You got your GBS results back and they're positive - and suddenly it feels like your entire birth plan just got ripped out of your hands. Does this mean induction? Antibiotics no matter what? Is an unmedicated birth even still on the table?

Before you spiral into a Google hole at midnight, Trish is here to set the record straight. As a 16-year high-risk L&D nurse who's been in the room with hundreds of GBS positive mamas, she's breaking down exactly what this diagnosis does - and doesn't - mean for your birth.

In this episode, Trish covers:

• What GBS actually is (and why it's not about hygiene or "doing something wrong")
• Myth #1: GBS positive means automatic induction - it doesn't
• Myth #2: No membrane sweeps allowed - what the Strip G Study really found
• Myth #3: You have to rush to the hospital the second contractions start - Trish's real timing rules for first-time and experienced moms
• Myth #4: You can't have an unmedicated birth - how the antibiotics actually work with your birth plan
• The real numbers behind antibiotic prophylaxis, and what happens if you decline
• What other countries do differently - and why that matters for how you think about your options

The bottom line: GBS positive is a piece of information, not a life sentence for your birth plan. You deserve a provider who explains the "why," shows you the evidence, and lets you be part of the decision. This is still your birth.

Loved this episode? Share it with a pregnant friend who just got her GBS results, or post it in your birth group - these are the conversations that should be happening at every 36-week appointment. And if you want more of Trish's no-fear-mongering, straight-from-research approach, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.

More resources for GBS+ Pregnancy:

Read the blog: Here's What You Need to Know About GBS (Group B Strep) and Pregnancy

Listen to episode 196: Pregnancy Unpacked Week 36: Preparing For the Final Stretch

Listen to episode 189: Membrane Sweeps - What You Need to Know and How to Handle Them

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 GBS Positive Pregnancy
• 02:24 What GBS Really Is
• 04:25 Myth One
• 05:19 Myth Two
• 07:14 Myth Three
• 09:42 Myth Four
• 11:37 Antibiotics Risks And Rights
• 15:03 Other Countries Approach

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

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Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

If your sex life basically disappeared after baby, this one's for you, mama.

You're touched out, running on fumes, and the LAST thing on your mind is sex - but your partner keeps bringing it up, and now you're stuck in this exhausting cycle of guilt, resentment, and disconnection. Sound familiar?

This week I'm sitting down with Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy, a certified sex and couples therapist (and mama of two) who's spent 15 years helping couples navigate exactly this. We're getting real about why your desire disappears after baby, why "just fix the emotional connection and the sex will follow" is actually bad advice, and what's really going on when one partner pursues and the other withdraws.

We also dig into resentment, the mental load, reclaiming your body, and why accepting imperfect help from your partner might be the missing piece (pajama drama included 😂).

In this episode, we cover:

• Why low libido after baby is so common - and it's not "just about sex"
• The pursuer/withdrawer cycle and how to break it
• How resentment and mental load quietly kill intimacy
• Reclaiming your body after birth (even after trauma)
• 3 practical ways to reconnect with your partner, starting today

This is such an honest, validating conversation - whether you're the one who's touched out or the one who feels rejected, you'll walk away with real tools (and a lot less shame).

More from Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy, PhD, LMHC:

Grab her book: Parents in Love: A Guide to Great Sex After Kids

rebeccaeudy.com

Follow her on Instagram: @RebeccaHowardEudy

Loved this episode? Leave a review and tell me - are you the pursuer or the withdrawer?

I read every single one. 💛

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Why Sex Drive Disappears Postpartum
• 02:43 Desire vs Connection After Baby
• 06:05 Pursuer Withdrawer Cycle
• 10:35 Birth Trauma and Triggers
• 15:15 When Sex Becomes a Chore
• 16:44 Resentment and Mental Load
• 23:49 Accepting Imperfect Help
• 28:09 Micro Moments Connection
• 30:26 What Holds Desire Back
• 33:14 Book And Where To Find

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

You've probably already made a decision about your epidural. The problem? You made it before anyone walked you through what actually happens.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the entire epidural process from the moment you say "I think I want it" to the moment we pull the catheter out after delivery - the timing, the placement, what it actually feels like, the side effects nobody mentions, and the questions I get asked most as a 16+ year L&D nurse. Whether you're planning to get one, planning to go unmedicated, or you're a "let's see how I feel" mama, this episode is for you. Because pain management is part of every birth map, and knowing what's coming means you make the decision from education - not fear.

No horror stories. No agenda. Just what really happens in the labor room.

