Birth With Power (Dr. Nicole C. Rankins)

Krysti’s birth was everything she wanted. Due to her mosaic Turner's syndrome, she struggled with infertility. But after only one cycle of IVF she was able to conceive!

Her labor progressed very quickly and she had to speak up for herself to convince her care team that she was actually in labor. In fact things moved so fast that she gave birth right in a triage room. It goes to show that we can’t predict what birth will be like, we can only prepare.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What mosaic Turner’s syndrome is and what it means for pregnancy

-What made Krysti feel like she might be going into labor

-What her attitude was towards pain management

-How giving birth outside of a birthing room affected her experience

-What her pain experience was like having a sunny side up birth

-How she struggled to adjust to her new body after giving birth

-What kinds of unexpected consequences came along with overproducing milk

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode188

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

If you’re considering VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), this episode is a must listen! Most individuals with one (or two!) prior low transverse cesareans can consider VBAC. But you MUST bring it up early with your healthcare provider to be sure they will support your wishes, because not all doctors support it and some are not forthcoming about that. With VBAC, you avoid major surgery and the recovery time can be quicker but it’s not the appropriate option for everyone and there are risks. You can weigh the risks and benefits and decide if it’s the right choice for you. And if you decide to try for a VBAC, this episode will set you up for success!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What a vaginal birth after cesarean entails
• Who is and is not a candidate
• What’s the most important thing to do if you’re interested in trying for a vaginal birth
• What the risks and benefits are
• Which factors are associated with a successful trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC)
• Which scenarios make doctors uncomfortable with the procedure and what the evidence-based recommendations are for management
• What a low-intervention TOLAC looks like

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode229

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

A lot of soon-to-be moms aren't sure what vaccinations they should (or shouldn't) get during pregnancy, if any. I know there are a lot of questions and misconceptions about immunization generally, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to do a deep dive into vaccines and pregnancy.

There is a key difference between inactive and live vaccines, and the live kind are never recommended during pregnancy. In fact, there are only two immunizations that are definitely recommended during pregnancy; otherwise, you should try to be up to date before you get pregnant, or wait until after you've given birth to get vaccinated.

Today I'll tell you what immunizations you should get before getting pregnant, which ones you should not get while pregnant, and some of the effects that these preventable diseases can have on mom and her developing baby if she doesn't get vaccinated.

Don't forget about your flu shot, either - I did a whole episode on why you should get your flu shot during pregnancy, too! And if you have any questions, come join us in the All About Pregnancy and Birth Facebook Group.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why immunizations are such an important part of a healthy pregnancy
• How safe vaccinations are and what to keep in mind before getting any new immunizations
• How the body produces antibodies and passes them along to your baby
• Why it's such a good idea to get your MMR and Varicella (chicken pox) vaccines before you get pregnant
• Some of the effects that measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella can have on mom and baby during pregnancy
• Why moms should get the TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis) during pregnancy

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Ep #43: What You Need to Know About Flu and Pregnancy
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

So many parents feel like they have to choose between sleep and breastfeeding and today’s guest, Hillary Sadler, says that's not the case - and she knows what she’s talking about! A registered nurse, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and mom of four, Hilary is a true expert in the art of balancing feeding and sleep.

Getting enough sleep is going to be vital for your mental health. I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it again: To have a healthy baby, you’ve gotta have a healthy parent. Do future-you a favor and understand the link between feeding and sleep before baby comes home.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How “quality, effective, efficient” feeds can impact sleep
• What the biological link is between feeding and sleep
• Why you should think about your sleep goals
• How to maximize your newborn’s wake time 
• What makes an efficient feeding pattern
• What the five S’s are
• Why you should approach day feeding and night feeding differently

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode259

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

In this episode I'm talking through the benefits and risks to consider when deciding whether circumcision is right for your newborn son.

You'll learn what circumcision is, some of the different techniques used for the procedure, and why some families choose to have this elective procedure performed for their babies. 

Check out ncrcoaching.com/episode75 for complete show notes, and join my email list at ncrcoaching.com/email-signup/!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In this short episode I'm answering this listener question from Cat!

"Hi Dr. Nicole! Long time listener & love your podcast!!. Question for you - a friend of mine recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl but unfortunately her birth didn't go as planned. She got to the hospital at 7.5cm, got an epidural, and then they told her she was "having too many contractions, 5 in 10 mins, and the limit is 6" so they gave her Terbutaline/Brethine to slow down her labor. I have listened to hundreds of birth stories and never heard of this! Then, of course, her labor stopped progressing, so they gave her pitocin a few hours later and well... you know what happened after that. I'm curious if you could do a short episode on the drug they used to slow down labor? Curious how common it is and learning more about the 6 contractions in 10 minutes rule? I definitely had more than that with both of my births, but maybe it's because I didn't have an epidural? Thanks so much!"

If you have a question that you want me to answer, shoot me a DM on Instagram @drnicolerankins!

In today's episode, you’re going to learn about vaccines and pregnancy. Vaccines -also called immunizations- are important in order to help prevent moms and babies from getting certain potentially serious infections. I know there’s a lot of concern about vaccines. But let me assure you, although vaccines are not risk free, they are very safe.

There are 2 vaccines that are recommended to be up to date prior to pregnancy - MMR and Varicella, as well as 4 vaccines that are recommended during pregnancy - Flu, Tdap, COVID, and RSV. I want to make sure you have the latest information in order to stay safe so you’re going to learn all about these and why they’re important in this episode.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How vaccines protect you and your baby
• Whether vaccines are safe and effective (they are!)
• Why the best time to get a couple of important vaccines (MMR and Varicella) is before you get pregnant
• The four vaccines that are recommended and why - Flu, Tdap, COVID, and RSV
• What the risks and side effects are
• Which vaccines are not safe during pregnancy

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode269

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the RIGHT Way

In this shorty episode I'm answering a listener question that was sent to me via Instagram DM -

"Hi Dr. Rankins! I love your podcast and just signed up for your free birth class. I’m [in my first trimester]. This is my first pregnancy and I’m a little nervous. I was born with one kidney and a bicornuate uterus. I am learning I may be at higher risk for breech and may have to have a c-section. Maybe this can be a small topic for a future podcast. Any information you have about women with a “heart-shaped” uterus giving birth would be amazing, and if vaginal birth is possible. Thank you for all you do! You are wonderful! -Monica:)"

If you want me to answer your question on an upcoming episode, shoot me a DM on Instgram @drnicolerankins and be sure to follow me while you're there!

Check out my FREE birth plan class! drnicolerankins.com/birthplan

Birth is unpredictable. If you’ve followed me for long, you’ve heard me say that. If you’re new, I’m telling you now. You can plan (and you should!), but you always have to keep in mind that the entire labor and birth process can’t be planned down to the last detail.

My guest on this episode of the All About Pregnancy and Birth podcast, Debbie, knows this all too well! But not only does she provide some amazing insight into how to handle the unexpected and how to process it afterwards, she also shares her struggles with infertility, and about her journey from using an Ob to a midwife and doula combination for her birth.

This episode has so much incredible information that will be helpful for every pregnant mama to be!

After listening in, head on over to the All About Pregnancy & Birth Community on Facebook to continue the conversation! Some of the best discussion happens there!

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Episode Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode29 

How to Create Your Birth Plan Live Online Class

Learn More: www.ncrcoaching.com 

The Birth Preparation Course

The All About Pregnancy and Birth Community

Disclaimer

WHERE TO FIND DEBBIE DIAZGRANADOS:

Facebook, LinkedIn

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Did you know that the doctor you choose to care for you while you’re pregnant actually has a big impact on the course of your pregnancy and the birth of your baby?

Now I know that you want to be completely sure you’re in great hands during this critical time in your life.

And as someone who’s delivered tons of babies myself, I happen to know a thing or two about what to look for when you’re a mama-to-be searching for a doctor.

Check out this episode of The All About Pregnancy & Birth podcast and find out what to look for and what questions to ask to be sure that you feel confident in the hands of whichever doctor you choose.

If you still have questions after listening in to this episode, I would love for you to check out my website. There are so many resources for you there! You can access that by clicking here.

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Podcast giveaway: www.ncrcoaching.com/giveaway

Nicole’s Instagram Account

Questions to Ask (Downloadable PDF)

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Kristine had a very positive birth experience. In her words, her pregnancy “wasn’t easy but it wasn’t hard.” It’s good to remember that even though birth is unpredictable, it’s possible to have the experience you want. Kristine hoped for an unmedicated hospital birth and that’s what she got.

A birth plan doesn’t come with any guarantees but if you don’t have one it can make getting what you want a lot harder. Multiple people along the way asked Kristine for her plan and that’s great but a lot of birthing people don’t have that experience. You need to show up prepared to advocate for yourself and preferably with a birth partner who can help support your wishes.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Which uncommon pregnancy symptoms Kristine experienced
• Why she recommends everyone do pelvic floor PT
• Why she chose to hire a doula and how she felt that helped on her journey
• What made her 39 week appointment a bad experience
• How she handled her pain without medication
• How quickly she progressed from 5-10cm
• Why she wishes she had booked an outpatient lactation consultant earlier

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode217

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

I think this might be the first time I’ve had a guest describe their birth as “beautiful,” “joyful,” and even “relaxing”! Erin wasn’t expecting to be somebody who loved her birth story but she absolutely does. Today, she’s here to share her perspective that a hospital birth can be beautiful.

I didn’t realize until we started talking, but Erin actually gave birth in the hospital where I work! I was not a part of her birth but I know her doctor, nurses, and midwife. It was so nice to hear from a patient perspective that the place I work provides a great experience and validates that hospital birth can be beautiful!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why she fainted in her wedding dress
• How she managed high blood pressure caused by pregnancy
• When she decided to go to the hospital (and why she went back home)
• How long she labored at home
• Which pain management option she wanted
• How she stayed calm through the pain
• How long she pushed
• What parental support her job provided

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode249

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

If you like this podcast, please help support it! You can do so here - drnicolerankins.com/support

In honor of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month this October, in this episode we have secondary infertility and baby loss survivor Bernice Quesenberry (and quick note I inadvertently mispronounced her last name in the episode, my apologies!). She has repurposed her pain into something positive by starting a national nonprofit called Chasing the Rainbows, which offers FREE, trauma-informed support for those facing infertility, miscarriage, and infant loss.

