Birthful (Adriana Lozada)

Chances are your pregnancy and birth will flow, and you’ll never need to see any of the care providers that deal with more complicated situations. But what if you do? 

Dr. Loralei Thornburg helps demystify what it can be like working with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist. She shares with Adriana why so much of it has to do with experience, risk tolerance, and resources, and why – regardless of medical complications – you can still humanize your experience.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on its show notes page.

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Preeclampsia Essentials and our episode on How Your Nervous System Impacts Your Pregnancy and Birth

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

For Shea Cole, getting pregnant was easy, the trick was staying pregnant. After 3 miscarriages, getting to the end of a pregnancy was a huge mix of happiness and relief, yet it brought along its own set of unusual circumstances like Shea breaking her leg, having a stranger break into her house, and her water breaking 78 hours before the birth of her daughter. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-birth-center-birth-after-loss

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If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!

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Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Adriana Lozada tackles a question parents ask her often: how to introduce your other children to their newborn sibling. There isn’t one right way to do it, so Adriana has suggestions to make the intros and transition easier—and joyful!

If you liked this episode, listen to this interview on dealing with family and visitors, or this episode on how to truly understand and calm your baby.

You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Adriana explains all the remarkable benefits of doing skin-to-skin with your baby—immediately after they’re born and through the first months of life—and how such a simple practice can bring your whole family closer together.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Circumcising baby boys has become a “standard of normalcy”, but can it really be that the bodies of half the population are defective? Is there no purpose to the foreskin? Do the benefits truly outweigh the risks? How complicated is it to take care of an intact penis? Urologist Dr. Adrienne Carmack tells us more.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Robina Khalid of Small Things Grow Midwifery explains what it takes to truly consider a homebirth, and shares with Adriana how to prepare for a successful experience.

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode on homebirth reimbursement, and this interview about the purpose of pain in childbirth.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page. 

You can learn more about Robina @smallthingsgrowhomebirth. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

You can also download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

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Today’s breastfeeding stories start when Claire Labrosa had breast reductions at age 17. Clare shares how she was able to breastfeed - and even tandem feed- her three kids, but not without her share of obstacles. Many of them having nothing to do with her reduction, but rather lack of support, conflicting information from careproviders, and dealing with lip ties, tongue ties, and sensitive babies. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcast-breast-reduction-brestfeeding-story

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!

Click to grab my free postpartum plan

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Adriana Lozada shares eight great questions for sussing out your provider’s protocols and practices as your pregnancy advances, in order to help you figure out how much shared decision-making and agency you will truly have in your birth experience.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on its show notes page.

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on What You Need to Know About Birth Positions and our episode on Informed Consent

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

What can you do after a truly exhausting birth leaves you in a daze, you’ve got intersecting breastfeeding issues and postpartum anxiety, you feel you are bonding more with your breast pump than your baby, have to return to work, and you don’t know how to ask for help? Sarah Fowler shares her experience.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-postpartum-back-labor-induction

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Breastfeeding may be perfectly natural, but it’s not perfectly easy. Many people think it will just happen, without realizing there's a steep learning curve. So what are the most common breastfeeding struggles, and how can you navigating them? Kathleen Kendall-Tackett tells us more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastbreastfeedingstruggles

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Birth is filled with uncertainty, and with that come the fears and what ifs: what if something goes wrong, what if the pain is too much, what if my wishes aren’t respected, What if I need a cesarean, what if I poop? All are valid, but not very helpful feelings. So how can you deal with them? Alexia Leachman has answers. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastbirthfears

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Today we are taking on the most common myths and concerns around birth traumas, and exploring ways to avoid them. The statistics for those who consider their birth to have been traumatic can range between 25 and whopping 49%. So, what can you do to improve the chances of having a lovely birth, and not be a part of that statistic? Bianca Sprague and Natasha Marchand tell us more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastbirthtraumamyths

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Nothing can prepare a person for the tragedy of losing a baby, along with the hopes and dreams of being a parent to that child. How to cope? What to expect? How to get helpful support? Amy Wright Glenn helps us to compassionately navigate this difficult reality.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

We try to make birth practical by measuring, overseeing, and monitoring it… when really, it’s an experience that flows seamlessly from one stage to another, taking the birthing person deep into their physiology and intuitive altered states. Whapio Diane Bartlett shares with Adriana how to better describe what the laboring person goes through, by explaining the Holistic Stages of Birth.

In this second episode of a two-part series, we go deeper into the Quietude, to then finally emerge into immediate postpartum and the life-long weaving of the story. Make sure you listen to Part One, if you haven’t already.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Healing Your Birth Story and our episode titled Are you Meditating Yet?

