Childbirth Education or a Birth Class is an important step in your preparation for labor and birth. It not only helps a pregnant person understand what’s happening during labor in their body, but also helps them decide what things are important to them or what factors matter for them in the birth and postpartum period. 

Birth is hard; that is a well known fact. So what are some factors that can make it easier? This list is just a start of course, but it is a few things that I believe makes birth easier to mentally, emotionally and physically experience

What Happens With My Hormones after Giving Birth? How will I feel during the postpartum time? I remember asking these questions during pregnancy. These are common questions to have because of the talk about Postpartum Depression and then Postpartum Anxiety.  There is a lot happening with your hormones in the postpartum days and weeks and that is one more reason why rest and patience is so important. 

Nourishment is a vital part of the postpartum time. There are many specific traditions throughout the world on the best ways to nourish a postpartum person. The guest we have today is an expert in Ayurveda and will give us insight into how that medicinal tradition recommends nourishment to look after a birth.

The timeline of healing after a birth is slightly different for everyone. How quickly you heal from a birth depends somewhat on what kind of birth you had. There is a variety of parts of postpartum that impact healing after a birth.

If a person tears during vaginal delivery then the next question is usually how can I heal? Healing vaginal tears is a spectrum, just like anything in birth and postpartum. This episode dives into some tips about how to help that process proceed. 

Tearing during birth is one of the things most of us worry about! I know I did! I also hear many people saying they are trying not to tear without fully understanding how common tearing is and how it happens (in some small way) every time a person gives birth. Today’s question is How Common is a Tear During Vaginal Birth?

The question of when you might lose your mucous plug is a popular one. In part because it often gets associated with the start of labor, but that’s not always the case. While losing your mucous plug (or bits of it!) means your cervix is preparing for labor it does not mean that anything is imminent. This episode dives into when you may lose it.

If an epidural is part of your birth plan you may be wondering when it’s the right time to get one. Now, as in the case of many of the questions I answer, there is more than one answer to this! It depends one what your plan is and how your labor progresses.

Hospital Bags, Birth Center Bags, and Go Bags for a home birth…all are important and all need preparation ahead of time! This episode dives into when the “go bag” should be packed and what to do about things you need to add later!

Choosing the right time to take a Childbirth Class can be a stressful thing! But that’s not necessary. Choose the kind of class you’d like to take and then from there factor in having it completed by the first part of your 3rd trimester. Listen to hear more information about timing!

Placenta encapsulation is gaining popularity and press so this episode is entirely about myths that come along with the ingestion of placentas. There are many benefits that people find from placenta ingestion. I am not a placenta expert, so today we will hear from Jade Hillery about all the things placenta ingestion.

There are two main ways placentas are routinely delivered during a vaginal delivery. Active Management and Expectant Waiting. This episode goes into the what, how, when and why of those two forms of management and gives you context for them both.

Placentas happen where the egg implants in the uterus. That can occur anywhere, but occasionally when the placenta is on or near the cervix and oftentime someone says “it may move”. The problem is that the placenta is not like a walking tree that climbs its way up the uterus. This episode dives into placenta placement and if/when it relocated and what that means since it can’t walk!

Why do we grow a placenta and What is it used for? The Placenta is the only temporary organ and it’s grown during pregnancy (a new one for every pregnancy!). It is a wonderful organ and this episode goes into some more details about what it is and what it does.

Do I or do I not need to do kegels a million times a day? That is the question! While you don’t need to do them a million times a day, they are beneficial for some people, but not everyone. There is nuance! Which is true for so many things in life. This episode features Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Katie Bayer to answer the question: Do I need to do Kegels in Pregnancy for us!

Does everyone poop while they push during labor? What does it mean if you do? Can it be avoided? Listen to this episode to learn more!

1, 2, 3 PUSH!!!! While sometimes the movies show us that type of pushing during childbirth, that’s not what pushing has to be. Many people say “push like you’re pooping” but that’s not entirely correct either. Ideally you’re not pushing while you poop! And while the pressure of baby’s head can feel like a massive poo, it doesn’t have to be forcibly pushed out.

Babies so frequently come in the early hours of the morning. Night time is a favorite labor time for bodies in part because the oxytocin is high and people are relaxed and cozy. Because we know this we can apply it to labor during all hours of the day and night! But the cozy level is best if it’s personal to the person in labor, so it takes some extra advanced planning.

Is this labor? What about now?? Will I know when I’m in labor? How are labor contractions different than Braxton Hicks Contractions? You may have asked one of these questions….or maybe all of these questions! This episode really breaks down the difference between Braxton Hicks or Pre-labor contractions and contractions that get that baby out!