Birth Circle is dedicated to educating and informing mothers (and fathers) about birth, and pregnancy. We currently are the most complete and up-to-date birth resource in the world, and we tap those resources to bring you detailed information and stories on everything surrounding birth. Whether you aren’t sure what you’d like for your birth or you are planning a scheduled c-section or an unmedicated home-birth or any variation in between, Birth Circle is here for you.
Episodes
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Thursday Jan 28, 2021
Today we talk to Kate Rope, award-winning freelance journalist, and author of Strong as a Mother: How to Stay Happy, Healthy, and (Most Importantly) Sane From Pregnancy to Parenthood. Kate's work has been featured in multiple major publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine, and CNN. She is currently working on an Audible original, co-written and produced with actor Alan Alda, about the untold story of medical research doctors drafted during the Vietnam War.
We talk about Kate's early experience with motherhood and how she felt underprepared for what to expect and how talking to others who shared the same sentiment led her to wanting to write her book. We talk about the myths of motherhood that Kate covers in her book.
We discuss unsolicited advice during pregnancy and how to deal with it. Kate gives some replies to give when somebody comments on your pregnancy in order to maintain boundaries. We mention that it is better to stay away from the google if you are anxious about your pregnancy to avoid misinformation that heightens the anxiety.
We then talk about Kate's definition of "self-care" and how it's important to figure out what it means to you personally. We discuss how to allow yourself space for self-care without feeling guilty for taking the time.
We discuss what "co-parenting" means and how to make the parenting load feel equal between partners. We talk about figuring out how to reclaim your own identity after becoming a mother.
Finally we talk about how to recognize if you are suffering from a perinatal mood disorder, and that having scary thoughts about your baby is usually normal. We brush on postpartum psychosis, how uncommon it is, and how to get help if you need it.
To learn more, visit https://katerope.com/
For Any Questions, Email Us at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Thursday Jan 21, 2021
Today we talk with Thais Derich, award-winning author of Second Chance: A Mother's Quest For a Natural Birth After a Cesarean. Thais is a Master of Fine Arts and Merit Scholar at the California College of the Arts. Her work is published in a number of magazines and journals, and she is a frequent public speaker, and uses her experience with a successful VBAC to educate others on how to recognize their own birthing options. (www.ThaisDerich.com)
Thais talks about her journey to starting a family with her husband, and the birth of her first child that ended in her being pressured into an unnecessary Cesarian Section which left her feeling powerless and traumatized. We clarify that C-Sections are a life-saving procedure and that birth is birth no matter how it happens, but that consent is the key to a non-traumatic birth.
We then talk about how Thais became determined to have her second birth be a VBAC. We discuss her difficulty in finding a practitioner who would take her on, and how misinformation about VBAC can color the willingness of practitioners to take on VBAC patients. We talk about Thais' decision to have a home birth and finding a Midwife who was experienced with VBAC to safely guide the process.
Thais talks about the birth of her second son and the healing work she did during her labor to recover from the trauma of the first, and the triumphant feeling of her accomplishment. We talk about the research that goes into planning for a VBAC and the importance of finding a provider that is enthusiastic about the mother's choices and willing to carry them out without overruling her.
We compare the risks of an at-home VBAC and an in-hospital C-section, and how statistics show that VBACs are overwhelmingly successful. We talk about Thais' use of hypnotherapy to work through the trauma of her first birth, and the support she received from her local birth community during her second pregnancy.
Finally, Thais gives her advice to people who are being denied a VBAC and tells them to "keep shopping" until they can find a provider that is willing to help them have the birth experience that they want. We talk about how COVID has made for greater encouragement toward home birth.
To learn more, visit www.ThaisDerich.com
For Any Questions, Email Us at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Thursday Jan 14, 2021
Today, we talk with Laurel Wilson, TEDx and international speaker, pregnancy and breastfeeding specialist, consultant, educator, and author. Laurel is also the co-author of two books, The Attachment Pregnancy and The Greatest Pregnancy Ever (http://motherjourney.com/books.html). We begin by defining and discussing “the attachment pregnancy” approach to bonding with your child. We talk about how this approach can apply to circumstances such as unwanted pregnancy, disconnection with your child, traumatic birth, or surrogacy, among others. We then talk more about the different ways of bonding with your child, starting with defining and discussing the terms "conscious agreement” and “conscious attachment.” We break down specific things we can do each trimester to help our attachment and bond develop. We talk about how our babies are affected by our emotions while in the womb, and how they benefit from a wide range of emotions, including challenges and effective stress management in the lives of their mothers. We define and discuss epigenetics; how they are affected by the limbic system and our heart regulation, and how they relate to our child’s development. We then talk about the benefits of breastfeeding, and discuss the important nutritional and developmental content that human milk gives to babies. We discuss how the more we become aware of the importance of human milk, the more we will consider options like community milk sharing and other ways to get human milk to more children. We express our gratitude for infant formula and emphasize the importance of parents making educated and informed decisions that aren’t so driven by advertising or society. We talk about how any amount of human milk at any stage is good for your baby, and discuss how knowing the critical developmental periods of your child should guide your supplementing with colostrum. We discuss adoption and induced lactation. To learn more, visit http://motherjourney.com/index.html.
- 3:00 What is Attachment Pregnancy?