You can connect with Whapio on Instagram @whapio_and_thematrona. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Instead of posting a new episode, this week we are amplifying the voices of Black podcasters.

We encourage you to take the time you would have used to listen to this week's Birthful episode to expand your listening options. 

Hear what they have to say:

• All About Pregnancy and Birth Podcast
• Birth Stories In Color Podcast
• Natal
• Homecoming podcast
• Fertility Friday
• Dem Black Mamas
• Woke Mommy Chatter
• Experiencing Motherhood: Single & Black
• Mahogany Momology
• Black Mom Diaries
• That Black Couple

If you have other shows you would recommend, please share them with us.

We are @birthfulpodcast on Instagram and @birthful on facebook. 

After giving birth twice before, Victoria Wilson thought she had “life with a newborn” pretty much figured out. But when her third daughter was born fussy, frustrated, and just wouldn’t settle, Victoria was thrown for a loop. Was this just who her baby was? Or was something wrong?

Victoria shares with Adriana how making her own wellness a priority during pregnancy allowed her the strength to navigate and surrender to this extremely difficult experience from a place where she was well-resourced. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on the Effects of Stress During Pregnancy, and if you want to hear Victoria’s first two birth stories, listen to our episode titled Support Beats Stubbornness.

You can connect with Victoria on Instagram @motherwelldoula. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Skin-to-skin and kangaroo care can improve neurological development and health, lower stress and crying, help breastfeeding, reduce postpartum depression. The list of benefits seems to go on and on. Research shows that skin-to-skin is even more important for preemies. How simple is it to do, and how long should you do it for? Sylvia Houston tells us more.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

While the incidence of cesareans, inductions and other interventions are higher for plus-sized women, this does not have to be the case. Jen McLellan is here to share the 3 things that can help you have a fabulous experience, no matter your size. Plus, a special guest appearance from Barley, Revered and Gus.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Danielle Major was a little thrown off by the fact that her second baby apparently didn't get the memo that second babies tend to come quicker, but the reward of finding out whether she had a boy or a girl was worth the wait. Find out how it all unfolds. 

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Dani Izzie, a disability advocate who is quadriplegic, tells Adriana how her years of navigating the medical system, connecting with a community that understands her, building a supportive team, and her deep understanding of her body helped her through the birth of her twins. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview titled If Pregnancy Becomes Medically Complicated: Working With a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician and our episode on Navigating the NICU. Also, here’s the episode on Family-Centered Cesareans that Adriana mentioned in the show. 

You can learn more about Dani on Instagram @daniizzie and about her film at danistwinsfilm.com. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

When talking about birth, words that tend to come up are fear and pain. But what if instead of trying to get rid of the fear and pain, you focused wholeheartedly on bringing heaps of joy and pleasure to your birth instead? Angela Gallo tells us more.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastpleasure/

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:.

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Today’s story comes from Jessica Winquist, who was determined to have a vaginal birth, even though her daughter was breech. As it turns out, pregnancy ended up being the most stressful part of her experience. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/birthstory21

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

We try to make birth practical by measuring, overseeing, and monitoring it… when really, it’s an experience that flows seamlessly from one stage to another, taking the birthing person deep into their physiology and intuitive altered states. Whapio Diane Bartlett shares with Adriana how to better describe what the laboring person goes through, by explaining the Holistic Stages of Birth.

In this first episode of a two-part series, we start with embarking into labor, and just past what is usually considered as transition. In Part Two, we move through the Quietude phase, all the way to the birth of the baby, the magic that happens in the first moments, and the weaving of the story that goes on forever.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Dealing with Birth Fears and our episode on Straight Talk about the Effects of Electronic Fetal Monitoring on You and Your Baby.

You can connect with Whapio on Instagram @whapio_and_thematrona. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

One of the biggest surprises for Ujarak Appadoo when she first got pregnant was that she would need to prepare or adjust for living in a pregnant body and giving birth. She’d figure she’d just carry on doing life as she’d seen her peers do, and that everything would unfold without much fuss. So began her long journey of transformation through four births, which included having to accept not being able to birth with midwives in her location of choice due to lack of access; experiencing, birthing, and grieving the 19-week pregnancy loss of her third daughter; and ultimately discovering she needs ample space for birth and postpartum, so she can stand in her power, and lovingly care for herself and her family, in community.

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Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Going into Birth Intuitively and our episode on Why A Midwife Might Be Just What You Need. 

You can connect with Ujarak on Instagram at @Amautiga. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

How should you touch a laboring person during contractions? How should you touch them in between contractions? Should you use both hands? Should you lean in? How fast should you go? Why is touch helpful at all? Yiska Obadia has answers. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-comforting-touch-massage-labor

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Today we’re going beyond the birth plan to talk about birth principles! Although a well-crafted birth plan can be a powerful tool, more often than not they're formulaic, and outcome-focused nature can give a false illusion of control, and even elicit eye rolls from jaded caregivers. Jessie Harrold shares with Adriana how your efforts may be better spent on first crafting your own set of birth principles.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on The Identity Shift of Becoming a Mom, and our episode on Healing Your Birth Story, with Pam England.

You can connect with Jessie Harrold on Instagram @jessie.es.harrold. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

What are the 4 components of pain? Does pain equate suffering? If the signal doesn’t make it to the brain, is it pain? And how can you (and your partner!) change that signal before it arrives? Pain specialist Julie Bonapace has answers. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastworkingwithpain/

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

We continue to celebrate reaching 2 million downloads for the show! This is part 2 of my two-part minisode with some of my favorite birth mantras to convey physiology and help you navigate labor. If you haven’t yet, make sure you go listen to the previous episode first. These mantras are part of what I talk about with my doulas clients during prenatals, and I hope that they also prove super useful for you, and that in a way, it will be like I’m there in spirit during your birth, cheering you on, if you are reminded of these mantras during your labor.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-birth-mantras-part-2

Click to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episode

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Hailey McHone’s first birth was what her OB called "a textbook hospital delivery," which came with an epidural-Pitocin combo, and, frankly, little consent. She talks with Adriana about getting more intentional with her wishes and choices for her second birth and ending up with a confidence-boosting, self-affirming, physiological experience that included a concoction of grape juice and papaya nectar, some much-wanted chicken nuggets, and waiting for her sister to arrive. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Informed Consent and our short episode on Real Talk About Vaginal Tears and Episiotomies. 

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Parents, particularly mothers, and especially during the pandemic, are under extreme psychological pressure. Adriana Lozada gives you a host of helpful tips to protect your mental health and ensure a more fair work balance among parenting partners.

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode about navigating identity shifts, and this episode about entering fatherhood.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

What does a self-described Type A do when her birth plan derails? Tara Langsdorf (who finished her second master’s degree and took a promotion managing a team of 25 while pregnant!) shares with Adriana how leaning on the structures and support she’d set up during pregnancy allowed her to go deep into her labor process, despite her starting to develop preeclampsia and having a cascade of interventions. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Epidurals & Breastfeeding and our episode on Evidence & Eating During Labor.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

After an initial cesarean birth due to preeclampsia, IVF warrior Desirae Whittle knew it was paramount to gather a birth team that would truly encourage a vaginal birth. She shares with Adriana Lozada the many joyful moments during the long vaginal labor of her second child, and how her team enabled her informed decision-making at every step of the experience.

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this interview about VBAC facts, or this episode to learn about preeclampsia. For more information on the Walcher's position, visit the Spinning Babies website.

You can follow Desirae at @harmonybirths. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at info@Birthful.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Babies are constantly and very specifically communicating their needs to us. So what are some ways they do that? How can you tune into and translate their messages? And what if you have a baby that needs more help navigating the world? The fabulous Carrie Contey has answers. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastunderstandingbaby

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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Adriana Lozada shares facts about the magnificent protective and self-clamping abilities of the umbilical cord. She also explains why there’s still disagreement in the medical field about how long to wait.

To learn even more, listen to this interview all about delayed cord clamping.

You can connect with us on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

For weeks, Julia Cooper had been nervous that her baby would arrive while her husband and mom were away, and sure enough, contractions started merely hours after she dropped her husband off at the airport. What follows is a testament to how hard it can be to shut off your thinking brain while in labor and how despite that, you can still support your physiology and get things to flow (even if you have a prolonged labor and an epidural!).

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on The Holistic Stages of Birth and our episode on A Dad's Perspective. 

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

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You may have heard that uncontrollable shaking is a very common part of labor and immediate postpartum. But is there a neurological purpose to all this shaking? And is the management of the third stage of labor, truncating the resolution, down-regulation and integration of the primal birth process, basically messing with neurological completion? Lesley Everest shares her thoughts.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-shaking-primal-birth

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Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

You’ve probably heard that caregivers recommend waiting 4-6 weeks before having sex after giving birth. That’s usually to give your body some time for healing, but what about your libido? When does that come back? And once you do it, will it hurt? How will your body be different? What if you don’t want to? What if your partner doesn’t want to? Will you ever feel sexy again? In this episode, Kate Dimpfl helps us understand the new normal of sex after baby.

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Adriana Lozada dispels nine common worries of expectant parents, and explains why you can just let them go.

If you liked this episode, listen to this interview about the pushing stage, and this episode about protecting your perineum.

 You can connect with us on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Adriana Lozada goes through the pros and cons of three places where you can give birth: a hospital, a birth center, and at home, and what you should consider when making an informed decision.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page. 

If you liked this episode, listen to this story on Why Having an Audience Stalled Her Birth and this episode about Showing Up at Your Birth.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course

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Today's story comes for Alexandra Meseke, who's the mother of a 2 year old and a 5 month old. Both stories start with her water breaking, and have happy endings, but they unfold very differently. 

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If you couldn’t breastfeed, would you look to give your baby donated human milk, formula, or something else? What are the risks and different options of milksharing? If you have an oversupply, would you donate? Amber Mccann is here to help us with these not-so-clear-cut questions, in this episode of  Birthful.

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Is a little stress good for your baby? What about chronic stress? Are there ways to deal with the anxiety and guilt? What if you have a high-risk pregnancy? How does it all affect you? Parijat Deshpande tells us more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastpregnancystress

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

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twitter.com/birthful

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Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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Criselda F. shares with Adriana the details of her three-day-long birth, which she describes as amazing and transformative. It also truly illustrates how birth is not linear, as it can easily go from prodromal to precipitous! Find out what helped her get through the frustration of not knowing when it was really going to start, the joy of having her partner catch the baby, and why tearing was the one thing that really took her by surprise. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Protecting Your Perineum and our episode on The Baby's Birth Experience. 

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

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Taylor Walker Sinning breaks down exactly how she trained herself for months to use hypnosis to relieve her pain during birth. And makes clear to Adriana Lozada just why it became her most powerful tool during childbirth.

Listen through to the end of the episode for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us” as she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode about shaking during birth and this interview about hypnosis in birth. And look out next week for a special episode on the origin of hypnosis in birth!

You can find Taylor Walker Sinning on Instagram at @taylorwalkerfit. You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Also know as baby-led latching, biological nurturing or self-attachment, laid-back breastfeeding is an incredibly natural approach that can really help you and your baby get breastfeeding off to a great start. To tell us more, I'll be talking with the ever-insightful Attie Sandink.

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Melissa Divaris Thompson tells me about her two very different cesarean birth experiences. Melissa describes her first experience as traumatic. By contrast, she felt really empowered during her second birth. So what makes them so very different? 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcast-empowered-cesarean-birth-story

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

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Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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What do you do when you send your husband out to car-nap your older daughter as you finish getting ready to go to the hospital, and labor goes from 0 to 60, while you’re still at home? Do you panic? Do you call 911? Do you call your doula? Do you breathe and center yourself so you are present for your baby? Erin Davis is here to tell us more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/birthstory28

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

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twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

What are the many ways that your body communicates fertility? What do your cervix and breasts want you to know? How is your menstrual cycle affected by sleep or nutrition? What’s YOUR normal? Emily Varnam and Kelsey Knight tell us more about this 5th vital sign of health.

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What would it look like if instead of trying to “bounce back” to our pre-pregnancy frames, we embraced the new changes: stretch marks, jiggly bellies and all? I talk with Ashlee Wells Jackson, about how she’s helping hundreds of women do just that, through the 4th trimester body project.

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We continue with our “Birth Stories” for the summer series! Today’s story comes from Elizabeth Nigro, who first broke up with her OB, then was in denial that labor was even happening, but once she let go of perfect, she ended up with an amazingly beautiful birth where she felt safe, supported and like a super woman. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/birthstory24

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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The good news is that figuring out how to parent your newborn is something you can do while you discover what type of parent you want to be, and most of the time, your baby will lead the way. The even better news is that it will probably involve a skin-to-skin extravaganza. Dr. Bob Hamilton is here to tells us more.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-parenting-newborn

Click to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episode

Click to grab my free postpartum plan

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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Obstetricians are the go-to care providers when giving birth in the US, but not all OBs are created equal. How does your obstetrician's background and training impact the care you get, and is that aligned with the care you deserve? Dr. Stuart Fischbein shares his insights, the hard lessons he’s gained over his career, as well as why he still does breech deliveries, VBACs, and home births.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on What You Need to Know About Birth Models (Birth What?), and our episode on How to Avoid a "Cascade of Interventions."

You can connect with Dr. Stu on Instagram @birthinginstincts. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

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Midwife and researcher, Dr. Mimi Niles, talks to Adriana Lozada about the U.S. hospital system, how your goals as a birthing person are at odds with the system’s goals, and how to tap into your power as a consumer within said system so you can have a better birth experience.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page. 

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode on the cultural ideals that shape your birth experience, and this interview on Birth Models (both are part of our series on “Models and Places of Birth”).

Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Adriana describes the wide range of nipple shapes and sizes, and how to work with what you’ve got to successfully breastfeed.

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You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Motherhood transition coach Stepha LaFond explains how parents can be weighed down by society’s expectations, and shares many ways for parents and parents-to-be to dismantle that “mom guilt.”

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this interview on helping fathers navigate their transition into parenthood, and this “Best Of Birthful” on the identity shift of becoming a parent.

You can learn more about Stepha on Instagram @mamaslaylife. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at info@Birthful.com. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Adriana continues her series on the “golden hour” with specifics on the benefits for your baby of having this undisturbed time right after birth.

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You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

For her second VBAC, Kristen Bowles was almost sent home from the hospital, when she wasn’t progressing past 2 cm after more than 4 hours. As they were getting ready to leave, her water broke, and then she went from 4 cms to pushing unexpectedly fast, even though she was sitting on the edge of the bed about to get an epidural. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-nonlinear-2VBAC-story

Use the code THANKFUL for great discounts on my Thrive With Your Newborn postpartum preparation classes or my Birth Partner’s Ultimate Labor Support Toolkit.

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!

Click to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episode

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Understanding your parental leave benefits —with all its overwhelming fine print— can be a daunting task! To make the process easier, human resource professional extraordinaire Katy Dahl shares with Adriana how to approach the process so that you can not only maximize your benefits, but also understand if your time off will impact your health insurance, your paycheck, or your retirement age. Katy brings clarity and levity to the topic, to help you avoid unfortunate surprises during postpartum!

Read up on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the PUMP Act, and state-by-state paid parental and medical leave laws at abetterbalance.org

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on the Emotional Prep for Going Back to Work While Breastfeeding and our episode on Back-to-Work Sleep Considerations.

You can connect with Katy Dahl at problemtoresolution.com. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

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OB/GYN and medical educator Dr. Amali Lokugamage talks with Adriana about how being pregnant propelled a paradigm shift in her ideas about birth, leading her to give birth at home. A champion of human rights in childbirth, she shares why birth recommendations have become so hospital-centric, and why it would benefit us all to embrace more family-centered, integrated, and collaborative models of care.

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode on How Prenatal Yoga Can Help Protect Your Energy (And Why This Is Important!), and this interview on Why Your Team Isn’t Complete Without a Doula.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page. 

You can learn more about Dr. Amali on Twitter @docamali. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

There are certain conditions where a newborn’s risk of hypoglycemia increases. What are those conditions? How and when are they tested for? If there’s a concern, does that mean your baby will get formula supplementation, and how does all of this impact initial breastfeeding? Dr. Casey Rosen-Carole has answers. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-sugar-levels-breastfeeding

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!

Click to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episode

Click to grab my free postpartum plan

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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Birth does its own thing, and often it’s harder than expected, even for women whose experience matched their birth plan. How can you heal? Is there a way to prevent birth trauma? Pam England from Birthing From Within tells us more.

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: http://www.birthful.com/podcast-healing-birth-story-trauma/

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Adriana goes through six different medical options for relieving pain during labor, focusing on the best time to use each one to help you plan your pain management strategy.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Lydia Palermo’s first birth started with a premature induction for preeclampsia, and resulted in many interventions. When she was diagnosed again with preeclampsia during her second pregnancy, and was looking at another imminent induction, she did everything in her power to get labor going, to hopefully birth on her own terms. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-induction-preeclampsia-fast-vaginal-birth-stories

Click to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episode

Click to grab my free postpartum plan

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

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New research tells us that the microbes that are present during pregnancy, birth and postpartum can have an effect on the development of diseases such as asthma, diabetes, lupus, colitis, and celiac disease. Dr. Rodney Dietert is here to tell us how can you encourage a proper seeding of your baby’s body, to help fend off these maladies, and some suggestions on getting things back on track.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Michelle Peterson shares with Adriana a fantastic framework for setting up your postpartum village of support that spreads the responsibility over many people (seven to be exact) so that you are well-resourced beyond the first few weeks of postpartum. She explains how to prepare and why you’ll need a team leader to coordinate it all to make sure you not only receive the care you need, but that your dishes end up in the right place and your laundry is folded just how you like it.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Dealing with Family & Visitors and our episode on Hormones After Birth.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

It’s estimated that about 80% of pregnant people experience insomnia by their third trimester, and newer research is showing how melatonin and circadian rhythms may impact fertility, implantation, miscarriage, risk of preeclampsia and postpartum depression. 

Mar De Carlo shares with Adriana how small and mindful changes to your sleep habits can help you tap into more rest and improve your family’s sleep— before and after the baby arrives. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on the Effects of sleep deprivation and our other episode with Mar De Carlo on Taking Care of You.

You can connect with Mar on Instagram @mar_decarlo. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

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Victoria Wilson tells us how bringing great labor support to a birth makes for a much better experience than when you just bring your stubbornness.

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Mandy Alexander got pregnant at 40, having had bariatric surgery 7 years before that. During what she describes as her ‘bariatric-geriatric’ pregnancy, she worked through her fear of childbirth and ended up with the unmedicated and collaborative birth experience she was looking for. However, breastfeeding was a whole other beast. Mandy was prepared for many difficulties, but not that her body might just not make milk. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Gestational Diabetes and our episode on Shaking and the Primal Nature of Birth.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Last week, for the first part of this two part series with Diane Wiessinger, we discussed mammal behavior and instincts surrounding birth and breastfeeding. In this episode we’ll talk about how your mammal baby sleeps, and starts eating solids, as well as the non-event of weaning from breastfeeding. 

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What do you do when your water breaks and FOUR days later, there’s little sign of labor? For Sivan Dirks this meant almost drinking a castor oil smoothie! Instead, she leaned into the holistic and intuitive tools she’d gathered over her previous -and varied!- birth experiences, to have her most connected and physiologic birth yet. She shares with Adriana her three experiences which include a belly-birth breech preemie and two fast VBACs. They also talk about the importance of being intentional in your birth preparation to strike a balance between informed choices and a heart-centered approach.

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Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on The Purpose of Childbirth Pain and our episode on The Baby's Birth Experience.

You can connect with Sivan on Instagram @rosecitybabypdx. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

If you’re pregnant, you’re probably very familiar with all the things you should avoid eating. But can the things you do eat help lower your risks of prematurity, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and other complications? To learn more, I’ll be talking with Amy V. Haas.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Given that Pitocin contractions can be so intense, most people who have inductions also tend to have epidurals – but not Meredith Finch! Listen as she shares with Adriana how her preparation, flexibility, the crucial support from her husband and her doula, and a profound emotional release with her careprovider helped her through her two inductions, ultimately letting her experience the fetal ejection reflex.

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on The Induction Process and our episode on Rethinking the Pushing Stage. 

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

How do you navigate the fear, manage the stress and relearn trust, in order to let joy back in? What support systems should you put in place for both you and your partner? How do you deal with the new normal of being happy and sad at the same time? Melissa Krawecki is back to share her wisdom and knowledge. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastrainbow

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Part birth and postpartum story, part helpful tips, part reflections, this 2 part episode with Jeremy Buczek goes deep into the birth partner’s experience of pregnancy, birth and postpartum to help your partner know a bit more of what to expect. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastdadperspective

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Michelle Rose describes her birth as that of her dreams, despite having a two-and-a-half-day-long induction for preeclampsia with a low platelet count, enduring a magnesium drip, a non-working epidural, a horrific vaginal check, hemorrhaging badly enough to require a blood infusion, and feeling like her body was in trauma response during the whole time she was at the hospital… all of that on top of a difficult IVF journey with four miscarriages! She shares with Adriana how EMDR trauma therapy has been key for her healing journey, and how her experience increased her determination to work through the challenges, drawing power from knowing that she did it.

Sponsor offers - TIME SENSITIVE! 

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Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on Preeclampsia and our episode on How to Stand Up for Your Birth Rights.

You can connect with Michelle on Instagram @Via.mirabella. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Yoga instructor Chelsea Morriss Croy shares how her belief in the strength of her own body allowed her to give birth to unexpected twins—at nearly 41 weeks! She tells Adriana Lozada how even through this unforeseen surprise, she leaned on her birth team and trusted the process.

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this recent interview about homebirths, and this episode that explains newborn sugar levels.

You can follow Chelsea’s yoga studio @waimeayoga. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at info@Birthful.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Figuring out a newborn’s needs can be tricky, and sometimes a baby will cry no matter what you do. Wouldn’t it be great to have a tool to help you automatically soothe your child? One that also reduces your stress? Join Adriana in this In Memoriam episode, as she revisits her conversation with the renowned Penny Simkin to discuss the profound impact of singing to your baby in utero. Discover this invaluable life-long bonding tool that’s fully portable and affordable!

