I’m back from maternity leave and I sure have a story to tell you all! To help tell you about it, I’ve brought on my husband Josh. We want to share the story of our child’s birth and what we learned from its challenges. Throughout the birth experience, Josh and I discovered a lot about ourselves and our relationship.    Preparation and Planning in Action No matter how much I prepared and read up on labor, I found that nothing could fully prepare me for the experience itself. It was my goal to have a natural birth. So when contractions started, I did all I could to have it go as smoothly as I could. I discuss some of the relaxation techniques I tried as well as some interesting and natural methods for moving the process along until Vera could be born. As someone who likes to be in control, this whole process was an exercise in recognizing what I could and couldn’t do.   Making Some Questionable Choices One thing we learned through this experience is that you can make questionable decisions during labor. In fact, I gave Josh permission to head out to a softball game while I was waiting through the contractions. It may have seemed okay at the time, but in retrospect, it was probably not the right thing to do. This whole experience taught us a lot about best-laid plans, what happens when it’s time to put them into action, and proper communication during stressful situations. Josh and I hope you enjoy this episode and tune in again next week to hear its conclusion! How does your birth story compare? Leave a comment on the episode page!   In This Episode What happened when the contractions began [3:00] Managing my mindset during the birth process [12:00] When communication between partners is put to the test [19:45] Preparing for the ride to the hospital [33:30]   Quotes “Labor is a very energy-intensive experience, but the recommendation not to eat is questionable as far as if it’s actually beneficial for women, especially if you’re not going in for a c-section.” [7:12] “I was thinking that this could literally be day one of three of having this experience. From a mindset experience, I was mentally preparing myself to go a really long time and manage it as best I could.” [15:17] “If you’ve had a baby maybe you know what this feels like. If you haven’t, I don’t know if you can even imagine it.” [34:45]   Review Fed and Fearless on Apple Podcasts! Send a screenshot of your review to [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram and I’ll send you my Overcoming Undereating eBook. If you post your favorite episode in your Insta stories and tag me @LauraShoenfeldRD, I’ll also send you my 14-Day Calorie Challenge Recipe Guide!   Links Join the Nutrition Business Accelerator™  waitlist! Leave a review of Fed and Fearless! Sign Up For The Free Training: The 5 Secrets of Fearlessly Healthy Women of Faith Learn more about business coaching with me Got a question you’d love to hear me answer on the show? Leave me a voice message here! Join the Fed and Fearless Society on Facebook Follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative