The Birth Experience with Labor Nurse Mama

What if tearing isn't inevitable? There is so much more you can do than "hope for the best," and it starts with a part of your body nobody ever taught you about: your pelvic floor.

My friend Sarah Almodovar is a mom of three, a prenatal yoga teacher, and a pelvic floor expert. She started by teaching yoga on a rooftop in NYC, and now she helps moms all over the world show up to birth prepared, confident, and far less afraid.

We're talking about the thing you've all told me you're most scared of - vaginal tearing - and how to take the fear out of it with practical tips to lessen your chance of tearing.

• Why vaginal tearing is such a hot topic (and why it's only a tiny part of your birth experience)
• Why the pelvic floor's real job is to release and open, not tense and push
• Sarah's 3 tips for moms worried about tearing
• Why "one, two, three, push" doesn't make sense, and what the research says about spontaneous pushing
• Why your birth team matters for your pelvic floor, too
• Red flags your body may be sending you now, like leaking when you sneeze, painful sex, or tailbone pain
• How learning to relax your pelvic floor can influence labor length, risk of tearing, and even C-section risk
• Why seeing a pelvic floor specialist and a Webster-certified chiropractor during pregnancy is worth it

More from Sarah Almodovar

• Birth-Ready Pelvic Floor Masterclass
• First 6 Weeks - use coupon code ‘TRISH’
• www.sarahjoalmo.com
• Follow her on Instagram & YouTube: @sarahjoalmo

Mentioned in this episode:

Listen to: Vaginal Tearing during Birth: Real & Gritty

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Is Tearing Inevitable?
• 01:30 Sarah’s No Tear Story
• 03:38 Mindset Over Outcomes
• 08:22 Three Tips To Prevent Tearing
• 15:33 Pelvic Floor Basics Explained
• 17:56 Advocacy And Red Flags
• 23:49 Masterclass And Programs
• 28:00 Where To Find Sarah

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

This episode is sponsored by Haakaa

Prodromal labor is one of the most frustrating things you can go through at the end of pregnancy, and hardly anyone prepares you for it. I'm walking you through what it is, what your body may be doing, how to tell it apart from active labor, and what to do when you're up night after night. You'll leave with a plan and a lot less panic.

In This Episode:

• What prodromal labor is, and how it differs from Braxton Hicks
• Why it can be your body's rehearsal for the real thing
• How to tell prodromal contractions from real, active labor contractions
• The Miles Circuit, a 90-minute positioning sequence to try
• Whether an Epsom salt bath helps (honest answer inside)
• Why rest is your best strategy, and why ignoring prodromal labor as long as you can is a skill

More from this episode:

Read the Blog: The Miles Circuit: Here's How To Induce Labor and Birth at the End of Pregnancy

Listen to this FREE Mini Audio Birth Class: Birth Insider

Thanks to our Sponsor Haakaa: Grab the Haakaa Petal Soft Silicone Milk Collector and use code ‘LOVELNM10’ for 10% off!

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Prodromal Labor
• 02:32 What Prodromal Labor Is
• 03:31 What Your Body Is Doing
• 04:23 Prodromal Vs Active Labor
• 06:26 Mile Circuit Positions
• 08:20 Baths Walking And Rest

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

This episode is sponsored by Snugghug

Have you ever been told your iron levels are "fine" and still felt exhausted, anxious, and completely off during pregnancy? I'm sitting down with Samantha Chandler of Wellness & Womb, a women's wellness coach who has completely changed the way I think about iron, minerals, and what our blood work is actually - and isn't - telling us.

Samantha's own journey started with a simple question during her second pregnancy: why were so many women around her low in iron? What she uncovered led her down a path most OBs never talk about - the difference between low iron in the blood and iron that's dysregulated in the body. And as someone who has stood at the bedside for a lot of hemorrhages, this conversation hit close to home for me.

We're getting into:

• Why "your iron is fine" doesn't tell the whole story - and what copper has to do with it
• The symptoms doctors write off as "just pregnancy" that may actually point to a mineral imbalance
• What the placenta can reveal about what was really happening in mom's body
• Why prenatal vitamins might not be doing what you think they're doing
• Practical, whole-food ways to support iron regulation - without supplements or infusions
• The "five minute rule" that helped Samantha decline an unnecessary induction

Samantha has worked with hundreds of women (and even coaches health providers) on this exact topic, and the results she's seen - including drastically reduced blood loss at birth - are the reason I wanted her on the show.

