Notes on Arrival Co-Host Gwen is back to tell the birth story of her daughter. A month after moving across the country, Gwen found out she was pregnant again and had to find a whole new birth team to support her wish for an out-of-hospital birth. She shares how her experiences differed from a hospital to a birth center, and what it's like to give birth twice in the span of less than two years. Tune in for a positive and birth empowering story that ends with her husband catching their baby with his bare hands.

Curious what it's like to birth medicated versus unmedicated? Or recover from a vaginal birth versus a c-section? Erin has had 3 births, all of which were completely different. She experienced an induction and epidural for her first, a c-section for her second and her third was completely unmedicated. Follow along Erin's motherhood journey to hear how her 3 experiences differed, and how she hopes that our medical professionals and education for expecting moms will evolve by the time her daughters become mothers.

Follow Erin on instagram @eemcakes

Resources mentioned:

The Business of Being Born

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

Follow us on instagram @notesonarrival

TW: Severe Birth Injury

While Emily was going through transition during her labor, her medical team left the room. The nurse who remained in the room yelled at her to stop pushing while her son was crowning, giving Emily no choice but to go against her body's natural birthing process. After her son was born, she immediately knew that something was wrong, but was continuously denied confirmation, explanation and the medical attention that her body needed to heal. Come along for Emily's healing journey as she overcame postpartum depression, a severe tear and hemorrage and the surgery she needed more than a year after her son's birth.

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

Resources:

Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center

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Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]

Only 2% of pregnant women go under general anesthesia, and only 1% of women metabolize epidurals at a rate that makes them ineffective. Kerry is in both that 2% and 1% of women. She didn't have the luxury of enjoying the growth milestones and excitement of pregnancy, because every step of the way was a new medical complication that was any expecting mother's nightmare. From placenta previa and abdominal surgery to 4 failed epidurals and reverse cervical dilation, Kerry's pregnancy and birth are unlike anything you have ever heard before.

Resources mentioned:

New Mommy Guru

Should I get a doula? Should I work with an OB? Is it too late to switch my birth team? Gwen & Margo discuss how to approach building a birth team. Learn about the differences between midwives and OBs, when and how to hire a doula and how to approach financial decisions about your birth team.

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

Resources:

leapfroggroup.org

Evidence Based Birth

Danielle Randell

Manhattan Birth Midwifery Doula Registry

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Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]

Birthing in a hospital is something that never occurred to Sophia. She viewed birth as a biological event, something her body would do best at home in a calm and private setting. But when her first labor was going on day 5, her midwife discovered that the baby's position was not what they had thought. After getting to the hospital, an ultrasound showed that her baby was breech and immediately had a c-section. Years later and after becoming a certified doula, Sophia had her second child at home like she had always wanted, but learned that no matter where or how you birth, there is no easy way out.

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

Birth workers:
Sophia Medina (doula)

Sharon McCay (doula)
Jenn Reynoso (doula)

Tanya & Sarah (Manhattan Birth Midwifery)

Nur Midwifery

Stephanie Propper (Acupuncturist)

Qi Li Acupuncture

Nidhi Sharma (Pelvic floor PT)

Books/Documentaries
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

The Business of Being Born

Why Not Home

Birthing From Within

Support Groups
Mending: C Section Postpartum Support Group
FB Group: Homebirth Ceserean

Follow us on instagram @notesonarrival

Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]

TW: Pregnancy Loss
Before giving birth to her second child, Kaitlyn went through a traumatic miscarraige in her second trimester. Although the early part of her second pregnancy was normal, Kaitlyn found out at 14 weeks that her baby's heartbeat had stopped. Given no explanation from an inadequate care team, Kaitlyn learned that she had to do her own research and advocate for herself if she wanted to get answers. After countless blood panels, she discovered a medical protocol that would give her body the ability to carry and birth her next child safely. Listen to how this loss has shaped her into the mother and support for other mother's that she is today.

Resources:

Facebook Groups:
PALS - Pregnancy After Second Trimester Loss Support Group
Second Trimester Pregnancy Loss Support Group
Antiphospholipid/APS/Pregnancy/Miscarraige
Antiphospholipid Syndrome (TTC and Pregnancy related support group)
Kaitlyn's IG: @kaitlynnraye

Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]

Are you afraid of the first poop? Not sure what happens after the baby comes out? Gwen & Margo discuss their experiences becoming moms for the first time. They shed some light on adjusting to baby's sleep schedule, getting the hang of breastfeeding, how they handled family involvement and so many other topics that shake your world after the baby arrives.

Resources

Bringing Up Bebe
Brain Rules for Baby

Cribsheet

Ina Mays Guide to Breastfeeding
@az.breastfedbabies

Bamboobies (breast milk pads)
Bodily Everything bra
Frida Mom mesh underwear

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

Follow us on instagram @notesonarrival

Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]

Kim started her pregnancy planning to go unmedicated at a birth center, but ended up with a c-section at 36 weeks. When medical complications turned her birth plan upside down, she realized that her plan all along had been simple: Don't die. After weeks of diagnostic testing and uncertainty, find out how Kim took the power back and regained control of her birth with one simple decision.

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

Resources:

Lifecycle Womencare

Mindful Birthing

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Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]

Margo shares the story of her 40 hour labor with her son. She talks about how her passion for women's reproductive health impacted her choices during pregnancy and planning for her birth. Find out how emotional release finally induced her labor more than a week after her due date. 

Notes on Arrival is a podcast for women to share their pregnancy and birth experiences. This podcast does not offer medical advice.

All the resources:

Expecting Better

In Your Own Time

Spiritual Midwifery

Natural Cycles

Bridget Teyler

Nurse Zabe

Janet Gordon

Sophia Medina

More info on Bishop's score

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Interested in sharing your story? DM us or email us at [email protected]