In this episode:

• When you can actually ask for an epidural (and why timing isn't as simple as "too early" or "too late")
• What has to happen behind the scenes before the anesthesiologist walks in
• The step-by-step placement process - and the one moment that actually hurts
• Common epidural side effects and how your nurse manages them
• What "recovery" looks like and why it's not the time for visitors
• How to know you're progressing once your epidural is in

More from this episode:

Grab our free Third Trimester Birth Prep Bundle at labornursemama.com/third or comment "THIRD" on any Instagram post @labor.nurse.mama.

Listen to episode 245: Epidural or Unmedicated? How to Decide Without Regret

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Epidural Decision Reality
• 03:27 Why Preparation Matters
• 05:43 When To Request It
• 07:11 Hospital Prep Steps
• 08:58 Positioning And Placement
• 11:12 Recovery And Monitoring
• 12:44 Blood Pressure + Side Effects
• 14:58 What It Feels Like
• 16:53 Rest And Pushing Tips
• 18:08 Turning It Off And Removal

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

Your discharge is not a problem to Google in a panic - it's one of the most powerful fertility signals your body produces. And yet, most of us were never taught that. In this episode, Trish sits down with Sabrina Nowicki, CEO of Cyclisity - the official charting app of the landmark book Taking Charge of Your Fertility - for a conversation about body literacy, fertility awareness, and why understanding your cycle might be the most empowering thing you do for your reproductive health.

Sabrina brings an engineering and product design background to her role as CEO of Cyclisity, the official charting app of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (TCOYF). Cyclisity was co-founded alongside Toni Weschler, MPH, the author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility and Sabrina's aunt. Built from the ground up to align with the TCOYF knowledge base, Cyclisity is designed to make the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) as accessible as possible for women everywhere - without sacrificing the science or the agency that makes FAM so powerful.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• What the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) actually is
• The three biomarkers FAM uses to identify your fertile window: cervical fluid, basal body temperature (BBT), and optional cervical positioning
• What your cervical fluid is actually telling you - from dry to sticky to creamy to egg white - and why that progression matters
• How BBT confirms ovulation and why that temperature shift is your body's built-in confirmation system
• Why stress, illness, and lifestyle can delay ovulation
• The problem with predictive cycle apps and why apps that just calculate averages from past cycles are not the same as tracking your actual body

More from Sabrina Nowicki, CEO of Cyclisity:

• Cyclisity App - Available now on the Apple App Store (US & Canada); Android version coming soon
• Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH
• Follow Cyclisity on Instagram: @Cyclisity & on TikTok: @Cyclisityapp
• Follow Sabrina personally: @wanderingsabrina on all platforms
• Visit Cyclisity.com

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Discharge as Fertility Signal
• 02:21 Why Fertility Awareness
• 05:56 FAM Basics Explained
• 13:04 Stress Delays Ovulation
• 16:48 Cycle Syncing Myths
• 22:07 Why Build Cyclisity App
• 27:39 Why Predictive Apps Fail
• 39:01 Regulating After Birth Control
• 45:35 Where To Find Cyclisity

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

In this insightful podcast episode we focus on preparing for an unmedicated birth.

Emphasizing on how you can address your fears and the importance of understanding your “WHY” for choosing an unmedicated birth.

Join the Calm Mama Membership: labornursemama.com/cms

Leave a review and include your Instagram username for a chance to win our monthly raffle!

6 Ways to Prepare for An Unmedicated Birth:

1. Mindset Matters: Addressing your fears and your mindset happens long before the labor room. Replace your fears with TRUTH, and having a clear “WHY” for choosing an unmedicated birth is essential for a positive mindset.
2. Being Educated: Education gives you a sense of calm & peace to make the best decisions for your during your birth. Winging your birth is not an option.
3. Preparing Your Body: Understanding the power of the pelvis and movement during birth is monumental to your birth experience.
4. Creating a Supportive Birth Environment: If you create a birth environment that is supportive, you are going to feel safe while allowing the natural pain killers that we have flowing through our body to flow.
5. Unmedicated Pain Management Tools & Techniques: Understanding the importance of various unmedicated pain management techniques, including breath work, hot/cold therapy, & the comb technique.
6. Understanding Your Interventions & Your Birth Rights: Like I’ve said before, we don’t just refuse willy nilly. You need to know what this intervention is for, why it is used, and when it is appropriate. Should I say yes? Should I say no? You need to know your rights to navigate this.

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Knowing your why
• 03:00 How fear can physically stall or stop labor progression
• 05:00 Why birth education is non-negotiable
• 08:30 Preparing your body for birth - why the pelvis is your most powerful tool
• 13:30 Creating a supportive birth environment and team
• 19:30 Understanding interventions, the cascade effect, and your rights

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

Most birth prep focuses on you - your breathing, your birth plan, your body. But what about the person standing next to you? Because here's the truth: if your partner isn't prepared, they will default to the doctor. Every single time. And you'll be left feeling completely alone in one of the most intense, vulnerable moments of your life.