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on the Effects of Stress During Pregnancy and our episode on Healing Your Birth Story and Birth Trauma. 

You can learn more about Penny at PennySimkin.com. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the show’s most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ shows (which is now in its 9th year!).

Midwife Gail Tully, founder of the Spinning Babies approach, explains how a baby’s position can dictate the flow and ease of a birth. Learn how to prepare your body for labor with personalized exercises and belly-mapping techniques.

Here's the original episode in full.

For more Birthful, visit our website. For new episodes each week, follow to Birthful. You can connect with us on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Prenatal Bonding - We now know that babies are conscious while in womb. They can hear sounds, learn, form memories, and respond to your stress. So, can connecting with your baby before the birth, make for better pregnancies and healthier babies? And how do you go about doing that? Dr. Jay Warren tells us more, including how singing, talking, and playing with your baby makes a difference. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastprenatalbonding/

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Caregiving gives parents unmatched skills, and TendLab CEO Amy Henderson tells Adriana Lozada why it’s crucial to support them in bringing all that valuable knowledge and experience to the workplace.

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode on how to navigate identity shifts when you become a parent, and this birth story from a mom learning to navigate the postpartum life with her partner.

You can find Amy Henderson at tendlab.com or on Instagram @amytendlab. 

Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Babywearing is a  sanity-saving practice that has been around for millennia, providing many benefits for both baby and caregiver. What are those benefits? What are the different carrier types? How do you know which is right for you? What do you need to know in terms of safety? And can one carrier take you from the newborn to toddler stage?  Joanna McNeilly tell us more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastbabywearing

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Bernice Good went into preterm labor when her water broke at 31 weeks. Though the circumstances were less than ideal, she had what she describes as a lovely vaginal hospital birth with no interventions. The struggles continued during the 19-day NICU stay, and she shares how they successfully navigated breastfeeding with all of the obstacles of prematurity. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-vaginal-premie-birth-story

Sign-up for my Birth and Postpartum preparation courses at Birthfulcourses.com

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

For the next 8 weeks, I’m switching the spotlight from the pros to the amazing mamas, who share their birth stories in order to bust down TV and movie myths, and tell about what real-life birth looks like.  Today we’ll hear from Hinda Mandell and husband Matthew White, who’s fabulous birth involves a cheese tasting. 

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

After a difficult first labor with interventions she was unsure about, Alyssa Jennings was determined that her next birth would be on her terms. Little did she know that she’d be having to contain the fetal ejection reflex until her doctor arrived! Alyssa shares with Adriana the magic words her husband used to help her wait (no, they didn’t have anything to do with the doctor), along with a great solution to when you don’t want to labor in the hospital but you want to be close by (even though you live half an hour away). 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our short episode titled Straight Talk About the Effects of Electronic Fetal Monitoring on You and Your Baby and our episode on Connecting With Your Baby in Utero. 

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

What happens when a baby suddenly turns breech at 36 weeks? For Kaitlin Moore, this meant a hard pivot and lots of research to weigh her options between trying to get her baby to flip back or having a surgical birth. She shares the difficulties of finding the right provider to do an External Cephalic Version (ECV), and how elated she was when the ECV was successful and she could wait until her (now head-down) baby was ready to be born, to ultimately have the mostly unmedicated vaginal birth she had hoped for (despite it starting with an induction for early rupture of her waters)!

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• IXL LEARNING - Get 20% off a membership at ixl.com/TODAY

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on What You Need to Know About Obstetricians (OBs) and our episode on Why A Midwife Might Be Just What You Need.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the show’s most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ episodes (which is now in its 9th year!).

Whapio, a midwife and founder of The Matrona, explores the modern management of pushing, and challenges our preconceived notions in the process. She gets into pushing’s effects on the baby, and on the perineum, which receives most of the exertion. And what can you do to be prepared for this stage of the birthing process.

Here's the original episode in full.

You can connect with us on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Kristina Colangelo visualized a flowing birth, but the reality caught her by surprise. Fortunately, her dad, mom, doula, and midwife supported her through a long labor due to a posterior baby, prolonged hyperemesis gravidarum, and the fear of tearing. She tells Adriana Lozada how her team made meeting her baby the most interconnected experience.

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this interview all about birth doulas, and this short episode on eight questions to ask your care provider.

You can learn more about Kristina @power_baker. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Ob-gyn Dr. Meedlen Charles walks us through the common changes you can expect –physically and mentally– during the postpartum period. She and Adriana Lozada break down which symptoms are red flags to discuss with your care provider.

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to this interview with a pelvic health physical therapist, this episode about the changes your body goes through in pregnancy and postpartum, and this short about postpartum mood and anxiety disorders.

You can find Dr. Meedleen Charles at @meedlencharles. Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

You know the saying about how “it takes a village….” It’s because life with a newborn is much harder than you think! How much support will you need, and how can you go about getting it? To find out, I’ll be talking with Kristy Zadrozny.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Cesarean rates have increased 500% in two generations, and about half of them may be unnecessary. Physician-scientist and ACOG Fellow, Dr. Neel Shah, talks with Adriana about how the hospital you choose can be your #1 risk of having a surgical birth, how we got here, and what you can do about it.

If you liked this episode, listen to this episode on How to Avoid a “Cascade of Interventions” and this episode with Carrie Contey (it's the one we mentioned in the show).

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign-up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course.

Connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Often considered as personal birth fairies, doulas can significantly improve birth experiences. What are the proven benefits and why should you even consider having one? I talk with the remarkable Sharon Muza about how doulas make a difference, no matter the type of birth.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

What are some signs that your fertility is returning after giving birth? How does breastfeeding suspend your cycle, and for how long? What should you consider when thinking about the spacing between pregnancies? Lisa Hendrickson-Jack has answers to this and so much more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-postpartum-fertility

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests!

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

When it comes to pregnancy, birth choices and baby care, everyone seems to have an opinion. So what happens when your choices don’t line up with the preference of those who surround you, and may even be involved in the care of your baby? Kate Turza tells us more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcasthelpersnotvisitors

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Today we continue to talk with new dad, Jeremy Buczek about his pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum experience. In Part 1 last week, we left off just as things were moving into active labor. Today, we continue from there through the birth, and into postpartum, where Jeremy shares the trauma he experienced, what helped him through it, and the joy of becoming a dad. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcastdadperspective2

Support our sponsors: Go to canvaspeople.com and use the code BIRTHFUL to get a free 11x14 canvas - you only pay for shipping.

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

We live in a toxic soup where babies are being born pre-polluted. How can you lessen your and your baby’s toxicity without feeling overwhelmed? Margaux Khoury tells us more.

You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast on Instagram or email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

When people say, with a glint in their eye, that after having a child “your life will never be the same,” they tend to leave out that being a parent is crazy hard! How can you prioritize your self-care in a simple and sustainable way that will make everything better? Mar Oscategui has answers.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Up to one in four pregnancies will end in miscarriage, so why is this not talked about more? How can we honor and acknowledge these losses and the moms that experience them? How can we support those who’ve experienced loss? Dr. Jessica Zucker tells us more.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Culturally, we may have this idealized dream of life with baby, where everything falls into place seamlessly, and that all you need to take care of your little one is love and the things on your registry. Oh, if it were so. Tracy Cutchlow helps examine those myths and more. 

Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the “show-notes” page at: birthful.com/podcast-motherhood-myths

If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to leave your rating or review. It really helps!

And if you want to connect with Adriana, reach out at:

facebook.com/birthful

twitter.com/birthful

instagram.com/adrianika

Title music: “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)

Sponsorship music: “Air Hockey Saloon” by Chris Zabriskie, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/ (©CC BY)

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Trystan Reese assembled a birth team that included his partner, dad, mother-in-law, and the head nurse at the hospital to ensure his birth experience as a trans man was exactly what he wanted. He tells Adriana Lozada how communicating what he expected from each of them made all the difference as he welcomed his son Leo.

Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform your intuition and support others on their birth journeys.

If you liked this episode, listen to what the induction process is all about, or these insider tips from a labor and delivery nurse. 

You can find Trystan Reese on Instagram at @biffandi. Connect with Birthful @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! 

Pregnancy is a great time to realize what the heck motivates your choices as you venture into the great transformation of birth and becoming a parent. Nekole Malia Shapiro shares with Adriana how using the embodied approach of connecting with yourself and your body can help you find your own best expert birth guide, while also building the awesome habit of bringing more oxytocin into your life. 

Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page.  

If you liked this episode, listen to our interview on How Your Nervous System Impacts Your Pregnancy and Birth and our episode titled Birth Principles, Better than a Birth Plan

You can learn more about Nekole Shapiro at Nekole.com. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast and email us at podcast@Birthful.com. 

If you enjoy what you hear, download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter! You can also sign up for Adriana’s Own Your Birth online BIRTH preparation classes and her Thrive with Your Newborn online POSTPARTUM preparation course at BirthfulCourses.com.

Follow us on Goodpods, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.