- 10:32 Different Ways of Bonding
- 39:07 Making the Decision to Breastfeed; Benefits of Human Milk
- 56:09 Effects of Breastfeeding Across Generations
“We are becoming bonded at an unconscious level, a conscious level, and a physical level. And the more we recognize that is happening, and the more we put a mindful awareness to that, the better off the health of our relationship is with our children…we can start to see that it also has significant impact on long-term health of the baby as well.” 3:30
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
Thursday Jan 07, 2021
In today’s episode, we talk with Desi Bartlett. Desi has 25 years of experience in health and fitness, 2 exercise science related degrees, multiple certifications and is an internationally published author as well as a product designer. She is the author of Your Strong, Sexy Pregnancy (https://www.mothersintolivingfit.com/your-strong-sexy-pregnancy/). We start off our conversation with Desi sharing her story and the development of her career. Desi then shares what she means by a “sexy” pregnancy, and we discuss common misconceptions about sex during pregnancy. We then talk about how yoga and other physical exercises can strengthen you during pregnancy and help prepare you for birth. We talk about the muscles to focus on, and the positions, stretches, and exercises that will help you strengthen them. Desi shares the best approach to Kegel exercises, and other approaches to strengthening the pelvic floor. Desi expands on “strong is the new skinny,” and we discuss the important role of strength in your overall health. We talk about how to find the best exercise program for you, and how to determine the right level of difficulty for your exercises during your first trimester. We discuss the benefits of taking walks as a good step to build endurance and connect with your child. We talk about good exercises for second trimester of pregnancy, and focus on the importance of the squat. We then talk about preparing to push during the third trimester in preparation for labor and birth. Desi then shares her recommendations for resuming exercise after birth. We focus on allowing your body to recover and heal from giving birth, and how lochia can be a warning sign of overexertion. We talk about how to exercise abdominal muscles after birth. We also talk about the benefits of involving your baby in your exercises. We discuss care for older moms. We talk more about sex during and after pregnancy, and how you can take your pelvic floor exercises into the bedroom. We explain how everyone is different, how you should listen to your body, and how other acts of intimacy and connection can also be sexy. We discuss the role of healing of the perineum in the pleasure and enjoyment of sex. For more information, visit mothersintolivingfit.com
- 4:53 How to Feel Sexy During Pregnancy
- 10:58 Exercise Before and After Birth
- 43:05 Care For Older Moms
- 45:44 Enhancing Your Connection With Your Partner During Pregnancy
“Simply sitting on top of a stability ball, and walking forward and back with your hips, you can start to feel, oh, these are my pelvic floor muscles, and this is how my pelvis goes into anterior tilt and posterior tilt, or lateral and side to side.” 28:32
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Thursday Dec 31, 2020
Today, we talk with Bailey Gaddis, author of Feng Shui Mommy: Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood (https://www.baileygaddis.com/book) and Asking For a Pregnant Friend: 101 Answers to Questions Women Are Too Ashamed or Scared to Ask About Pregnancy, Childbirth and Early Motherhood (coming June 1, 2021.) She is also a Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified Birthing doula, HypnoBirthing® Practitioner, and HypnoMothering® Practitioner. She shares her personal journey in birth work and childbirth education. She then explains some of the concepts in her book, including what she means by a “Feng shui approach” to birth, as well as breaking down her “four trimester” perspective on pregnancy and birth. We talk about trusting intuition and the benefits of simplifying your life and living space. We then discuss the different practices, philosophies, and techniques involved in HypnoBirthing®, and talk about their benefits. We talk more about the applications of hypnosis and subconscious thought in daily life. We then discuss how to approach and maintain Feng shui in family life, especially when there are small kids in the home. We finish by talking about the importance of working to craft your own birth philosophy that’s best for you and your needs. To learn more, visit https://www.baileygaddis.com.
- 4:20 What is the “Feng Shui Approach” to Pregnancy and Birth?
- 23:58 The Case For Feng shui
- 26:46 HypnoBirthing and the Subconscious
- 36:47 Feng shui with Little Kids
- 42:21 You Are the Expert
“What do we want to think about birth? What are the positive alternatives to those fears and those worries? And that’s what we focus on.” 27:50
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Dec 24, 2020
Thursday Dec 24, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Dr. Janetti Marotta, a psychologist who has specialized in infertility since 1990. Drawn from her own journey through infertility and those with whom she has worked, she is the author of A Fertile Path: Guiding the Journey with Mindfulness and Compassion (https://janettimarotta.com/a-fertile-path/). Dr. Marotta is a long-time practitioner of meditation and teacher of mindfulness and also author of 50 Mindful Steps to Self-Esteem: Everyday Practices for Cultivating Self-Acceptance and Self-Compassion (https://janettimarotta.com/50-mindful-steps-to-self-esteem/). We talk about what inspired Dr. Marotta to specialize in infertility. She then tells us how she defines mindfulness, and explains how it relates to infertility. We then discuss how stress impacts fertility. We discuss the “holistic approach to fertility treatment.” Dr. Marotta then breaks down her approach to helping those with infertility struggles, including acknowledgement and acceptance, techniques for reducing stress and tension release, mindfulness and meditation in breath, body, thought, and emotion. We then move on to talk about the effects of infertility on your partner. We also discuss how to ease into the process of using 3rd party fertility solutions like surrogacy and adoption. Dr. Marotta shares her own experiences of trial and error pursuing donor egg IVF, adoption, and finally going with surrogacy for her child. To learn more, visit www.janettimarotta.com.
- 1:54 Janetti’s Story
- 7:23 What is Mindfulness and How Does it Relate to Infertility?
- 26:00 Breaking Down Dr. Marotta’s Approach
- 47:04 Impact of Infertility on Partner
- 49:27 Easing Into the Process of 3rd Party Fertility Solutions.
“It’s not so much the thoughts we have, but how tightly we hold onto those thoughts, that accounts for our mental suffering.” 42:10
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Dec 17, 2020
Thursday Dec 17, 2020
Today we talk with Julia Jones, postnatal doula and author of Nourishing Newborn Mothers - Ayurvedic Recipes to Heal your Mind, and Body and Soul after Childbirth and Newborn Mothers - When a Baby is Born So is a Mother (www.newbornmothers.com/books/). She is also the creator of the worldwide leading education resource for postpartum professionals: Newborn Mothers Collective (www.newbornmothers.com/training). We talk about how Julia became interested in postpartum care. We discuss the traditional practices for postpartum care that many of the world’s cultures had in common before Colonization and the Industrial Revolution. We discuss how losing touch with these practices has made our modern practices “abnormal” or unnatural in the context of human history. We then define and discuss the “village” model of parenting and childcare, and talk about its many advantages and how we can learn from and incorporate its principles in our own situations. We then talk about the history of the role of doula and its ties to breastfeeding. We then talk about the qualifications and role of doulas throughout the world. We discuss the need for a cultural shift toward valuing and investing in birth and postpartum worker’s care, and increasing our cultural awareness of how important the postpartum period is. Julia gives more traditional ways the world’s cultures care for newborn mothers, such as warm comfort foods, massage and body work, and belly binding. We talk about the cultures that still practice the “village” model of childcare. Julia then talks about the physical changes produced in your brain by caring for a child. We then discuss proper support for parents and others caring for children. We talk more about the science and nuances of bonding. We talk about the scientific side of intuition. We then talk about learning from other cultures without cultural appropriation. To learn more, visit www.newbornmothers.com.
