Stefanie Atunes is the Founder of Doula School in Canada. https://doulaschool.ca/

Stefanie has been a Lamaze® Educator and doula since 2002.  After the birth of her second son, Stefanie saw just how valuable it is to be prepared for birth and to have good support around you.

Stefanie is a visionary in the childbirth field. She leads the Discover Birth organization providing a variety of services to expectant parents and training for those wishing to pursue work in the childbirth field. Stefanie is a former board member with the Association of Ontario Doulas and sits on many local boards and coalitions to improve our communities. She is a Doula Canada approved Birth Doula Trainer, and runs a Lamaze Lamaze-Accredited Childbirth Educator Program. She recently become the Director of Doula Canada, you can read more about their programs here.

Stefanie is a contributing author in the best selling Power of Women United and the book Bearing Witness: Childbirth Stories Told by Doulas. She is a regular contributing writer and blogger, and has done many interviews online and for TV/radio.

Her belief is that the world can be a better place if parents can have more positive childbirth experiences that allow them to bond properly with their babies. She works tirelessly to change the world in this aspect…one family at a time.

Stefanie was awarded ‘Business Woman of the Year for 2022’ by CanadianSME Business Magazine recognizing her contributions to the families of Canada in improving perinatal health outcomes through Discover Birth’s childbirth education, birth and  postpartum doula offerings.

XOXO- Heidi

PS. We just hit 500 attendees to Birth Story Academy! I would love to have you join my online childbirth education course. It's a fun 20 modules of me teaching and entertaining you step by step. Birth plan templates, postpartum plans, hospital packing lists and so much more are all included for FREE including the Birth Story book. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF at BirthStory.com

Today's interview is with Marisa Rodriguez of Luxe Baby Custom Newborn Care. In Marisa's Words: "I want to share how my postpartum and birth experience changed my views from a caregiver to a mother and how it shaped my views and also led to the way I support other Moms in the postpartum period. I will be discussing my remote services and how they can support new parents."

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• The importance of listening to their intuition and to trust it

• Benefits of self care in the postpartum period

• The wide range of support that is available if needed

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Custom newborn care 

• Postpartum support

• What’s right for you and your newborn

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: I am obsessed with the Shusher! It’s helped my diffuse many crying jags—I also love the portable sound machine by HUSHH

Who are you? What are your credentials? Where do you live? Please leave 1-3 sentences only. I am Marisa Rodriguez, founder of Luxe Baby Custom Newborn Care. I am a seasoned newborn care specialist, trained postpartum doula and new parent coach. I am based in Phoenix, AZ but serve families nationwide.

Website: www.luxebabycare.com

Instagram: @luxebabycare

XOXO -Heids

___________________________________________________________________

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand parents in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Birth Story Boutique Doula + Pregnancy Concierge Services in Charlotte, NC

• Birth Story Media™ Website

• Pinterest

show notes coming soon. 

Brittany Bergman is the author of Expecting Wonder- a wonderful book about the emotional transition to motherhood throughout pregnancy. 

In episode 73 she share about her two planned inductions and how different they were. Her second she prepared for with a doula and knew exactly what she wanted. We speak about the power of planning and trusting your body and your birth team. 

The final installment of Birth Story Podcast’s Meet Jasmine series has finally arrived. In this episode Jasmine walks Heidi through her third pregnancy and what it meant for her to be a surrogate for a family in need as well as her journey to discovering she had been living with Leukemia and what that meant for her uncertain future to suddenly be brightened due to finding her perfect donor through Be The Match. Grab your tissue box because this episode is a rollercoaster of emotion! Jasmine's favorite baby product is the book The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Rachel and I were the only two moms in our Bradley Birth class to have medicated births. This is a re release of the Top 5 most popular episode of the podcast-originally aired as episode 7. 

This is a 2 part episode. Make sure to listen to Part 1 first!

Still looking for a childbirth education course that you will LOVE? Join Birth Story Academy today and learn more from Heidi, a 20 year seasoned doula with a less than 7% cesarean section rate. 20 modules, 6 hours total, self paced and TONS of free downloads. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF at BirthStory.com

In this episode, Heidi is live on Fireside with Kelly (no editing) and talking all about fertility, IUI, unexpected twins, and her birth plan. She teaches us step by step how she planned and prepared and advocated for an unmedicated twin vaginal delivery. And then....they came 3.5 hours apart from each other. She moved her body and labored each one down perfectly avoiding a cesarean section!

Join Birth Story Academy today if you are looking for a comprehensive childbirth education course with Heidi at BirthStory.com

Jenny Stinny is here to win us over! She chats all about her births including birthing her twins vaginally in an induction at 39 weeks. She continues to inspire us on IG with her at home work outs through her pregnancies and postpartum periods. She is an avid weight lifter and an incredible mama. We read her children's boo, Monster's Don't Do Yoga, at least once at week at bed time! Make sure to follow Jenny at https://www.instagram.com/jenny_stinny/

And, you can buy her children's book HERE! Make sure to tag both of us on IG when you read it! 

Jenny first became pregnant in college at JMU and had to decide what to do. We talk about her decision to go to Planned Parenthood and then to keep her baby even though it would be a hard journey. She talks about pregnancy, mental health, loss, unmedicated vs medicated, twins vs singletons and so much more! Have a great time listening! 

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

3 Key takeaways from the podcast

• The impact of exercise on mental health

• Twins vs. Singletons

• Medicated vs. Unmedicated births

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

originally aired on 1/31/19

Enjoy. And if you are looking for really good childbirth education that balances the hospital policies and your own choices, please jump into Birth Story Academy. It is only $178 when you use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF! 

What is pelvic floor therapy?

Dr. Sara Reardon had two unmedicated vaginal births with no perineal tearing.  So, how?

Sara has her online pelvic floor fitness platform The V-Hive (everyone can try free for 7 days) and her book available for pre-order now and releasing June 10, 2025 Floored: A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage

 3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Pelvic floor issues affects almost 50% of women and there is help to prevent and overcome

• My book Floored can help guide you through Pregnancy, birth and postpartum to manage common issues like urinary leakage, prolapse and painful sex

• Preparing for birth can help improve birth outcomes and birth experiences for women and moms

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Floored

• The Vagina Whisperer

• Pelvic floor therapy

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?:  

My book Floored, a comfortable pair of pajamas with buttons in friend, Frida Mom postpartum recovery kit

Summary of guest experience – Who are you? What are your credentials?

Dr. Sara Reardon, board-certified pelvic floor physical therapist and known on social media as The Vagina Whisperer. I have an online pelvic floor fitness platform, The V-Hive, for pelvic floor workouts for pregnancy, childbirth preparation, postpartum, perimenopause and painful sex.  I live in my hometown of New Orleans with my husband and two boys. 

Website: www.thevagwhisperer.com - sign up for 7 days of free pelvic floor workouts

Book: https://thevagwhisperer.com/floored/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.vagina.whisperer/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thevagwhisperer

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thevaginawhisperer

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-reardon-pt-dpt-wcs-4a6b1025/ 

Photography/Videography: Please email hello@birthstory.com subject YOUR NAME PODCAST PICS/VIDEOS any images I can share in my stories to promote your episode. 

