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

In today's episode, Tonya and I talk about her second birth, which was different in almost every way from her first; Her first birth was an emergency C section in the hospital; her second was a smooth and serene home birth, but the aftermath was much trickier.

Tonya shares the things she learned about:

including children in the home birth process

the value of a doula, not only for the birth but for PP care

how (and when) to advocate for herself

Dr. Bervell also adds insights about the issues that come up, including PP depression and blood clots.

You can find more from Dr. Bervell here (https://drrachelbervell.com/)
"The Black ObGyn Project"  (https://theblackobgynproject.carrd.co/)
NPR piece on how to advocate for yourself in the exam room ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHnlKwk39nQ)

In today's episode, I speak with a woman who shares her experience of two births. 

In the first part of our conversation, which follows, we talk about:

 the first pregnancy which included:
hyperemesis and how she managed it

and a birth that started out as a vaginal birth that came to include: 
induction and an emergency C section

She shares hard won lessons about the need for surrender when her hospital birth that did not go as planned.

I also talk with a fantastic OB who is pioneering work on improving hospital systems to better address patient needs.
You can find Dr. Rachel Bervell's instagram page: "The Black ObGyn Project"
Dr. Bervell mentioned the benefits of doula care
Links:
https://healthlaw.org/doula-care-improves-health-outcomes-reduces-racial-disparities-and-cuts-cost/
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/doula-care-saves-lives-improves-equity-and-empowers-mothers-state-medicaid-programs
https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/dfcd768f1caf6fabf3d281f762e8d068/ASPE-Doula-Issue-Brief-12-13-22.pdf .

PCOS & fertility
https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/polycystic-ovary-syndrome

In today's episode,  I finish my conversation with Nadia, who shares:
* the process she went through in understanding her own history

*how she's used things like writing to explore difficult topics 

*how she's come to a better understanding about herself and her motivations in an effort to be mindful about what she passes on to her children.

I also include more insights from a fantastic therapist who talks about:

* ways to think about managing past traumas that can come up in pregnancy and postpartum

You can find Rebecca Geshuri at Family Tree Wellness
and Nadia at nadiacolburn.com/

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

In today's episode, I speak with a woman who shares how her experience of pregnancy and birth shifted her into a space in which she could connect with a buried sexual trauma from her past. 

NOTE:  this discussion is not explicit about the details of the trauma

In our conversation, we focus on how the physicality of pregnancy and birth could lead someone back to something else that happened to their body, another experience in which there was a significant loss of control.  

Today's guest is also a writer and a poet. I include some of her relevant work as part of her story.

To talk about this issue, I also include the insights of a fantastic therapist who is focused on therapy around many of the difficult things that can come up around this enormous transition.

Nadia's book of Poetry, The High Shelf
For more from Nadia, check out her website (see https://nadiacolburn.com/)

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

The intense things that can happen in the course of this transition can impact:
 how you see yourself, 
how you see your partner 
and how you parent 
The better we understand what happened to us, the better we can manage all the things that follow.

Today is the second part of my conversation with Alexis about experiencing and healing from her traumatic birth. The first conversation we had was shortly after the birth and another almost a year and a half later to see how her perspective had changed.

Today we talk about :
therapy
the challenges of being a new mother
what getting fired from her job taught her and 
how her experience influences how she parents

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

The intense things that can happen in the course of this transition can impact how you see yourself, how you see your partner and how you parent. The better we understand what happened to us, the better we can manage all the things that follow.

Todays episode  focuses on this fact. 

I originally interviewed today's guest just after what can reasonably be called a traumatic birth. What you'll hear today is our second conversation after she's had time to reflect on the things that happened; the focus of our discussion is on how differently she views her own experience given the work she and her partner have done to better understand what happened to them. In what follows, I will flip back and forth between what my guest said originally and how she views the same experience now.  Here's first part of our conversation

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

In today's episode I talk with Beth Warren LCSW and PMHC and author of a new workbook that focuses on helping us manage reproductive trauma. We discuss:

* better ways to manage the pain of miscarriage and loss

*what trauma in this space looks like

* how it can affect both ourselves and our partners,

and 

* the prospects for healing

 October is National pregnancy and infant loss Awareness Month so there's no better time to talk about this often emotionally tricky topic.

Bethany Warren's new book: Healing from Reproductive Trauma

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

In today's episode
 I finish my conversation with melissa.   We talk about:
How she manages the births of her two sons on the heels of a challenging reproductive journey

I also include the insights of a fantastic therapist who specializes in reproductive trauma.  She talks about:
 
How attachment might be affected by trauma,
How one might identify if they had a traumatic experience
Hope for the future despite a challenging past

Find the Pink Elephant Support Network

Melissa's books can be found here

Beth's book: Healing from Reproductive Trauma

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

In today's episode:
 I talk with a woman who had a very challenging experience with pregnancy.

She shares the story of a number of miscarriages and a stillbirth, as well as two pregnancies that led to the births of her two sons.

Pregnancy loss is an incredibly common and incredibly hard experience to navigate, and we often do it quietly or alone.

 Today's guest wants to change that reality.

I also share the insights of a fantastic therapist, Bethany Warren, who is well versed in reproductive trauma, who talks about the prospects of healing from these often challenging experience.

You can find Beth's new workbook on reproductive trauma here: Healing From Reproductive Trauma

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.

in today's episode I finish my conversation with Dawn Thompson, the founder of birthify.
We talk about the dramatic difference between
*the education you might get in a prenatal class run by a hospital
and
*the education that Dawn is advocating for, with very specific instances of how these two differ.

Ultimately the goal is not to give you the exact birth you want, because that's impossible to promise, but to try to give you the most empowered birth you can get.

To see Dawn's work at birthify: https://birthify.net/
Jen Hamilton inspiring work on nursing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jen_hamilton_/
Head's Up Documentary: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/products/heads-up-a-breech-birth-documentary

The Friedman curve
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(22)02265-7/fulltext
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3655692/

ARRIVE trial
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6821557/
Breech Birth
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01443610600797186
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7196223/
https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2018/08/mode-of-term-singleton-breech-delivery

This is a weekly show that highlights real pregnancy, birth & postpartum stories.