Listen in to learn what's considered a safe amount of caffeine during pregnancy. Get info on the amount of caffeine in many common beverages (like Starbucks) at the Center For Science In The Public Interest - https://www.cspinet.org/caffeine-chart Take my FREE birth plan class! - drnicolerankins.com/birthplan Our Sponsors: * Check out Dr. Mom Butt Balm at drmombuttbalm.com. Also available on Amazon and at Walmart! * Check out Informed Pregnancy Media: www.informedpregnancy.tv * Check out...

Fibroids, two C-sections, and one myomectomy. Denise showed incredible strength and bravery along her difficult path to motherhood. In addition to carrying her baby, she had fibroids that grew to enormous size - one was the size of a grapefruit! She had a myomectomy (fibroid removal) and two months afterward she discovered that she was pregnant again. She was told specifically not to get pregnant for at least 24 months to let her uterus heal but, as Denise says, “things happen”! Since...

The concern about eating deli meat in pregnancy revolves around the bacteria listeria. You'll learn what is listeria, how it can be very serious for your baby and what you can do to prevent it - including whether or not you should eat deli meat. Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way - Free Class! drnicolerankins.com/birthplan Our Sponsors: * Check out Dr. Mom Butt Balm: https://drmombuttbalm.com/ * Check out Ritual and use my code DRNICOLE for 20% off: https://ritual.com/drnicole * Visit...

Today I'm sharing a lesson from my online childbirth education class - The Birth Preparation Course! In this episode, you’re going to learn about the stages of labor. Every labor is different but there are some common generalities that are true most of the time. From the first contractions to pushing out your baby, I’ll walk you through the steps so you’ll know what to expect. This lesson is great in audio but it's even better in video! If you want to check out the course after listening to...

This is adult content so if you have kiddos, pop in those headphones! You'll hear me share how I pulled a sex toy from someone's vagina that had been in there for 4 - yes 4 - days. You'll also hear about whether sex in pregnancy is safe (spoiler alert it's very safe!) and some other helpful info (like some women actually have an increased sex drive during pregnancy - that's normal!). Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way - FREE Class! drnicolerankins.com/birthplan Our Sponsors: * Check out Dr....

Pregnant women and people who need psychiatric medication are uniquely underserved. There’s a big knowledge gap and it’s not just the general public. Med school doesn’t teach much about mental health medication and pregnancy. Fortunately, today’s guest is here to share information and dispel myths! Dr. Stephanie Waggel is a psychiatrist certified in perinatal mental health, specifically, advanced studies in perinatal psychopharmacology (medication for pregnant people). She’s one of very few...

Only about 5% of women give birth on their actual due date! Yes 5%! The due date is still important as we use it to track how far along you are in your pregnancy so we can make sure your baby is growing as expected and we do tests at the appropriate time. Learn when most women give birth in this short episode. And to get the details on all the tests that are done during pregnancy (we as ob/gyns don't always do a great job of explaining this) grab my free guide to prenatal tests at...

Kelsey had a cesarean for her first birth and when she got pregnant with her second baby VBAC wasn’t exactly on her radar. After discussing it with her doctor, her hope was to either have a medicated vaginal birth or a c-section but, of course, neither of those happened. The delivery went so quickly that, even though she was “screaming bloody murder,” it was too late for her to get pain meds. A lot of people hope for a quick labor and birth but that can have its drawbacks, too. For Kelsey,...

In this short episode I tell you a bit about my background, training and how I came to do this work. This is important because these days there are more and more people popping up (especially on social media) talking about pregnancy, birth and women’s health topics in general. And It’s really important that you get information from reliable and trustworthy sources. But here's the thing - YOU have to decide what you consider a reliable and trustworthy source.  So listen and learn my education,...

It's 2024 and although I don't do new year's resolutions per se, I do like to take some time to think about what I can do to set myself up for a good year ahead. In this episode, I want to share some of the energies that we can bring into this 2024 to help set ourselves up for great experiences in pregnancy, birth, and life in general. Now I’m going to go through a few intentions but do NOT feel like you have to implement all of them. Start with picking a couple and bookmark this episode for...

We all need to look back on our accomplishments from time to time! In this shortie episode I'm looking back on 2023 accomplishments for The All About Pregnancy & Birth PodcastThe Birth Preparation Course (drnicolerankins.com/enroll)Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way Class (drnicolerankins.com/birthplan)Social MediaMy work at the bedside as a practicing OB/GYNPersonal life accomplishments What did you accomplish in 2023 that you're proud of? DM me on Instagram @drnicolerankins and let me...

At the end of the year, I like to do a recap of the most downloaded episodes. Looking back at the number of times the podcast was streamed in 2023 amazes me. You all listened to the show over 583,000 times this year - that's over 1,500 times a day! I am so grateful that you tune in and find this information helpful. Now today I’m sharing the top three solo episodes, top four interviews, and top five birth stories. You’re going to love revisiting the best of 2023 and I can’t wait to see where...

It started with abdominal pain and ended with a medical helicopter ride... and a detour in the middle at the airport. Listen to hear the story and lessons learned from it. Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way - FREE Class! - drnicolerankins.com/birth-plan Check out The Birth Preparation Course, my online childbirth education class - drnicolerankins.com/enroll Our Sponsors: * Check out Dr. Mom Butt Balm: https://drmombuttbalm.com/ * Check out HomeThreads.com/DRNICOLE to get a code for 15% off...

