What is it like to receive a positive Trisomy 21 diagnosis during early pregnancy and then prepare to give birth to and become a mother to a child with Down syndrome? Today's guest, the talented film director and writer, Amber McGinnis, opens up and gifts us with a very detailed and vulnerable account of her experience with this reality. She shares everything that she wishes she had known before and during her journey, how she got through a completely unmedicated hospital birth, and she also...

Taking care of a brand new tiny little human brings up a lot of questions and surprises. In this special mini-episode Christy shares surprising and fun facts about newborn babies that no one tells you before you give birth! PLUS Christy also reveals her most favorite newborn life hacks you should know about. LINKS: Newborn Educational Resources GAS DROPS! Newborn Nail Care Supplies: Emory Boards to File Their Tiny Nails and Awesome Baby Nail Scissors! Cradle Cap Cure Supplies: A Gentle...

Guest Alexis Edwards, LCSW & CD, shares her third and final birth story. We talk about what she learned during her first two birth experiences and how she worked to create a safer birthing environment for herself the third time around. What is it like to prepare for a home birth after having two babies in a hospital? How did she navigate the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the mix during her prenatal care, birth and postpartum experience? What is it like to have an...

Get ready for TWO very vulnerable birth stories today! Guest Alexis Edwards is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Doula who is an expert in helping birthing parents with a history of trauma have happy and empowered birth experiences. Alexis is working to create safer spaces for birthing parents everywhere by helping survivors of sexual trauma become more aware of the special emotional and mental challenges they may encounter by birthing a baby and she’s educating those survivors...

Today's birth story comes from the very funny actress and improv performer Marie Lively! She not only shares about her pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience, she also shares what it was like to perform on stage while pregnant, how she navigated building a support pod in the early days of caring for a newborn during a pandemic and her favorite books that helped her baby learn to sleep (her baby is 5 months old and sleeping from 6pm to 6am, can you believe it?). We also laugh about newborn...

Ready for a soothing and eye-opening therapy session? Today's guest is therapist and parental mental health expert Ashley Hanna-Morgan. She tells us her TWO BIRTH STORIES (one with an epidural and one without any pain meds!). And she also shares her own experience with miscarriage, what she learned as a result of her own perinatal mental health struggles and how it changed the trajectory of her career and life. In this episode Ashley dishes out some truly encouraging and helpful words of...

Merry Christmas and Happy Everything! We are taking the week off to enjoy a holiday break but we will return stronger than ever next week with notable guest: therapist and author Ashley Hanna-Morgan. She is not only a specialist in parental mental health and will be sharing with us some beautiful words of comfort and advice, she will also be sharing with us her TWO birth stories. Listen to a sneak preview NOW as we discuss "The Myth of Perfection." Sending you wishes for love, health and...

Dr. Jody Thomas shares her TWO incredible birth stories, her own experience having a baby in the NICU, valuable advice for all you parents who also end up with a baby in the NICU, and we talk about how to prepare for a positive and empowered pain experience. Plus a fun historical fact about the history of anesthesia during childbirth! LINKS: Dr. Jody Thomas' Website: https://www.jodythomasphd.com/ Meg Foundation website: https://www.megfoundationforpain.org/ Baby specific pain...

Pain is one of the most common fears that women have about childbirth, which is why I am so excited to be welcoming a leading expert in pain management on the podcast for a two episode series. Today, in Part One, we discuss why Dr. Jody Thomas is on a mission to improve the pain experience of children and adults everywhere and how years of working with chronically ill children and also her own experiences with childbirth and having a baby in the NICU have charged her passion to empower kids...

A first time mom, guest Tayler Jackson, shares her experience with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Interuterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), preterm induced vaginal birth, and she also shares some important information on something to keep an eye out for if your baby is born extra small, this advice could save a baby's life.   Follow Tayler on Instagram HERE. Visit www.birthshow.com for some great free resources that will help you on your own journey into motherhood. Follow the show on...

Is painful sex after childbirth ever normal? How about peeing a little when I sneeze? Why does my pelvis feel loose? Will I ever feel like myself again? Do Kegels actually do anything? This episode is a MUST LISTEN for anyone preparing to give birth as well as anyone who has already given birth. Dr. Juan Michelle Martin shares all the intimate details about the most common side effects that women experience after giving birth. She also shares how you can get the help you need. You are not...

Ready for a great home birth story? Dacie Edholm is my guest today and she tells us how she prepared for her first birth at home without any pain medication, how she knew which midwife was the right one for her, what questions she suggests you ask when interviewing a midwife and how doing research helped her feel prepared for any outcome. We also talk about breastfeeding hurdles, natural labor induction methods, intimacy postpartum and more. Visit www.birthshow.com for some great free...

