The Labor Line

This week, we are AGAIN joined by my friend Tessa, a mom of five! In this episode, we are wrapping up her story by walking through her last 2 birth experiences.

While pregnant with her fourth child, Tessa developed a kidney stone so large that she was unable to pass it!! She had to wear a urostomy bag to drain her kidneys until she was 6 weeks postpartum. This physically complex pregnancy caused her to transfer her care from her home midwife to a hospital, where she eventually had a successful, epidural-less induction at 39 weeks.

Following this difficult experience, Tessa was motivated to finish out her childbearing journey on a high note. Thankfully, her last pregnancy went smoothly, and she was able to have yet another redemptive birth at home, surrounded by her four other children.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Podcast Announcement

00:11:36 - 4th Child: Kidney Stone Complications + Epidural-less Induction

01:11:22 - 5th Child: Calm Pregnancy + Redemptive Home Birth

This week I’m joined by my friend Tessa, a mom of five! In this episode, we walk through her first three birth stories, and next week she’ll be back to share the final two.

Tessa’s journey started on what she calls a medical conveyor belt, where she didn’t feel like she had much say in her own birth experience. Fortunately, for her next two babies, she was able to connect with a wonderful community of moms, birth educators, and midwives who empowered her with the tools she needed to have two redepemtive home births.

I can’t wait for you to see how each one of Tessa’s five babies gave her the opportunity to grow. It is seriously inspiring to see how she embraced each new challenge and became a more intentional, empowered version of herself with each birth.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Tessa

00:13:30 - Miscarriage

00:15:31 - 1st Child: Induction, Group B Strep, Epidural Delivery, & Breastfeeding Struggles

00:47:30 - 2nd Child: Empowering Community, Positive Home Birth, & Positive Breastfeeding

01:23:17 - 3rd Child: Physically Taxing Pregnancy, Diastasis Recti, & Emotional Home Birth

This week I’m joined by my friend Natasha, who had to overcome some fears about labor and motherhood before she felt ready to become a parent. After a positive pregnancy and a long labor that included forceps after 4 hours of pushing (!!), she once again had to learn to trust herself and God to manage her postpartum anxiety.

Although her mental health has continued to play a role in her experience, Natasha is a huge advocate for adding positivity and hope to the conversation surrounding childbirth and motherhood. Her episode offers such a wonderfully balanced and uplifting perspective to anyone who has ever wondered, “Can I really do this?”

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Natasha

00:11:56 - Pregnancy: Positive Pregnancy After Overcoming Fear

00:35:53 - Labor: Epidural, 4 Hours of Pushing, + Forceps Delivery

00:46:03 - Postpartum: Mental Health Struggles & Finding Joy in Her Son

01:22:29 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week I’m joined by my friend Summer, who gave birth standing up and caught her own baby! Summer takes us through how she prepared for her positive, unmedicated hospital birth, both physically and spiritually. She also gets real about the pain of back labor and how that affected some of her coping mechanisms, as well as the unexpected curve balls of postpartum, including recovering from a tear, postpartum depression, and a migraine that lasted 3 months!

Despite the bumps, Summer seriously has the best energy towards birth and motherhood as a whole. I’m so grateful for the positive perspective she brought to the podcast this week!

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Summer

00:08:30 - Pregnancy: Prepping for Birth & Being Past Due

00:51:42 - Labor: Back Labor, Getting Vocal, & Catching Her Baby

01:13:49 - Postpartum: Learning the Purpose of Resting + Long-Lasting Migraine

01:23:43 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week I’m joined by my friend Allie, who endured passing a kidney stone while in her 3rd trimester!! Truly chilling stuff. But, beyond that, Allie shares her experience with high blood pressure near the end of both of her pregnancies that ultimately resulted in two positive, epidural-less inductions that she takes us through beat-by-beat. She also opens up about the difficulty of having a baby who refused to sleep through the night for a whole year and how that impacted her postpartum mental health. Her postpartum experience was then transformed through a few new friendships that serve as a beautiful reminder of the power of community.

Allie’s story is truly uplifting and downright hilarious in many instances. If you’re looking for a motherhood pick-me-up, this episode is for you!

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Allie

00:10:18 - 1st Pregnancy: Inconsistent Periods, 5 Months of Trying, & High Blood Pressure Readings

00:14:57 - 1st Labor: Cervidil Induction at 37 Weeks, Unexpected Transition, & Unmedicated Delivery

00:32:58 - 1st Postpartum: Lack of Sleep, PPA, & Making New Mom Friends

00:48:35 - 2nd Pregnancy: Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction, Staying Active, & Passing a Kidney Stone

01:01:25 - 2nd Labor: Cytotec Induction at 39 Weeks, Rapid Dilation, & Planned Unmedicated Delivery

01:19:41 - 2nd Postpartum: Positive Sleep Training & Supportive Community

01:30:57 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

Today I am joined by me, myself, and I as I recap my 2nd trimester experiences. Y’all sent in questions to guide today’s conversation, and I loved the opportunity to look back on a truly transformative time. We talk about all things cravings, left-field symptoms, baby showers, nursery prep, and where I’m at with my birth plan. It’s such a privilege to deep dive into my journey through motherhood with y’all! Thanks for being here 🩷

This week, I’m joined by my friend Emma, who prepared for an unmedicated birth that actually didn’t come to fruition because her baby was breech. After trying everything in the Spinning Babies handbook, she decided to pivot and use the very same mental coping techniques that she had learned for her natural birth to prepare for an ultimately positive C-section birth. 