The American healthcare system doesn’t value preventative care, especially when it comes to reproductive health. One tool that could help in preventing injury and improving healing after birth is pelvic floor physical therapy. It’s not a standard part of maternity care so its benefits aren’t widely known by practitioners - even I didn't know that pelvic floor physical therapists could help with pregnancy and birth related issues until years into my practice. It may not even occur to providers...

In this episode you'll learn why we prescribe baby aspirin, who should take it and how much. Low-dose aspirin (81 mg/d a.k.a. baby aspirin) reduces the frequency of preeclampsia, as well as related adverse pregnancy outcomes (preterm birth, growth restriction), by approximately 10-20%. Low-dose aspirin should be started after 12 weeks and ideally before 16 weeks and continued daily until delivery. Low-dose aspirin is recommended for: Pregnant individuals with one or more of the following...

This is a hard story but I hope that you listen. It’s such a demonstration of strength and resilience through an incredibly challenging time. After a normal pregnancy, Kerry lost her daughter to a rare epileptic condition at 3 months old. What happened to Kerry and her family is rare but rare does not mean it doesn’t happen. The reality is that sometimes very difficult and painful circumstances happen during pregnancy and birth and things aren’t going to be ok. We need tools to deal with...

The physical environment around you can make a HUGE impact on your labor and birth! There are 4 things you can influence in your hospital room to help create a positive, supportive energy around your birth (lights, smells, sounds, things). Take my FREE birth plan class drnicolerankins.com/birth-plan Join The Birth Preparation Course - drnicolerankins.com/enroll Our Sponsors: * Check out ByHeart and use my code DRNICOLE for 10% off your first order! - https://byheart.com/podcast * Check out...

The blessing and curse of living in the digital age is the overwhelming amount of information. How are you supposed to know what’s reliable and what’s not? It can feel paralyzing to have every fact at our fingertips. Fortunately, you’ve got experts like myself and Sharon Mazel to help cut through the noise. Sharon is an internationally recognized parenting and pregnancy expert, author, journalist, speaker, parenting coach, and mom of four with over 25 years experience in the field. She wrote...

These are great gift ideas to help postpartum. You can give them or ask for them in your registry! And learn more about postpartum doulas in episode 115 of the podcast. Our Sponsors: * Check out ByHeart and use my code DRNICOLE for 10% off your first order! - https://byheart.com/podcast * Check out Informed Pregnancy Media: www.informedpregnancy.tv * Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/ * Check out Warner Bros: https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/the-color-purple Advertising...

Mary Rose’s labor went so fast she wouldn’t have had time for medication if she wanted it. She went from “let’s do this” to “your baby’s here” in only 20 minutes of pushing! After struggling through a violently ill pregnancy, she got the beautiful birth she dreamed of. Hyperemesis gravidarum made the first 20 or so weeks of Mary Rose’s pregnancy a nightmare.  It’s more than just morning sickness. Hyperemesis refers to extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. She couldn’t keep anything...

It's Thanksgiving this week so I’m sharing 10 things I’m thankful for. I have so much gratitude and a big part of that is YOU. I know your time is valuable and I appreciate that you choose to spend it with me. It’s such a privilege to serve people during one of the most meaningful events of their lives. Whether it’s at the bedside or sharing information on this podcast, I don't take it lightly that what I get to do is really special and I am incredibly, incredibly grateful to do this...

My NICU baby is turning 16 this week! So I'm sharing 5 things I remember from that difficult time. Also if you have a baby in the NICU, do check out episode 76 of the podcast with neonatologist Dr. Terri Major-Kincade. It's the episode I wish I had when I had my NICU baby! https://drnicolerankins.com/episode76/ Our Sponsors: * Check out ByHeart and use my code DRNICOLE for 10% off your first order! - https://byheart.com/podcast * Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/ * Check...

Why does Dr. Lauren Cook call Gen-Z and Millennials “Generation Anxiety”? There are a lot of reasons and you’re going to learn about them - and a lot more - in this fascinating episode on mental health.  Whether you’re pregnant, in the postpartum, or even if you’re still trying, a lot of challenging feelings can come up. Today’s guest is a clinical psychologist and a mother. She brings a healthy blend of science and personal experience and I know you’re going to learn a lot from her! In this...

This week’s episode is a rebroadcast all about midwifery care. It's a “Dr. Nicole Favorite” because the midwifery model of care is outstanding. All of us who work in maternal health should learn about it, implement midwifery care aspects into the care we provide, and you should look for these elements in the care you receive regardless of whether or not you have a midwife. I was initially inspired to do this episode after hearing Heidi (episode 119) talk about how her midwife worked so well...

In this short episode you're going to learn my honest thoughts about the term pregnant people. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this! Shoot me a message through my website drnicolerankins.com/contact or send me a DM on Instagram @drnicolerankins. And Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way in my free class! Sign up here. Our Sponsors: * Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/ * Check out Warner Bros: https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/the-color-purple Advertising Inquiries:...