- 1:46 Julia’s Story
- 3:28 How Newborn Mothers Are Meant to Be Cared For
- 13:29 Becoming a Trained Postpartum Doula
- 19:48 Caring for Newborns and Newborn Mothers
- 30:56 Bonding, Oxytocin, and Intuition
- 44:17 Learning From Other Cultures Without Cultural Appropriation
“That’s why we really need to focus on boosting these oxytocin levels, not just during birth. Because, originally oxytocin was discovered and named ‘quick birth’ because it increases contractions, but what we’ve learned is that it’s not just for birth — it’s actually the bonding hormone, it’s the love hormone.” 37:34
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Dec 10, 2020
Thursday Dec 10, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Julia Aziz, LCSW-S, Rev., CCH, holistic psychotherapist, ordained interfaith minister, and faculty at AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine. She supports women struggling with anxiety, grief, and big life changes through individual counseling, hypnotherapy, and the Release & Empower online community, a weekly women's practice that combines writing, movement, meditation, and personal sharing. She is also the mother of three children and the author of Lessons of Labor: One Woman's Self-Discovery Through Birth and Motherhood and When You're Having A Hard Time: The Little Book That Listens. Today we define and discuss holistic psychotherapy and somatic release, and how these practices can be used to help people towards healing from anxiety, trauma, and other struggles. We discuss Julia’s spiritual background and ministry. We then discuss Julia’s approach to helping women who have experienced trauma navigate birth, and how childbirth has the potential to be a healing experience for some people with trauma. We talk about the importance of simplifying mental health and coming back to this moment by slowing down and living in the present. We also the discus the importance of recognizing how everyone is different, including with the use of medication. We talk about an intuitive approach to finding the best treatments for your problems. We talk about spirituality and rituals associated with birth. We discuss how to learn from your dreams during pregnancy. We then discuss how to help parents when a pregnancy ends in loss, as well as ways of dealing with grief. We finish our discussion by talking about how you can develop a mantra that will help you through your birth experience. We invite you to learn more at https://juliaaziz.com/.
- 3:07 What is Holistic Psychotherapy?
- 10:10 Helping Women With Severe Trauma Navigate Birth
- 22:18 How to Find the Best Treatments and Assistance For You
- 37:31 Helping Moms Manage Grief After Loss
- 46:25 Finding Your Mantra
“We basically do self-healing practice together. So we do a writing practice, and we do somatic release, guided meditation, and then a brief sharing, where we’re just witnessing each other rather than doing cross-talk. And so it’s like a weekly practice for women who are often caregiving for other people — like moms — to make some space for themselves.” 50:27
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Dec 03, 2020
Thursday Dec 03, 2020
Today, we talk with Ryann Kipping, a clinically trained Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Lactation Educator, and Author of The Feel-Good Pregnancy Cookbook (https://ryannkipping.kartra.com/page/d4J41). She is the founder of The Prenatal Nutritionist (https://www.theprenatalnutritionist.com/?r_done=1), a virtual nutrition private practice which focuses on preparing women for pregnancy and conquering nutrition during and after pregnancy. We begin by talking about common myths and questions surrounding prenatal nutrition. This includes how much caffeine is safe to consume during pregnancy, as well as the effects caffeine can have on your baby. We do the same for soft cheeses, sushi, and other fish. We talk about how your diet can cause or relieve morning sickness, including how simple carbs are the most tolerable for your stomach. Ryann then gives a list of nutrients you need to focus on consuming more of during pregnancy. The first is Choline, which is important for developing your baby’s brain, and is found in egg yolks. The next is Vitamin D, which your body can produce in the sun around midday, and is found in egg yolks, fatty fish, mushrooms, and fortified milk and supplements (D3 is preferable over D2). The third nutrient is magnesium, which is important for preventing nausea, gestational diabetes, pre-term birth, and preeclampsia, and is found in avocado, nuts and seeds, dark chocolate, and spinach. We then talk about what causes heartburn in pregnancy, and what can be done to prevent and relieve heartburn during pregnancy. We give tips for determining which foods trigger heartburn for you. We discuss how to find the best prenatal vitamins. Ryann shares some things that she has recognized as poor nutritional advice. We discuss diet and eating habits during the first trimester. We then talk more about health and nutrition during the pre-conception period, as well as how nutrition affects fertility. We then discuss micronutrient testing and working with a dietician. We talk about nutrition and changes in diet during postpartum and breastfeeding. We finish our discussion by talking about ways to prevent preeclampsia. To learn more, visit www.theprenatalnutritionlibrary.com, or look up Ryann on Instagram (@prenatalnutritionist).
- 3:59 Debunking Myths About Prenatal Nutrition
- 12:47 Which Nutrients Do You Need More of During Pregnancy?
- 22:11 Heartburn in Pregnancy and Prenatal Vitamins
- 33:15 Nutrition and Fertility.
- 37:21 Diet and Postpartum
“Micronutrient testing can get a bit expensive, so I will say if you have the means to do it, and you can afford it, then definitely do it. Testing helps you know what nutrients you’re good on and what nutrients you need to focus more on and possibly supplement with. At the bare minimum, definitely get vitamin D, definitely get iron, definitely get B-12.” 35:42
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
Thursday Nov 26, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Kelly Carrington (evolutionmassage.ca), RMT for 19 years and male doula for the last 7 years. We start our discussion with Kelly sharing how he became a male doula. We discuss the unique experiences and perspectives of a male birth worker. Kelly talks more about what he does as a doula and as a pre-natal educator. He shares his perspective about what is going well in birth procedures and birth education, as well as what he thinks could improve. We talk more about his methods and what he tells his clients through the whole pregnancy and birth process. We talk about birth as a transitional experience, and Kelly shares his perspectives on that. We talk about women feeling like they’re not enough — how that can be amplified through the birth experience, and what we as a society do to perpetuate that. Kelly tells what he does to help reverse that for mothers. We talk about birth plans, and how any birth where the baby and mother are healthy, not traumatized, made informed decisions, and are prepared for the postpartum period, is a fully successful birth. Kelly talks about his services for postpartum mothers. We discuss how doulas can help new mother’s process their birth. We talk about setting boundaries between doulas and clients. We talk more about what male doulas can add to the birth industry and doula community.
- 1:08 Life As a Male Doula
- 14:55 Kelly’s Methods
- 32:19 Birth as a Transition
- 47:54 There’s Room For More Male Doulas
“That they’re not traumatized, that they felt like they made informed decisions, and that they’re prepared for the postpartum period — that’s what I mean by [a good birth].” 41:41
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Thursday Nov 19, 2020
Today, we talk with Lily Nichols, a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition (https://lilynicholsrdn.com). She is the author of two bestselling books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes (https://lilynicholsrdn.com/books/). We begin by defining gestational diabetes as elevated blood pressure during pregnancy, either first recognized or first developed during pregnancy. We explain why high blood sugar is so dangerous, particularly for the development of the child. As we discuss the risks of high blood sugar, we point out that most can be prevented by screening early, awareness, and caution. We then talk about the best approaches to prenatal nutrition. We discuss how the recommended guidelines and diets for pregnant women are often too high in carbohydrates, which is what led Lily to write her book and develop her program. We talk about ketones, and the common misconceptions that surround them in nutritional recommendations and guidelines. Lily urges everyone to consider the physiological reality in the development of babies instead of making assumptions based on data on diabetic ketoacidosis. Lily talks about the importance of consuming whole foods and getting all of the nutrients they provide in their most natural, unprocessed forms. She focuses on choosing foods based on which nutrient deficiencies are most common during pregnancy, as paying close attention to blood sugar levels. She explains how grains, which are less nutrient rich, would be closer to the top of her “food pyramid” for pregnant women. We talk about the importance of taking ancestral, traditionally based diets into consideration when selecting your foods. We then discuss how nutrition can affect postpartum recovery.
- 2:55 What is Gestational Diabetes?
- 9:05 The Best Approach to Prenatal Nutrition
- 30:47 Specific Recommendations for Prenatal Nutrition
- 38:45 How Nutrition Affects Postpartum Recovery
“This is the physiological reality. We don’t have to try to stuff people full of carbs to try to avoid ketosis. This physiologically happens in all mammals…we just get super freaked out over data on diabetic ketoacidosis, and then people try to extrapolate that for nutritional ketosis in pregnancy, and it’s not the same thing.” 23:11
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
In this episode, we talk with Elizabeth Davis, midwife, reproductive health care specialist, educator, and consultant. She is also the author of Heart & Hands: A Midwife’s Guide to Pregnancy & Birth (https://elizabethdavis.com/books/). She tells us about her first experiences with birth, including her being present at an unassisted birth, as well as her traumatic experience with her first birth when she went into labor a month early. Because of the premature labor, she reluctantly birthed in a hospital, where she received a lateral episiotomy. She then tells about her second, home birth, whose success and beauty gave her a transformation of her previous experience. Her worries about tearing over her episiotomy scar shifted her focus deeply on her vagina, and as a result her delivery gave her a crescendo of sensation and emotion that she considered an orgasmic birth. Later, she met Debra Pascali-Bonaro who introduced her to the term “orgasmic birth,” and influenced her to write Heart & Hands, which focuses primarily on the physiology of birth. Elizabeth then shares that “orgasmic” in “orgasmic birth” refers to any experience that is ecstatic, transcendent, sensual, and powerful. She explains how the pattern of female orgasm with the highest peak of sensation has plateaus on the way up. She compares this to progress in labor, and how both processes reflect female identity. She shares that even a painful birthing experience can still reach the point of having an orgasmic dimension. We then talk about what women can do to encourage an orgasmic experience at birth. Elizabeth explains how orgasmic birth can lead to healing from emotional, physical, and psychological trauma. We then discuss how unassisted birth relates to orgasmic birth. We talk about the proper roles of midwives birth workers. We then finish with Elizabeth sharing that the coursework she has on her Heart and Hands course is linked to the National Midwifery Institute. To learn more, visit https://elizabethdavis.com.
- 1:07 Elizabeth’s Story
- 12:09 What is Orgasmic Birth?
- 25:09: Unassisted Birth and the Proper Role of Midwives
- 44:21 The Heart and Hands Course
“[Midwives] really have not gotten out there and said, ‘here’s how we assess dates, here’s how we continue to assess well-being. We can estimate amniotic fluid volume by palpation. We can make note of fetal well-being, not only by mom doing kick counts, but listening with a fetoscope for an extended period of time, and noting good variability and reactivity.” 36:50
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Today, we talk with Nikki Shaheed (www.nikkishaheed.com), one of the Co-Owners of Birthing From Within International. She is also a childbirth mentor and doula, and is the author of Heart Centered Pregnancy Journal (https://birthingfromwithinsanantonio.com/pregnancy-journal/). We begin with Nikki sharing how she got involved in the Birthing From Within courses. We talk about the importance of finding your inner wisdom and becoming aware of how your imprinted beliefs impact your decisions in preparation for birth and parenting. We talk about how to go from feeling primarily defensive through your birth experience to making your birth process a transformative experience. We talk about the importance of setting up your birth experience and preparing yourself beforehand so that you can feel protected internally and protected by people you trust. Nikki then tells us how self-compassion is everything in processing your entire birth experience. We discuss more in-depth the importance of self-awareness and doing the work prenatally to accept your emotions and responses to help you through your birth experience. Nikki then shares what makes Birthing From Within different from other birth modalities, including its focus on “the heroic journey” when training doulas and birth workers. We talk about crossing thresholds and making shifts without shame, and embracing the transformation and education that comes with your birth experience. We talk about defining your most sincere intention with your birth and building your birth team around that intention. We finish by discussing how the Birthing From Within program helps protect birth workers with burnout and trauma. We invite both birthing mothers and birth professionals to visit https://birthingfromwithin.com.
- 1:13 Nikki’s Story
- 4:22 Practicing Self-Awareness and Rewriting Your Story
- 26:48 The Birthing From Within Program
- 42:03 Preventing Burnout for Birth Professionals
“If we think about the hormone cycle, and we think about that dreamy state that people need to get into in order to feel less pain and intensity and have the oxytocin and endorphins flowing, and lose track of time, that does not align with having an argument with someone in the middle of labor.” 10:47
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Marissa Zwetow, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and owner of Postpartum Happiness (http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/about-postpartum-depression), through which she provides postpartum coaching and therapy. She is also the author of Postpartum Happiness: What to do when you love the kids, but hate the job (http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/book). Marissa tells us about her own experience with postpartum depression and all of the challenges she faced, and how that fueled her purpose and passion to validate, support, and help moms who face regret and other negative emotions after birth. We talk about the pressure and anxiety that can be imposed upon mothers by cultural and societal expectations of how they should feel about birth and motherhood. We discuss the dangers of comparison and the value of understanding. Marissa goes over some “taboo postpartum truths,” such as the birth may not go the way you want yet and it’s okay to feel disappointed, as well as there might be grief for your past life. Another is that it’s okay to not feel happy with the role of the mother, and how struggling mothers should seek the support they need without shame. We talk about working with your partner, and how you can reach mutual understanding. Marissa reminds moms that they are not alone, and how looking through support groups on social media can help you find your “tribe” of like-minded women with similar struggles. We talk more about diagnosing and dealing with more serious cases of postpartum depression and cases of psychosis. We give advice for fathers who are struggling with depression after birth. We recommend getting your free copy of the guide, 12 Taboo Postpartum Truthshere: http://www.postpartumhappiness.com/free-postpartum-article.
- 1:40 Marissa’s Story
- 10:34 “Situational” Postpartum Depression; Dealing With Expectations
- 21:02 Taboo Postpartum Truths
- 32:11 Dealing With More Serious Cases
“I was on to the next challenge. So now it was breastfeeding, and that was disastrous. I didn’t produce enough milk, she didn’t latch correctly, and my daughter had reflux, which just really translates into colic.” 5:25
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
Today, we talk with Tracy Donegan, founder of the GentleBirth app (https://gentlebirth.app). She is also a doula and doula trainer. She tells us how she became a doula, including how she started the first doula service in Ireland, her home country. While teaching a hypnosis for birth program, she felt drawn to the unexplored, neurological approach to understanding birth. She describes the GentleBirth program as encompassing the traditional approach to childbirth education, while combining it with neuroscience and meditation. She talks about how the course involves the partner, emphasizing the important part they can play in the birth space. In every aspect of the course, the aim is to develop mental resilience and mental regulation to ensure the best possible outcome with every birth, for both the mother and the partner. She also talks about how affirmations, meditation, and breathing techniques are used to improve sleep and other aspects of self care during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. She explains the importance of a birth education course not only for preparing a mother for the birthing experience, but also for parenting, which is “when the real work begins.” We talk more about hypnosis and meditation, and discuss how the course can be for medicated, unmedicated, and induced births. We also discuss the “Labor Companion” feature of the app. We talk about the new science of pain perception, and how we can help our body process the different sensations of birth.
- 1:15 Tracy’s Story and the Beginnings of GentleBirth
- 5:17 How the GentleBirth app Works
- 29:44 How Hypnosis and Meditation are Involved in the Course
- 33:48 Other Features of GentleBirth; Pain Perception
"If you come to a GentleBirth class, you learn all about the physiology of birth, you learn comfort measures, but you also spend a lot of time learning about your brain, and how to use it to the best of your advantage. It’s like a muscle that we’re training.” 5:40
Social
https://www.instagram.com/gentlebirthofficial/
http://www.tiktok/@gentlebirth
https://www.facebook.com/gentlebirth/
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Heidi Snyderburn-Campbell, birth doula and author of Birth Story, a pregnancy guidebook and journal (https://www.birthstory.com/the-workbook-landing-page). She is also the host of the Birth Story Podcast (https://www.birthstory.com/the-podcast). We begin with Heidi recounting her first experiences assisting in birth and how she became a doula. We then talk about birth law in North Carolina, from Heidi’s understanding, and how births with doulas have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic there. We break down virtual doula services when hospitals don’t admit doulas into the birth space. Heidi shares her processes for adapting to virtual doula services. We discuss different hospital policies for admitting doulas into the birth space during a pandemic. We then talk about how to rock your hospital birth once doulas are again allowed into the birth space, which we think will happen soon. Heidi talks more abut her book, Birth Story, whose purpose is to inform and educate parents on the entire pregnancy process. Included in the book is a step-by-step guide to all of the standard hospital policies and procedures, as well as an explanation of the reasons, pros, and cons for each. We talk about how birth plans, if properly filed and if the mom and the baby are healthy, can be used as legally binding documents to oppose anything that detours from your wishes. We then finish by summarizing everything that should go into your prenatal preparation.
- 1:04 Heidi’s Story
- 7:42 Birth Laws in NC; Tips for Virtual Doulas; Hospital Policy During Pandemic
- 30:55 How to Rock Your Hospital Birth
- 53:46 Prenatal Preparation
"There was a lot of preparation with the partners — making sure the partners understood how to use a rebozo, how to do a double hip squeeze, how to put pressure on the sacrum, how to do some abdominal lifts or some belly sifting, so that when I’m then directing or coaching from the other side of the camera, they know what I’m talking about, because we already went over it in the pre-natal appointments.” 21:00
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
Today, we talk with Dr. Brandie Nemchenko, CEO of Experience Chiropractic (https://experiencechiropracticnow.com/our-service/chiropractic-care/prenatal-chiropractor/), with offices in southeastern Pennsylvania, and author of What You Don’t Expect When You’re Expecting (https://www.whatyoudontexpect.com/). We start with Dr. Brandie telling us the unlikely set of events that led her to specialize in chiropractics in pregnancy and open up Experience Chiropractic. We discuss which question an expecting mother should ask a chiropractor to determine if they will be a good fit. We also talk about the warning signs and red flags to look for to tell if a chiropractor doesn’t actually have experience with pregnancy. Dr. Brandie warns against chiropractors using electrical muscle stimulation on pregnant women. We then discuss the typical issues and pain that women encounter during pregnancy. We then discuss the scenarios and conditions when chiropractics in pregnancy are unsafe. We go on to talk more about where to begin when looking for a chiropractor for you. We talk about what the Webster Technique is and when to use it. We also talk more in depth about other conditions and the treatments for them. We finish by talking about the complimentary, alternative methods that Dr. Brandie refers out to in her office.
- 1:03 Dr. Brandie’s Story; What to Look For in a Chiropractor
- 14:21 Typical Issues in Pregnancy
- 25:03 When Is Chiropractics in Pregnancy Unsafe?
- 31:26 How is Chiropractics Different for Pregnant Women?
“Electrical stim. should not be used on a pregnant woman…nothing in a chiropractic office should hurt. That’s not a normal thing to happen.” 9:50
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
In this episode, we talk with Marie Bigelow (www.mariebigelow.com), a doula, childbirth educator, music therapist, public speaker, and author of The Sacred Gift of Childbirth: Making Empowered Choices for You and Your Baby. We begin our conversation by talking about what inspired Marie to apply her expertise as a music therapist to the world of birth. We then talk about how anyone who likes to listen to music can benefit from music in their birth space. We discuss how our bodies and minds respond to music, including how our body’s autogenic response helps us apply breathing techniques in labor if we’ve learned them with music. Marie then talks about what inspired her to write The Sacred Gift of Childbirth, and shares her desire to provide women with evidence-based research that will help women understand how impactful the birth experience is. We talk about the change in brain chemistry and physiology that occurs in the birthing process, and how your experience in pregnancy and birth has a lasting effect on your experience as a mother. Marie explains why she believes the science and data behind birth goes hand in hand with the spiritual and instinctual nature of birth. We cover other topics from Marie’s book, including the U.S.’s high caesarean rate, and how birth is different for each individual. We then dive back into the benefits of music in birth and motherhood. We discuss how listening to music and/or singing or chanting can help relax you during birth. We talk about how lullabies and singing can be a powerful parenting tool, and how music can help bonding and oxytocin production. We then talk about how data and evidenced-based research can help you approach major decisions with birth, including induction. We encourage the listener to google “the bishop score” to help you determine how safe your induction will be. We talk about the importance of choosing the provider and the type of birth that’s right for you. We invite you to explore Marie’s doula services, her book, as well as her self-study course on www.mariebigelow.com.
- 2:49 The Role of Music in Birth; How We Respond To Music
- 8:08 About The Sacred Gift of Childbirth
- 23:04 Choosing the Best Music for Your Labor
- 34:44 Approaching Major Decisions in Birth
“What does it mean to have a caesarean? How does it change the physiology? How does it impede breastfeeding? How does it increase postpartum depression? And long term, how does it affect the woman who wants 6 kids and her first one is born caesarean? What is she lives in an area that doesn’t support vaginal birth after caesarean? What are the economic ramifications for her family having an expensive surgery?” 17:28
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Today, we talk with Suzzie Vehrs, founder of She Births Bravely, a website aimed at helping moms feel totally prepared to powerfully birth their babies (www.shebirthsbravely.com). She is also a trained doula and author of Divine Birth: A Collection of Wisdom + Coloring Pages to Inspire and Empower the Pregnant Mother (https://shebirthsbravely.com/divine-birth-book/). She shares how when she first became pregnant, she was deeply afraid of birth, and tells how she worked against a lack of positive birth experiences to prepare for her first delivery, which, though being a somewhat difficult C-section, was not the traumatic experience she feared it would be. For her next pregnancy, she started working hard researching to improve her next birth experience, breaking the cycle of pain and developing a passion for birth that she wanted to share. Suzzie then talks about how she formed She Births Bravely, and we discuss the work it takes to prepare for birth, explaining how that preparation can make birth a transformative experience. We discuss how to communicate your desire for a transformative birth experience with you friends, family, and birth team, and how to prepare them to help you carry out that goal. Suzzie shares her approach to birth plans, as well as what she includes on the ones she helps her clients to make. We have a candid discussion about the topics on Suzzie’s new guide, 11 Surprising Things That Can Happen During Birth And What To Do, which you can download here: https://shebirthsbravely.com/11-things. We finish by talking about the resources available at shebirthsbravely.com, and encourage expecting mothers to explore the options available to them to make their birthing experience as positive as it can be.
- 0:54 Suzzie’s Experiences in Birth
- 4:11 She Births Bravely and Birth as a Transformation
- 17:01 11 Surprising Things That Can Happen During Labor
- 48:26 Resources at shebirthsbravely.com
"You should know things like, Do you want an epidural, do you not want an epidural? Do you want a vaginal birth, do you not want a vaginal birth? Are there specific ways that you cope with pain, or specific places that you carry tension in your body? Does your mind go to a certain set of negative beliefs, or are there certain positive scripts that you’ve worked on that you want someone to help you remember? I think those are the basics of what I usually put on a birth plan. The hospital’s gonna want to know if you’re breastfeeding, if you’re not breastfeeding. Do you want a golden hour — do you want to hold your baby before it gets weighed?” 13:29
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
Today, we talk with Leslie Schrock (leslieschrock.com), entrepreneur, investor, and author of Bumpin’: The Modern Guide to Pregnancy (bumpin.com), which she wrote in real time when she was pregnant, and is a real and honest look at the birth process from the decision to conceive through birth and postpartum. We talk about her efforts growing Rock Health (https://rockhealth.com), a startup accelerator of companies that improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of our healthcare system. She gives examples of companies that provide telehealth care specifically for women, such as Maven (https://www.mavenclinic.com) and Origin (https://www.theoriginway.com). We talk about the importance of investing in women’s health, as well as the history behind the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials. Leslie talks about how the defects and tragedy caused by thalidomide essentially banned women from clinical trials in the U.S. for a long time, and how women are still suffering the effects from that. We talk about the growth of women’s health, and we predict it will only continue to grow into the future. We discuss the importance of education in health and anatomy, and how especially investing in women’s health education can influence families and society at large to take better care of their bodies. Leslie talks more about her birth experience, including her preparation and recovery. We focus on the importance of realizing that you can’t control birth, and how you shouldn’t let a negative birth experience define yourself as a parent. Leslie then talks about the success of her book, Bumpin’, as well as her plans for a future book that takes a more comprehensive look at women’s health. We discuss the importance of both women and men committing to learning about fertility.
- 0:52 Writing Bumpin’ and Growing Rock Health; Telehealth
- 9:16 Investing in Women’s Health and Health Education
- 30:16 Lessons Leslie Learned From Her Birth Experience
- 38:38 Changing the Conversation About Women’s Health and Fertility
"It took 3 pregnancies and 16 months to get my son here…I had a miscarriage around 6 weeks. The second pregnancy we found out wasn’t viable due to a chromosomal abnormality, and even though the pregnancy was going to end on its own in a matter of weeks, we still had to technically terminate it.” 1:37
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Margo Blackstone, an independent midwife and co-creator and co-director of the Indie Birth organization and midwifery school. Margo had a unique introduction into the birth industry, studying criminal justice and applied criminology and how midwives were legislated out of practice all over the world in the last 100 years. She shares how she became an independent midwife, and how her high blood pressure restricted her from the home birth option. We discuss the nuances about the laws surrounding the practices of licensed and unlicensed midwives. We talk about the importance of not restricting choices for women, and the impact of being able to find the right midwife or provider for you. We talk about educating our children and what having conversations about birth with our kids might look like. We talk about teaching kids when to use anatomical terms, as well as teaching radical consent and body autonomy, especially for our daughters. We talk about putting your personal fears and concerns behind you and honoring the preferences of a woman, as well as when to know to honor your own boundaries as a care provider. We talk about what you can say if you notice that your provider is putting their personal needs before your own needs and wishes with your body. We speak about how many women want the care that hospitals provide, but if we were all on board with radical consent, many problems could be prevented and needs would be protected. We talk more about the midwife-client relationship, emphasizing that there is a provider for everyone. We discuss the importance of interviewing midwives, and key questions you can ask to determine if you’ve found a good fit. We invite you to visit https://indiebirth.org if you want to learn more, as well as http://www.indiebirthmidwiferyschool.org if you’re interested in becoming a midwife.
- 4:10 Preserving Autonomous Midwifery
- 15:18 The Impact of Having “The Right Midwife for You”
- 20:08 Teaching Kids About Birth
- 29:23 Honoring Women’s Choices About Their Bodies
- 42:39 There’s a Provider For Everyone
“If you’re choosing an OB, do you realize that they’re probably not going to actually be the provider that’s there on the day of birth? Continuity of care is one of the biggest issues, I think, in the U.S., currently, in terms of birth culture and the way we do birth — that people don’t have that continuity with somebody through pregnancy, the birth, and postpartum. It’s so piecemeal…I think so much birth trauma comes from that mismatch, and sometimes you don’t even know what questions to ask.” 17:29
Email Margo With Any Questions: margo@indiebirth.org
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
In this episode, we talk with Kathy Fray, “an award-winning best-selling parenting author, passionate promoter of mothers-to-be accessing empowering maternity education, holistically-minded Midwife, and thought-leader of Integrative Maternity Healthcare information” (https://www.kathyfray.com/about-kathy-fray/). She tells us about what sets New Zealand’s maternity health care system apart as one of the best in the world. She also tells us that many of the problems surrounding birth in the medical world everywhere exist in New Zealand to some extent, such as what Kathy considers to be a higher C-section rate than what it should be. We talk about how almost all maternal health care is paid for in New Zealand, and how women can choose their providers, and how strict laws are in place to protect patient consent. We also discuss the interesting effects of COVID-19 on births in New Zealand. Kathy then tells how she got into “Perinatal Integrative Medicine” and defines it as an open communication and collaboration between birth professionals and naturopathic experts and therapists who are focusing on maternity. Kathy points out that studies have been done around the world that show that roughly half of women are open to using complimentary or alternative therapy during pregnancy. We talk about the obstacles that obstetricians face in embracing natural and integrated medicine. Kathy then talks about the formation of IIMHCO (International Integrative Maternity HealthCare Organization), as well as what the group is doing and what are its end goals (https://iimhco.com). We invite you to visit their website and benefit from its growing network of providers and get education right from the source. We then discuss some questions you can ask your provider to get an idea on where they sit about complimentary and alternative therapies. We also talk about advancing education surrounding birth and how that make the world a better place for the rising generation. We recommend that mothers visit Kathy’s website, https://www.kathyfray.com.
- 1:18 Maternal Health Care in New Zealand
- 13:04 What is Perinatal Integrative Medicine?
