(MEG) My Birth Preferences & Learning About Advocating for Yourself In Labor

When I first got pregnant I had never even heard of the term "birth plan" because my only exposure to birth was in the movies and TV.

I just thought your water breaks in the middle of the grocery store and you frantically drive to the hospital.

But I quickly learned that's not exactly how it goes.

One of the biggest things I've done over the last few months is get really familiar with the birth experience and what my options are and how to advocate for myself when at the hospital.

I hope this episode helps if you're in the same position I was a few months ago, completely unaware you can even HAVE birth preferences or a "plan", because this has helped me become so much more calm and even slightly excited for the birth of my babies.

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage

Hypnobirthing Course: https://thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk/the-hypnobirthing-digital-pack-us?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3uGqBhDdARIsAFeJ5r1zy2kK5GzckJuXyc0VEADSkb60MnUXtByHc4bktgC-V_0xaPoQYkwaAonYEALw_wcB

Birth Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7xoc4ZXFLMapjzZpha6XDU?si=IsPlo8HwSvyA77dPqWezKQ

Supporting a partner while they're grieving can be tricky, especially if you've never experienced the type of grief or loss they're going through.

You don't want to say "the wrong thing" or smother them, but you also don't want to give them TOO much space.

Unfortunately, we have both experienced intense grief with the loss of our fathers in the last year and a half, so learning how to be a supportive partner during this time was essential for us, and at the end of the day these incredibly hard times brought us closer together than ever before.

In our latest Meg and Mike Do Marriage episode we're breaking down some specific things we did to support each other in hopes it helps you support your partner (or even friend) during times of intense grief and loss.

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage

Grief Accounts:

https://instagram.com/untanglegrief?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==

https://instagram.com/thegriefspace_?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==

https://instagram.com/goodmourningpodcast?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==

This highly requested topic is no surprise, cuz it's probably the biggest question mark couples who separate have before entering the separation: are we allowed to see other people while apart?

In this episode we dive into our specific "separation rules" including…

1. How much we communicated during the separation

2. What we were committed to personal growth wise during the time apart

3. And of course if we were allowed to see other people while apart

We say this SO many times in the episode but we can't re-iterate it enough…we did not set these rules alone and had a professional relationship coach helping guide us. We don't recommend you copy/paste our specific rules, because everyone's situation will be different and require different "rules" (especially if you are adding kids and pets into the equation).

We hope this sheds some light on how we navigated our time apart and ultimately how we came back together stronger than ever.

Enjoy and as always thanks so much for listening and sharing.

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

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At the beginning of July we had to be apart for six weeks due to extenuating circumstances (which we explain in this episode).

And let me tell ya, being apart from your spouse or partner for that long is NOT fun NOR easy, but we managed to stay pretty connected despite the time and when we saw each other again didn't feel like it had been that long.

It is 100% possible to maintain connection while apart, it'll just look a little different than if you were together.

In this episode we break down what we specifically did to keep our connection as strong as possible so we could just jump right back in when we did reunite.

Enjoy and as always thanks so much for listening and sharing.

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage

Happy Halloween!!!

Be sure to peep our Instagram if you haven't @MegandMikeDoMarriage because our Barbie themed costumes are pretty legit if we do say so ourselves (and NO, we're NOT Barbie and Ken…it's BETTER).

ANYWHO…to the topic at hand.

Our lives are about to COMPLETELY change when we become first time parents…to not one, but TWO babies at once, and in this episode we really wanted to just ask each other: how do you feel about it?

So that's what we did ;)

We share what we're most excited AND nervous about, but also discuss something that we've noticed come up a few times…

How different we feel about being parents right now, while I (Meg) am pregnant.

I already feel such a connection to these boys and get SO excited about every little movement I feel, whereas Mike not as much.

This seems to be super common among couples and something we kick off the episode talking about.

Any parents out there? Please DM us your advice! We welcome it with open arms!

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage

Midge & Allan Barbie background: https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a44625421/barbie-allan-midge-discontinued-dolls/

If we're only communicating things when they're a problem, that's when we start to feel like we're nagging which doesn't feel good. It's important to acknowledge and thank our partner for things we DO appreciate.

