Krysti’s birth was everything she wanted. Due to her mosaic Turner's syndrome, she struggled with infertility. But after only one cycle of IVF she was able to conceive!

Her labor progressed very quickly and she had to speak up for herself to convince her care team that she was actually in labor. In fact things moved so fast that she gave birth right in a triage room. It goes to show that we can’t predict what birth will be like, we can only prepare.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What mosaic Turner’s syndrome is and what it means for pregnancy

-What made Krysti feel like she might be going into labor

-What her attitude was towards pain management

-How giving birth outside of a birthing room affected her experience

-What her pain experience was like having a sunny side up birth

-How she struggled to adjust to her new body after giving birth

-What kinds of unexpected consequences came along with overproducing milk

 

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode188

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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If you’ve listened to me for a while or followed me on Instagram then you may know that I love yoga, so I’m always happy to chat about it on the podcast. Lara Heimann is a yoga instructor, physical therapist, and creator of the LYT Yoga Method. She is a mother of two and has created a special pre/post natal series on her platform to help expecting and new parents build and hold onto energy.

You know how I feel about “the snapback.” That’s not what this is about. Lara’s and my discussion focuses instead on how movement and strength building can help you to have a healthier and happier pregnancy. As your belly grows you will need a stronger back to support it; as your breasts get bigger, you’ll want stronger shoulders to hold them. Connect with your body, learn to listen to it, and give it what it needs. You’re going to learn all kinds of helpful skills for wellness in this episode!

 

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What made Lara want to become a yoga instructor

-How her approach is different

-How paying attention to the way we move impacts all other areas of our lives

-Why posture is so important

-How a movement practice - whether it’s yoga or not - can make you better equipped to handle pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery

-What types of movement and poses you can do during pregnancy

-How improper posture and a sedentary lifestyle can drain energy

 

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode187

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

In today’s episode I’m revisiting the subject of how obesity affects pregnancy. Originally, I covered this topic in 2019 but I feel like I missed the mark. It was a bit too negative and, to be honest, I have some weight bias that I’ve been working on. So I want to come back to it today.

I know that weight in general can be a sensitive topic but it’s something that we need to discuss because it affects quite a few women during pregnancy. Up top I’d like to acknowledge that size is not the only indicator of health and that body positivity is important. However, we gotta understand the facts about the effects of obesity because without the facts you don’t have the info you need to have your best pregnancy and birth.

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode186

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

Erin is sharing the amazing story of her successful VBAC. Despite her first birth ending in a cesarean after pushing for 2 hours, she was crystal clear that she wanted to try for a vaginal birth for her next pregnancy. In order to have the best chance of success she took it upon herself to get incredibly prepared, including childbirth education and making different choices in her pregnancy care.

You have to find a supportive provider and hospital if you want to try for a VBAC; actually for whatever you want for your birth. Many doctors would have discouraged Erin’s birth wishes but she sought out a team that was willing to try and make it work. Having agency and being listened to is so important for getting the birth you want and that’s just what happened for Erin. This is a great birth story and I know you’re going to love it as much as I did!

 

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode185

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

My first daughter was born premature and had to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (AKA the NICU or the ICU nursery). This week's episode has all the information I wish I'd known then, and I am so happy to be sharing it with you.

Today we're joined by Dr. Terri Major-Kincade, a practicing medical doctor and champion for premature babies and their families. 

Dr. Terri and I start off talking about what the NICU is three of the main reasons babies are admitted to the ICU nursery.

We also talk about what parents can do to advocate for themselves and their baby, what kind of emotional support is available for NICU families, and five questions you can ask your care providers weekly so you are on the same page about baby's medical care. 

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode76

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

I’m really excited to bring this interview to you today. Our guest, Cheryl Sew Hoy, is CEO & Founder of Tiny Health, a gut microbiome startup that focuses on expecting parents and their babies. I met Cheryl because she reached out to me about being a medical advisor for Tiny Health and I was happy to do so. I do want to be transparent: my role as medical advisor does involve financial compensation but that's not why I agreed to the role or why I wanted to have her on the podcast.