That's exactly why I brought Lena Athena onto the show. Lena is changing how the world understands boundaries. She created the Kind Boundaries framework to show that boundaries aren't a source of conflict, they're the foundation of every healthy relationship. She's a TEDx speaker, founder of the boundaries practice app HEARD, and author of a forthcoming book on belonging and boundaries. She specializes in supporting women in the most boundary-violated season of life: the transition into motherhood.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why partners shut down in the labor room
• The conversation you need to have before you ever go into labor
• How to have the hard conversations without blowing up your relationship
• The role relationship dynamics play in the birth room
• Three steps to get back on the same team if you've already drifted apart

You should not have to choose between advocating for yourself and keeping the peace. With the right preparation - and the right conversations ahead of time - you can have both.

More from Lena Athena:

Try the HEARD boundaries practice app free: https://heard.lenaathena.com/

Work with Lena privately: https://lenaathena.com/coaching

Follow Lena on Instagram & Threads @lenasathena

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Welcome Lena Athena
• 01:52 Boundaries in Motherhood
• 05:20 Why Advocacy Fails
• 08:14 Talk Before Labor
• 11:13 Align as Decision Makers
• 14:45 Practice Hard Talks
• 16:55 Team Based Conversations
• 24:45 Three Steps to Reconnect
• 28:19 Where to Find Lena

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

You spent months preparing for an unmedicated birth - the classes, the breathing, the mindset. And then your provider says induction, and your stomach drops. You know it's medically the right call, but it feels like everything you planned just went out the window.

Here's what I need you to hear: induction and unmedicated birth are not mutually exclusive. I've done it three times myself, and I've helped countless students do it too.

In this episode, we're breaking down exactly what induction actually means, what your real options are, and how to stay in the driver's seat - even when the plan shifts.

Join the Calm Mama Membership: labornursemama.com/cms

Leave a review and include your Instagram username for a chance to win our monthly raffle!

💡 What We Cover:

• Why induction doesn't have to mean the end of your unmedicated birth map
• What cervical ripening and Bishop score actually mean - and why your cervix being "favorable" matters so much before anything else starts
• Why Trish recommends against breaking your water unless you're in active labor (6+ cm and contracting regularly)
• How Pitocin can be run low and slow - and even stopped once your body takes over
• The story of Ashley: a first-time mom with gestational diabetes and hypertension who got the induction and the unmedicated birth she wanted
• The questions to ask your provider before you ever say yes or no to an induction

More from this episode:

• Listen to episode 227: Kelly’s Redemptive VBAC – From Induction & C-Section to Pulling Her Baby onto Her Chest
• Read the blog: Everything You Need to Know About Being Induced Everything You Need to Know About Being Induced
• Check out this Induction Workshop

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Inductions & Unmedicated Birth
• 02:22 Why Inductions Are Rising
• 03:56 A Student Induction Birth Story
• 04:57 Induction Methods Explained
• 06:53 Commitment And Pitocin Strategy
• 08:40 Mindset And Labor Pain
• 10:17 Questions To Ask Your Provider
• 11:07 Stack The Deck In Labor
• 12:43 You Can Still Have a Birth You Love

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

Ever stood in the baby food aisle feeling completely lost? This episode is for you.

This week, Trish sits down with Jordyn Koveleski Gorman - licensed speech-language pathologist, feeding specialist, and founder of Eat Play Say - to talk about the stuff your pediatrician simply doesn't have time to cover at a 15-minute well visit.

With nearly a decade of clinical experience and a community of over 800,000 parents, Jordyn breaks it all down in a way that will actually make mealtimes feel less like a battle and more like a win.

Join the Calm Mama Membership: labornursemama.com/cms

Leave a review and include your Instagram username for a chance to win our monthly raffle!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• 🥄 The #1 mistake parents make when introducing the highchair — and the simple shift that changes everything
• 🥦 Baby-led weaning vs. purees: which method is better? (Hint: Jordyn's answer might surprise you)
• 😤 Why your toddler suddenly hates the food they loved yesterday — and exactly what to say when it happens
• 🍕 The food prep trick that gets picky eaters to actually try new foods (no pressure, no power struggle)
• 💡 How to give your toddler just enough control to make mealtimes easier for everyone

The golden nuggets you don't want to miss:

Jordyn shares that babies may need 20 to 100 presentations of a food before accepting it - so that refusal at dinner? Completely normal. She also walks through why the experience around food matters far more than the method you choose, and how to build a positive relationship with mealtimes from the very first bite.

