesareans can consider VBAC. But you MUST bring it up early with your healthcare provider to be sure they will support your wishes, because not all doctors support it and some are not forthcoming about that. With VBAC, you avoid major surgery and the recovery time can be quicker but it’s not the appropriate option for everyone and there are risks. You can weigh the risks and benefits and decide if it’s the right choice for you. And if you decide to try for a VBAC, this episode will set you up for success!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What a vaginal birth after cesarean entails
• Who is and is not a candidate
• What’s the most important thing to do if you’re interested in trying for a vaginal birth
• What the risks and benefits are
• Which factors are associated with a successful trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC)
• Which scenarios make doctors uncomfortable with the procedure and what the evidence-based recommendations are for management
• What a low-intervention TOLAC looks like

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode229

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right 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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

I LOVE a great doula!

But I see too much pressure placed on them to save the day for pregnant women and that's not fair.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course: drnicolerankins.com/enroll

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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Amanda wanted to share the experience of her “incredibly beautiful” c-section today, so other pregnant people can hear that it doesn’t have to be scary or traumatic. She describes her experience as “gentle and empowering” and wants more people to spread the word that cesarean doesn’t need to be feared or considered “less than.”

Now, I usually don’t share birth stories from other countries because I don’t know the system and I can’t comment on it. But sometimes it’s nice to hear about other places because we can learn from them and discover ways we can improve in our system. Amanda is from Canada, and she really opened my eyes to the way an obstetrics system could better serve expectant parents.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What makes the Canadian healthcare system so different from the American system
• Why Amanda’s OB suggested induction
• What Amanda wanted for her birth vs what she got
• Why she opted for a c-section instead of continuing to try with pitocin
• How she felt about cesareans and epidurals before her personal experience with theme
• What her C-section felt like
• Why it’s important to be on the lookout for postpartum anxiety
• Why it’s ok to have mixed feelings about your birth
• How you can help make the American healthcare system better

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode228

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right 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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We need to stop saying just be happy to have a healthy baby.

Birth is a special event that doesn’t happen very often. So of course you have wishes beyond just physical health for this beautiful life changing event.

Now, unfortunately not everyone sees things that way. There are doctors, nurses, and even family members or friends who will tell you “just be happy to have a healthy baby”.

And yes of course you want a healthy baby, but beyond that, I know you want to be listened to and you want to be treated with compassion, dignity and respect, and you deserve nothing less.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course - drnicolerankins.com/enroll

Join my email list: drnicolerankins.com/email

get 20% off your first order of Ellement personalized prenatal using the code DRNICOLE at helloellement.com

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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Addressing stillbirth can be a sensitive and challenging topic but it’s an essential one. Like with anything else in birth, it’s always better to learn about every possible outcome, even the ones you don’t want. Besides educating yourself, it’s important to listen to this episode because parents who have experienced stillbirth don’t deserve to suffer in silence. Avoiding their stories out of fear that it might affect your own pregnancy denies support to those who need it most. If it happened to you, wouldn’t you want others to hear your story?

Elizabeth started the non-profit Aaliyah in Action after her personal experience with stillbirth. Losing her daughter during pregnancy made her acutely aware of the system’s lack of support for grieving parents. In response, she stepped up to fill that gap, now offering the helping hand she wishes she would’ve had during that challenging time.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How Elizabeth channeled her grief into helping other families
• How she learned about her baby’s passing and figured out the process for delivery
• Why she still tried to stick to her birth plan and brought in her doula
• Why Aaliyah in Action prefers to send packages to hospitals rather than directly to homes (though they do that, too!)
• What comes in the self-care packages
• What are some dos and don’ts for supporting those who have suffered a loss

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode227

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right 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

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Bobbie: https://www.hibobbie.com
* Check out Ritual at get 40% off your first month for a limited time: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth-with-power/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy