What You Didn't Expect in Fertility, Pregnancy & Birth: Real Stories & Expert Insights

Today we'll talk with Dr. Carl Weiner, MD, MBA

He has been working on  developing testing that can PREDICT PREMATURITY and EARLY ONSET PREECLAMPSIA as early as 12 weeks into the pregnancy.

*If it is detected, WHAT can be done?

*What  are his hopes for the FUTURE of PREGNANCY

You can find Dr. Weiner here: https://www.creighton.edu/campus-directory/weiner-carl-p

In this week's episode we hear the rest of Hannah's story: 

*we hear about the premature birth of her son 

* how she manages his care during his long stay in the NICU

and
*how he's doing now.

We also hear more from Dr. Weiner, who is working on a test that can predict both prematurity and early onset preeclampsia to try to prevent these issues from arising in a pregnancy. 

We pick up where we left off last week; Hannah has checked into the hospital at 23 weeks five days because she's having contractions and doesn't know if this is the birth or Braxton Hicks..

In today's episode I speak with a woman who was very much caught off guard by a condition called PPROM--preterm premature rupture of membranes when she was 22 weeks along.

She talks about how she managed all the twists and turns of her experience, and despite all the hard things that happened, many things made her feel lucky.

We also hear from an OB/scientist who is working on a test that can be used to predict premature birth, among other things, long before it arrives. 

JAMA article about NICU policy
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2815359

Find Dr. Carl Weiner's work here: https://www.creighton.edu/campus-directory/weiner-carl-p

In today's episode we hear the rest of Corinne's story.
In particular: 
*What she learned in her repeated trips to the ER
*What she took away from the challenging things she experienced.
*What she'd do differently next time

.We'll also hear from Dr. Chapa, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics & gynecology at Texas A&M College of medicine, who shares some of his expertise about pregnancy and hypertension.
You can find his podcast, Clinical Pearls, here

In today's episode :

we hear the story of a first time mother who has a by the book pregnancy which slides off the tracks in delivery and postpartum.

In this first part of our conversation, she shares:

* how she and her husband managed the uncertainty that seemed to come without much warning.

We'll also hear from a fantastic OB (Dr. Hector Chapa) who gives a wider medical context to this story and helps us understand gestational hypertension that appears after delivery. 

Catch Dr. Chapa's podcast, Clinical pearls here

In today's episode, I finish my conversation with Angie.
She's a mindset coach and worked in early interventions from birth to three.

we talk about parenting the son that she initially fostered and then adopted;
how her training and experience led to a new approach, both in her own life and her work.

She talks about how important mindset is and how to manage our mindset

You can find Angie here: https://www.connectedparentswithangie.com/

In today's episode I speak with a MINDSET COACH about her experience with pregnancy and with fostering and then adopting a child. She talks about what she learned with respect to colic and tongue tie and some of the challenges she met in this process and how she, someone trained in early interventions from birth to three, ultimately had to change the way she approached parenting. What follows is the first part of our conversation. 

Trends in home and birth center births, 2004-2017
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8827343/#:~:text=(AABC%2C%202021)
Definitions of Preterm Birth
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11386/
Tongue Tie
https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/tongue-tie-in-adults#9

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10167863/

his week I finish my conversation with Suzzie. She shares:
* how the second birth felt like a redemption of the first one
* all the things she did between the first and second births to make that outcome more likely, including:
* more birth education
* facing her fears
*managing her expectations.

 We pick up where we left off last week. Suzzie has spent hours contracting and waiting and ultimately her stalled labor leads to a C section. She's now been left in the recovery room by herself, with little sense of where her husband and new baby are.

You can find Suzzie's contacts:
Childbirth Class: https://shebirthsbravely.com/learn

What Does Your Birth Plan Say About Your Personality Quiz:  https://shebirthsbravely.com/quiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shebirthsbravely/

This week's episode features that story of a woman who had two nearly opposite experiences of birth.
 Like many of us, the FIRST one was ROUGH--including anything but gentle treatment at the hospital and an unpleasant C section;

The SECOND was a vast improvement, which started her on a journey to learn more about birth and to become what she needed that first time around: an excellent DOULA;

 what follows is the first part of our conversation
Molar Pregnancy

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17889-molar-pregnancy

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/molar-pregnancy/symptoms-causes/syc-20375175
Connection between Psychological State and Labor Progress
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027004/

https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/labor-and-delivery/when-labor-stalls/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595201/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595201/

ACOG: infection after PROM

https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2019/02/approaches-to-limit-intervention-during-labor-and-birth

To find Suzzie' s contacts:
Childbirth Class: https://shebirthsbravely.com/learn

What Does Your Birth Plan Say About Your Personality Quiz:  https://shebirthsbravely.com/quiz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shebirthsbravely/

In todays episode we hear the end of Tanya's story.

To remind everyone, last week we left Tanya:

*She's spent the whole pregnancy on a boat with her 4 other children & husband
*the boat is docked in Sarasota Florida for the birth
*Although it's her 5th birth, it doesn't go quickly
*The midwife sends her to see an acupuncturist during her stalled labor
*Tanya is terrified of needles

Listen to how this birth unfolds....

Castor oil and labor
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7138266/

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ebb-128-inducing-labor-with-castor-oil-and-dates/