This is a delightful birth story episode. Today Heidi joins me to share the story of her vaginal birth. In her own words “Nothing went as planned for my birth but it was still beautiful.”

Heidi endured many scares in her first trimester including an episode of heavy bleeding and alcohol exposure before she realized she was pregnant. She also discovered that she had something called a velamentous cord insertion which would go on to affect her birth. Despite the complications Heidi and her baby wound up healthy and happy.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode119 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

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Warning: This episode includes loss

Samantha Busch is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur, lifestyle blogger, infertility warrior, philanthropist and co-owner of a professional race team. As a woman in leadership, Samantha is driven to empower all women to become their own fiercest advocates.

In Busch’s first book, Fighting Infertility, she shares a raw account of her infertility journey. Today we’re going to talk a bit about that journey. She also shares about her and her husband’s organization, The Bundle of Joy Fund, which is a monetary award to help couples pay for IVF treatments. She’s open and honest and I’m grateful she’s sharing her truth

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode118 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
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In this episode I’m revisiting the important topic of maternal morbidity and mortality and how you can keep yourself safe. Pregnancy related morbidity (health related conditions that have a negative effect on the woman’s well-being) and pregnancy related mortality (death related to pregnancy) are on the rise in The US. This is truly a public health crisis, especially for black women.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode117 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* Give Armoire a try and get up to 50% off your first month, that’s up to $125 OFF! Just visit armoire.style/DRNICOLE
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Warning: this episode includes loss

This is a birth story episode and it’s a bit of a different one. Today we have Eileen Robertson Hamra on the podcast. After having 3 children with her first husband, Brian, Eileen had a tubal ligation because she was certain she did not want any more children. However, Brian was tragically killed in a plane crash when their children were 4, 7, and 8 and Eileen was 41.

She was lucky enough to fall in love and marry another man, Mike, 5 years after Brian’s death. After undergoing IVF at the age of 45, Eileen got pregnant and gave birth at the age of 46.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode116 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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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You are in for a treat today with my conversation with Valerie Trumbower. Valarie is a DONA Certified Postpartum Doula and a Certified Lactation Counselor. Her online courses Expecting 101™ and Expecting 101...You’re Adopting™ have helped hundreds of families prepare for life with their newborns. Valerie’s love for her work really shines through in our conversation.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode115 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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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In this episode you’re going to learn about the important topic of postpartum contraception. This is a little more mature content so use your best judgement as to whether or not you want younger folks to listen.

It is vital to be prepared to make the right contraceptive choice for yourself. No one method is perfect for everyone. Each comes with its own perks and pitfalls not to mention varying degrees of efficacy. Even if you are looking to have additional children the spacing out of births is important for both your health and that of your baby.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode114 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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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I am super excited to have a birth story episode for you from a student in the BPC! Elvira joins us today to share the story of her beautiful, unmedicated birth.

Elvira has an amazing story for her birth. Even though things didn’t go exactly as planned she still had a beautiful birth and was happy about her experience. There are so many wonderful moments and lessons in her story and I know you’re going to enjoy it.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode113 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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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In today’s episode of the podcast we are talking all about happiness with Kim Strobel. Kim is a leadership and happiness coach who helps businesses and organizations prioritize their health and well-being so they can reach new levels in their personal and professional lives. As a nationally-recognized speaker, she is all about empowering others to take control of their health, wellness, and happiness with simple habits. 

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode112 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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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It’s been almost 4 months since I did a COVID update and I figured it’s time to revisit the subject. I get lots of questions about the vaccine so let’s talk about the COVID vaccine in relation to fertility, pregnancy, and lactation. 

On today’s episode I cover the data we have so far including what I get the most questions about: the CDC V-safe COVID-19 Vaccine Pregnancy Registry. And as always I will present the information, give my thoughts where I think it may be helpful, and you can make conclusions for yourself.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/covidvaccineupdate and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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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In today’s episode we have a birth story from a dad’s perspective. Mike and his wife listened during their pregnancy (thank you!). He reached out because he felt they had an interesting story to share and I agree. He also wanted to contribute to having more dads share their perspective of birth which I appreciate as well.

We’re going to hear about their New Year’s Day baby which was not at all expected but the birth ended up going well. The story is at times funny, also very sweet, and it involves scotch! Mike comes across as a very supportive partner before, during, and after the birth.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode111 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

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

Our Sponsors:
* 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