My fascination with the microbiome actually goes back a long way. When I was a faculty member in academic medicine at the beginning of my career, that’s what I had planned to research. If you don’t know, the microbiome is the collection of microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses) that live in and on us - we actually have at least as many microbes as human cells! Now, the microbiome and how it affects health is an emerging area of study so keep that in mind if you decide to pursue testing. However I really believe that as time goes on we’re only going to learn more and more about its importance.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why are gut and vaginal health testing important during pregnancy or even when trying to conceive

-How Cheryl’s own experience lead her to start Tiny Health

-How microbes are passed along to baby

-What factors impact the vaginal and gut microbiome

-What vaginal seeding is and how exactly it’s done

-What the most common microbes are and which ones you want

-How the Tiny Health tests work, the results and reports you get, and some surprising results they’ve found

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode184

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

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

On today’s episode you’re going to learn about labor induction. I covered this topic 3 years ago and there is new information in this updated episode. I get a lot of requests to talk about this and I get why. It’s one of those topics that makes a lot of pregnant people nervous. You may have heard horror stories about induction and pitocin. Plus there’s concern about the cascade of interventions or increasing the risk for c-section - so I get it. And on today’s episode I will answer your questions and shed some light on what labor induction is all about!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What labor induction is

-Why labor may be induced (you’ll be surprised to hear that there are only 2 reasons)

-When induction is NOT appropriate

-How labor is induced and the efficacy of different methods

-What constitutes a failed induction

-Which questions to ask before being induced

 

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode183

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

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

Megan is here to share her experience of moving cross country during her pregnancy, having to find a new OB, and then needing to be induced at 39 weeks. Although things didn't go exactly as she would have liked she was ultimately very happy with her experience and she says a big part of that was because of the education that she got from being a member of The Birth Preparation Course!

We talk a lot in this episode about the shortcomings of the American healthcare system when it comes to pregnancy and birth. Even with the best care staff you’re oftentimes very much on your own. Megan does a great job of exemplifying how to pick up where medical care leaves off by educating herself and asking others in her community for help.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What made Megan choose to sign up for the birth prep course

-How Megan got proactive with her birth experience

-What it was like for Megan to have PUPPP

-What cholestasis is and how it affected Megan’s pregnancy

-How childbirth education helped Megan to understand vacuum assisted delivery and feel more confident when it came time to make that decision

-How she worked through breastfeeding issues

-When she decided it was time to be done with nursing and how that made her feel

 

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode182

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

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

Hearing the word “hormones” is a bit like nails on a chalkboard to an OB/GYN. There is so much misinformation out there that it’s hard not to feel skeptical about this topic. However, today’s guest, Dr. Heather Rhodes, takes a balanced, science-based approach to her work that I find really refreshing.

Dr. Rhodes is a holistic pharmacist with a passion for women's health. Haven’t heard of a “holistic pharmacist” before? Neither had I! She’ll tell you all about it in the episode - essentially it means that she’s taking what she learned form pharmacology and applying it to holistic hormone healthcare. I love getting to the root cause of issues and her approach is all about treating the cause more than the symptoms.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why Heather chose to classify herself as a holistic pharmacist

-What made her decide to focus her work on hormone balance

-Which hormones are most important for fertility and overall health

-How she defines hormone balance / imbalance

-Why she advocates for a combination of traditional and modern medicine

-How hormones are affected by our daily choices

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode181

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

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

The placenta is an incredible organ (that’s right, it’s an organ!). Developing soon after conception, it is your baby’s lifeline to your body - literally. Everything the fetus needs is delivered through the umbilical cord which is connected to the placenta.

Nutrients and oxygen are brought in while carbon dioxide and wastes are taken out. Hormones to regulate pregnancy are secreted and your body’s rejection of the fetus is prevented. All of this happens within the placenta. It’s really an amazing part of your body and I know you’re going to love learning all about it including what it does, the most common issues that can occur (placenta abruption, placenta previa, placenta accreta) as well as information about consuming the placenta, and lotus birth (where the placenta is left attached to the baby to fall off naturally). 

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What the placenta is and what it does

-What happens when there are concerns with the placenta

-What the most common placental issues are

-What puts you at higher risk

-How common it is to have problems with the placenta

-What makes placenta accreta so dangerous

-Why some parents choose to consume the placenta

-What lotus birth is and whether it provides any benefits

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode180

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

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

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual Prenatals and get 25% off! https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
* Head to AvocadoMattress.com today to save 10% on all bedding and 50% on clearance bedding!


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

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