Mom2Mom Podcast

Learning how to mentally prepare for labor can matter just as much as the physical prep, and it often starts with something that sounds scary: surrender.

In this episode, we're talking about what surrendering to labor really means, and what it doesn't. Stephanie and Nikki share how they help clients work through fear of labor, find the words that actually ground them, and plan for a birth that might look different than they pictured. If you're feeling scared of giving birth, this one is for you. You don't have to be fearless to have a positive experience.

What you'll hear:

• Why surrender doesn't mean giving up your voice, your preferences, or your questions
• The "controllables and uncontrollables" conversation we have with every client, and why we talk about birth preferences instead of a rigid birth plan
• How positive labor affirmations work best when your birth team knows them too (and the words to leave off the list, starting with "just relax")
• How stress and not feeling safe can slow labor down, and why understanding your body can ease that fear
• How to decide who's in the delivery room (and the waiting room), and how to give everyone permission to pivot

Links:

• Free Birth Plan Outline (a great place to start your birth preferences): https://www.how2mom.com/free-birth-plan-outline/
• Digital Birth Affirmation Cards: https://www.how2mom.com/product/digital-birth-affirmation-cards/
• Work with us (birth doula services): https://www.how2mom.com/h2m-services/birth-doula-services/ 
• Preparing for Postpartum course: https://www.how2mom.com/h2m-services/birth-doula-services/ 

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
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Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
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YouTube (@how2mom)

Breastfeeding twins is a completely different experience from one baby to the next, and there is no one right way to do it. In this episode, we're talking with Andrea Stanton, a mom of three and longtime How2Mom client, about her real, unfiltered feeding journey with her twin boys. We cover what it was like starting in the NICU at 33 weeks, the early days of pumping and donor milk, and how she and Stephanie both found their way through nipple pain, low supply worries, and the pressure to make it look effortless.

What you'll hear:

• What triple feeding newborn twins actually looks like in the first few weeks, and why it can feel like survival mode
• Why tandem feeding twins works beautifully for some moms and not at all for others, and how to figure out what fits your family
• How a weighted feed and the right lactation consultant became the turning point for both Andrea and Stephanie
• What shifted once they stopped treating breastfeeding as all or nothing
• Why donor milk, formula, and breast milk can all be part of the very same feeding story, without any of it meaning something went wrong

Andrea Stanton is a mom of three, including twin boys born at 33 weeks, and a How2Mom client who generously opened up about her breastfeeding journey for this episode.

If anything in this conversation feels familiar, we want you to know support is here. Our lactation services offer one on one guidance for exactly these moments, and our online lactation class is there if you'd rather work through the basics at your own pace before baby arrives.

Links:

• Blog post for this episode: https://www.how2mom.com/breastfeeding-twins
• Lactation Services: https://www.how2mom.com/h2m-services/lactation-counseling/
• Online Lactation Class: https://www.how2mom.com/courses-and-events/online-lactation-class/
• Birth Doula Services: https://www.how2mom.com/h2m-services/birth-doula-services/
• Postpartum Doula Services: https://www.how2mom.com/h2m-services/postpartum-doula-services/
• Website: https://www.how2mom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/how2mom/

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

Chamber of Mothers is a national movement built by moms who got tired of waiting for change, and the Minnesota chapter started with a conversation between two friends.

In this episode, we're talking with Katy, co-founder of the Minnesota chapter of Chamber of Mothers, about how her own maternity leave pitch turned into a movement. We're getting into what advocacy actually looks like when you're already stretched thin as a mom, and why showing up in small ways still counts. We also talk about what it took to bring these voices all the way to Washington, DC.

What you'll hear:

• How Katy's maternity leave pitch to her own employer became a template other moms are now using with theirs
• The three pillars Chamber of Mothers organizes around: maternal health, paid family leave, and affordable childcare
• Why doulas see themselves as advocates, and what that looked like showing up in Washington, DC
• How the Minnesota chapter grew from two facilitators into a full board, and what that shift actually took
• What it looks like to stay involved when life gets full (small, medium, and large action items, your pick)

Katy is the co-founder of the Minnesota chapter of Chamber of Mothers and a returning guest on the podcast. She was also a client of Stephanie's for both of her births, and you may remember her and her sister's birth stories from a past episode.