If you’ve experienced pregnancy or infant loss, it can feel very isolating because it’s not talked about often in media & mainstream culture. But you are not alone - unfortunately it’s a very common part of people's journey to being parents. I hope you never need this episode but if you do or know someone who might need it, then it's here with all of these amazing resources to help you.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why trauma-informed care is crucial in supporting those experiencing baby loss
• How reproductive trauma occurs and how frequently it happens
• What makes it difficult to find mental health support after baby loss
• How peer mentorship and support groups provide a sense of connection and support during healing
• What the grief journey may look like
• What you should (and shouldn’t) do to support someone after pregnancy or infant loss
• How grief from infant loss impacts mental health
• How to honor the memory of a lost baby while continuing with life

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode277

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

In this episode of the podcast, being brought to you by Ellement prenatal supplements, we have Tarynn sharing her birth story. Tarynn is actually one of the members of The Birth Preparation Course. Things didn’t go exactly as planned with her birth, in fact they went exactly the opposite. Now it would be easy for me to only share birth stories from course students where everything went great but that would be dishonest of me. The reality is that sometimes things don’t go as you’d like, despite having done great childbirth education. Birth is an unpredictable process that can’t be controlled.But that doesn’t mean childbirth education isn’t important. Tarynn was thankful for the podcast and Birth Preparation Course as they helped her adjust on the fly and do what was necessary to get her baby home safe.Baby Eleanor and Tarynn are doing well now but it took some time to get there. In sharing her story Tarynn hopes she can help others learn the value in being adaptable and shine a light on what she calls that “mama strength we all have inside of us”.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why it’s ok to switch doctors if it doesn’t feel like a good fit

-How COVID affected Tarynn’s prenatal care and birth

-How Tarynn decided to be induced at the last minute - and why she has some regrets about that

-How her induction ended in an emergency C-section

-What happened when both she and her baby developed sepsis

-How her baby ended up in a NICU hospital nearly two hours away

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode166

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

I've been looking forward to doing this episode for a while because birth photography has been on my radar a lot more lately. I used to think it was a bit of a luxury, but the more I learn about it the more I think all moms should consider whether they'd like to have a photographer present for their birth.

To talk about all things birth photography, we're joined by the wonderful Tavia Redburn. Tavia is a birth & newborn photographer in Oklahoma, and she also trains other new birth photographers. 

Tavia and I talk about her journey to birth photography, how her own births affect her approach to her work, and what you should ask a photographer before you hire them. She also talks about why new moms should consider hiring a photographer for their first birth, rather than wishing they had later. 

We also digress a bit and talk about some of the things Tavia has seen during the many labors and births she has been present at. She shares her own story and why it's so important to advocate for yourself at every point in your pregnancy and birth journey. 

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How and why Tavia became a birth & newborn photographer 
• Why it's important to be clear about your expectations and wishes before your birth
• What the hiring process for a birth photographer is like
• Questions to ask a birth photographer before you hire them
• Some of the things Tavia has witnessed in her role as a fly on the wall during many labors and births
• Why you should consider hiring a birth photographer for your first birth

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Tavia Redburn
• Babylist
• Kira Johnson
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Mallory Whitmore knows her stuff about formula! She’s a certified infant feeding tech, leader of education at Bobbie–the only mom-founded and mom-run U.S. formula brand–and she’s the face behind The Formula Mom, an online platform for infant feeding info and support.

To be clear, she’s not against breastfeeding, quite the opposite in fact! Her mission is to help parents make informed, confident, and supported infant feeding decisions–without guilt or shame. If that means all breastmilk, all formula, or someplace in between, all that matters is that your baby gets the nutrition they need!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How formula compares to breast milk
• Which “bioactive components” are found in breast milk
• What parents should look for in a formula - ignore the marketing hype!
• What types of formula are available
• How to figure out which formula is right for you
• What signs can indicate a formula is not working for your baby
• How long you should give it before you switch to a different formula
• How to feed a combination of breastmilk and formula
• What actually makes DIY formula risky
• Why it’s so important to destigmatize formula feeding
• What the difference is between absolute risk and relative risk

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode256

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

After Lauren's first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, she was determined to learn everything she could about the female body and how it creates and births babies. She has since had two healthy pregnancies and two (very different) pain medication free births. Lauren hopes that by sharing her stories she can help other women feel empowered to walk into birth with every ounce of confidence in the choices they will make along the way.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode127 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This week's episode is a rebroadcast because my husband Falcon and I are taking a much needed trip togther with just the two of us. And in the spirit of he and I taking some time together, I chose an episode that you and your partner can listen to together! I interview David Arrell, author of Welcome to Fathrhood: The Modern Man's Guide to Pregnancy, Childirth, and Fatherhood. Grab your partner so you both can take a listen and soak up all the goodness in this episode. I know you are going to enjoy it and find it really helpful!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How to be a supportive and attentive teammate through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum

-Why it’s important to look at parenthood as “teamwork,” as opposed to “women’s work”

-How to handle people who challenge a more progressive approach to fatherhood / being a stay at home dad

-What inspired David to write his book

-How to use code words to ask for or offer support during pregnancy

-What kinds of obstacles are being created by covid

-Why hiring a doula can be helpful for both partners during birth

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode101

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Martha hoped and prepared for a low intervention birth and ended up getting just about every intervention! She tried everything to get labor to start on its own but she ultimately was induced at 41 weeks. After 40 hours of labor with no pain medication other than nitrous oxide, she opted for an epidural. Soon after she was advised to get a non-emergency C-section because unfortunately things had plateaued.

The C-section was fortunately not traumatic but it was the opposite of what she wanted. Her postpartum was beautiful but she also needed time to grieve the loss of the birthing experience she had hoped for. Today, she is feeling grateful to be bonded with her baby and wants listeners to take this story as a reminder that even if you have a challenging pregnancy and birth you can have a joyful and "easy" postpartum.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How she was envisioning her birth when she was preparing for it
• Why she opted for midwives in a hospital setting
• How she bargained for specifically 41 weeks and 3 days
• Which methods she used to try and induce labor
• Why she preferred Cytotec to Cirvidil
• Whether a balloon or Pitocin were helpful
• Why she said yes to an epidural and how she responded to it
• What doctors mean when they refer to your baby as “sleepy” during labor
• Why she was grateful her doctor used a clear curtain during the C-section

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode274

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

Sara Lyon is the founder of Glow Birth & Body, creator of The Birth Deck, and author of You’ve Got This: Your Guide to Getting Comfortable with Labor. With more than 15 years experience serving as a doula, childbirth educator, prenatal massage therapist and mother, Sara has supported tens of thousands of families through their birthing journeys. Sara's work is grounded in her belief that quality, science-based birth education, and healthy, non-traumatic birth experiences are a human right and should be readily accessible to all.

Sara recorded an exclusive video for students of the birth preparation course going over even more comfort measures in labor; and she’s offering a special discount on her birth deck and book for BPC members.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode124 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

A challenging pregnancy doesn’t necessarily mean a difficult birth. Jade had an awful nine months. She experienced nausea, severe pelvic pain, and adverse reactions to medication. Her hope was to have an unmedicated birth but as she struggled with her pregnancy she wondered if she would be able to get through her delivery without assistance.

Well, Jade not only had her baby without medication but the birth almost moved too quickly. She barely made it to the bed! There’s so much to learn from her story and you’re going to love the way she tells it.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How Jade prepared both her mind and her body for birth
• Why she chose to work with midwives for this birth
• What medication actually cured her persistent nausea
• …and how that medication wound up putting her in the hospital
• What pica is and what causes it
• How chiropractic care helped her with pain

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode214

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

I am super excited to have a birth story episode for you from a student in the BPC! Elvira joins us today to share the story of her beautiful, unmedicated birth.

Elvira has an amazing story for her birth. Even though things didn’t go exactly as planned she still had a beautiful birth and was happy about her experience. There are so many wonderful moments and lessons in her story and I know you’re going to enjoy it.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode113 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

What can an attorney teach you about your labor and birth? A lot, it turns out! Gina Mundy specializes in childbirth cases defending medical professionals. Over the course of her 20+ year career, she has learned about the mistakes that can happen in hospitals and she’s here to share those insights with us. Her book, "A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth," helps parents prevent errors and have a healthy baby. In today’s episode we are going to go through the 12 lessons covered in her book.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Lesson 1 - Learning About Labor and Delivery
• Lesson 2 - The Delivery Team
• Lesson 3 - The Good Doctor
• Lesson 4 - Know Your Hospital
• Lesson 5 - Having a Plan
• Lesson 6 - Having an Advocate
• Lesson 7 - Knowing the Types of Fetal Monitors
• Lesson 8 - Knowing What Your Baby’s Heart Rate Means
• Lesson 9 - Understanding Tests and Interventions
• Lesson 10 - Common Facts and Issues in Legal Baby Cases
• Lesson 11 - Safety and Epidurals
• Lesson 12 - Understanding C-Sections

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode244

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

In this episode you’re going to get excellent information and strategies to help with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) from RN Kimber MacGibbon of The Hyperemesis Foundation. Her organization works to dispel the misconception that hyperemesis is a short-lived condition without consequences for the mother or child.

After her own experience with HG during two pregnancies, she was shocked to find that her doctor was not willing to help her. It was difficult to find information and resources so she decided to tackle the problem herself. Working with other experts in the field, she developed HER Foundation, a non-profit which is taking the lead in advancing HG research, advocacy, and education.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What hyperemesis is and how it’s different from morning sickness
• How long it can last
• What complications are possible
• Which strategies and medications can be helpful
• How to tell if it’s time to reduce medication
• What some home care options are that can keep people with HG out of the hospital
• Why it can be so difficult to get support for HG

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode219

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Trigger Warning: this episode involves a full term baby dying 13 days after a home birth.

Today’s episode is obviously a difficult subject. I don’t talk much about home birth - if folks want to have a home birth I support that but it is not my lane. 

However I thought it was important to share this story for a number of reasons. Sometimes the potential complications of home birth are downplayed and although this is a rare thing that happened it’s important to share it.

Due to past medical trauma, Erica opted for a home birth. Her prenatal care was great. She got lots of attention and personal care that she may not have been able to get in a traditional setting. However, after the fact she began to realize that the potential dangers associated with home births had not been fully communicated. She was basically as prepared as an expectant parent could be but you just can’t know everything.

There are a LOT of lessons in here that apply to birth in general, as well as pregnancy loss in general. I know it can feel like even talking about these kinds of worst case scenarios will manifest them, but loss is not contagious. It’s important to have a dialogue around the scary parts of birth in order to be better prepared.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What made Erica decide to have a home birth

-What research she did to prepare for her birth - it was a lot!

-How she felt that the potential dangers of home birth were minimized by her home birth care team

-What went wrong during her birth and how her care providers handled it

-When and why she was transferred to the hospital

-How hospital staff made her feel worse instead of better by not being trauma informed

-What her postpartum recovery was like - don’t forget that even if she doesn’t have her baby with her she still had to go through the same postpartum

-Why she’s choosing a scheduled cesarean for her next birth

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode171

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In this episode we have Marielis sharing her experience with postpartum psychosis. I usually don’t do two birth stories in a row but in light of the Lindsay Clancy case I thought it was important to release this one today. If you haven’t heard about it yet, Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children and is now a paraplegic as a result of a suicide attempt. It is suspected that this was due to postpartum psychosis.

Postpartum psychosis is relatively rare, occurring in only 1 to 2 births out of 1,000. And homicidal behavior is uncommon among those with the diagnosis. Psychosis is a disturbance in an individual's perception of reality which can manifest in the form of delusions and hallucinations among other symptoms.

This is what Marielis experienced after giving birth. Once she realized something was wrong, she did everything right: listened to her intuition, communicated that she felt off, sought help early, and followed through on her medication and therapy plan. Today she is doing well and wants to spread awareness in hopes of preventing future tragedies.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What psychosis felt like for Marielis

-What the early signs were that something was wrong

-How her condition made her feel about her baby

-Why being a woman of color made her hesitant to seek care

-How her family supported her during her mental health crisis

-How Marielis’s psychosis was treated

-What risk factors increase the likelihood of postpartum psychosis

-When postpartum psychosis presents after birth

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode196

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Hannah welcomed her son, Oleander, in February. After an uncomplicated pregnancy and mostly straightforward birth, she experienced several postpartum issues which required multiple hospitalizations and ultimately she underwent an emergency hysterectomy. This was caused by a life threatening infection called group A streptococcus.

In sharing her story, I don’t want to frighten you. I want you to be aware. Knowledge is power. That’s what this podcast, and all my work actually, is about - empowering you with knowledge.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What it was like trying to conceive while working in the ICU during Covid

-How a struggle with not one but two epidurals resulted in Hannah giving birth without pain medication

-Why it’s so important to trust yourself if you feel like something isn’t right

-Which symptoms Hannah had when her OB suggested she go to the hospital

-What is group A streptococcus and how serious is it

-Why Hannah had to have an emergency hysterectomy

-Which signs indicated that Hannah had pancreatitis and how it was treated

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode130

Register for my free birth plan class - How to Make a Birth Plan That Works.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In this short episode I address this really thoughtful comment from a listener -

"I've noticed that Dr. Rankins' position statements have gotten stronger on the negatives of a hospital birth over time (in the year+ that I've been listening). For instance her opening introduction now frames hospitals as a system that "too often takes away power from women over what happens in their own bodies." When she first started I think this was phrased more as "it can undermine women" or something a little softer. I've noticed the types of guests she welcomes onto the podcast are also more likely to have this stronger mentality against/suspicious of/worried about hospital births. I guess I'm curious if this reflects a true change in Dr. Rankins' position as she continued to gain knowledge herself through the podcast community, or if this reflects her willingness to simply say what she's known more strongly now, or if this is a trend of worsening conditions in hospitals. And overall does Dr. Rankins feel that hospital births still provide an overall positive service to women (do the goods outweigh the bads, especially for women who come in prepared with some knowledge), or does she feel that the scales are now tipped more negatively? I guess an updated "bird's eye" view of the whole system in the US might be helpful for some of us trying to understand the overall context as we work through our individual choices available to us in our regions. (For context on myself, if it matters/helps, my first birth was unmedicated in a hospital setting with a doula -- the doula was excellent, the overall birth experience was just ok, the after birth care was very good.)"

If you want to let me know your thoughts about the podcast head to drnicolerankins.com/survey!

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a common part of life, though many of us are afraid or ashamed to talk about them. In reality, 50% of adults will have an STI at some point in our lives. This includes pregnant women, and there shouldn't be any stigma associated with having an STI.

Having or contracting an STI during pregnancy happens to many people and it's important to know how STIs can affect your pregnancy and your baby. Today I'm running through five common STIs - chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and human papillomavirus (HPV) - to talk about the treatment for each.

Treatment for STIs during pregnancy can be a little different than normal treatments, but it's important to catch infections early so that they don't spread to your baby. Many STIs can only reach baby during the actual birth process, but some can cross over the placenta - so it's best to know what your options are early on.

Remember that STIs don't mean anything about your worth - they should just be treated as a health issue that can treated for the benefit of both mom and baby.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why we have switched over to the term STI instead of STD 
• What STI tests you can expect in your first trimester and why we run them
• How each of these STIs can affect you during pregnancy 
• Which of these STIs can affect your baby during pregnancy and which can only be transmitted during birth
• How each of these STIs can be treated during pregnancy
• Why it's important to get an accurate diagnosis of the phase of Syphilis, herpes, or HPV you are in

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Ep 46: A Guide to Prenatal Testing and What to Expect from Tests in Each Trimester
• The Evidence on: Erythromycin Eye Ointment for Newborns by Rebecca Dekker of Evidence Based Birth
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Did you know that practicing prenatal yoga can actually shorten your labor by up to three hours? Or that simple breathing techniques might help manage your blood pressure during pregnancy? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Shilpa Babbar, a double board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist, researcher, and yoga instructor. We dive deep into the science-backed benefits of prenatal yoga, how it can support you physically and emotionally, and the misconceptions that might be holding you back. Tune in to learn why yoga is more than just movement—it's a powerful tool for pregnancy and birth!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How prenatal yoga differs from other types of yoga
• Which yoga poses and practices should be avoided during pregnancy
• What recent research reveals about prenatal yoga’s benefits
• Which common pregnancy issues it can help with
• How breathing techniques can support blood pressure regulation during pregnancy
• How yoga can potentially shorten labor and increase the chances of vaginal birth
• What role yoga and breathwork can play in labor preparation and pain management
• Why integrative medicine is gaining traction among high-risk pregnancy doctors

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode291

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

Today I'm joined by the wonderful Deb Flashenberg, founder and director of the Prenatal Yoga Center in New York City. We talk all about the benefits of prenatal yoga, why learning how to align your body & baby are so helpful for birth, and how yoga can help you practice autonomy over your own body & birth experience.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode94 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Society has always been so judgmental of what mothers “should” wear during pregnancy. But celebrities like Rihanna and Beyoncé are showing off their baby bellies and still looking sexy, proving maternity doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style.

Personal stylist Anetra Byrd is here for a fun episode about what to wear while your body goes through changes. If you saw the pictures from my women’s empowerment talk with Tracee Ellis Ross, you know how talented Anetra is. She styled me for that event and made me feel confident and true to myself. You deserve to look good during pregnancy, whatever that might look like to you, and Anetra has a lot of great advice on how to be chic and stay comfortable.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What a personal stylist does
• How Anetra helps clients express themselves authentically
• Why you need support from both your bra and your loved ones 
• What some key pieces are that look cute and aren’t restrictive
• Why you might consider a stylist for a maternity shoot
• Why you may need several sets of clothes throughout your pregnancy and after baby’s arrival
• What a capsule wardrobe is and how it could help simplify your life postpartum

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode207

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

I'm taking a little time of to reset and recharge so enjoy this fan favorite rebroadcast episode on labor induction!

I covered this topic 3 years ago and there is new information in this updated episode. I get a lot of requests to talk about this and I get why. It’s one of those topics that makes a lot of pregnant people nervous. You may have heard horror stories about induction and pitocin. Plus there’s concern about the cascade of interventions or increasing the risk for c-section - so I get it. And on today’s episode I will answer your questions and shed some light on what labor induction is all about!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What labor induction is

-Why labor may be induced (you’ll be surprised to hear that there are only 2 reasons)

-When induction is NOT appropriate

-How labor is induced and the efficacy of different methods

-What constitutes a failed induction

-Which questions to ask before being induced

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode183

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

We talk a lot on this show about pregnancy and birth (of course!) but we don’t talk as much about what happens after that. That’s where today’s guest, Lindsay C. M. Garrett, LCSW comes in. An expert in the field of adoption, parent preparation, and child welfare, she has spent ten years supporting parents at The Gladney Center for Adoption.

Her background may be in adoption but no matter how you choose to approach parenthood she’s got great practical advice that I know everyone can find useful. This episode can hopefully remind you that it’s ok to feel your feelings and reach out to your support system.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How the challenges of adoption inspired Lindsay to focus her career on preparing parents to have children

-Why it’s important to explore your fears leading up to parenthood

-How establishing strong communication with your partner beforehand can help in coparenting later

-What some specific strategies are for building a sustainable support system

-What are some ideas for things you can ask for when you reach out for help

-What it means to define your family’s mission statement and values

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode178

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This episode may be about the NICU but it’s for any and every person who’s having a baby. The reason I say that is because it’s actually way more common than you think that a baby needs to receive intensive care. Nearly 40% of babies who go to the NICU are full-term.

As a mom of two NICU babies, let me tell you: it’s the NICU nurses who are at your side. NICU nurses are angels and today’s guest is one! Mary Farrelly, a certified NICU nurse and trained doula, is leading the way in helping parents navigate the NICU journey.  You know I always say it’s important to listen to real experts - and today’s guest is exactly that!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What NICU stands for and what the levels are
• Why babies go to the NICU
• What NICU nurses do and what training is required
• How to include the NICU in your birth plan
• Why blending NICU nurse and doula roles benefits families
• Which procedures are commonly used in the NICU
• What emotional support looks like for families post-NICU
• 
  

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode275

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

Do you know what a doula is, what they do, and just how important they can be to you during your pregnancy and labor?

I definitely do. That's why I have a doula as part of my Facebook group communities. But as much as I thought I knew, I still learned a thing or two during this episode of the All About Pregnancy and Birth podcast!

During this episode, I talk with my friend and the community manager of both my course Facebook group and podcast Facebook group, experienced doula Keisha Graham.

Keisha gives some GREAT information that every pregnant woman will find valuable. She also illustrates the massive impact that having a doula during your pregnancy, labor and delivery can have. So be sure to listen in and also let us know what you think in the podcast community Facebook group!

If you still have questions after listening to this episode, check out my website! There are so many resources for you there! You can access that by clicking here.

__________

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Episode Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode9

All About Pregnancy & Birth Podcast Community on Facebook

Disclaimer

Learn More: www.ncrcoaching.com

Where you can find Kesha Graham:

Doula Match

My Birth RVA

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

I LOVE a great doula!

But I see too much pressure placed on them to save the day for pregnant women and that's not fair.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course: drnicolerankins.com/enroll

We have an exciting episode today: this is the first time I've ever had a guest on the podcast who is currently pregnant! I thought it would be wonderful to have someone on who is on the same journey as a lot of my listeners, so today we have the honor of hosting Amber Manning.

Amber is an Occupational Therapist based in Dallas, Texas. She and her husband recently got married and are expecting their first baby in April, so they've jumped wholeheartedly into educating themselves about pregnancy and birth.

Amber shares some of the resources she's found really helpful during her pregnancy and talks about how she's applied what she's learned so far. We chat about switching doctors, being flexible with your birth plan, and advocating for yourself throughout your pregnancy and birth.

We also discuss some of the mental health aspects of pregnancy and why it's okay if you don't feel perfectly happy and excited every second of your pregnancy.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How Amber and her husband found out they were pregnant not long before their wedding
• What resources they have used to educate themselves before their baby arrives
• Why Amber wanted to switch doctors right away
• How she has advocated for herself throughout her pregnancy, and how her husband is making sure he will be able to advocate for her during childbirth
• Why it's important to have a birth plan and birth wishes, but stay flexible and open to change
• Some of the struggles, both mental and physical, that Amber has been dealing with throughout her pregnancy
• Why it's so important to be aligned with what you want for your pregnancy - not what other people think

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Amber Manning | YouTube | Instagram
• What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
• Evidence Based Birth Podcast
• Spinning Babies on Instagram
• Sara Reardon PT on Instagram
• Bump to Baby Academy
• Join us in the All About Pregnancy and Birth Facebook Group!
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Being pregnant with twins is a bit different than having just one baby. In this episode I'm going over what you need to know about carrying & delivering twins, some of the complications you should watch out for, and what your provider will keep an eye on throughout your pregnancy and birth with twins.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode92 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Hypnosis during labor and birth has come up several times on the podcast and today I’m interviewing an expert. Kerry Tuschhoff is a doula, birth instructor, and founder of Hypnobabies. No, they don’t hypnotize babies :). It’s an online resource for hypnosis classes and courses for childbirth.

Kerry was shocked at how severe the pain of childbirth was and decided to dedicate herself to finding a way to make it easier. That path led her to hypno-anesthesia and eventually becoming a professional hypnotherapist. She has so many great tips and lots of good resources to share in this episode!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What hypnosis actually is
• Who is a good candidate for hypnotherapy and who is not
• How hypnosis is used during childbirth
• Why you may want to practice meditation and visualization
• How your birth partner can support your hypnobirth 
• How hypnosis can help your birthing partner

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode230

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Katie calls her second birth an amazing experience - night and day from her first. The standard hospital birth she had for her first baby was fine, but this time she wanted a more holistic prenatal experience. This led her to a private birth center with a group of amazing midwives.

I don't usually share birth center birth stories because I’m not familiar with that setting. For the podcast, I tend to ‘stay in my lane’, which is the hospital setting. However if I want to improve our maternal health care system, I need to learn about diverse birth experiences. I learned a lot from this birth center episode and I know you will too!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What made Katie realized she wasn’t satisfied with her first birth experience
• How a playgroup conversation led her to the birth center she loved
• How the midwives made her feel safe and respected
• Why she felt shame when she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes
• Which steps she took to control her gestational diabetes
• Why she almost left the birthing center partway through labor
• How an emotional release may have progressed her labor

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode267

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

I needed to take a little break this week but will be back next week with a brand new episode!

In the meantime DM me on Instagram with the word REST and I'll send you a coupon code to get a discount on The Birth Preparation Course! I'm on instagram @drnicolerankins. 

Take some time to REST if you need to and I'll see you next week!

**This episode is sponsored by The Lactation Network, the largest network of accredited breastfeeding experts in the country. Visit tln.care/AAPB to learn more and schedule your own insurance-covered consultation today!

Monique thought she was going to have a vaginal birth with an epidural. She was scheduled to be induced just after 40 weeks but as it goes with labor, things took a bit of a turn and you’re going to hear about all those twists and turns in today’s birth story episode.

Being a recent transplant from Suriname in South America, she was still adjusting to a strange country when she got pregnant. Going into motherhood away from home meant she had to be extra prepared. She did a ton of research, hired doulas, and asked friends for help. Because of all the work she did to make sure she was supported, she had the beautiful birth she deserved.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why Monique was concerned about pregnancy loss from the start 

-What made birth customs in the U.S. different from those in Suriname

-Which resources she used to get very, VERY prepared for her birth

-What preferences she discussed with her doctor ahead of time

-How she made a plan to deal with her low pain tolerance

-How she used doulas intentionally and strategically to ease stress

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode211

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

It’s a good thing Chelsea is a lawyer because she had to defend herself all through labor. She did a lot of research and was incredibly prepared for her birth. However, when she asked informed questions her doctors were impatient and annoyed instead of giving her the attention she needed. After her water broke, a doctor literally didn't believe her until she saw the ultrasound to prove it.

As a Black woman, Chelsea’s biggest fear was dying in childbirth. The way her doctors dismissed her concerns is exactly why it is so dangerous to be Black in the maternal healthcare system. Despite being mistreated and nothing going according to plan, she has now gone through counseling and is feeling proud of her birth.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How she prepared for her birth

-What made her favorite doctor so special

-How she managed several days of contractions at home

-How some of her doctors were dismissive of her concerns

-How long she labored without pain medication before being induced

-What her attitude was towards pain

-How she felt rushed into her c-section by her doctor

-What ultimately convinced Chelsea to opt for a cesarean

-Why it’s important to think about alternatives to your preferred birth

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode205

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Do you know what one of my favorite parts of the All About Pregnancy & Birth podcast is? The birth stories! I love helping you, my listeners, see how each pregnancy and birth is unique, and how each birth story can teach a lesson. This birth story episode is no different.

Tarynn Saling has three unique birth stories, each with some great takeaways. She shares her experiences of what it was like giving birth in a rural area. And you MUST hear the jaw dropping experience of her third baby being born 5 weeks early in a rural Emergency Department!

While there are a lot of great tips and lessons to be learned by pregnant women who live in a rural area, there are a ton of lessons in this episode that can help any pregnant woman, no matter where she lives. So definitely listen in!

If you’d like to connect with Tarynn, you can find the links to reach her below.

If you still have questions after listening in to this episode, I would love for you to check out my website. There are so many resources for you there! You can access my website by clicking here.

__________

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Episode Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode11

Join Nicole’s Email List: www.ncrcoaching.com/email-signup

All About Pregnancy & Birth Podcast Community on Facebook

Disclaimer

Learn More: www.ncrcoaching.com

Where to find Tarynn Saling:

Facebook

Instagram

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In this short episode I answer this question from Bailey:

I was wondering if you could speak on partial-molar pregnancy in your podcast? My husband and I recently lost our baby due to this and I had to go through with a d&c, and this was something I hadn’t heard of until it happened to us. Thank you.

If you have a question you want me to answer in the podcast shoot me a DM on Instagram @drnicolerankins!

David Arrell is an Author, Entrepreneur, Consultant, and Men's Coach. He is passionate about coaching men on how to more fully embrace and embody healthy masculinity, especially through the powerful modalities of partnership and parenting. His most recent work in this area is the book Welcome To Fatherhood: The Modern Man's Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Fatherhood, better known as WTF.

In WTF David encourages men to more actively step into their important supportive roles during pregnancy, childbirth, and the 4th trimester back home and gives them detailed and practical tips and techniques on how to do so.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode101 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Birth With Power is the go-to podcast for expecting mothers who want to take charge of their birth experience.

Hosted by Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins, a practicing, board-certified OB/GYN with over 20 years of experience and thousands of births attended, this podcast delivers accurate, expert advice, real birth stories, and honest conversations to get you informed and empowered.

Through solo episodes, guest interviews, and inspiring birth stories, you’ll get the tools to navigate pregnancy, labor, and postpartum with calm and confidence.

Whether you’re planning your first birth or your fourth, Birth With Power will help you approach the journey feeling strong, prepared, and empowered.

Subscribe today and take charge of your birth!

Hearing the word “hormones” is a bit like nails on a chalkboard to an OB/GYN. There is so much misinformation out there that it’s hard not to feel skeptical about this topic. However, today’s guest, Dr. Heather Rhodes, takes a balanced, science-based approach to her work that I find really refreshing.

Dr. Rhodes is a holistic pharmacist with a passion for women's health. Haven’t heard of a “holistic pharmacist” before? Neither had I! She’ll tell you all about it in the episode - essentially it means that she’s taking what she learned form pharmacology and applying it to holistic hormone healthcare. I love getting to the root cause of issues and her approach is all about treating the cause more than the symptoms.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why Heather chose to classify herself as a holistic pharmacist

-What made her decide to focus her work on hormone balance

-Which hormones are most important for fertility and overall health

-How she defines hormone balance / imbalance

-Why she advocates for a combination of traditional and modern medicine

-How hormones are affected by our daily choices

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode181

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In today’s birth story episode, find out how one mom managed to get through labor and delivery without any pain medication as Rachael joins us to share her amazing unmedicated hospital birth story.  

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Rachael’s prenatal care
• Why IV fluids aren’t necessary when you opt for an unmedicated birth
• Intermittent monitoring
• What Rachael did to prepare for her birth
• Hypnobirthing class, yoga class, and counseling
• Moving versus not moving
• Having a support team and the importance of always asking for help
• Mental health during pregnancy 
• Rachael’s postpartum experience in the hospital
• Educating yourself about labor and childbirth
• Understanding the process of labor and delivery
• Looking at your contractions as a way to meet your baby
• Being flexible and kind to yourself

Links Mentioned In The Episode:

• You can reach Rachael through her Instagram
• Evidence Based Birth
• Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation
• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - FREE online class
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Join my email list here

Full Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode38

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

My first daughter was born premature and had to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit (AKA the NICU or the ICU nursery). This week's episode has all the information I wish I'd known then, and I am so happy to be sharing it with you.

Today we're joined by Dr. Terri Major-Kincade, a practicing medical doctor and champion for premature babies and their families. 

Dr. Terri and I start off talking about what the NICU is three of the main reasons babies are admitted to the ICU nursery.

We also talk about what parents can do to advocate for themselves and their baby, what kind of emotional support is available for NICU families, and five questions you can ask your care providers weekly so you are on the same page about baby's medical care. 

Check out ncrcoaching.com/episode76 for complete show notes, and join my email list at ncrcoaching.com/email-signup/!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This is a birth story episode that really warmed my heart. Tiffany used knowledge to overcome fears around being a woman of color getting pregnant and giving birth. As someone who researches everything, she knew she needed to be prepared with information to go through the birth process, especially as a first time mom. Tiffany says “Finding Dr. Rankins, a Black woman like myself, gave me the courage to face birth and pregnancy head on. Most importantly, I was empowered to advocate for myself because I had the knowledge I needed to do so.”

A lot of the things she talks about are really problems ALL women can face, regardless of race. The medical system can take away the power women have over what happens to their own bodies. Education is one of the most powerful tools you can have at your disposal to ensure you get the care you need. Tiffany’s experience with the birth prep class helped her to trust her own body and have a beautiful birth.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What made Tiffany apprehensive about getting pregnant and giving birth

-What her pregnancy was like including some uncomfortable encounters

-How the birth prep course helped her prepare for her birth

-How an experience of losing consciousness and vomiting influenced her birth

-How she was able to have beauty in her birth even though it didn’t go exactly as planned

-Why she had to stop breastfeeding and how she handled the feelings that came along with that difficult decision

-How doctors treated her differently depending on whether her husband accompanied her to appointments

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode140

Register for my free birth plan class - How to Make a Birth Plan That Works.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Help out the show and be entered into a drawing for an Amazon giftcard by taking our listener survey

Register for the new class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

The physical environment around you can make a HUGE impact on your labor and birth! There are 4 things you can influence in your hospital room to help create a positive, supportive energy around your birth (lights, smells, sounds, things).

Take my FREE birth plan class drnicolerankins.com/birth-plan

Join The Birth Preparation Course - drnicolerankins.com/enroll

In this episode you're going to learn exactly what happens during your menstrual cycle. I decided to talk about this because, quite frankly, it’s something that many of us don’t fully understand. We talk about our cycles in relation to pregnancy but there’s a lot more to periods than ovulation!

Your cycle can influence so many aspects of your life: libido, mood, energy, skin, appetite, and more! Better understanding your periods can help you make informed decisions regarding reproductive health, fertility, and overall well-being.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What constitutes a regular menstrual cycle
• What the phases of the cycle are
• Which hormones are associated with pregnancy
• When ovulation occurs
• How to track ovulation
• How fertilization and implantation work
• How IUDs prevent pregnancy
• Whether you can really have a period while you’re pregnant

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode245

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Have you ever felt confused about prenatal testing and why your doctor is running so many tests on you during your pregnancy?

I realized that a lot of OBGYNs don't do a great job of explaining all of the tests we do during pregnancy, so I thought I'd walk you through the recommended ones. Thank you to Julie, who suggested this topic in the All About Pregnancy & Birth Facebook Group!

You'll have most of your testing done at the initial appointment, which includes a full blood count and some tests for various infections, too. Then we'll talk about some of the tests you can expect to receive in the second and third trimesters and why we do each test that we do. 

And don't worry about taking notes today - you can download a companion guide to this episode, with all the information about prenatal testing we'll cover today, right here.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What tests you can expect to get at your initial appointment and throughout the first, second, and third trimesters.
• Why we do each test and how it helps your doctor monitor your health and the health of your baby.
• A brief overview of some genetic tests you can receive.
• Why and how we test for gestational diabetes, which is fairly common in the third trimester.
• Why many doctors don't do an ultrasound in the third trimester.
• Some of the infections that doctors test for and how they can affect your pregnancy & birth.

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Download this episode's companion guide to prenatal testing!
• Come join us in the All About Pregnancy and Birth Facebook Group! This episode was inspired by one of our conversations there, and it's a great place to meet other pregnant women and learn more about what to expect from your pregnancy & birth.
• Ep #22: All About Your Due Date
• Ep #31: Pregnancy & GBS (Group B Strep)
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This episode is being brought to you by Bamboobies. Use the code “ALLABOUT” to get 40% of full price items through Oct 23.

Today we’re talking about what happens if there is a suspicion that your baby is big. I originally did an episode about this back in 2019 but since then I’ve had so many people reach out and ask about this subject that I thought I should revisit it and update it.

I think it’s coming up more often because more doctors seem to be doing routine third trimester ultrasounds which actually aren’t necessary. These ultrasounds aren’t great at identifying whether or not your baby will be large and can lead to unnecessary interventions down the road. In this episode, we’ll get into the indicators you actually want to pay attention to and the outcomes and treatments you should be aware of for a suspected big baby.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How much does a baby have to weigh in order to be considered “big,” or having macrosomia

-What factors can increase the risk of having a big baby

-How macrosomia is diagnosed

-How accurate (and necessary) ultrasound screening is in identifying baby size

-Who should be getting screened

-What kinds of complications can be caused by having a larger baby

-How you can help yourself with some prevention strategies and management options

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode174

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Today, licensed child psychologist Dr. Cara Goodwin, PhD, joins the podcast to tackle some common topics from the angle of research and data. We break down important facts about holding your baby, sleep training, pacifiers, and even some science behind baby talk!

Dr. Goodwin specializes in child development and founded Parenting Translator with the mission of taking recent scientific research and translating it into information that parents can use in their everyday lives.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Whether you can spoil a baby by holding them too much

-How baby-wearing can have myriad benefits in addition to freeing up your hands

-What is the science around co-sleeping

-Whether sleep training has an affect on developmental outcomes

-How baby talk can actually help advance language development

-What are some of the many reasons to read with baby

-What does research say about baby soothers i.e. pacifiers

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode133

Register for my free birth plan class - How to Make a Birth Plan That Works.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

The concern about pregnant women changing kitty litter comes from the possibility of getting infected with something called toxoplasmosis. What is toxoplasmosis, what problems does it cause, and can you really get it from kitty litter?

Take my free birth plan class! - drnicolerankins.com/birthplan

Join my community on Instagram - instagram.com/drnicolerankins

So many parents prepare a lot for their pregnancy and birth, but don't think much about how they are going to handle the postpartum transition period. Health professionals are guilty of this, too. We don't do enough to prepare parents for all the changes they are going to experience after their baby arrives: mentally, emotionally, physically, and in their relationships.

Here to talk with us today about easing that transition into parenthood is Dr. Alyssa Berlin. Dr. Berlin is a clinical psychologist who specializes in pregnancy, the postpartum period, and birth trauma. She and her husband Dr. Elliot Berlin (who was on the podcast a few episodes ago) run a prenatal and family wellness practice in Los Angeles. 

In this episode we're focusing on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) that can affect new parents. Dr. Berlin and I talk about what to look out for, why PMADs are so common, and how we can help each other and ourselves through the postpartum transition.

Dr. Berlin shares tons of practical tips for staying connected with your partner throughout this process, how to find help if you need it, and why she is such a big believer in preparing for all the changes you're going to experience.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are, who they affect, and what some of their symptoms are.
• What you should do if you think you're having trouble with mood or anxiety after your baby arrives
• How Dr. Berlin treats parents with PMADs and helps them reconnect with each other
• Why we need to draw on the resources around us - family, friends, professionals, and partners - when we're having a hard time in the postpartum transition period
• The importance of preparing for the postpartum period and the many changes it will bring
• Why therapy can be an especially great tool for dealing with the traumas that can be triggered or occur during the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum periods
• How to put your relationship with your partner front and center and why this is ultimately great for your baby, too

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Dr. Alyssa Berlin | The AfterBirth Plan Workshop | Instagram
• Ep #44: How Prenatal Chiropractic Can Ease Common Pregnancy Pain with Dr. Elliot Berlin
• Maternal Mental Health NOW
• Postpartum Support International
• International Cesarean Awareness Network
• And Baby Makes Three: The 6-step plan for preserving intimacy and rekindling romance after baby arrives by Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

You’ll be delighted with today’s birth story episode with Kristin, a super mama who had seven healthy and uncomplicated pregnancies and births! 

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• The difference in care that Kristin received between physicians and midwives
• The importance of educating yourself to help you have the birth that you want
• Being healthy and active before pregnancies and maintaining it in between pregnancies
• Problems and concerns Kristin experienced during pregnancies
• How each pregnancy and birth is different (including a 25 hour labor with #6)
• How Kristin managed pain during labor
• Techniques to cope with contractions
• Using birth balls and hydrotherapy
• Why Kristin choose not to have a doula 
• Kristin’s thoughts on how the hospital staff supported her
• The hospital’s philosophy around diet where Kristin delivered
• Things Kristin learned after 7 pregnancies and births

Full Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode32

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Today Bekah shares not one but two birth stories! Her first labor was long, rough, and full of interventions. Her second, however, she describes as “an incredible, redemptive, medication-free experience that made (her) view birth in a whole new light.”

Between her first and second births, Bekah listened to many birth stories. Through these other women’s experiences she learned more about what she wanted and what she wanted to avoid. This is what makes childbirth education so important. Had Bekah known her options going into labor the first time, she would have done things differently.  

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How important it is to be gentle with yourself if it takes longer than expected to get pregnant

-What it was like for Bekah to lose her father only weeks before giving birth

-Why she had to be induced and how painful she found it

-How the epidural affected her and why she had to discontinue using it

-How she pushed for four hours and eventually wound up with a second degree tear

-How her father’s passing contributed to anxiety in the postpartum

-Why it’s important to hear other people’s birth experiences

-How much of a difference mindset made for Bekah’s second birth

-How much more quickly she dilated and how much less painful it was

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode135

Register for my free birth plan class - How to Make a Birth Plan That Works.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Some of you may have heard about the tragic incident in Atlanta involving a case of shoulder dystocia during childbirth. In light of this case, I thought I’d take the opportunity to explain exactly what shoulder dystocia is, how likely it is to occur, and what makes it so dangerous.

I delve into this topic in more detail in the episode, but essentially shoulder dystocia occurs when a baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the pelvic bone during delivery. Nine times out of ten the situation will resolve with no harm to the birthing person or baby. However, there’s no way to predict when it might happen so maternity care providers like myself need to stay prepared to handle it during childbirth.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What shoulder dystocia is
• How likely is it to occur
• What some of the common risk factors are
• Why addressing dystocia needs to happen as quickly as possible
• What hospitals and medical providers do to stay prepared to handle it
• What maneuvers are used to deal with shoulder dystocia
• Which injuries are most common
• How to reduce complications
• How care decisions should be made
• What to do after baby comes out

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode223

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Did you know the U.S. is one of just four countries in the world - and the only developed nation - without guaranteed paid maternity leave? While we’ve made great strides in workplace fairness, the fight for equity is far from over. In a country where pregnancy can still jeopardize someone’s career, these protections are more crucial than ever. That’s why advocates like today’s guests are so important.

Jack Tuckner is a workplace rights attorney who specializes in gender discrimination, including pregnancy-related issues, and Catherine Kreider is a lawyer and doula. Through their legal work and advocacy, they’ve been instrumental in advocating for laws like the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and strengthening protections for expectant workers. Make sure you know your rights, document everything, and don’t hesitate to seek out a local attorney if you need support - advocacy starts with awareness!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What constitutes pregnancy discrimination in the workplace
• Who qualifies for protections under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
• Why documenting workplace interactions is critical for protecting your rights
• When and how to notify your employer about your pregnancy
• How to request accommodations during pregnancy
• Whether state or federal laws provide better protections for pregnant workers

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode281

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

In this episode we’re talking to Ashley Greene who is a surrogate. I wanted to chat with her because I know I have a lot of listeners who are not yet pregnant and I thought it would be good to talk about this as an option to expand your family. There may also be some folks who are curious about being a surrogate and what it’s like. Plus, I personally just wanted to know more about the subject. I learned a lot from my conversation with Ashley and I know you will, too.A surrogate can make a family's wish to have a baby a reality. Some people ask why go this route? Why not adoption? My answer to that is that, ultimately, it’s a very personal decision. There is no right or wrong choice. What matters is that the surrogate and the intended parent know what to expect and can help each other bring a baby into the world.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How Ashley decided it was the right time for her to become a surrogate

-What are the reasons that intended parents might choose surrogacy

-How long can it take to match with a surrogate

-How involved are the intended parents in the pregnancy and birth

-What are some of the legal aspects (spoiler alert: it’s complex)

-How does someone go about becoming a surrogate and what makes someone a good candidate for surrogacy

-How compensation is determined

-What are the costs associated with a surrogacy

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode149

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Today Caroline O'Neill joins me to tell us all about HypnoBirthing: what it is, how it works, and how it can help you even beyond labor. We talk about why all birthing people need to practice managing pain, how your support partner can utilize HypnoBirthing techniques, and what you might want to know about this practice before you get started. 

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode95 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Get more great info to help you have an empowered pregnancy and birth by joining my email list here!

It’s that time of year again: I’m recapping the most downloaded episodes of 2024. Think of this as a kind of greatest hits or playlist - a perfect place for you to start if you’re new to the podcast. If you don’t see your favorite episode on this list, remember that earlier episodes have more downloads simply because they’ve been available longer, not because they’re less valuable!

We’re closing out the year with over 435,000 downloads in 2024 and the total lifetime downloads are up to 2.6 million! I so appreciate each and every one of you who puts me in your ears and trusts me to help you through your pregnancy and birth experience.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How to tell when it’s time to go to the hospital
• What changes can happen to the body postpartum
• Whether or not you can have a period while you’re pregnant
• Which conditions are screened for in prenatal tests
• What colostrum is and why it’s important
• How to plan for a safer childbirth experience
• Which mental health conditions are common during pregnancy
• How feeding patterns influence your baby’s sleep
• How a hospital birth can feel joyful and relaxing
• What the difference is between pain and suffering during labor
• What a VBAC is and how to prepare for one
• How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy
• How pregnancy can affect intimacy

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode287

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

We've made it to the end of a challenging year, so I wanted to end things on a lighter note and look back at the top 10 episodes of the podcast so far. In this episode, I'll share some commentary for each episode that didn't make it into the final cut, talk a bit about what's coming up in 2021, and thank all of my amazing listeners for joining me on this incredible journey.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode96 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Epidural or unmedicated: how do you know what’s right for you? Danica has done both and in this episode she takes us through her journey of having two epidural births followed by an unmedicated one—her biggest baby yet! She shares what worked, what didn’t, and how she felt in those first moments postpartum. It’s going to surprise you. If you’re weighing your pain management options, you won’t want to miss this episode!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What it felt like to labor unmedicated after two epidural births
• Why she chose epidurals for her first two babies
• How support from her sisters-in-law helped her decision-making
• Which position gave her the most relief
• How her labor progressed quickly—especially after her water broke
• What made the moments after birth harder than she expected
• What her postpartum recovery felt like compared to her previous births
• Why she’s glad she experienced both medicated and unmedicated birth

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode292

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

Do you know how important your baby’s movements are, and how to track them?

Your baby’s movements, and tracking them, are incredibly important when it comes to ensuring you have a healthy baby.

This episode of the All About Pregnancy and Birth Podcast tells you why it’s important to track those movements, how to track them, and most importantly, what to do when you’re concerned about the lack of movement.

Listen in to this episode as I go through each of those with you. After tuning in, you’ll be confident in your ability to track your baby’s movements and know when to seek medical help. Because the ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby, right!?

If you still have questions after listening in to this episode, I would love for you to check out my website. There are so many resources for you there! You can access my website by clicking here.

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Episode Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode16

Learn More: www.ncrcoaching.com

Disclaimer

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Pregnancy doesn’t mean putting your fitness on pause. MacKenzie Rowand is a new mom and exercise specialist with 9Round. She has an extensive background in wellness and there’s a lot to learn from her personal journey with fitness and pregnancy. She continually had to change the way she ate and exercised during all parts of pregnancy and through recovery. Flexibility and meeting yourself where you are is the key to staying fit during pregnancy.

Your wellness during pregnancy is so personal. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Remember that you’re growing a whole person inside of you and give yourself some grace. What matters is that you get moving.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How pregnancy changed MacKenzie’s exercise routine

-How her fitness helped in her labor, birth, and recovery

-When she decided it was time to get back to exercise after giving birth

-What her workout routine looked like postpartum

-How she felt about her new postpartum body

-How exercise can help with pregnancy, both mentally and physically

-Which exercises to do (and which exercises to avoid) during pregnancy

-Why you should listen to your body when exercising during and after pregnancy

-What are some nutrition recommendations for during and after pregnancy

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode152

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

What happens when you’re a physician and you experience a childbirth-related injury? Are you treated any differently? Today’s guest experienced exactly that and you’re going to hear her unique perspective. Gina is an ophthalmology resident who had a birth complication that left her paralyzed in one leg. She has regained her mobility but this very rare injury still has lasting effects.

Despite being a physician herself, Gina faced dismissiveness from her medical team. In fact, one nurse even told her people with more medical backing actually get worse care because they have “more knowledge.” You don’t always know ahead of time when you’ll need to advocate for yourself. It is an absolute must that you are ready to do so.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What caused Dr. Gina Yu’s rare postpartum nerve injury
• What her team initially thought caused the injury versus what tests revealed
• How positional adjustments during labor could prevent nerve damage
• What steps she took to regain mobility after paralysis
• How she balanced recovery with caring for her newborn
• How support systems played a critical role in her recovery
• How gratitude helped her cope with trauma and uncertainty
• Why postpartum challenges often go overlooked in healthcare
• How her injury changed her perspective on patient care

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode285

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

The placenta is an incredible organ (that’s right, it’s an organ!). Developing soon after conception, it is your baby’s lifeline to your body - literally. Everything the fetus needs is delivered through the umbilical cord which is connected to the placenta.

Nutrients and oxygen are brought in while carbon dioxide and wastes are taken out. Hormones to regulate pregnancy are secreted and your body’s rejection of the fetus is prevented. All of this happens within the placenta. It’s really an amazing part of your body and I know you’re going to love learning all about it including what it does, the most common issues that can occur (placenta abruption, placenta previa, placenta accreta) as well as information about consuming the placenta, and lotus birth (where the placenta is left attached to the baby to fall off naturally). 

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What the placenta is and what it does

-What happens when there are concerns with the placenta

-What the most common placental issues are

-What puts you at higher risk

-How common it is to have problems with the placenta

-What makes placenta accreta so dangerous

-Why some parents choose to consume the placenta

-What lotus birth is and whether it provides any benefits

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode180

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This is really a great story of managing through a difficult and unexpected birth course. After a completely uneventful and easy pregnancy, around 37 weeks Christina felt like something just wasn’t right so she went to the hospital. She was subsequently diagnosed with something called HELLP syndrome, one of the most severe forms of preeclampsia. After being transferred to another hospital, she ultimately delivered via c-section and you are going to hear all about her experience today.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How quickly and easily Christina and her husband got pregnant

-What it was like for Christina to be pregnant and working in-person during the height of COVID

-How staying active helped with her pregnancy symptoms

-Why she took an interest in hypnobirthing and what she did to prepare

-How she approached researching and getting ready for an unmedicated birth

-What HELLP syndrome is and how it is managed

-How Christina and her husband’s differing careers facilitate coparenting

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode176

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

There’s so much to consider when you’re preparing to bring home your bundle of joy, it can be tough to think about money. Money management in parenthood goes so far beyond just paying for diapers and car seats. The healthy money habits you model will positively affect the way your child thinks about money as they grow.

Today’s guest, Chelsea Brennan, is the founder of Smart Money Mamas, a community and platform where moms can learn how to make their money work for them and embrace their ambitions so they can live their fullest lives. An ex-hedge fund manager, Chelsea is now a financial educator who is dedicated to changing the way we talk about money. Her monthly membership community is a place where moms can come to learn to build a positive relationship with wealth.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-When should you start thinking about money

-How austerity can be counterproductive to healthy money management

-How wealth can be looked at in terms of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

-How to think about money differently

-How men and women often approach money differently

-Why it is important to find out the details of your maternity leave in advance

-How important it can be to plan for worst case scenarios with estate plans and life insurance

-What are some ways to budget for and reduce medical bills

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode138

The New Money Mama Plan (affiliate link)

Register for my free birth plan class - How to Make a Birth Plan That Works.

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

I strongly believe that women learn some of the most crucial information about labor, delivery and childbirth...from other women’s birth stories.

That’s why on the All About Pregnancy and Birth podcast you’ll find a mixture of advice, expert information, and real life birth stories from mamas and mamas-to-be, just like you.

This episode is a little different though...on today’s episode I’m sharing with you my own personal birth stories! No filters. No gloss. Just truth. Am I proud of every decision I made during my births? Nope. And I share that with you here today.

Because every birth is not ideal. Every mama doesn’t always make choices she’s thrilled about later. Every situation doesn’t go as planned or as dreamed about. But that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.

So join me on this episode to hear about my own experience giving birth, as a mama, and an OB/GYN.

If you still have questions after listening to this episode, I would love for you to check out my website. There are so many resources for you there! You can access that by clicking here.

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

To enroll in The Birth Preparation Course: www.ncrcoaching.com/enroll (use code CELEBRATE to get 20% off until 2/8/19)

To submit your birth story: www.ncrcoaching.com/birthstory

Full show notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode5 (including pictures)

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

On today’s episode of the podcast we have Casie. Casie wanted to share her story because she is striving to passionately empower others based on her experience. I’m going to give away the ending of this birth story: Casie wound up pushing for 5 ½ hours, she had a forceps birth, a fourth degree tear, and a fistula.

She keeps it real about some touchy subjects in this episode, including some slightly more adult content towards the end - so if you have kiddos listening, keep that in mind.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode125 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Dealing with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is no fun. You’ve probably heard of “morning sickness” but that’s a misnomer - queasiness can happen at any time of day (and during any stage of pregnancy too). The good news is, for most people, it’s nothing to worry about. Even though it’s uncomfortable (and sometimes downright miserable), it’s generally not harmful to you or your baby.

In this episode, you’ll learn about triggers, warning signs, and relief options for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. It’s a challenging part of pregnancy, and it’s common so we need to talk about it! I’ll also touch upon hyperemesis gravidarum, which is when nausea and vomiting escalates to a more serious condition and a level of severity that requires more intense medical attention.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How common pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting are
• Whether symptoms can harm you or baby
• What some of the underlying causes are
• When digestive issues typically occur during pregnancy
• What hyperemesis gravidarum involves and how it’s handled
• How pregnancy sickness is evaluated and treated
• How diet, acupressure, and ginger could help
• Which medication options are available
• Why cannabis isn’t recommended for symptom management
• When to visit your doctor for help

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode279

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Make a Birth Plan the Right Way

In this shorty episode I answer this listener question from Kate. And if you want me to answer a question for you DM me on Instagram @drnicolerankins or shoot me a message on my website contact form!

"I was checked at 5 cm, started feeling pressure after a few hours, and then a really strong urge to push after another few hours. I was unmedicated, so I could really feel those sensations, but was told to push against this urge and, I quote, ""hold it in"" because I was only at 8 cm and that I would tear my cervix if I pushed. This kept going for about an hour, at which point they called the doctor, who said, I quote again, “8, maybe 9, I guess you could push if you want to”. I wasn’t really able to talk, so I just pushed and everything went well. But then I started wondering why my body would give me such a powerful urge to push if it was too early. Is it possible that 9 cm was as far as my cervix would dilate? I’m a really small person, does that play a role? Does everyone get as far as 10? I’m curious and would love to hear more about this."

You’ll definitely want a box of Kleenex for this episode but spoiler: Charlotte’s baby is doing just fine! A very low risk pregnancy became high-risk almost overnight when an irregular scan revealed a heart problem. This very rare condition meant her baby would be born with a partially-formed sternum and an exposed heart.

Eventually she delivered her daughter via c-section but before that she had to decide whether to proceed with the pregnancy at all. Termination was a viable option and she discussed it with her husband. However, it didn’t feel right. Charlotte is an ardent supporter of a woman’s right to choose and when it came time to make a decision about the path of her own pregnancy, she chose to continue. She has some really wise words for anyone going through the unpredictable parts of pregnancy so you are definitely going to learn something by listening to this powerful episode.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why childbirth education is important even for someone who works in maternal and children’s health like Charlotte
• How her care changed after the defect was discovered
• Why she had to make a very quick decision about the best course of action for the pregnancy
• What life circumstances made it possible for her to choose to continue her pregnancy
• What congenital conditions affected her baby and what they mean (even I had to look some of it up!)
• How a therapist and a doula helped Charlotte with her mental wellness
• Why you should make a birth plan even if you aren’t getting the birth you wanted
• What it means to consider “quality of life”

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Full website notes:https://drnicolerankins.com/episode202/

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This is adult content so if you have kiddos, pop in those headphones!

You'll hear me share how I pulled a sex toy from someone's vagina that had been in there for 4 - yes 4 - days.

You'll also hear about whether sex in pregnancy is safe (spoiler alert it's very safe!) and some other helpful info (like some women actually have an increased sex drive during pregnancy - that's normal!).

Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way - FREE Class! drnicolerankins.com/birthplan

In this episode I’m updating you on what you need to know when choosing a hospital to give birth.

I’ve delivered babies at 6 different hospitals during my career. One thing I’ve learned is that the hospital where you deliver has a big influence on your experience giving birth. And specifically you want to know how the hospital approaches birth.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode109 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

For this special 100th episode, I wanted to share my unique Beautiful Birth Prep Process with all of you. This is the framework that guides all of my work, especially my new and improved version of The Birth Preparation Course.

There are five steps to having a beautiful birth and I will walk through each of them today. I will talk about getting in the right mindset for your pregnancy & birth, preparing for the possibilities, and making birth wishes that really work.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode100 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Making a birth plan is a really important part of helping you have the birth you want. A birth plan helps you think through the things that you want for your birth and communicate your wishes with your birth team. To make the most of your birth plan, be sure to ask your doctor the 4 key questions you'll learn in this short episode!

And to learn 4 more questions to ask as well as how to approach the process, tips to get your doctor and nurses to pay attention and what to include, join me in my FREE LIVE class Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way. Register at drnicolerankins.com/birthplan

This is the 3rd episode in a series about preterm birth. The first episode, 163, was about risk factors for preterm birth. 164 was about preterm labor which accounts for 40-50% of preterm birth. That episode covered what preterm labor is, how to recognize it, and how it’s treated. In this episode you will learn about preterm premature (or prelabor) rupture of membranes (PPROM).

Approximately one third of preterm births are associated with PPROM. Prelabor rupture of membranes, or PROM, refers to membrane rupture before the onset of uterine contractions - when this occurs before 37 weeks it is called PPROM. In this episode we’ll get into how common PPROM is and how it can be treated. Though the cause is unknown, there are risk factors that you can be aware of and ways to manage it that improve outcomes for your baby.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-What PPROM is and how common it is

-What the risk factors are

-How it’s diagnosed - it’s not always straightforward

-What warning signs to look out for

-What questions your doctor might ask if you are concerned you’re experiencing PPROM

-How your doctor determines the clinical course

-What “expectant management” is

-What the outcomes for PPROM babies can be

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode164

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Something I realized lately, as we’ve surpassed 13,000 downloads of the All About Pregnancy & Birth Podcast, is that I’ve never done an episode that tells you who I am, and how I’ve come to do what I do.

Of course the birth stories, expert interviews, and the podcasts that I do to give you my tips and knowledge are important. But I also feel that it’s important that you know WHO you’re getting these things from and how I got to this point.

I hope you enjoy this episode as I take you through my younger years, my education, my career changes, and personal journey to where and who I am now. And who I am now is a woman who is passionate about serving women during pregnancy and birth.

If you still have questions after listening in to this episode, I would love for you to check out my website. There are so many resources for you there! You can access my website by clicking here.

_______

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Full Episode Show Notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode25

All About Pregnancy & Birth Podcast Community on Facebook

The Birth Preparation Course

Hop on my Email List

Disclaimer

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

This week we're revisiting episode 81 where I interview my husband, Falcon. It was really interesting to hear what things felt like from his perspective. I talk a lot about the experience of the birthing person on this podcast, which often means that I don't talk as much about what it feels like to be the supporting partner. So, in this special episode my husband Falcon is joining me to talk about his feelings and experiences during my pregnancies and births.

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode81

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Join me in this episode as I talk about obesity and how it affects your pregnancy. I’m going to help you understand the risk of obesity and how your weight is affecting your fertility. Find out what defines an “obese pregnant woman” and what you can do to have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What exactly is considered obese
• How obesity negatively affects pregnancy
• What is BMI
• Why babies born to obese moms are at a greater risk of having health issues
• How obesity has an effect on how your labor progresses
• The issue of anesthesia for obese pregnant women
• The potential of having a big baby when you’re obese
• Increased risk of infant death and autism
• Understanding how your weight loss affects your fertility
• Losing those extra pounds for you and your baby

Links Mentioned In The Episode:

• Episode #34: Everything You Need To Know About Having A “Big” Baby
• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - FREE online class!
• ​The Birth Preparation Course
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In this birth story episode, you’re going to hear what a true emergency cesarean is like. Lillie was induced due to gestational diabetes and preeclampsia at 37 weeks. After 36 hours in labor, just as she was transitioning to push, her baby went into distress and she was rushed to the operating room for an emergency cesarean birth.

Now Lillie felt like this was a pretty scary and traumatic birth but one of the things that really helped her was that she had learned about all possible birthing situations. Knowing what to expect isn't going to prevent trauma but it most certainly can make things easier.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How long Lillie took to prepare for parenthood once she decided to have a baby
• Which health concerns she had coming into the pregnancy
• Why she specifically sought out a Black woman OB-GYN
• Why she saw a maternal fetal medicine specialist for her pregnancy
• Why pitocin can’t be administered continuously
• How many attempts it took to place the epidural
• How a nurse with conveniently small hands helped dislodge Lillie’s baby from her pelvis

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode265

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

I'm so excited to have today's guest on the show to talk about a topic I know many of my listeners are really interested in: fertility. Whether you're actively trying for a baby or are only just starting to consider getting pregnant, it's good to know what to expect with your fertility and when to seek help.

To talk all about fertility today we're joined by the amazing Dr. Cindy Duke. Cindy M.P. Duke is a M.D. Ph.D trained Physician Scientist who is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Fellowship trained in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). Dr. Duke is also an active member of her community and is also the host of the ‘Girl Powered Success & Survival International’ (aka GriPSSI) Podcast, which is aimed at highlighting the work and dynamic career paths of women and girls around the globe! 

Dr. Duke and I talk about what you should expect from your fertility appointments, when you should seek to meet with a fertility specialist, and some of the common obstacles she sees couples facing when they are trying to get pregnant. 

We also discuss the importance of male partners taking part in the fertility process, too, because often times there are fertility issues on their end as well. You'll leave this episode with a much better understanding of fertility treatment and all the questions you should be prepared to ask a fertility specialist!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why and how Dr. Duke got into the field of fertility 
• When people see fertility specialists in their pregnancy journeys
• How to prepare for your first visit to the fertility specialist and what they'll ask
• Three questions to ask your fertility specialist
• The top three things Dr. Duke sees people dealing with in terms of infertility
• Why a male partner should partake in fertility appointments and treatments
• Why you don't need to break the bank for ovulation test, pregnancy tests, and vitamins/supplements
• Dr. Duke's thoughts on complementary or alternative fertility treatments, like teas, supplements, and acupuncture
• Common misconceptions about fertility appointments and treatments

Links Mentioned In The Episode

• How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class!
• The Birth Preparation Course
• Dr. Cindy Duke | Nevada Fertility Institute | Podcast | Instagram | Twitter
• Join my email list here!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

It started with abdominal pain and ended with a medical helicopter ride... and a detour in the middle at the airport.

Listen to hear the story and lessons learned from it.

Make A Birth Plan The RIGHT Way - FREE Class! - drnicolerankins.com/birth-plan

Check out The Birth Preparation Course, my online childbirth education class - drnicolerankins.com/enroll

This is it—the start of a new era! All About Pregnancy & Birth is now Birth With Power! Birth isn’t just something that happens to you; you can take charge and step into your power. In this episode, I’m sharing why I made this change, what it means for YOU, and what’s coming next, including the Birth With Power Pathway, my brand-new framework that will get you ALL the way ready to trust your power and take charge of your birth. So keep listening—you don’t want to miss this.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• Why All About Pregnancy & Birth is now Birth With Power
• What this change means for you and how it will impact the podcast
• How Birth With Power helps you take charge of your birth experience
• Which aspects of the podcast are staying the same and which are evolving
• When the Birth With Power Pathway will launch and what to expect from it
• Who this new framework is designed to help and how it prepares you for birth
• What mindset shifts can help you feel calm, confident, and in control during birth

--

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode290

It’s another birth story episode today and this one is a lot. And by a lot I mean that Kelsey experienced quite a range of different things during her pregnancies and birth.

Kelsey joins us to talk about the stress around her first pregnancy, a very wanted pregnancy that she ended because of a fatal genetic condition. She explores how she got pregnant again pretty quickly after that and what that experience was like.

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode102 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

I’ve talked about advanced reproductive age before but I realized I’d never devoted an entire episode to it. After having a lot of requests for this subject, I decided to cover it today. More and more people are opting to delay parenthood. However there seems to be a commonly accepted myth that the minute you turn 35 you can no longer expect to have a healthy baby or a vaginal birth.

What defines a healthy age to get pregnant is on a spectrum. It depends on too many factors to list here so you’ll have to listen to the episode! The bottom line is that if you want to have a baby in your thirties, forties, or even fifties, you can likely expect positive outcomes!

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How common it is to get pregnant over the age of 35

-Why some people are choosing to delay having children

-How the advancing of age can correlate to higher rates of miscarriage

-How age affects the prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities and congenital anomalies

-How preexisting conditions, especially hypertension and diabetes, can affect the chances of these issues

-What the effects are on morbidity and mortality

-How pregnancy care differs according to age

-How age affects rates of induction and c-section

-How children can benefit from being raised by older parents

-Why you should plan for your family’s future if you decide to get pregnant when you are older

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode177

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Hey there! I’m still on vacation this week and spending some time with my family so enjoy this rebroadcast birth story episode from Brooke. This is just a really lovely birth story of an unmedicated hospital birth.

Now I know you love birth stories because you tell me that those are your favorite episodes. So what if I told you that there will be a way for you to easily listen to all the birth stories? Or all the ones that are vaginal births? Or you can listen to all the birth stories that were an unmedicated birth? And not only that but you can get exclusive access to bonus birth story episodes? Well if that sounds like something you would love I’m going to be sharing all the details about it when I get back so make sure you’re subscribed and you tune in to hear all about it.

In the meantime enjoy this birth story episode with Brooke.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-Why Brooke decided to become a doula after her first pregnancy experience

-How a pelvic floor physical therapist helped her handle abdominal separation and improved her pushing during labor

-How Brooke prepared herself mentally for her birth, including with visualization and meditation

-What it was like giving birth with only her husband and doula present with the rest of her family on the phone

-How Brooke has felt postpartum and during her modified laying in period

-Why holistically prepping for your pregnancy will help you have the best experience possible while being prepared for the unpredictability of pregnancy and birth

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode93

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

 Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

In today’s episode of the podcast we are talking all about happiness with Kim Strobel. Kim is a leadership and happiness coach who helps businesses and organizations prioritize their health and well-being so they can reach new levels in their personal and professional lives. As a nationally-recognized speaker, she is all about empowering others to take control of their health, wellness, and happiness with simple habits. 

Find full show notes at drnicolerankins.com/episode112 and check out all the free pregnancy & birth resources I have for you at drnicolerankins.com/resources.

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

When a baby is suspected to be big, it’s called macrosomia. Join me today as I talk about everything there is to know about macrosomia. Learn the risks that come with having a bigger baby and what can be done to manage it. 

In this Episode, You'll Learn:

• What it means when we think you baby is big
• Possible outcomes when your baby is suspected to be big
• Terms commonly used for babies with excessive growth
• The difference between macrosomia and LGA
• What causes a larger than average birth weight
• The risk factors for macrosomia or having a big baby
• How your OB/GYN physician determine when your baby is big
• Uncommon and common complications from having a bigger baby
• What should you do when your baby is suspected to be big
• How we manage babies who are suspected to be big

Links Mentioned In The Episode:

• Sign up for my FREE online class “Learn How To Make Your Birth Plan The RIGHT Way!”
• Join my email list

Full show notes: www.ncrcoaching.com/episode34

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Crystal played roller derby for nine years and even that couldn’t prepare her for her first pregnancy. She not only labored for 30+ hours, had to transfer from the birthing center to a hospital, was diagnosed with gestational hypertension, and her baby had to stay in the NICU, but she was also stung by a swarm of yellow jackets at thirty-eight weeks! Despite all this, she’s able to look back on the whole experience and laugh. Though some people might never want to get pregnant again after all that, Crystal decided to try for baby number two and it turned out to be a redemptive and healing experience. After laboring for only 2.5 hours, she had the unmedicated birth she’d always hoped for and got to enjoy the “golden hour” which she did not get the first time around.

Crystal’s birth story teaches us an important lesson: you must be prepared for the possibility that things may not go as planned. Birth is an unpredictable process that cannot be controlled. It’s beautiful to have birth wishes and you don’t want to go into the birth experience without knowing what you want, but it’s important to entertain all possibilities and be prepared.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

-How different Crystal’s two births really were

-What she wanted from her first birth and what she got

-How truly painful birth can be

-Why it’s important to remember that you can change your mind about your birth wishes

-How her birth experiences differed in a birthing center versus a hospital

-What is HIE and how can it be treated with cooling therapy or “therapeutic hypothermia”

-Why it’s worth the time and energy to process the trauma that can occur from birth

Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode145

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Take a quick, fun labor pain quiz

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Before we start in on this story about giving birth during COVID-19, I want to acknowledge the huge protests going on in America and abroad at the time of this recording. These protests, begun after George Floyd was murdered by a police officer, are happening in response to the racism that is embedded into our societies and institutions. I have always worked to lift up and serve all mamas, but promise to continue my commitment to helping Black mamas in particular navigate America's racist medical system. 

In this birth story episode, Rachel shares her experience giving birth in New York at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about why her childbirth education was particularly helpful as she navigated labor & delivery; what it was like giving birth to a big baby at the hospital during COVID-19; and why it is so important to remain flexible during your birth.

Check out ncrcoaching.com/episode71 for complete show notes, and join my email list at ncrcoaching.com/email-signup/!

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole

Addressing stillbirth can be a sensitive and challenging topic but it’s an essential one. Like with anything else in birth, it’s always better to learn about every possible outcome, even the ones you don’t want. Besides educating yourself, it’s important to listen to this episode because parents who have experienced stillbirth don’t deserve to suffer in silence. Avoiding their stories out of fear that it might affect your own pregnancy denies support to those who need it most. If it happened to you, wouldn’t you want others to hear your story?

Elizabeth started the non-profit Aaliyah in Action after her personal experience with stillbirth. Losing her daughter during pregnancy made her acutely aware of the system’s lack of support for grieving parents. In response, she stepped up to fill that gap, now offering the helping hand she wishes she would’ve had during that challenging time.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• How Elizabeth channeled her grief into helping other families
• How she learned about her baby’s passing and figured out the process for delivery
• Why she still tried to stick to her birth plan and brought in her doula
• Why Aaliyah in Action prefers to send packages to hospitals rather than directly to homes (though they do that, too!)
• What comes in the self-care packages
• What are some dos and don’ts for supporting those who have suffered a loss

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode227

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

We’re doing a better job of talking about miscarriage but we don’t necessarily talk a lot about ectopic pregnancy loss. As I explain in the episode, an ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. If that happens, it can be life-threatening and requires medical attention.

The emotional impact of an ectopic pregnancy can be the same as a miscarriage. Feelings of sadness, grief, and loss are common. Plus, it’s normal to experience anxiety and fear around your own health as well as what’s going to happen in future pregnancies.

The good news is that most often, an ectopic pregnancy will not affect your fertility. Listen to this episode to learn what warning signs to look out for and how to get the treatment you need. After you’ve received proper care, you should be able to go on to have a healthy baby.

In this Episode, You’ll Learn About:

• What ectopic pregnancy is and what causes it
• How common it is to experience
• Whether you can do anything to prevent it
• How doctors can tell the difference between an ectopic and normal pregnancy
• Which treatment option is right for you

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Full website notes: drnicolerankins.com/episode206

Check out The Birth Preparation Course

Register for the class How to Create a Birth Plan the Right Way

Learn more about donating your cord blood and get up to $100 Amazon gift card! --> thecordbloodgroup.com/drnicole