This one might change how you look at your next lab work.

More from Samantha Chandler:

Visit wellnessandwomb.com

Connect on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @wellnessandwomb

Thanks to our Sponsor Snugghug: Grab the Snugghug Nursing Cover and Nursing Shirt and use code 'LNMAMA10' for 10% off!

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Low Iron in Pregnancy
• 02:19 Samantha’s Health Journey
• 04:44 Iron Dysregulation Explained
• 06:34 Pregnancy Labs Misread
• 10:13 Testing Beyond Basics
• 17:45 Prenatals and Whole Foods
• 20:38 Labor and Birth Support

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

Just found out you're pregnant and wondering "now what?" Trish is breaking down the first trimester essentials - the stuff nobody tells you until you're six weeks in and suddenly flattened by exhaustion. From what's really happening in your baby's development to the food rules, spotting fears, and when (or if) to tell people your news, this episode is the guide Trish wishes every mama had the moment she saw two pink lines.

In this episode:

• Why folate (not folic acid) matters for your prenatal vitamin - and how the MTHFR gene variant plays a role
• The truth about first trimester fatigue and how to actually cope with it
• What to do if you experience spotting (and why it's more common than you think)
• How prenatal care is shifting toward telehealth in 2026
• Morning sickness vs. hyperemesis gravidarum - when to ask for help
• What genetic screening (NIPT) can tell you, and when it's offered
• Navigating the noise around pregnancy vaccines
• Food safety musts: what to skip and what's actually fine
• When to share your pregnancy news - and why it's nobody's call but yours
• Trish's own experience with nine pregnancies, six live births, and three losses

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab our Free Third Trimester Prep Pack

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 First Trimester Tips
• 02:10 Prenatal Folate Basics
• 02:53 Fatigue
• 03:48 Spotting and When to Call
• 04:23 Appointments and Telehealth
• 05:45 Morning Sickness Help
• 06:25 Genetic Screening NIPT
• 06:59 Vaccines and Food Safety
• 08:07 Sharing Pregnancy News

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

This Episode is Sponsored by Snugghug

Did you know 80% of your immune system lives in your gut - and your baby gets theirs from you? Whether you had a vaginal birth or a C-section, breastfed or formula fed, this episode is going to change the way you think about your baby's health from day one.

Trish sits down with Cheryl Hoy, CEO and founder of Tiny Health, the first at-home microbiome testing company for moms and babies. Cheryl's journey started with her own breech C-section birth and a mission to understand what that meant for her daughter's long-term health. What she found led her to build a company backed by scientists from Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and UCSF - and to become one of the loudest voices reminding moms that their birth mode isn't the end of the story. Trish and Cheryl dig into the science of the vaginal, gut, and skin microbiomes, why laboring (even before a C-section) still matters, and how the first 1,000 days of life set the stage for your child's immune system for years to come. This one is equal parts science lesson and permission slip - you are not powerless, no matter how your baby arrived earthside.

• Why babies born vaginally have a different gut microbiome than babies born via C-section - and how that connects to the "atopic march" (eczema → food allergies → asthma → hay fever)
• Why laboring - even if it ends in a C-section - still seeds your baby's microbiome with beneficial bacteria
• How vaginal exams during labor can introduce antibiotic-resistant hospital bacteria to your baby
• Why dads contribute up to 20% of a baby's microbiome in the first year (and even more with a C-section birth )
• What actually happens when you order a Tiny Health test, and how simple the process really is
• Why "failure to progress" might have less to do with your body and more to do with how supported you felt in the room
• How feeding mode (breast vs. formula) is the #1 most impactful lever for course-correcting gut health after a C-section
• Why the first 1,000 days - conception through age 2-3 - is the critical window for immune training, and what you can actually do about it

More from Tiny Health:

• Go to TinyHealth.com and use code LNM!
• Follow on Instagram: @tiny.health
• [email protected]

Thanks to our Sponsor Snugghug: Grab the Snugghug Nursing Cover and Nursing Shirt and use code 'LNMAMA10' for 10% off!