Links:

• Chamber of Mothers: chamberofmothers.com
• Postpartum support at How2Mom: https://www.how2mom.com/h2m-services/postpartum-doula-services/

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

How to prepare your body for labor is not about doing every single thing the internet tells you to do. It is about knowing what actually helps.

In this episode, we're talking with Dr. ShaRhae Matousek, a prenatal and perinatal chiropractor, about what it really looks like to get your body, mind, and home ready for labor and postpartum. We get into why so much birth prep information can leave you feeling more overwhelmed instead of less, and what to focus on instead. We also talk about the nervous system's role in labor, and why feeling safe matters just as much as any physical prep.

What you'll hear:

• Why your nervous system runs the whole show during labor, and how calming it down can actually help labor progress
• What the Webster technique is and how prenatal chiropractic care supports pelvic balance
• Why common tension patterns (think: that right hip that always aches) show up during pregnancy, and simple ways to notice and shift them
• How to build a birth team that covers your bases, from your doula to your chiropractor to your pelvic floor therapist
• Why letting go of a rigid birth plan, and using tools like affirmation cards, can help you feel steadier when things shift

Dr. ShaRhae Matousek is a chiropractor and owner of Real Health Chiropractic in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She holds a fellowship in pediatrics and obstetrics through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association and is Webster certified.

Links for this episode:

• Real Health Chiropractic: https://www.realhealthclinic.com/
• Childbirth Education Videos: https://www.how2mom.com/product/childbirth-class-on-demand/
• Motherhood Affirmation Cards: https://www.how2mom.com/product/motherhood-affirmation-cards/

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

Doula support for a c-section is one of the most misunderstood parts of what we do, and this episode is here to change that.

In this episode, we're talking about what belly birth support actually looks like from the inside. Stephanie sits down with How2Mom client Lynley to walk through Betty's birth story, from induction leading to c-section, to the OR, to that first skin-to-skin moment. It's honest, it's warm, and it's a really good reminder that every birth deserves support, no matter how it unfolds.

What you'll hear:

• Why having a doula in the OR meant Lynley's husband could be fully present instead of trying to play every role at once
• What a family centered c-section actually looks like, including options most parents don't know to ask for
• How a doula supports the nervous system during surgery, from explaining the tugging sensations to massage during the shakes
• What it felt like to go from induction to c-section, and why having a familiar face made all the difference when things moved fast
• Why a belly birth doesn't have to mean trauma, and what it looks like when it feels empowering instead

Lynley is a recipe developer and content creator at Fit Foodie Finds (fitfoodiefinds.com). 

Links for this episode:

• Birth doula services: https://www.how2mom.com/birth-doula
• Digital Birth Affirmation Cards: https://www.how2mom.com/product/digital-birth-affirmation-cards/
• Fit Foodie Finds: https://fitfoodiefinds.com

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

Most of us picture pushing the same way: flat on our back, feet in stirrups, someone counting to ten. That's one option, but it's not the only one. Not even close.

In this episode, we're talking about pushing positions for labor and why where you push matters just as much as how you push. From squatting and hands and knees to sideline pushing, closed knee pushing, and small modifications that can change everything when you're on your back, there's a lot of room to work with your body instead of against it.

We're walking through:

• Why gravity, movement, and balance shape what happens in birth
• How back-lying became the standard (and why it isn't always the most effective)
• Upright options like squatting, kneeling, and forward leaning
• How sideline pushing supports rest and rotation, even with an epidural
• Why your body often knows what to do before your mind catches up

Whether you're planning an unmedicated birth, working with an epidural, or somewhere in between, knowing your options helps you feel more grounded heading into birth. There's no one right way to push. There's only what feels right in your body, in that moment.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Spinning Babies → https://www.spinningbabies.com
• Gilligan's Guide → https://www.gilligansguide.com
• Body Ready Method → https://bodyreadymethod.com

Blog: 

View our Childbirth Ed Course: https://www.how2mom.com/courses-and-events/childbirth-class-online-and-in-person/ 

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

Natural ways to progress labor are one of the most searched topics as a due date gets closer, and also one of the most misunderstood.

In this episode, we're talking about what actually supports your body during labor and what tends to work against it. We're not handing you a roadmap, because labor doesn't work that way. What we can give you are real, tangible things we see make a difference for the moms we support every day.