↑And in this JAM PACKED episode, James and Angela Mitchell break down not only how to handle conflict with your partner (so it doesn't end in a huge life altering fight), but also how to give praise to your partner.

James and Angela Mitchell are the founders of Love Intentionally, a relationship coaching company that's committed to helping couples design, implement and sustain a conscious relationship rooted in depth, intimacy, intentionality, and a strategic life plan.

We have worked with them for almost two years and SO MUCH of the progress we have made has been because of the tools and strategies we've learned from them, so we are SO excited to have them on the podcast sharing some communication GOLD with you.

Be sure to bookmark this puppy, this is definitely one you'll want to come back to.

Follow James and Angela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveintentionally.co/

James and Angela's website: https://www.loveintentionally.com/

Tips for Effective Communication download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dc33Sbq4wJUh_xhSqOOh-0AzGbIdf5ka/view?usp=sharing

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

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Let's talk about sex baby, let's talk about you and me…

Yes, Mike DOES sing this at the beginning of the episode, so get ready for shenanigans.

This was an episode we had written down to do way before we started this podcast, because scheduling sex has been SUCH a game changer for our marriage (and cough cough, why we're pregnant with twins).

At first (as you'll hear in the episode) the idea seemed RIDICULOUS to us, but once we shifted our perspective we realized it can be such a great way to intentionally create intimacy and not leave it up to chance.

We hope this episode gives you some insight into how we made that transition and some practical tools to get started!

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage

Our coaches, James and Angela: https://www.instagram.com/loveintentionally.co/

The Erotic BluePrint test: https://www.jessiefresh.com/ebquiz

Article about the Erotic BluePrint: https://goop.com/wellness/sexual-health/how-to-find-your-erotic-blueprint/

Remember when I said in the last episode how this pregnancy has been smooth sailing? WELL…I spoke too soon.

On Monday, October 2nd I was admitted to the hospital after my cervical sonogram came back worrying the doctors because my cervical length was too short. All in all it was a scary 48 hours but I am back home (obvs since I recorded this episode) and wanted to take this time to share the story with you and again share the IMPORTANCE of surrounding yourself with positive stories when in a crisis.

As I state at the beginning of this episode I recorded this episode for both this podcast and my business podcast, The #PrettyAwkward Entrepreneur as well. I'll drop the link to that podcast page below in case you want to subscribe and tune in more regularly.

Thank you for being such a beautiful community, and sending so much love during this tough time!

Mike will be back with me next week for a new episode!

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage

Listen to The #PrettyAwkward Entrepreneur Podcast: https://meganyelaney.com/podcast

Sign up for Meg's Free Magnetic Monetization workshop series happening all of October here: https://meganyelaney.com/magnetic-monetization

The HypnoBirthing Pack Course I Reference in the Episode: https://thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk/the-hypnobirthing-digital-pack-us

This week's episode is a solo with Meg (me, hi!) after I received such a heartfelt message from a listener, who said "We are preparing to start trying again and I am terrified. Excited for a new chapter, but also so scared of something going wrong again. I am learning to trust that my body can do this."

After reading this I knew that this is exactly what I needed to speak on this week, because I SO VIVIDLY remember this feeling when we started trying again, and it just ramped up when we got pregnant.

I feel like I really missed out on being EXCITED those first few weeks of pregnancy because all I could think was, "Is it going to happen again?".

In this episode I share some things that did help and what I wish I did (and mainly thought) differently during this time in hopes it helps you if you're starting to try for a baby again after a miscarriage

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

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This episode is a fun one, and shares a bit about our fertility journey, and what it was like finding out we were pregnant and then finding out we were pregnant with TWINS, especially during a traumatic time of losing both our father's within 15 months.

Our twin boys are truly such a shining light for us, and we could not be more excited about welcoming them into this world, but the journey to get here has NOT been easy and is oftentimes a process that drives couples apart.

But it actually strengthened our marriage and brought us closer together than ever before.

Thank you for tuning in and following along this journey. We hope our story helps you in some way.

↓Follow us on social media:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@megandmikedomarriage

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megandmikedomarriage