- 25:54 Formation of IIMHCO
- 40:39 Questions Moms Can Ask Their Providers
“It was an accidental clinical trial on what happens when thousands of women have to suddenly decide not to go to a hospital, and our levels of instrumental and surgical deliveries and low Apgar scores really improved.” 10:20
Send and Email to Kathy!: kathy@kathyfray.com
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Aug 27, 2020
Thursday Aug 27, 2020
Today, we talk with Leah Barto, a gym owner, strength and conditioning coach, and birth doula, as well as online program director and coach staff at BIRTHFIT, an empowering birth education program and community (https://birthfit.com/about/birthfit-team/). We start our discussion with Leah telling us how she got her start in BIRTHFIT and as a birth doula. She tells us more about BIRTHFIT, explaining that it is an educational platform that specializes in fitness for pregnant and postpartum women, and focuses on mindset, nutrition, and connection within the birth team. She shares that she is passionate about making the necessary but often hard-to-find information about birth to mothers everywhere. She also shares that the fitness training approach in BIRTHFIT focuses on training pregnant women towards the end goal of birth, shifting their mindset to being “in season” for birth. She then breaks down their approach to fitness even more, explaining how it prepares women for birth and postpartum. We then discuss diet and nutrition, and BIRTHFIT’s unique “mind-body nourishment” approach. We talk more about connection and building your birth team, discussing how BIRTHFIT focuses on the benefits of chiropractic care, and how they provide a directory of specialized and like-minded local chiropractors, doulas, and coaches. Leah then explains how BIRTHFIT involves the partner in coming up with birth preferences. She then emphasizes how you are always going to be postpartum once you’ve given birth, and how the mentality of moving forward instead of returning to pre-birth body is an important part of their postpartum healing program. She breaks that program down into its separate phases, including 30 day healing, 30 day basics, and 12 week focused training, and then a return to regular fitness. Leah shares how the core principles of BIRTHFIT are for everyone, and how they are developing an everyday program for those who embrace that mindful, connected way of life. We finish by discussing breath, sound, movement, and the autonomic nervous system, and how learning to control these can really help the birthing process. We invite you to visit https://birthfit.com to access a rich variety of information through their blogs and podcast.
- 1:05 How Leah Entered the Birth World
- 4:07 What is BIRTHFIT?
- 18:10 Nutrition and Building Your Birth Team
- 38:59 Resources for Partner
- 42:00 Postpartum Healing; Breath, Sound, and Movement
“I’m a coach, I’m a doula, I can help you, but if you come to me and potentially have a prolapse, I don’t know internally what’s going on, I’m gonna refer to a pelvic floor pt and work with her on the same team, versus saying, ‘Oh, well let’s just assume it’s a grade one, so we’ll do this,’ and make it worse.” 38:14
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Today, we talk with Katie Foerster, who offers postpartum and birth doula services through her company Freya Birth (freyabirth.com). We start our conversation with Katie sharing how she became a doula. We talk about the importance supporting birth workers, who often work for relatively low rates, and have to carry the extra burdens of being on-call 24/7, working more than 24 hour shifts, experiencing birth worker trauma and secondary trauma, and deal with other physical and emotional demands. We talk about how doulas are drawn to birth work primarily by passion, and so they are more emotionally connected to their work and sometimes reluctant to charge competitive rates. We list and discuss the different specialties of doulas, such as certified message therapist doulas, VBAC specialists, Birth Yoga specialists, as well as those who prefer working in a home birth other than a hospital and vice versa. We talk about the details behind charging for your work as a birth worker, including different costs to cover, investing in training, and taking your own childcare and burnout from being on-call into account. We talk about how important it is to invest in a positive birth experience, pointing out that your relationship with your child is a lifetime commitment, and is an event just as worthy of investment as your wedding. We discuss the valuable and even necessary help that midwives and doulas can provide. Katie talks about a course she offers for doulas for how to put their best foot forward at consults. She gives suggestions on how to be the right birth worker for your client, as well as finding the doula that is the right fit for your own birth. We emphasize the importance of specialization, and talk about how to build your birth career, chasing the opportunities that will continue to feed your passion and bring fulfillment into your life.
- 1:50 Katie’s Experience With Birth
- 9:29 Evolution of the Birth Worker Industry
- 12:05 Different Specialties of Doulas
- 15:32 Investing in Birth and Birth Workers; Rates and Costs
- 30:34 Interviewing Birth Professionals
“Birth matters. And the way you feel at your birth matters. And studies have shown, clearly, that a doula, and a provider like a midwife that cares for you, or an LMT for your body, that all of these things will improve your experience — it’ll make for a more positive experience.” 24:51
For Any Questions, Email Me at media@birthcircle.com
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
Tuesday Jun 30, 2020
In today’s episode, we talk with Erika Primozich, co-owner of Birthing From Within, a childbirth education course. Erika shares how she got interested in birth and empowerment during her pregnancy with her first child 21 years ago. She was inspired to become a doula when she read Birthing From Within (https://www.amazon.com/Birthing-Within-Extra-Ordinary-Childbirth-Preparation/dp/096598730), a book by Pam England and Rob Horowitz. Upon attending a training by the author, Pam England, Erika learned that the key to an empowering birth experience is by being flexible and fluid and being willing to lose your attachment to the idea of a perfect birth, and focus on self-awareness and growth as a human. As she continued attending and giving trainings, she was eventually made one of the leaders of the Birthing From Within organization. Erika shares how Birthing From Within differentiates itself from other courses by stepping away from the “information dump” approach that other courses take, focusing instead on helping mothers to develop the resilience and the personal connections that will guarantee them a powerful and positive birthing experience, no matter what happens. Their main goal is to help wake up parents’ skills around another way of being that is more fluid, intuitive, creative, flexible, and resilient, and less attached to a specific outcome and more open to possibilities. We explain how, while not everyone has to take a Birthing From WIthin course, all parents need to embrace the reality that it takes more than just information to guarantee an empowered and positive birth. We talk about how Birthing From Within treats birth as a rite of passage, because they know that birth always causes a change (physically, mentally, and emotionally) within parents. We discuss how doulas, midwives, massage therapists, and all the range of birth professionals are encouraged to join Birthing From Within’s programs to help them do their jobs well as well. We explain how the ideal birth is most likely to occur as we embrace the acceptance that is in the middle of the spectrum between avoidance and attachment. We talk about how beneficial the training can be for partners, to help them stay present, supportive, and connected during the time of exposure and vulnerability that is the birthing process. We invite you to learn more about Birthing From Within at https://birthingfromwithin.com/.
How Erika Got Interested in Birth Work 1:00
What Makes Birthing From WIthin Different 6:41
Is Birthing From Within For You? How The Modality Can Help Birth Professionals 13:51
The Middle of Avoidance and Attachment is Acceptance 28:52
“I believe that there’s a birth class for everyone, that there’s a provider for everyone, and that birth trauma, a lot of times, is a provider-client mismatch, or an information-client mismatch. And so I’m adamant that people take the birth class that would best fit their personality, their needs, their expectations.” 5:57
Tell Us What You Thought About This Episode! Email media@birthcircle.com
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