What you'll hear:

• Why movement matters more than any specific position, and what "intentional movement" actually looks like in the room
• What to do in early labor before contractions get intense (rest, hydration, and fueling your body like the marathon it is)
• How the peanut ball and counter pressure during labor fit into a flexible coping plan
• Why patience is one of the most underrated labor tools, and how to actually practice it in the moment
• A rapid-fire reality check on popular labor hacks, including dates, raspberry leaf tea, and walking

Blog: Natural Ways to Progress Labor | How2Mom

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

What happens when your water breaks is one of the most common questions we get as doulas, and the answer rarely matches the Hollywood version.

In this episode, we're talking through both sides of the water breaking conversation. The one where your water releases on its own at home, and the one where your provider suggests breaking it for you. Both come with options, and both deserve real information instead of the rush-to-the-hospital panic we've been taught to expect.

What you'll hear:

• What to actually do if your water breaks at home, including how to assess the fluid and when to call your provider
• The 24-hour clock conversation, why it's evolved since our parents' generation, and what evidence-based birth has to say about it
• How we protect physiological birth after your water releases, from limiting vaginal exams to building oxytocin
• When a provider may suggest breaking your water (called AROM, or artificial rupture of membranes), and the real risks and benefits to weigh before saying yes
• The BRAIN acronym we walk every How2Mom client through when they're making a decision in the moment

Mentioned in this episode:

• Evidence-Based Birth article on Premature Rupture of Membranes (PROM): PROM-Handout.pdf  
• Our recent episode on oxytocin: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3l790j5k4WVmffMdG1CzS0?si=d0f608c6ee2641f2 
• Childbirth Education Course: https://www.how2mom.com/courses-and-events/childbirth-class-online-and-in-person/

Birth Doula Services — How2Mom | Birth Doula Services in the Twin Cities

Childbirth Ed Course — How2Mom | Birth Support, Online Birthing Classes, Resources for New Moms

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

Your baby is here, and in a lot of ways that moment can feel like the finish line. But the story of how they got here, how it felt, what it asked of you, lives on long after the birth. This is why your birth story matters.

In this episode, we're talking about the full weight of a birth experience. The pride. The grief. The moments that surprised you. The comments that landed wrong. The pieces you're still making sense of weeks, months, or years later. And we're making space for all of it, because every story deserves to be heard.

We're walking through:

• Why a birth story shapes you long past the day it happened
• How both pride and grief can live in the same story
• Why "at least the baby is healthy" misses what a mom is actually asking for
• What trauma can look like in a birth that "went fine" on paper
• How to hold space for a friend who is sharing her story with you
• Different ways to process your own story, from journaling to sharing in community

Whether your story is one you've told a hundred times or one you've never said out loud, you deserve the space to process it however you need to. If you want to share yours with us, we'd be honored to hear it. You can email us anytime.

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)

When people hear the word Pitocin, it often gets described as "synthetic oxytocin," so it's easy to assume the two are basically the same thing. They're not, and that distinction matters more than most of us realize.

In this episode, we're walking through what oxytocin actually does during labor, why it's so much more than the "love hormone" nickname, and how Pitocin works differently in the body even though it's chemically similar. We talk about the labor feedback loop, why environment plays such a huge role in how things progress, and why induced labor can sometimes feel more intense than spontaneous labor.

We also cover the postpartum side of Pitocin, which can feel a little confusing at first. Why is the same medication used to start contractions also given to stop bleeding after birth? We break it down so it actually makes sense.

This isn't about judging birth choices or saying one path is better than another. It's about understanding what's happening in your body so you can feel more grounded in whatever your birth looks like.

Stephanie also shares the story of how her daughter Mackenzie helped move her from early labor into active labor with the twins, a real-life example of oxytocin in action.

Birth Doula Services - How2Mom | Birth Doula Services in the Twin Cities

Childbirth Ed Course - How2Mom | Birth Support, Online Birthing Classes, Resources for New Moms

Thank you so much for listening to the Mom2Mom Podcast! This podcast is meant to empower women and bring the community together through storytelling and education. Here, you will find encouragement, support and community. We are your community. And we’re so happy to have you!

Join the email list to be notified when episodes go live HERE! 

Please also make sure  to comment, share and subscribe! 

xoxo, Stephanie

Let's Connect:
Website (how2mom.com)
Instagram (@how2mom)
Facebook (@how2mom)
TikTok (@how.2.mom)
Twitter (@how_2_mom)
Linkedin (@how2mom)
Pinterest (@how2mom)
YouTube (@how2mom)