Mentioned in this episode:

• The VBAC Lab - Trish's course for vaginal birth after C-section

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Meet Cheryl from Tiny Health
• 07:04 What Is The Microbiome
• 12:46 Course Correcting In Early Life
• 19:07 Results, Support, And Dad’s Role
• 20:26 Microbiome Roles at Birth
• 23:07 Fighting for Breech Birth
• 33:30 Tiny Health Mission and Testing
• 36:09 Research Results and Future Care
• 37:26 Where to Find Tiny Health

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're 10 centimeters, and your nurse says "okay, let's push" - and without any discussion, you're guided into whatever position is easiest for everyone else in the room. Except it doesn't have to go that way. Trish is breaking down pushing positions, what the research actually says about each one, and exactly how to get the birth room to work with you - even if you have an epidural.

Trish pulls back the curtain on one of the most overlooked parts of birth prep: how you push. She traces the surprising (and slightly wild) history of why flat-on-your-back became the hospital default, walks through what the Cochrane Review actually found about upright versus lying-down pushing, and breaks down six different pushing positions - who each one is best for, what the research shows, and how to advocate for the one that's right for you. Whether you're planning unmedicated or you know an epidural is part of your plan, this episode makes sure you walk into your birth room already knowing your options.

• The real history behind the "default" position - and why it has nothing to do with what's best for you
• What the Cochrane Review found when comparing upright vs. lying-down pushing - fewer interventions, fewer abnormal fetal heart patterns, and a shorter pushing stage
• The tearing nuance nobody explains - upright positions may carry a higher chance of minor tearing, but a lower chance of episiotomy
• Six pushing positions, including who each one is best for: Lithotomy (on your back), Semi-recumbent, Side lying (Sims position), Hands and knees, Squatting and supported squatting, & Leaning forward on a raised bed
• Which positions work with an epidural - yes, you still have options
• Exactly what to say to your nurse or provider if they default to what's easiest for them, not what's best for you
• How to put your pushing preferences in your birth map before you ever walk into the hospital

• Labor Like a Pro Guide - Trish's illustrated labor positions guide, showing every pushing position and exactly when to use it.
• The Calm Birth Bundle - the full kit and caboodle, including the labor positions guide: labornursemama.com/calm

Thanks to our Sponsor Haakaa: Grab the Haakaa Gen.2 Plus Manual Breast Pump and use code ‘LNMAMA20’ for 20% off!

Offer available through 11/13/26

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Pushing Positions
• 03:11 What Research Shows
• 05:23 Lithotomy and Semi Recumbent
• 06:39 Side Lying for Control
• 07:46 Hands and Knees Benefits
• 09:25 Squatting for More Space
• 11:01 Leaning Forward Upright
• 11:58 Epidural Friendly Choices
• 13:21 How to Advocate Early

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

What would it feel like to go into labor fully prepared for your VBAC - and then have your baby flip breech in the middle of it? That's exactly what happened to Kathryn May, a VBAC Lab student and stay-at-home mom of two from Charlotte, NC.

After a traumatic first birth that ended in an unplanned C-section, Kathryn was determined to do things differently the second time around. She switched to a VBAC-supportive practice, brought her husband fully into the process, and walked into labor informed and ready. Things were progressing beautifully - until a routine check revealed something no one expected: baby James had flipped breech.

Kathryn's story isn't about getting the birth she planned. It's about what happens when you're prepared enough to handle it when the plan changes anyway - and still walk away feeling like you were part of every decision, confident, and empowered.

In this episode:

• Why Kathryn's first C-section left her feeling like things were "happening to her" instead of with her
• How to spot red flags with a provider who isn't truly VBAC-supportive (and why body language matters as much as their words)
• Getting her husband trained as an active advocate, not just a bystander
• The moment her midwife said, "I don't feel a head" - and what came next
• How Kathryn made her unplanned C-section feel informed and participatory instead of traumatic
• Why "you can refuse anything, but should you?" became her guiding question in the moment that mattered most

If Kathryn's story hit home for you - especially if your own birth didn't go the way you planned - be gentle with yourself. Whatever happened, you showed up, and that matters.

Share this episode with a mama preparing for her VBAC or preparing for birth. Hit subscribe, leave a review, and help us reach every mama who needs to hear this.

Connect with Kathryn:

Follow her on Instagram @drkathrynmay

More from this episode:

Join The VBAC Lab or explore The Calm Labor Birth Bundle

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 VBAC Lab Student Birth Story
• 01:56 First Birth C-Section
• 05:26 Switching to Supportive Team
• 10:45 Labor Begins at Home
• 15:32 Baby is Breech
• 18:09 Redemptive C-Section Plan
• 20:16 Baby James Arrives
• 26:36 Advice for VBAC Moms
• 28:26 Why Education Matters

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

Birth vibes are everywhere right now - and Jen Hamilton's book earned every bit of its #1 spot. But vibes alone won't get you through a decision in the delivery room. This week, Trish breaks down what Jen gets so right, and why you need both the vibes and the map.

Jen Hamilton's Birth Vibes has taken over birth prep conversations everywhere, and moms keep asking Trish the same question: is it vibes over plans now? Trish's answer - Jen's right, but it's not the whole picture. In this episode, Trish unpacks what "birth vibes" actually means (mindset, values, and grounded adaptability - not just "good energy and hope for the best"), and why that emotional preparation matters so much.

As a 16-year L&D nurse, Trish has watched moms walk in with beautiful energy and zero information, and freeze the moment a real decision hits. Her take: vibes get you into the right headspace, but you still need to know your options - because if you don't know your options, you don't have any. That's why Trish calls it a birth map, not a birth plan - a living, "why-behind-it" version of your preferences that holds both your values and your knowledge.

What You'll Learn Inside This Episode:

• What Jen Hamilton's "birth vibes" concept really means - and why it's not just "hope for the best"
• Why mindset and grounded confidence genuinely change birth outcomes
• The difference between a birth plan (a checklist) and a birth map (values + knowledge + flexibility)
• Why "if you don't know your options, you don't have any"
• How to bring vibes and information together so you can advocate for yourself in the moment
• What Trish's Birth Mastery Workshop adds to your birth prep after reading Birth Vibes

More from this episode:

Birth Plan Mastery Workshop

Read Birth Vibes by Jen Hamilton

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Birth Vibes
• 01:26 What Jen Really Means
• 03:04 Why Vibes Need Knowledge
• 04:26 Birth Map, Not a Checklist
• 06:47 Birth Mastery Workshop
• 08:26 Personal Note to Jen

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

I'm joined by Dr. Brooke Kalisiak, a pelvic physical therapist and owner of Legacy Physical Therapy in St. Louis. We’re diving into one of the most overlooked - but incredibly important - parts of your birth and postpartum journey: your pelvic floor.

Dr. Brooke Kalisiak helps women prepare for birth, recover postpartum, and overcome pelvic health issues like pain and bladder leakage so they can feel strong and confident without relying on medications or surgery. She’s passionate about educating women on what’s normal, what’s not, and how to take control of their pelvic health.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The biggest misconceptions about pushing during labor
• Why your pelvic floor needs to relax - not tighten - for birth
• Common postpartum symptoms women are told to “just live with”
• What actually happens during a pelvic floor therapy appointment
• How pelvic floor health impacts pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, and even menopause
• Why bladder leakage is common, but not normal
• Simple breathing techniques that support your core and pelvic floor
• When to see a pelvic floor therapist (hint: it’s never too early or too late)

If you've ever worried about tearing, leaking, painful recovery, or wondered whether pelvic floor therapy is right for you, this conversation is packed with practical information and reassurance.

Remember, mama: just because something is common doesn't mean it's normal. You deserve answers, support, and a body that feels strong and supported through every stage of motherhood.

More from Dr. Brooke Kalisiak:

legacytherapystl.com

Find her @legacyphysicaltherapystl on Instagram, FaceBook, & YouTube

Helpful Timestamps:

• 00:00 Pelvic Health
• 06:28 Practice Pushing Positions
• 09:57 Bladder Leakage And Stigma
• 12:21 When To See Pelvic PT
• 16:02 Pregnancy Core Breathing
• 20:59 Postpartum Visits Explained
• 29:21 Why a Baseline Matters
• 32:11 Hidden Pelvic Symptoms
• 34:40 Where to Find Dr Brooke

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 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 🤍

⭐ 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