XOXO -Heids

___________________________________________________________________

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand parents in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Birth Story Boutique Doula + Pregnancy Concierge Services in Charlotte, NC

• Birth Story Media™ Website

• Pinterest

Johnathon and Blair share with Heidi their beautiful love story that spans over 17 years and two different adoption processes. These two dads begin their tale walking Heidi through the private adoption process, the deep connection they fostered on the spot with their first son’s birth mother, and the process of adopting out of the foster care system. If private adoption is something you have been considering this episode is a must-listen for you. The dads' favorite baby products are Dr. Browns Bottles, clip-on high chairs, and the book The Happiest Baby on the Block.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

In this episode we cover paving the way for VBAC's today with Sarah. Sarah is one of the pioneers of VBAC's in Charlotte, NC by advocating (and sneaking around) with the support of her midwife and OB teams. When the hospitals were still saying no, she found a team to say YES! This is such a cool story. Thank you Sarah for making VBAC's today possible by being one of the firsts!

XOXO-Heids

PS. I would love to have all my listeners join me in my online course, Birth Story Academy to plan and prepare for the birth they want. Let me help you navigate the stages of labor and all of those hospital nuances and policies. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 off at BirthStory.com. You will get a free copy of the Birth Story book too and access into my private FB community! Let's do this! 

This episode of Birth Story Podcast is coming to you from Heidi’s beautiful home of Charlotte, NC, and highlights 3 of the Queen City’s best and brightest doulas. Dive deep behind the scenes of being a doula with Heidi, Helen, and Sarah, and hear straight from these highly experienced women about the continuity of care for the pregnant mom.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Heidi brings her doula partner Collin on the show today to chat with sexuality educator Erica Smith. The conversation was intended for rapid fire, but it organically unfolded to be about sex, sexuality, sex in pregnancy and postpartum, initating after babies, and how to talk to your kids about sex. We even talk about the importance of naming body parts appropriately when you talk to your baby, toddler, child, and adolescent! Find out what is normal and how to keep the pleasure going through hormonal changes and busy parenting days!

If you are seeking online childbirth education for your hospital birth, join Heidi in Birth Story Academy. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF at BirthStory.com

www.useanja.com use code BIRTHSTORY for $100 off

Heidi chats with Kjirsten all about cholestasis and the warning signs of normal vs. not normal itching, miscarriage, getting pregnant after a miscarriage and good epidurals! Kjirsten is the CEO of Teeny Talkers and focuses on helping get your littles talking. You can find her online course at www.teenytalkers.com and follow her on IG at instagram.com/teeny_talkers

Pre-Sales begin for Birth Story Academy on 12/1/21. Use code BIRTHSTORYPODCAST for 50% off. 

Did you listen to Part 1? Trigger warning: Sexual assault conversations

In Part 2 of this conversation with Juanita Chase, Heidi and Juanita explore tangible advice for creating a trauma informed birth team and preparing for birth post-trauma in order to have an empowering birth.

This episode is all about how to take back your power and conquer your fears during childbirth. 

Thank you for listening and sharing this episode with a friend that you know who is a survivor of sexual assault and is pregnant.

You can reach out to Juanita directly with the handle @pauseanywhere on all social media platforms and the website Pause Anywhere. 

XOXO-Heidi

Join Birth Story Academy today with $20 OFF using code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at www.BirthStory.com

Meet Cyndal: 3+ cm dilated for a month leading up to her 41 week delivery, false labor, having a doula, and launching Stork Exchange. 

Cyndal was moving from the North and decided on a doula after chatting her with her sister and law and many friends. She hired Collin Parsons of Doula Differently and started on a journey of pregnancy empowerment. Collin was there every step of the way.

Cyndal learned first hand why vaginal exams during pregnancy offer zero information and just lead to discomfort. She was 3+ cm dilated for a month before her 41 week spontaneous labor. The cervical exams misled her into believing she would have her baby earlier than her guess date.

Cyndal and her husband Ben also launched Stork Exchange-an online marketplace for used baby items focusing on carriers and wraps. We did deep on her mompreneur story and her birth story in today's episode. 

You can follow Stork Exchange at www.instagram.com/stork_exchange or on their website at www.storkexchange.co

Mention BIRTH STORY for 20% off your orders!

XOXO

Heidi

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/birthstory

You can also find all of your free guides to pregnancy and purchase the Birth Story Pregnancy guidebook + journal at www.birthstory.com

These days, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are scary for many reasons. Pregnant women especially are experiencing a lot of confusion from having to say goodbye to their birth partners at the front doors of their hospitals to having to entirely rethink their original birth plans for the sake of safety for them and their babies. Join Heidi on this highly educational and topical episode and download her free guide to have many of your questions answered about what birthing during Coronavirus looks like.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

For this episode, Heidi features and interviews Lianne, a remarkable woman who achieved an all-natural and intervention-free labor and delivery at a birth center in Canada. Lianne walks Heidi through her experiences with socialized medicine and the center’s midwifery model. Her favorite baby product is the Young Living Natural Oils Lavender Lotion, which she used to help with her daughter Olivia's eczema.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Rachel Coley, a pediatric occupational therapist and the CEO of www.CanDoKiddo.com, shares with Heidi and Birth Story Podcast listeners the evolution of her birthing journey from a Bradley method user to having 3 epidural births in 3 and a half years. She speaks frankly about how the unexpected twists and turns of labor challenged her in ways she had never anticipated. Rachel's favorite baby product is the LovEvery play gym.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Meet Afton Vechery. She is the CEO of Modern Fertility and she is taking on women’s health globally at 31 years old. Afton lives in San Francisco with her fiancé Zach and her new puppy. She loves biking throughout the city and her favorite restaurant is Salumeria. Afton was featured in 30 under 30 and 40 under 40 after raising 22 million in private equity to build this company. Afton studied neuroscience at Wake Forest University in North Carolina before heading off to work in NYC for a private equity healthcare fund in their women’s health division. From their she gained momentum in an autism start up and then at 23&Me. While at 23&Me she became curious about her own fertility. That is when her doctor said, “No, I am not going to order these fertility tests for you.” You see she wasn’t trying to get pregnant so her provider dismissed her proactive curiosity. So she did what all rational women do….she did it anyway. And, she was ultra surprised when she got a bill for $1500. Afton then set out to build a company where women would proactively learn about their fertility and it would be affordable. Today, your personal fertility test with Modern Fertility costs just $159 and you can use your FSA or HSA to pay for it. That is 10% of the out of pocket cost if your provider writes a prescription for you and sends you to a lab. A quick finger prick from the comfort of your own home begins your awareness and planning journey with Modern Fertility. Tune in to hear the full story of how Modern Fertility was birthed, what they are doing for the LGBTQIA+ community and what in the world AMH is and what it means for your fertility and egg quality.

To learn more about your own fertility start here: https://modernfertility.com/timeline/

Afton’s favorite baby gift to give is “A Cub Come True” by her friend Eduardo Hariton.

Modern Fertility’s message synchronizes perfectly with Nichelle Sublett’s #startasking movement. If you haven’t yet listened to Mrs. North Carolina’s episode on fertility you can tune in HERE.

Maternal health is as important to Heidi as breathing! This episode features Sarah Clark, an infertility conqueror, author of Fabulously Fertile, and fellow podcast host of the show Get Pregnant Naturally, who breaks down with Heidi all you need to know about the subject.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Hey! I just got back from Disney and I wrote a special episode on how I navigated two parks and never waited in a single line! These are my best tips for 1. Safety 2. Eating on the go 3. Staying Comfortable 4. Staying Hydrating 5. Staying Cool 6. Limiting Exhaustion 7. Making memories to last a lifetime!

XOXO Heidi

PS Don't forget to enroll in Birth Story Academy at BirthStory.com so that I can be your virtual doula and help you plan and prepare for the birth that you want- no matter what that looks like! 

Heidi would love to be your virtual doula at Birth Story Academy. Join for comprehensive childbirth education about hospital birthing and navigating the hospital policies and procedures. Self paced. Easy, fun, and entertaining modules. BirthStory.com and use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF. 

show notes tomorrow! This mama is tired! XOXO Heids

SHOW NOTES COMING

SHOW NOTES COMING

We will cover Kathryn’s “Founder’s Story” about why she founded Anja Health - after a near-drowning accident, her brother was left with cerebral palsy and umbilical cord blood stem cells could’ve helped save his life. Since they’re mixed race, they were unable to find a match in public banks, which inspired Kathryn to create an affordable private stem cell safe. We will talk about what cord blood banking is, why is it important and we’ll mention a few case studies, that will showcase a few of the 85+ diseases for which cord blood stem cells are approved as a treatment for.

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• If you’re pregnant you should definitely consider cord blood cord tissue and placenta banking. Placenta banking is an under utilized part of the birth plan

• Why Anja Health is different 

• How cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta banking works and how much it costs.

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Cord blood banking

• Stem cells

• Birth plan

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: 

• the Complete plan for Lifetime of storage by Anja Health

Kathryn Cross is the CEO and Founder of Anja Health. Currently she is based in LA. 

Website: anjahealth.com

Instagram: @anja.health

TikTok: @kathrynanja & @anjahealth

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/anjahealth

YouTube Channel: @anjahealth

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

This special episode tells Heidi’s personal birth story of her oldest son Maximus Danger and how his journey to Earth was long, hard, and required flexibility of her mind, body, and heart. Heidi recounts her experience with prodromal labor, utilizing an epidural, and what it meant for her to have to let go of her own planned birth in order to bring Max into this world in the way that he needed, even if it wasn’t exactly in the way she had wanted.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

In episode 72, we hear from HeHe of The Birth Lounge and Tranquility by HeHe all about pushing....what to do and what not to do and what your body was made to do!

XOXO- Heidi

In this episode, Heidi vulnerably shares with her audience the side of many abortions that a doula sees that the rest of the world may not know about. 

www.BirthStory.com

Wow! This power couple Matthew and Sarah Bivens are the hosts behind the Doing it at Home (DIAH) Podcast. I am so excited that they came on the Birth Story Podcast to share their journey from leaving the traditional OBGYN setting and adventuring into the world of home birth. They decided to document this big decision and revolutionize the way that parents plan and prepare for home births. This is an episode you don’t want to miss! And don’t forget to subscribe to their podcast too!

Welcome to the final installment of Birth Story Podcast’s “Daddy Bootcamp 2.0”! The dads (Justin, Cas, and Chris) tell all in this raw and honest look into partnered parenthood through multiple day inductions, c-sections, and the different ways to lovingly support your partner through the unexpected ebbs and flows of childbirth.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

The second I saw Meg Thompson's Reel on IG about unmedicated birth, I was hooked. I devoured all of her content. She is funny, and open, and raw! She is an Urban Homesteader, and crunchy mom advocate! I shared one of my favorite reels on her page and it got over 1 million views! So, naturally, I had to have her on the show. Enjoy!

You can follow meg here: https://www.instagram.com/flourishingmotherhood/

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at BirthStory.com 

XOXO-Heidi

Thanks to Kristen and Adam at Novice Studios CLT for producing this episode. As always, Thanks Tiffany for getting these episodes onto the website! It takes a village. 

Ashley Schein is a mother, a writer, and a writing workshop facilitator. She leads workshops, both in person and over zoom. In this episode she talks about the benefits of writing and sharing your birth story in a safe space, and gives some guidance on how to get started so that your story can unfold naturally and beautifully on the page. Ashley also shares about how writing helped her process her own birth experiences and gave her a new perspective. Listen until the end to hear her read the story of her daughter’s birth. 

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Writing is healing. It can help us process what we’ve been through. It’s possible to write about the same experience more than once in different ways, which can lead to new understanding. 

• Writing your birth story is a beautiful way to honor yourself and your experience. It’s never too late to write your story. 

• There’s no one more qualified to write your birth story than you. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “writer.”

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Writing your birth story

• Birth Story Workshop

• Writing to heal

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: 

One of those insanely long pieces of fabric that you wrap around your body so that you can wear your baby. It takes a bit of time on YouTube to figure it out, but once you have it down it’s miraculous for those early, early days when baby just wants to be on mama all. Of. The. Time.

Writing and storytelling have always been a part of Ashley’s life, both personally and professionally. Before becoming a mother, Ashley spent more than 15 years helping brands and organizations find their voices and tell their stories. Now, she helps people do the same by leading writing workshops. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two young kids. 

Website: www.wildwrites.co

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wildwrites

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

XOXO-

Heidi

Heidi borrows this incredible episode from The Birth Ease Podcast  https://www.birtheaseservices.com/podcast all about hypnobirthing. 

Michelle Smith is a leading expert in the field of hypnobirthing. She is the primary hypnobirthing consultant for Heidi's private doula practice. This episode tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the practice of hypnobirthing and why she created her own method after being schooled in all the existing programs. 

Michelle is based out of Orlando, FL while healing and teaching hypnobirthing and childbirth education around the world. 

Heidi shares about her experiences with Herpes personally and professionally as a doula and what everyone needs to know about Herpes during their pregnancy and how to not spread it to your infant during childbirth. 

Cordblood and tissue banking with Anjahealth.com

Join Birth Story Academy at BirthStory.com

This is the very first Tuesday episode of the Birth Story Podcast-Doula Diaries. In this episode, Heidi teaches all about the fetal ejection reflex and shares learnings from her most recent birth with Brooke....who labored at Heidi's house to avoid a car baby. 

As promised, the midwives brew:

2 tablespoons castor oil, 2 tablespoons almond butter, 1 cup apricot nectar, 1 cup champagne. 