One of the most frequently left out topics of conversation when we have conversations about giving birth is fathers and non-gestational parents. But not today! Today I’m talking with Dr. Daniel Singley a psychologist whose life work and the focus of his practice is devoted to mens issues and specifically the transition of men into fathers and couples into parents. Whether you are the one about to give birth or the one supporting your partner as they give birth, all parents will get so so much...

This episode features TWO BIRTH STORIES. We talk about giving birth via cesarean, preparing to give birth vaginally after a c-section and how to advocate for yourself to find a care provider who is familiar with VBACs and supportive of helping mothers attempt a VBAC. We also discuss the pregnancy symptoms of carpal tunnel and Bells Palsy, what questions you need to ask any doula you interview before hiring them, what it’s like to switch to midwifery care even though you still plan to deliver...

Host Christy Williams shares her own birth story on today's episode with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST her husband Joshua Shaffer! In this episode they talk about Hyperemesis gravidarum, Premature Rupture of Membranes, dealing with a very long labor induction, and something you may not have known about epidurals. They also have a very candid talk all about pregnancy and postpartum sex as well as curbing your expectations as you prepare to give birth and why the most important skill of new parenthood...

A calm UNMEDICATED HOME BIRTH is what award winning photo journalist and doula Heather Gallagher decided she wanted when she found out she was pregnant. But, as you'll find out during her story, life sometimes has a way of throwing us a curve ball. In this episode we talk about what it’s like to plan for a home birth, have all of your prenatal care with a midwife, be two and a half weeks overdue, labor at home with a team of midwives and then suddenly experience a dramatic and necessary...

This episode is PART TWO of a two-part birth story in which a new mom shares all about her experience conceiving, carrying and delivering twins! During this second part of her very exciting and wild story we hear about the delivery of her twins via c-section, what it’s like to receive magnesium sulfate before delivering premature babies, what it’s like to breastfeed twins in the NICU and she also opens up about some pretty intense complications she experienced during her c-section and...

Are you in the mood for TWINS? Because this episode is PART ONE of a two-part birth story in which a new mom shares all about her experience conceiving, carrying and delivering twins! She is a high-risk mother with cystic fibrosis and she had multiple complications during her pregnancy such as trying for years to conceive before success, being diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, having a cerclage placed, being put on strict bedrest, dealing with something called "an irritable uterus," and...

What does it feel like to have a C-Section? Today's new mom tells us all about it. She also shares what it's like to have a baby in the breech position, mentally preparing to deliver a baby in a way you didn't expect to, some reasons to hire a doula and how advocating for yourself during your hospital stay means that you sometimes have to be a "difficult patient." We also talk very candidly about the realities of postpartum sex, postpartum depression and much much more. Visit...

What is labor induction really like? A first-time mom tells us all about it! She also shares how she and her wife chose a sperm donor and what the realities of conception are like when you don't have a male partner. We talk about changing doctors and standing up for yourself when you don't feel supported by your healthcare provider, how to navigate through some very difficult postpartum mental health struggles, how to find a therapist, and some really helpful information about knowing your...

A first-time mom shares her experience delivering her baby in a birth center without drugs for pain management. We discuss what it's like to work with a midwife for all of her prenatal care, how she faced her fears about giving birth, how she's learning to communicate with her partner during the postpartum period and something that every mom who plans to breastfeed should know. This episode also covers how to deal with postpartum hair loss and what to expect the first time you use the...

A high-risk first time mom tells her vaginal hospital birth story. We discuss what it's like to be prepped for giving birth when you have pre-existing health conditions, the pressures of giving birth to the first grandchild on both sides of the family, the emotional unearthing that happens when you become a mother, the realities of healing from birth injuries, breastfeeding obstacles, coping with postpartum depression, and much more while finding a way to laugh during all of it. Visit...

A COVID-19 HOSPITAL BIRTH STORY. What is it really like to give birth in a hospital during a global pandemic? This bonus episode features an athletic second time mom who recently gave birth in a hospital in the New York / New Jersey area at the height of the Covid-19 crisis. We discuss both of her children's birth stories and compare the two, exploring the changes in protocols that have taken place as a result of global pandemic. We also discuss pain management options during childbirth, what...

Introducing BIRTH, a birth story podcast unlike any other. We dive deep into all the details about giving birth that no one talks about. Real Women. Candid Conversations. True Birth Stories. Join our tribe and subscribe! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.