She shares beautiful memories of the love she felt the first time she saw her son, the joy of skin-to-skin, and the bonding experiences her little family shared together afterwards. Even with a spinal block headache and a painful start to breastfeeding, she was able to stay grounded in her postpartum experience by remembering that things can be difficult and sweet at the same time, but that with motherhood, it always comes out worth it in the end. 

Chapters:

00:00 - Meet Emma

07:59 - Pregnancy: Positive Pregnancy, Natural Labor Prep, & Failed ECV

20:51 - Labor: Leaking Water, Working Through Early Labor, & Peaceful C-Section

29:09 - Postpartum: Skin-to-Skin, Instant Love, & Breastfeeding Challenges

52:02 - To My Pre-Mom Self… 

This week, I’m joined by my friend Lauren, whose epidural worked a little too well to the point that she broke her pubic bone without even realizing it! In this episode, Lauren walks us through her 3 pitocin & cervidil inductions and 2 failed inductions. She also experienced preeclampsia with all 3 of her pregnancies, but gradually learned how to manage her symptoms and advocate for proper care.

Even though there were some bumps along the way, Lauren’s stories have so many beautiful highs, like when she was able to catch her own baby during delivery or when she had a bonding moment with her daughter that reminded her that they were chosen for one another. 

This episode is like a breath of fresh air. So if you’re looking for an uplifting conversation about all things motherhood, this one’s for you!

Trigger Warning: Mention of infant death (40:25 to 40:39)

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Lauren

00:09:05 - 1st Pregnancy: Conflicting Advice & Late Preeclampsia Diagnosis

00:16:29 - 1st Labor: Powerful Epidrual + Broken Pubic Bone

00:18:33 - 1st Postpartum: Postpartum Anxiety & Emotional Breastfeeding Struggles

00:29:04 - Miscarriage

00:30:52 - 2nd Pregnancy: Processing Pregnancy After Loss

00:35:19 - 2nd Labor: Failed Epidural, Advocating for Herself, & Catching Her Own Baby

00:41:43 - 2nd Postpartum: Residual Empowerment From Birth + Self Compassion in Breastfeeding

00:55:14 - 3rd Pregnancy: Phantom Pregnancies & Managing Preeclampsia

00:59:17 - 3rd Labor: Embracing an Unplanned, Unmedicated Birth

01:02:19 - 3rd Postpartum: Gaining Confidence & Finding Peace in Breastfeeding

01:19:07 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week, I’m joined by my sister-friend, Rachel, who is the third and final of my sisters-in-laws to share her story with us! Rachel went through quite the journey to bring her two daughters into the world. Starting with endometriosis-related fertility struggles, followed by hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and severe preeclampsia that led to one daughter being born at 30 weeks and the other at 33 weeks. We discuss extended NICU stays, the long-term effects of being a micropremie, and how Rachel learned to stand up for her family through it all. 

This week’s discussion is a bit heavier, but it is a reminder of the power of a mother’s intuition and the strength that comes when fighting for your children.

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Trigger Warning: Discussion of miscarriage and traumatic birth throughout

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Rachel

00:19:50 - 1st Pregnancy: PCOS + Clomid, HG, & Bed Rest at 29 Weeks

00:52:33 - 1st Delivery: Preeclampsia & Life Saving Measures

01:01:58 - 1st Postpartum: 2 Month NICU Stay & Learning to be Assertive

01:15:46 - 2nd Pregnancy: Secondary Infertility, Subchorionic Hematoma, & Feeding Tubes

01:32:42 - 2nd Delivery: Failed Stress Tests, Redemptive C-Section, & OR Skin-to-Skin

01:40:12 - 2nd Postpartum: COVID in the NICU & Coping with Postpartum OCD

01:55:42 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week I’m joined by my new friend Kyla, who learned how to differentiate between what was in her control and what wasn’t early on in her motherhood journey. This distinction helped her achieve a positive, unmedicated hospital birth with the help of a doula, even through 12 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing, and an episiotomy! 

Kyla truly loved her birth experience and just being a mom overall, so this episode is perfect if you’re looking for some positive motherhood vibes!

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Trigger Warning: Mention of infant death (01:00:05 to 01:00:30)

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Kyla

00:12:38 - Pregnancy: Delayed Conception & Channeling Energy into Birth Prep

00:23:12 - Labor: Positive Unmedicated Hospital Birth + Doula Assistance

00:59:21 - Postparum: Immediate Adrenaline High, Breastfeeding Woes, & Loving Motherhood

01:08:36 - To My Pre-Mom Self…