Labor Lessons

Jen is very much a type A personality. She loves to plan way in advance of events taking place. Even with all of her planning, she still wasn't prepared for how her first birth went.

Her daughter was stuck and delivered by forceps. She had her clavicle broken in the process of being delivered. Jen ended up with a third degree episiotomy, and needed a lot of time to recover.

Jen spent a few extra days in the hospital because she couldn't get out of bed. She needed extra help for her baby, so that her husband could help with her. She needed two additional surgeries to repair a fistula that resulted from her episiotomy. It was a traumatic experience for both Jen and her daughter.

For Jen's second birth with her son, she opted for a scheduled c-section, and she loved it. For someone who is a type A personality, it was easier for her to plan this birth, and everything went smoothly. Her recovery was much easier compared to her vaginal birth.

In this episode, Jen shares how she gladly accepted help after her first birth, and despite how unpredictable birth is, help and support is one thing that you can plan for.

JenSalk.com

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Adrianne Babbitt is a Christian author, blogger, proofreader, and mentor. She recently relauched her debut book, "The Miscarriage Project" and her launched her new children's book series, "Princess With A Purpose". In addition, she also runs her own Christian lifestyle blog, The Haven.

Adrianne's first labor did not go as she expected. Her water broke two days before labor started and she ended up with an infection in the hospital. She was young at the time, but felt that she wasn't treated well because the hospital staff thought she was a teen mom.

During her second pregnancy, Adrianne found out that she had a low lying placenta. At 32 weeks pregnant, her daughter kicked part of the placenta out. Adrianne feared for her daughter's safety, but carried her to full term and had a fairly easy delivery with her.

Her third pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and Adrianne was deeply affected by it. She carried fear, anxiety and depression with her after that. A week after her miscarriage, she got pregnant again. She found out that it was an ectopic pregnancy and was devastated at the thought of losing another baby. She prayed to God to save her baby and at her follow-up ultrasound, they found the baby in her uterus.

She had a lot of anxiety throughout that pregnancy. Her rainbow baby was safely delivered without incidence.

Adrianne was also induced for her fifth pregnancy, and despite it being her fifth time, she found that one to be the most traumatic.  At her 6-week postpartum checkup, Adrianne fell apart, and her doctor prescribed her medication for her depression.

Adrianne's sixth pregnancy was a redeeming one, and her only unmedicated birth. Listen in as Adrianne's describes shares how different each delivery was, and how she had to advocate for herself.

Check out Adrianne's website here.
The Miscarriage Project
Princess With A Purpose

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Eileen Joy is the Money Coach for Moms. She's also the woman who FIRED four doctors to have the birth she dreamed about!

When she got pregnant with her son, Eileen totally changed her life around. She ate very clean and got rid of toxic chemicals in her house. She cared deeply about what she was putting into her body, and how she was treating her unborn son.

This lifestyle carried over into her medical care. She would go to doctor's appointments and feel completely uncared for. One doctor didn't even look at her for the whole appointment! Her doctors didn't acknowledge her birth plan and were more interested in keeping Eileen on their schedule than providing the best care for her.

Eileen felt frustrated and knew she wanted something better for her and her son. When her chiropractor told her about the homebirth she had, Eileen decided to look into it. She fired her doctors, found a wonderful midwife and hired a doula.

Eileen had a beautiful birth at home with her midwife and shares about what a wonderful experience it all was. She knew she made the right choices for herself and for her son.

Listen in as Eileen shares how she took charge of her pregnancy and worked for the birth she knew she and her baby deserved.

Eileen's Website Moms Who Money

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In this episode, I share some of my struggle with postpartum anxiety. During my unplanned c-section, I was left feeling out of control, with no one explaining to me what was happening. I felt like a bystander, watching birth happen to me.

Afterwards, my anxiety was triggered when they took my daughter for her newborn screening tests. Again, no one explained to me what was happening or how long she would be gone for.

I hated to be separated from my daughter. I would feel like I was suffocating. I had panic attacks about returning to work. As someone who's never really had anxiety, all this was new for me. I didn't feel like myself.

In this episode, I share how my anxiety affected my life postpartum. I explain how therapy didn't work great for me, but I share what did.

E22 Liz's struggle with postpartum anxiety
E16 Christie's struggle with postpartum anxiety

E10 Amanda's birth story and postpartum depression
E9 Betsy's traumatic c-section and postpartum depression 

E18 Alissa's 4th degree tear and PTSD

E13 CA's birth story

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Liz from the Golden Hour podcast joins me in this episode to share her story!  Liz has always been a planner, and spent a lot of time preparing for birth. She found a birth center attached to a hospital, and loved the welcoming atmosphere. She hired a doula, and felt confident that her birth would go well. 

While Liz planned a lot for birth, she didn't plan as much for postpartum. She ended up hemorrhaging after birthing her son, and had to be transferred out of the birth center to the hospital. She had a retained placenta that had to be hand removed. Liz didn't recognize the trauma she experienced at the time. 

Afterwards, Liz had a lot of anxiety. She was breastfeeding, and both she and her son were struggling. She started exclusively pumping, but needed to supplement with insurance. She put a lot of pressure on herself to breastfeed without stopping to think if it was worth the mental anguish. 

Eventually Liz was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety. She was constantly worried that her son wasn't getting enough to eat, and hyper-focused about keeping him on a feeding schedule and herself on a pumping schedule. She stopped pumping and saw a counselor and began to feel more like herself again. 

When Liz became pregnant with her second, she was more prepared for postpartum this time. Listen as Liz shares her story battling postpartum anxiety and what a relief it was when she was finally diagnosed. 

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What the heck is a TENS unit? TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It works by sending electrical pulses through a handheld device through your body, to your spinal cord and brain.

In this episode, I talk about what a TENS unit is and why it works. I share what it feels like and where you can find them if you're interested in trying them out.

TENS Unit


Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

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How can visualization exercises help you manage pain during labor? They help keep your mind focused, and can relieve anxiety and fear that you might feel. 

In this special episode, I share a few visualization exercises that I like, and explain how to do them.

Birthing From Within

Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

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This tool comes from the book "Birthing From Within", by Pam England and Rob Horowitz. Pam calls it a "self-hypnotic jingle". It's a rhythmic affirmation that states an outcome you want.

In this episode, I share the story behind Pam's "chocolate  cake" jingle, and the one I created for myself for my second labor.

Birthing From Within

Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

LaborLessons.com

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How can a comb help you manage pain during labor?

Squeezing a comb during labor activates the Gates Control Theory of Pain, which says that when the pain "gates" are closed, you feel less pain.

In this episode, I share about how a comb is a little known hack that can be used to help you feel less pain during contractions, and why this works.  


Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

LaborLessons.com

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We've talked about counterpressure and light touch, but let's talk about something everyone loves: a good massage.

A massager can help relieve pain during contractions and can be used to help you relax in between contractions. In this episode, I talk about why a massage gun is a good tool to bring with you to the hospital.

Song "Christmas" by TELL YOUR STORY music by ikson™
https://ikson.com/music

Music by @iksonmusic

LaborLessons.com

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Disclosure: Links to other sites may be affiliate links that generate us a small commission at no extra cost to you.