Today I'm thrilled to be joined on the podcast by Shalome Stone from Rockstar Birth Magazine.

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When Shalome and I first chatted, it took us a while to figure out what we'd focus on for our pocast chat because we could've had spoken on a whole range of stuff around birth. But once I'd spoken to her for a bit, I knew what it was. Shalome was telling me about her own journey into birth work and what sparked her interest, which for her it was her own crappy first birth experience. Shalome approached her first birth with confidence just believing that because she was a woman she would be fine, she "had all the bits" after all. Basically, she went with the 'winging it' strategy, otherwise known as "going with the flow".

Things didn't pan out all that great for her, which you can hear all about in the podcast. When the time came round for baby number two, she knew she had to do things differently. She knew that this time around she would need to do her homework and prepare. If you've been listening to the podcast, you'll know that I keep banging on about the need to prepare for your birth. This preparation is might include things like;

educating yourself about birth and the birthing process

learning about the birth choices you have and the decisions you might face

finding out about the birthing professionals that are available to support you in the lead-up and following your birth

doing emotional work if you have fears, anxieties or worries that you need support with

mental preparation to help you find toold and techniques that can help you to stay focussed and positive on the day

physical preparation in terms of exercises to strengthen your body for birth

Phew! Not a bad list for starters! It can be easy to see why this can seem overwhelming at first. But believe me when I say this; it's worth it. YOU'RE worth it! The thing is, the benefits of preparing aren't immediately obvious, especially for first time mums who have NO IDEA what awaits them.

So, perhaps I can convince you through talking about the impact of NOT PREPARING, and how using the 'winging it' strategy really does suck. As someone who went with the 'winging it' strategy, Shalome is much better placed to tell how much it does indeed suck.

We also talk about budgetting for birth and I ask Shalome "how much should you invest financially in your birth?". She compares our birthing day with other big days in our lives that we spend considerable sums on - namely the wedding, but one thing is clear from our chat. The far-reaching ripple effects of your births mean that investing in your birth is a no brainer.

I hope you enjoy our chat! And listen up for this utterly rockstar quote from Shalome "I don't have a magic vagina"

If you want to track down Shalome here are all the usual links

Website - www.rockstarbirthmagazine.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/rockstarbirthmagazine

Instagram - @rockstarbirthmag

Podcast - Rockstar Birth Radio

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