More from Jordyn from Eat, Play, Say:

Follow her on Instagram & TikTok: @eatplaysay

Visit EatPlaySay.com & Check out her handbooks available for parents!

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 What No One Tells You About Feeding Your Baby
• 04:02 Jordyn’s Story
• 10:42 Solids Refusal
• 14:59 High Chair Positive Start
• 15:41 Purees vs Baby Led
• 20:41 Choices Over Power Struggles
• 24:06 Control And Boundaries
• 29:57 Grace After Blowups
• 34:36 Kitchen Prep No Pressure
• 40:21 Validate Yucky Feelings
• 41:55 Where To Find Jordyn

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

She was 12 hours into labor when a nurse walked in carrying a tablet - and a judge appeared on the screen to decide what would happen to her body.

This isn't a social media horror story. This happened in Florida, in 2026, to a woman who was not only informed - she was a doula. She had a prior C-section complicated by a dangerous hemorrhage. Refusing another surgery wasn't a whim. It was a medical decision she had every right to make.

And a judge overruled her anyway.

In this episode, we're getting into all of it: what your rights actually are, where they get murky, and the three things I want you to do before you ever go into labor - because when you're in labor, your job is to labor.

In this episode:

• What actually happened in Florida - and why the details matter
• The difference between informed refusal and an unsafe one (these are not the same thing)
• Why "rights on paper" and what happens at 3 AM in a hospital room aren't always the same
• Why I call it a birth map, not a birth plan - and why this story is why I prefer a map over a plan
• The three things to do before labor
• Why the advocacy piece is non-negotiable, especially for Black women, who are far more likely to have their pain, rights, and refusals dismissed
• The one question that is one of the most powerful things you can say in a hospital room

This episode is not about walking in braced for a fight. It's about walking in prepared, calm, confident, and educated.

Resources mentioned:

• Calm and Confident Birth Course & Birth Bundle - understand your rights, your body, and your options before you walk in

Florida needs to change those laws. And until it does, the best thing you can do is prepare. Let's get you there.

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Judge In The Delivery Room
• 02:10 What Happened In Florida
• 03:55 Informed Consent And Refusal
• 05:30 Why Rights Get Murky
• 06:04 Birth Map vs Birth Plan
• 07:03 Getting Prepared Before Labor
• 09:38 Bring Your Support Team
• 10:35 Birth Advocacy

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

Stephanie brings a unique perspective to breastfeeding and postpartum support by combining occupational therapy expertise with lactation consulting. After 9+ years in the NICU and her own breastfeeding journey with her premature son in 2023, she's committed to helping families navigate lactation and infant development with confidence and compassion. In this episode, we talk about what a session with Stephanie looks like, prenatal prep, postpartum red flags, and why asking for help isn't optional—it's essential.

Before Baby Arrives: 3 Powerful Prenatal Choices

1. Take a prenatal lactation class — Most insurance covers it. Being prepped gives you options and confidence.
2. Get your breast pump early (33-34 weeks) — Insurance usually covers it. Don't wait until you need it.
3. Leverage your insurance — Most plans cover prenatal classes AND pumps. That's free education and equipment.

After Baby Arrives: 3 Powerful Reasons to Ask for Help

1. Ask for help. You need rest. You need support. There's no medal for doing it alone.
2. If you're experiencing pain, reach out immediately. Pain is NOT normal. A qualified IBCLC can help.
3. If something feels off with baby, get assessed. Clicking, gulping, arching, popping on and off—reach out to a professional.

"You don't have to push through the pain. You don't have to do it alone. Ask for help, and let people come alongside you." - Stephanie Wong, Certified NICU OT & Lactation Consultant

• Seek an IBCLC over a CLC. IBCLCs have more rigorous training standards.
• Consider booking postpartum support privately. Hospital LCs have time constraints; private sessions offer more thorough care.
• In-person or virtual? Both work. Choose what fits your life.

Stephanie's Practice: Lovely Littles Therapy

Instagram & Website: @lovelylittlestherapy | lovelylittlestherapy.com

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Whole Family Lactation
• 01:30 NICU Roots & Personal Journey
• 04:15 What a Session Looks Like
• 06:45 Prenatal Breastfeeding Prep
• 13:31 Postpartum Tips + Myth Busting
• 16:30 Red Flags When Breastfeeding
• 19:19 Weight Checks Pediatrician Support
• 21:35 Partners Bonding Beyond Bottles
• 23:57 Where to Find Stephanie

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!

Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍

⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐

Connect w/ Trish:

On Instagram

On YouTube

For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services