In this last episode of the podcast I share with you my postpartum experience with my son born in June 2023.

I talk about how I prepared for it, who I invited into my space and what it did for me.

Send me a DM on Instagram with the word "Prepped" to receive my "Prepped for Postpartum" ebook https://www.instagram.com/mothers_transition/

The Nest doulas https://www.doulacollective.fi/

In this episode I share with you the birth story of my son who was born in June 2023.

I also share the news that my family and I are moving to The Netherlands and that this episode will be coming to an end.

These episodes will always be available for listeners so you can keep recommending them as well as the other Nest Doulas.

www.doulacollective.fi is where you can find more info about our Nest Doulas.

www.motherstransition.com is where you can continue to follow my work as well as on IG @mothers_transition

On this episode I will be wrapping up the podcast for a few months as I go on my maternity leave. I share with you what I have been doing in the past few weeks to prepare for birth and postpartum as well as what I am hoping to feel and do in the last weeks of my pregnancy. The future of the podcast still remains unclear to me but I will be popping in and out, maybe surprising you with an episode here or there before I make any official announcements as to how it will continue. I want to thank each and every listener for being here on this journey! It has been an absolute pleasure! Please stay in touch with me and let me know your thoughts on those episodes through writing on my IG posts or in DMs.

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On this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing with you Alma's birth story. In this episode Alma shares her challenging experience of dealing with a late diagnosis of preeclampsia which led into an induction and then to a cesarean birth. Alma so vulnerably shares how one of her biggest fears was having a cesarean and how throughout her pregnancy she didn't really deal with that fear. She also talked about the disappointing and difficult experience she had after the surgery where she was in the recovery ward separated from her baby. She talked about the really primal instinct and desire to see her baby, feeling confused and angry at the fact that they were not together. It was my honor to hold space for Alma to share this story on the podcast and to bring forward some parts of our conversation and her story. Thank you for being here with me today.

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Welcome to this episode of the podcast where we dive into Maria's birth stories. A first birth story which left Maria feeling broken and traumatized followed by a healing and empowering experience of birth with her second child. Maria talks about the importance of good support in healing from birth trauma as well as recognizing it as such in the first place. This episode is for anyone who has had a challenging first birth experience and maybe wants to hear that it's possible to birth with positivity in consecutive births. I hope this episode gives you hope and encouragement to understand the things that can make a big impact on your laboring experience to make sure that it is indeed a positive and empowering experience that leaves you feeling strong and capable as a woman and mother. Let's get started on this week's birth story with Maria. Thank you for being here.

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On this episode of the podcast I chat with Linda Tötterman, a midwife working at Lohja hospital. Linda used to work at Naistenkilinikka before Lohja and we got to chatting about some of the differences between these two hospitals. We touched upon the capacity, the amount of midwives there, the general approach and atmosphere, and much more. Linda shared her passion for physiologic birth and talked as well about the challenges that a midwife might experience due to the lack of continuity of care in the Finnish maternal care system - essentially supporting a woman whom she is meeting for the first time. In relation to this, Linda also mentioned how important and helpful it is for her when women have a birth plan to show and especially when that birth plan is visual. We talked about childbirth preparation and the importance this has on the birthing experience as well as the role of the doula vs the midwife at the birth. I hope you enjoy this really insightful episode with Linda and that maybe Lohja maternity ward could be for you. Thanks for listening to this episode, let's get started!

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Today's episode is all about water birth! Johanna Honkanen has been working as a midwife for 17 years. She has been in the hospital and now has her own private practice. She is one of the leading midwives in Finland about childbirth and has been involved in writing the water birth guidelines and recommendations that are used in hospitals all around Finland. She also trains midwives and doctors in hospitals around Finland to be able to support water birth better. In this episode you will find out what those guidelines are, why the training is so important and the impact it has had, as well as the benefits of water birth for the mother and the baby. If you've never considered the option of giving birth in the water, this episode will definitely give you some food for thought. Thank you for being here today and let's get started with Johanna.

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Johanna's website: https://www.versojajuuret.fi/

Evidence on water birth from the Evidence Based Birth website https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/

On today's episode you will hear another wonderful birth story from Mai who shares about the birth of her first daughter. We also got a bit into the birth of her second son and how those two were a bit different and of course connected. Mai talked about the importance of preparation and having a support person such as a doula for herself and for her partner just as much if not even more. We talked about the importance of the birth team and the atmosphere of the birthing room. Mai shared how much trust she gained in herself from this experience and how she still carries that with her in her daily motherhood experience.

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Welcome to this episode of the podcast - a solo episode with your host Danielle Bensky. Today I share with you my feelings and thoughts about becoming a mom of two. In the moment of this recording I am 2 months away from giving birth and I wanted to share from the place that I am in right now just as I stand in front of the big unknown and this transitional moment. Listen to find out about my excitement, sadness, grief, anxiety. Find out what I'm hoping to use as my tools to support myself and how I hope to normalize these feelings for all of us by speaking about it on the podcast today.

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On this episode my guest is Georg Macharey - a perinatologist working in the delivery ward of Naistenklinikka. Georg has written his PhD on the topic of breech presentation and is one of the experts in this field in Finland. In today's episode Georg explains the different breech positions that exist and their implications for the birth as well as how the position is discovered. We spoke about what makes vaginal breech birth different from cephalic and what are some criteria that the hospital follows when advising for vaginal vs. cesarean birth for a breech baby. We then also spoke a bit about twin births to understand how the birth experience could be different and what are some important things to know regarding the positions of the babies. Thank you for being here to listen to this episode. Just before we get started, I want to invite you to our month Positive Birth Helsinki meetup which will take place on Saturday April 15th 2023. So if you're listening to this episode as it airs you can use the link in the show notes to sign up. This month's topic is "my birth room" where we'll explore together in an intimate group setting what you can expect to find in a birth room in Finnish hospitals as well as the kind of environment that you might want to encourage to support the physiology of birth. Don't forget to sign up and I'm looking forward to having you there. Let's get started on this week's episode with my guest Georg Macharey.

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