***This is not medical advice. This is a recipe. Please do not ever drink castor oil if you are a VBAC, before 41 weeks, AND without your healthcare provider's consent. 

In her own words, " I am a previous L&D RN now working as a nurse practitioner, but still have a passion for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Pregnancy #1 (39+6 week elective induction at hospital with epidural and 9lb4oz baby boy and <12 hours start to finish), pregnancy #2 (10 month fertility journey, GD, 39w spontaneous FAST labor, 8lb11oz baby boy #2), pregnancy #3 (missed miscarriage, D&C, and complications—spinal headache, retained clots needing cytotec then excess bleeding requiring methergine), and pregnancy #4 made his grand entrance in a quick unmedicated induction with pit and AROM."

Ya'll have NO IDEA how much we covered to teach you! Let's jump into this! 

Follow Alexis: https://www.instagram.com/lexsully

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

 3 Key takeaways from the podcast:

• Elective inductions

• Missed Miscarriage

• Unmedicated induction is possible and can be fun! 

 I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

If you are planning a home birth then this episode is a MUST listen. Even though a hospital transfer has a low likelihood of occuring, I want to lift you up with a postive story just in case.

This week, Heidi chats with Morgan McKittrick all things homebirth and homebirth transfer. Morgan was able to stick to her plan of unmedicated birthing and having a non-traumatic positive birth experience even when her homebirth midwife said she needed to shift plans mid labor!

This episode is packed full of empowering ideas, plans, motivations, and lessons to help you on your journey. 

XOXO

If you are planning a hospital birth and are looking for amazing childbirth education to prepare you, please join Birth Story Academy today at BirthStory.com and use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF at checkout. See you in class! (although rock on because its virtual and self paced!)

Today Heidi interviewed Kristen Stegall, CEO of Novice Studios, a podcast production company based in Charlotte, NC. Here is a little more about Kristen Stegall and this episode.

In Heidi's words: "In this episode, I interview my client Kristen Stegall about her pregnancy journeys, from navigating a missed miscarriage in 2020, to delivering her rainbow baby in 2022. We discuss her long prodromal labor, determining that a c-section was the safest way to deliver her baby, and processing a traumatic birth experience."

While I don't usually work at this hospital, it should be noted that Kristen says, " And it was fun to do the different positions and try the birth sling and to, you know, all the nurses, the staff there. I feel like very lucky that everybody there was so kind. And they were like, you guys do your thing. And they were like, we trust the doula and we trust you to tell us when you need something."

It feels good to be trusted by a hospital system as a doula. This was the last time I was at this hospital until October of 2024. 

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• A D&C is an abortion, and abortion is a healthcare tool that saves lives. Unfortunately the word “abortion” has been villainized, but ultimately it prevented an adverse outcome for Kristen’s missed miscarriage.

• An urgent c-section is different from an emergency c-section. In an emergency, you are completely put under general anesthesia and are asleep for the procedure. In Kristen’s urgent c-section, she was fully awake and numbed via epidural.

• If you had a c-section, you gave birth!! Don’t discount your experience or your role in bringing your baby into the world just because you didn’t give birth vaginally.

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Missed miscarriage

• Abortion as healthcare

• Urgent C-section

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product: 

• Keekaroo Peanut Changer

• Hatch Sound Machine

• Portable Sound Machine with Lights (great for on-the-go naps in the stroller!)

Kristen Stegall is the CEO of Novice Studios, a video podcast production company based in Charlotte, NC. She is a wife to Matt, and mom to a happy toddler and two fur babies.

Website: https://novicestudiosclt.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novicestudiosclt/ 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@novicestudiosclt 

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

Welcome to the Natural Induction Methods episode! This installment of Birth Story Podcast highlights some of Heidi’s most tested, tried, and true methods of inducing labor naturally. Don’t forget to download your free accompanying natural induction guide at www.birthstory.com! Heidi also wants you to know about: Mama Natural, Surge of the Sea, the Miles Circuit, and Evidence Based Birth

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Meet Kristen, a mother who inspires all who hear her story of battling a rare condition called a subchorionic hemorrhage. Get ready for tears, laughs, and for your heart to absolutely swell as she recounts moving at 7 months pregnant, switching healthcare providers, and her very long labor. Kristen's favorite baby products are Quick Zip sheets. Enter BIRTHSTORYPODCAST at checkout for 15% off of your first order.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

In this episode of Birth Story Podcast, we learn that sometimes we can do all of the “right” things throughout our pregnancy but still have to make alterations to our birth plans. Carrie never went into labor after 42 weeks and 3 days of gestation and ended up having an unplanned C-section. The hits kept coming when she learned that because her breast tissue never fully developed in puberty she was not a candidate for breastfeeding. Carrie wants you to know about:

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

This episode originally aired as Episode 30 and is the 2nd most listened to podcast episode of all time. 

This episode features Kelly Bryant, successful personal trainer based in Stuart, Florida, who focuses on helping moms reconnect to their core and regain their strength postnatally. Kelly also details her own birth story with her daughter and how she reached her most primal state during delivery.

Kelly’s favorite baby product is the Boba Baby Wrap, a cozy and comfortable carrier and nursing aid.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

This is a follow up birth story with baby #4 with Jenna Slot of the oh so popular episode 41 where we discuss her surprise PFO diagnosis. 

That episode was republished just before this one in Episode 194.

In Jenna's words: "We'll talk about my 4th birth story, which started with my water breaking in the elevator at work (work for me is as a labor and delivery nurse!).  I also talk about becoming an exclusive pumper when he refused to nurse (or couldn't nurse) because that was a hard pill to swallow after having successfully nursed 3 babies.  Also, my mom was at this birth and then shortly after was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, so I was also dealing with immense grief during my postpartum period.  I think both grief and exclusive pumping are topics worth discussing when they are present in pregnancy and postpartum!!"

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Point 1 - sometimes a baby will not nurse even if you try absolutely everything.  And it's ok to feel sad about that!

• Point 2 - late epidurals and....why not!?!

• Point 3 - All birth stories are different. How unique my 4th one was compared to the first 3. 

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Point 1 - regarding water breaking and confirmation - manicure, ferning

• Point 2 - exclusive pumping, lactation consulting, issues transferring milk

• Point 3 - late epidurals

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?:  

I LOVED the solly wrap and the ergo carrier. 

Summary of guest experience – Who are you? 

I'm an L&D nurse in West Michigan.  I'm also a recently graduated and credentialed Women's Health Nurse Practitioner.  I live near Grand Rapids, MI.  

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Jennaslot

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/Jennaslot

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

Are you ready to hear the amazing birth story of Kenzie Petty with her partner Jackson by her side?

Let's do this!

And since Kenzie is a baddy and won survivor and crushed a primal unmedicated birth...she has a bunch of ways to connect and save you money on all of her favorite things.

Make sure to follow her if you aren't already! Here is what you need to know!

XOXO Heids

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: 

Chatbooks: CODE:  “KENZIETHEHAPPYFAIRY” 20% off

https://chatbooks.com/products/ambassador?utm_source=Ambassador&utm_medium=IG&utm_campaign=kenziethehappyfairy

HOPE&plum carriers 10% off 

https://www.hopeandplum.co/KPetty

BIRTH STORY ACADEMY childbirth education online classes

www.BirthStory.com

CODE: $50 OFF with code KPETTY

Kenzie, salon owner extraordinare and Survivor 46 winner

Website: https://linktr.ee/kenziepetty

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenziethehappyfairy 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kenziethehappyfairy?_t=ZP-8u3eLHGbwHW&_r=1 

________

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $50 off with code KPETTY at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand parents in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Birth Story Boutique Doula + Pregnancy Concierge Services in Charlotte, NC

• Birth Story Media™ Website

• Pinterest

Today's episode is an episode SWAP from the amazing DIAH Podcast with hosts Matthew and Sarah Bivens

Today Heidi interviewed Chelsea Skaggs, the founder of Postpartum Together, a coaching program for parents to continue to grow their relationship after having kids. Here is a little more about Chelsea Skaggs and this episode.

In Chelsea's words: "Having a baby creates a huge shift in your relationship. More than half of couples report decreased satisfaction in their marriage after having a baby, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There’s no sugar coating that it’s humbling and hard work to understand yourself and your partner in the midst of such a big change but there are ways to become better at communicating and connecting so that you’re more of a team moving through the changes together."

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Point 1: You need to understand where you keep looping in arguments and why that’s happening 

• Point 2: Understand when you’re telling yourself a story and need to get accurate details from your partner

• Point 3: Sex probably isn’t going to look the same as it did before, and that’s cool

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Point 1: Relationship Coaching

• Point 2: Sex after baby

• Point 3: After kids

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?:

Larken Nursing/Pumping bra (I still wear it 6 mo PP because it’s so cozy!)

Chelsea is a certified life and relationship coach who helps expecting and new parents to get out of the resentment and disconnect and build a relationship they are proud of so that they can enjoy the life they’ve built. She is a mom of two and her family lives in Central Ohio. 

Website: www.postpartumtogether.com

Instagram: instagram.com/chelseabrookeskaggs

Pinterest: pinterest.com/postpartumtogether

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@chelseaskaggs

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/better.relationships.after.baby

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@ChelseaSkaggsCoach

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

In this episode we discuss, my experience as a young mother growing up in Boston. Recap of my feelings when I learned I was expecting at the age of 12, prenatal care, foster care, losing my mother exactly one month before having my son. How I worked through pregnancy. Labor and delivery. Why I wrote my story. Who do I hope to reach?

 Love,  Lisa Carter

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Teen Pregnancy

• Postpartum Depression

• Black Maternal Health 

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Teen Pregnancy

• Teen Mom

• Foster Care

Summary of guest experience:

Lisa Carter, Author, Youth and Family Service provider, mother, wife, GiGi. UMass Boston graduate, Human Services/Community Planning, Originally from Boston, moved to Charlotte 15 years ago. 

Website: LisaCarterSpeaks.com

Instagram: @lisacarterspeaks

YouTube Channel:Lisa Carter Speaks

Other: LisaCarterSpeaks@gmail.com 

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

This episode hits close to home for Birth Story Podcast host Heidi as it regales the adoption story of one of her closest friends, Rachelle, for whom she was the adoption doula. This story will give you goosebumps so settle in for a wild ride spanning more than 3 years, $90,000, and learn how the adoption of a single child expanded into the fight to bring home two.

For more information on Kidron Valley Orphanage or donating to their non-profit JoPri please follow @jopriuganda or visit: www.jopri.org

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

The light after loss. 

In this episode, Jenna continues her journey with us by sharing about her Rainbow baby and pregnany after loss. Jenna has an unplanned cesarean and she walks us through what that looks like ending in an OR when you planned a vaginal birth. 

If you are open to hearing Jenna's loss stories including a stillbirth, scroll back to episode 155 that was released on Tuesday. 

XOXO- Heidi

PS. I would love for you to choose Birth Story Academy for your online childbirth education with me. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF!

Suzi Brantley goes in-depth with her experiences with IVF/IUI and why single motherhood was a good option for her. Listen in to learn all the Who/What/Why involved in fertility testing as well as some of the highs and lows she endured throughout her process into parenthood. Suzi’s favorite baby product is the Owlet Smart Sock.

Suzi's other doula is Collin from www.douladifferently.com

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

more show notes coming

Jenna walks Heidi through her passion of healthy living with her brand Raised on Plants. She describes training for her birth by first prepping for fertility and pregnancy with her nutrition. At 42 weeks she was booted from the birth center and sent to the hospital for an induction. But, she was able to labor on her own, unmedicated and finish the job without interventions which is exactly what she had desired.

instagram.com/raisedonplants

Welcome to part one of a two-part audio adventure detailing Jasmine’s, a remarkable doula based in Eugene, OR, journey to her own motherhood. From going into early pre-term labor during her first pregnancy to becoming her own advocate and hiring a doula for herself Jasmine tells all to Heidi. Jasmine's favorite baby product is the book The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Did you listen to the previous episode 197? Start there. I interviewed David Arrell, the author of Welcome to Fatherhood, in 2021. This is a part 2 follow up in 2024 to that initial discussion. 

This episode is about hoow men can achive their highlest level of healthy mascunlinity and embrace fatherhood and partnership successfully. 

Please share this episode with a father or soon to be father you know. 

You can connect with David at www.welcometofatherhood.com and use code BIRTHSTORY for a special discount when you check out.

XOXO- Heidi 

Looking for a doula in Charlotte, NC? Find my team and me at www.BirthStoryBoutique.com

To enroll in Birth Story Academy, head over to www.BirthStory.com and use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF for being a podcast listener. 

In late 2019 when Brook found out she was pregnant, she had to decide where to birth since her trusted birthing center had closed. Little did she know that the coronavirus was about to impact this decision. Brook chose a hospital birth with her favorite midwives and hired a doula. As the pandemic spread, Brook made the secret decision with her husband to switch to a home birth. She received parallel care throughout her pregnancy with both the hospital and homebirth midwives.

About a week before the birth, Brook experienced classic prodromal labor that would start every night and last until about 2 am before she would be able to go back to sleep. On the day of labor, she knew it was different when she couldn’t go back to sleep and she had a bowel movement at 3 am.

Brook had a long labor for a second baby laboring all through the night and the next day. After she put her older son to bed that evening surges increased to 4-5 minutes apart. Her midwife described her tension ring when she got to 5-6 cm dilated and she was holding on to her previous birth experience. Brook had to let go.

Brook labored in and out of the tub and her water was still intact just before pushing. She pushed for almost 4 hours before her son was born at 1:23 am. Her midwife and doula gave her permission to let go and get primal and roar her baby out. And that is exactly what she did. Brook achieved a beautiful homebirth despite the pandemic in the comfort of her own home surrounded by her family and support team.

Her favorite baby product is the Hatch Light which is a sound machine and a phase to wake clock.

Heidi comes to you recorded live from the She Podcasts convention in Atlanta, GA! In this special episode, Heidi tells the birth story of one of her doula clients who was an absolute Rockstar at natural birthing. Tune in for explanations on dilation, effacement, and station and how they are the top predictors of the length for the rest of labor.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

This week Heidi shares a story of one of her doula clients who had an unmedicated, homebirth like story, birth at a hospital. Heidi outlines how you can have a story like this too (if that is something you want!).

Listen this week to hear about having the right midwifery team, being educated, having an involved partner, the right doulas, and flipping an OP baby to the perfect OA position. 

Jump in to Birth Story Academy today for all of your childbirth education needs for birthing in a hospital!

XOXO-Heidi

Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF at BirthStory.com

Heidi sits down with Sarah and Derek, a family she was the doula for, to talk about their first unplanned pregnancy and what that meant for their new and rocky marriage at the time. These two discuss how growing their family helped to heal their marriage and mom Sarah explains her experience utilizing an epidural for pain management due to cervical scarring. The couple's favorite baby product is The Topponcino.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Stick around for their Birth Story in Part 2 and how Steph did SNS feeding. 

Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF Birth Story Academy if you are looking for online, self paced childbirth education from a seasoned doula! 

In this episode, Heidi chats with Aleca live on Fireside (unedited) about her labor and delivery and her husband not making it. With 3 doulas in play including, Heidi,  Aleca was covered. Sh,e is fierce. This episode is the hallmark of nothing goes according to plan EVER, you can do anything, our bodies are amazing, and parenthood is about surrendering and letting what will be, just be. It is what it is, and we made lemondae out of lemons. XOXO Heidi

I would love to have you take my online course to prep you for your birth. Sign up for Birth Story Academy at BirthStory.com today. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF!

show notes coming

more show notes coming when I get back from vacation!

Regina shares about having gall bladder attacks that led to gall bladder removal surgery while pregnant....and her amazing homebirth with a doula. 

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Connect with Regina at https://www.instagram.com/reginarennea/

SHOW NOTES COMING

WWW.BREECHWITHOUTBORDERS.COM

Heidi chats about her trip to Colorado and camping with a Mama Moose and her new baby Moose and Heidi's reflections on nature, being mammals and how the world treats us in the postpartum period. She takes a deep dive into the postpartum guide and breastfeeding guide available through Birth Story Academy. 

It's not too late to join Birth Story Academy....even if you are due next week! Join today for $20 OFF using code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at BirthStory.com

This is one of the most important episodes of Birth Story Podcast you can listen to. In this segment Heidi travels to Asheville, NC during Black Maternal Health Awareness Week to sit down and talk with Maggie and Cindy, two representatives of MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center), Mothering Asheville, and the SistasCaring4Sistas Doula program, about the disparity of maternal and infant mortality rates between black and white women.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

This episode is what happens when two birth geeks sit down and chat about birth stories. Meet Sam from the Carolina Doula Collective as she shares about her amazing births.

In this episode, Heidi shares about her rough week of advocacy as a doula and where the breakdown all began....when clients choose the wrong provider. Heidi walks through how to know if you are birthing with the right provider, what questions to ask to make sure, and what to do if you feel like your provider might be tolerant of but not supportive of what type of birth you want for your body and baby. 

Don't forget to enroll in Birth Story Academy at BirthStory.com and let Heidi get you fully prepped for your upcoming birth! 

Here is the article I referenced on eating during labor: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-eating-drinking-labor/

Dr. Kendra Segura, world-renowned OB/GYN, shares her personal trials, tribulations, and soaring joys about her fertility and birthing journey in this episode of Birth Story Podcast. She is passionate about women’s health education and Heidi is excited to share Dr. Segura’s story with you.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

In the finale of this 2-part special, Kristy is back to talk to Heidi about the events that led to switching up her birth plan from utilizing a birth center to focusing on having a home birth while still using the midwifery model of care. 

Kristy's featured pregnancy product is the TUSHY bidet.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Meet the wisest and most experienced midwife in Charlotte, NC, Sage Brook. She immersed herself with midwifery for 34 years before retiring in 2018. Join Sage as she recounts her own birth stories and some notable births from her long and rewarding career.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Dr. Jess Michaels is an osteopath, doula, and founder of The Birth Sling, a powerful tool for movement and support during labor. In this episode, she shares her own birth story of transferring from a home birth plan to a hospital birth, including laboring on the beach, listening to her body, and creating the Birth Sling for other birthing persons after DIY-ing her own for her daughter’s birth.

In this episode, we cover:

• Jess’ experience in osteopathic medicine and as a birth doula

• Jess’ favorite birth tools for home births

• Her birth story of transferring from a home birth plan to a hospital birth

• Listening to your body and asking for more support

• How various movements help us progress labor and manage pain

• Sterile water injections for back pain relief

• Giving birth in a birthing pool in a hospital with your own midwife

• Processing and coping with changes in your birth plan

• What a birth sling is and how to use it during labor and birth

Get 20% off your purchase with code “BIRTHSTORY” at https://www.thebirthsling.com/

XOXO -Heidi

Connect with Jess!

• The Birth Sling Instagram

• Dr. Jess Michaels’ Instagram

• Dr. Jess Michaels Website

• The Birth Sling Website

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

  • Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 off

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the births of over a thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will often hear from many of the top experts in pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the sacred postpartum period.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

Shaine O. Laine is an up and coming comedian savant in Charlotte, NC. He is kind, funny, intelligent, justice-minded, and just so happens to have two birthdays. This week, Heidi shakes things up by interviewing a man not about his child, but, about his own story of rebirth.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Heidi chats with Jess all about a surprise diagnosis of Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in her 20's and what that meant for Jess' fertility and family planning. Jess shares the RAW story behind how Mamas in Training came to be!

Mamas in Training Podcast Suggest Episodes: https://www.mamasintraining.com/episodes/

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Jess' favorite baby products!

Get 25 % Boom Boom Body Suits at https://boomboombabyco.com/collections/all-clothing-1 with code MAMASPOD25

Bjorn Bouncer https://www.babybjorn.com/products/baby-bouncers

In this episode Heidi chats with Katie and Collin about her upcoming tubal ligation and the many questions that it elicited....like where does the sperm go if you have a hysterectomy? Where do your eggs go if you have a tubal ligation and disconnect your ovary from the uterus? Are the ovaries anchored to anything if the tubes are removed? What does a penis or toy hit if the cervix is gone? Then, they bring on Dr. Alexandria Montgomery...aka an Expert to answer the questions and help all of you understand the stuff you should know. 

If you fully trust Heidi after this episode, don't forget to enroll in Birth Story Academy before 2/1/21 for 50% off using code BIRTHSTORYPODCAST at BirthStory.com

Trigger Warning: Sexual assault and childhood sexual assault

Heidi sits down with Juanita Chase and discusses her history of sexual assault and how that shaped her life and pregnancies. 

In this episode Juanita shares about her first 2 birth stories and how her past trauma surfaced in labor.

In part 2 (the next episode) Juanita shares her 3rd birth story when she took her power back and created a trauma informed birth team. 

If you know someone who would benefit from this episode, thank you for sharing it with them. 

To enroll in Birth Story Academy, visit BirthStory.com and use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF

show notes coming...

TRIGGER WARNING

This episode discusses miscarriage, a blighted ovum, and stillbirth.

This episode is to honor and support all of the loss parents out there needing comfort and community. If this content will not serve you, please end it and tune in to Episode 156 on Thursday when Jenna continues this story with her rainbow baby's birth story.

We know that many of you may not have a rainbow baby like Jenna and Sabrina so Episode 156 may not honor your story and journey. I sent my love and hugs to you always. 

This is a 2 part series. 

XOXO Heidi

PS. I would love for you to join me in Birth Story Academy for your online childbirth education. Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF at BirthStory.com

Tory Jones is a remarkable woman. Not only is she the CEO of Ixchel Triangle, a bag company she developed while working in Guatemala, she is also an incredible advocate for the normalization of breastfeeding and home birthing. Tory's favorite baby products are the baby hammock and the ring sling.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

SHOW NOTES COMING

In this Doula Diaries episode, Heidi chats for a quick 10 minutes on being fat, fit, healthy, beautiful, capable and worthy. This episode is for encouragment and how to navigate pregnancy weight gain conversations with your medical provider especially if you have a history of disordered eating prior to pregnancy!

Thanks for being here. If this episode resonates with you then please leave a review and share it with a friend who may need this positivity today!

XOXO

Heidi would love for you to join her in Birth Story Academy for all of your online childbirth education to prepare you for your hospital birth! Use code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND for $20 OFF. 

This episode is all about inductions! This episode is all about how to plan and prepare for an amazing induction!

more show notes coming

Heidi catches up with Sam from The Carolina Doula Collective about the state of birthing during COVID-19. Everything from last minute switches from hospital to home births to virtual doula services and everything in between. These two power doulas share all of their best tips for a safe and successful birth despite the restrictions being brought by the corona virus pandemic.

Imagine your ideal birth.  Where are you?  Who is with you?  In what position are you laboring?  Listen in to hear Katelyn’s most recent birth story.  Her experience was “magical,” as she was surrounded with exactly the right people in exactly the right time– it was a peaceful, undisturbed birth.  Katelyn set up her birthing space very intentionally and set her mind to the exact kind of labor she wanted to experience.

She and Thomas share their labor story, as well as a hilarious postpartum experience that occurred.

Katelyn’s labor march:

Katelyn’s birth video:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2DSJQYpxCc8MHVyeWxfa0xhb3FiVVhkT3ctenZpQmhiWm8w/view?usp=sharing

Sponsorship:

Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor! Hatched at Home-Midwife Carrie LaChapelle: www.hatchedathome.comhttps://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/ 864-907-6363 

Happy Homebirth hit 10,000 downloads!  It’s time to celebrate.  What do you want to see?  A Facebook group?  Merchandise?  Send an e-mail to katelyn@myhappyhomebirth.com with your suggestions.

Help out the show:

Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!

Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast.  We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!

https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/episode30/. (link to original show notes)

https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/3pillars

https://www.facebook.com/groups/happyhomebirth

https://www.instagram.com/happyhomebirthpodcast

In this episode Heidi interviews Sarah Leahy, the founder of The Autonomous Birth Movement, about her two vastly different birthing experiences, in the hospital and at home, and how she is campaigning for the mother’s right to informed consent. Learn about spinning babies, what free-birthing is, the controversy behind it, and why it may or may not be a viable option for your personal birth plan. Sarah’s favorite baby product is the Bum Genius cloth diaper brand and to talk with her personally about The Autonomous Birth Movement contact her via Instagram.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

Jasmine Katatikarn is a self-described strategist, coach, artist, and fertility warrior. She walks Heidi through her long—and often heart wrenching—journey to motherhood utilizing IUI and IVF and what it meant for her to discover and navigate unexplainable infertility. Now a mother of two, Jasmine created a framework so that anyone else with her shared experience could have a little guidance on their journey. She calls this the Freedom Method and it’s core values are: Reframe, Execute, Plan, and Take Action. Get a copy of Jasmine's free training here: https://jazzkatat.com/freetraining/ and make sure to follow her on instagram at www.instagram.com/jazzkatat

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

David Arrell, the author of Welcome to Fatherhood, chats with Heidi about this powerful book to help male partners with new fatherhood transitions. 

Please share this episode with a father or soon to be father in your life.

XOXO Heidi 

PS. David mentions his favorite baby products in this episode which is include the Babytone Sensor and the Frida nose sucker. 

Today I chat with Gina Mundy about having a safe childbirth in a hospital. Pitocin should have their feelings hurt right now. Trigger warning as we discuss the stuff no one wants to think about, but that we all need to think about. Maternal and Fetal demise mentioned. Birth injuries mentioned. 

In her own words: 

I am an attorney specializing in childbirth cases, bestselling author, mother of three and wife. For over two decades, I have analyzed the mistakes that are made during labor and delivery. Drawing on this knowledge, I have authored the book "A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth" to help parents prevent these mistakes and have a healthy baby.  Rather than merely getting involved after an unfortunate mistake was made, I have taken a proactive approach by getting involved before childbirth.  

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Point 1 Lessons learned from childbirth cases 

• Point 2 Most common facts in a childbirth case

• Point 3 How to have a safe chilbirth in a hospital

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: 

My book “A Parent’s Guide to a Safer Childbirth” 

Website: www.ginamundy.com

Amazon Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9KFNPNQ

Instagram: @GinaMundy  https://www.instagram.com/ginamundy/

Facebook: Gina Mundy, Author https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093989808329

Linked In: Gina Mundy https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-mundy-70318554/

Twitter: @ginamundy_  https://twitter.com/GinaMundy_

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

•  craniosacral is very gentle and can be used on anyone, but especially babies very soon after birth, no matter if the birth was smooth, or traumatic

• it can help with feeding (no matter how you feed your baby), sleep issues, tongue ties, and meeting developmental milestones

• it’s never too late to start craniosacral treatments

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?:

a craniosacral treatment!! This is a great way to help the body prepare for birth, and heal from the experience afterward. 

I’m Meaghan Beames, a Registered Massage Therapist, Craniosacral therapist. I’m trained in Rhythmic Movement, and Visceral Manipulation. I work with people of all ages, but specifically newborns and infants in Toronto, Canada. I teach health professionals around the world to do Infant Craniosacral Therapy through my school, Beames CST Training Centre.

Website: www.beamescst.com and www.mybabycst.com

Instagram: @beamescst @mybabycst

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/beamescst

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@beamescst

XOXO -Heids

___________________________________________________________________

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand parents in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy person on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• Birth Story Boutique Doula + Pregnancy Concierge Services in Charlotte, NC

• Birth Story Media™ Website

• Pinterest

In this episode, I chat with Tiffany from Santa Rose California about her unexpected pregnancy, her passion and love for all things birth, her work at a birth center and prepping for an unmedicated birth at a birth center as a single person. Her story also takes a twist when she gets appendicitis at 16 weeks. 

Looking for a unique and fun online childbirth course with Heidi as your virtual doula? Join Birth Story Academy TODAY at BirthStory.com

Meet Amy, a mother of 3 whose birth stories grow wilder with each child, who walks Heidi through each thrilling tale and ending with how she ended up delivering a VBAC baby, in the car, at Costco. Amy also talks about her love of acupuncture and Moxi. Amy's favorite baby products are the Ring Sling and the Tula Wrap.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

While Lauren was pitching Uber Health to their executive team, she felt a sharp, irregular pain in her stomach. With testing and a diagnostic surgery, she was diagnosed with an incredibly rare disease and was told she may not be able to have a biological child. As you can imagine, her first questions were: how do I navigate this disease? But also, how will I build a family some day?  Because so little is known about this disease, it was unclear if she could pursue egg-freezing, so she started looking into donation  and what stuck out to her was how antiquated and, for a lack of a better word, “icky” the traditional system felt. 

While, ultimately, she was very fortunate to have her sister freeze her eggs and donate them to her to potentially use later, and was able to conceive her baby girl unassisted, she never stopped thinking about egg donation. I spent months thinking about the costly, and emotionally and physically taxing feats people go through to build a family, and couldn’t believe no one has been talking about this and yet, egg donation is at the crux of so many other pieces of the industry. It’s an essential part of LGBTQ+ family planning, it goes hand in hand with egg-freezing, and it’s part of the process for many couples who go through infertility. 

That’s why in 2022, she founded Cofertility, to reshape fertility preservation and third-party reproduction so it’s more accessible, human and community-driven. The company offers a destigmatized, scalable approach to egg donation, which reshapes the cost structure of egg-freezing by matching women who want to freeze their eggs with families who could not otherwise conceive and by donating half, women can freeze their eggs for free. Since their launch last fall, tens of thousands of people have applied to be a part of their egg-freezing programs, and they have activated hundreds of donors. They’ve also taken a firm stance against the historical, predatory practices that involve cash compensation and failing to provide fertility education for the donor’s own reproductive future. In the egg-sharing model, which is what their Split program offers, there is a focus on shared outcomes rather than financial gain. All members get access to their online community, where people talk openly about their egg-freezing experience and support one another through it in real time and they welcome all intended parents — single or coupled, regardless of what brought them here — and support them with compassion and respect for whatever path is best for them. 

 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• The way we build families is more dynamic than ever and looks different for everyone. Cofertility exists to honor that and offers a destigmatized, scalable approach for bringing egg donation and egg-freezing together.  It’s our goal to fix the broken egg donation system.

• Matching with an Egg Donor should be a positive experience. If you're looking for an egg donor — either due to infertility, cancer, a genetic condition, or not having eggs — you may already feel like the odds are stacked against you. The last thing you need is to feel like you’re “shopping” for a human who plays a critical role in your family-building journey. And we’ll never make it feel that way. We agree with ASRM that egg donor compensation can open the door for exploitation. Plus, a 2021 Harvard study found that 62% of donor-conceived adults felt the exchange of money for donor gametes was wrong, and 41% were troubled by the fact that money was exchanged around their conception. By allowing our donors to freeze their eggs as part of the process, our unique model honors everyone involved.

• Lauren speaks to intended parents struggling with second infertility all the time at Cofertility, and it’s something her and her husband are going through right now on their journey to baby #2. It can be especially frustrating as it’s surprising and stressful, but it's estimated that nearly one-third of the women who experience infertility are impacted by it.

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: 

The Snoo and taking Cara Babies’ Sleep Schedule

Who is Lauren?

Lauren Makler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cofertility, a human-first fertility ecosystem rewriting the egg freezing and egg donation experience. Previously Lauren was an early Uber employee and founded Uber Health, a product that enables healthcare organizations to leverage Uber’s massive driver network in improving healthcare outcomes through patient transportation and healthcare delivery. After a rare disease diagnosis, Lauren’s fertility journey led her to believe that everyone should have the opportunity to freeze their eggs–and that there should be better access to egg donors. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their miracle baby girl.

Website: https://www.cofertility.com/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cofertility/ + https://www.instagram.com/familybyco/ + https://www.instagram.com/freezebyco/ + https://www.instagram.com/laurenmakler/ 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/cofertility/ 

Other: https://twitter.com/cofertility + https://www.linkedin.com/company/cofertility/ 

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

This is Part 2 of my discussion with Kelli!

During the podcast interviews we are going through 3 different birth stories as well as two losses. Each story is very unique in its own way and just goes to show how every birth can be different. We talk about Kelli's first birth being an induction with various interventions, her experience with two pregnancy losses, as well as the anxiety/mental health struggles she had during pregnancy, to having rainbow babies and a more hands off informed and empowering birthing experiences. 

3 Key takeaways from the podcast that listeners will learn today:

• Each birth is different 

• Informed choices

• Finding a supportive OB or midwife is very important not just for birth but for pregnancy loss

3 Keywords that people would want to search when looking for content that you would provide in this episode:

• Natural Birth

• Hospital Birth

• Pregnancy after loss

Favorite baby product or new motherhood product? What would you buy for someone who was currently pregnant or a new parent?: 

• Favorite motherhood product: a pumping bra! It took me three kids to discover the magic of being hands free by using a pumping bra! I literally always held my breast pumps to me and when my last baby was in NICU it was such a game changer to be able to use my hands! 

In Kelli's words: "I am a registered nurse in the Kansas area who has a passion for all things birth.  As a die hard patient advocate, I want people to know that their birth doesn’t have to be at the hands of a 9-5 doctor and that people have every right to have a say in their care as well as be able to make informed decisions about their birth without being talked down to or coerced."

Please link your contact information for me to share in the episode.

Instagram: @kellithelabornurse

Facebook Page: Kellithelabornurse:

XOXO -Heids

We have seats available in Birth Story Academy. Join today for $20 off with code BIRTHSTORYFRIEND at https://www.birthstory.com/online-course! 

Resources:

• Birth Story Academy Online Course

• Shop My Birthing Workbooks and Guides

I’m Heidi, a Certified Birth Doula, and I’ve supported the deliveries of over one thousand babies in my career. On the Birth Story Podcast, I’ll take you on a journey through your pregnancy by providing you education through storytelling. I provide high-level childbirth education broken down to make it super digestible for you because I know you are a busy parent on the go. Plus, because I am so passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from many of the top experts in labor and delivery.

Connect with Me!

• Instagram

• YouTube

• My Doula Heidi Website

• Birth Story Media™ Website

To download the free guides to packing a hospital bag visit BirthStory.com and click on "the workbook" to find all of Heidi's free guides for pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn care. 

As you prepare for your birth, Heidi recommends considering cord blood and tissue banking with ANJAHEALTH.COM