The Birthful Podcast | Talking With Pregnancy, Birth, Breastfeeding, Postpartum & Parenting Pros To Inform Your Intuition

Kara Fransted and her husband had never considered having a home birth, but as the pandemic hit and there was a real possibility of her husband having to miss the birth of their third child, they looked into it. Never mind that she was already 38 weeks pregnant. Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-homebirth-switch-COVID-storyIf you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Postpartum can be a difficult and very isolating time of life. That's why building your village of support ahead of time is so incredibly important. But what do you do when your village is also in isolation? How can you and your partner support yourselves and each other during these times? Perinatal relationship specialist Elly Taylor 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-postpartum-COVIDIf you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!Click to grab your birth-prep Questions to Ask during COVID handoutVisit our Birthful.com/COVID resource pageDownload 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! Sign-up for my Thrive with Your Newborn online postpartum preparation courseTitle music: "Vibe Ace" by Kevin MacLeod, at freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ (©CC BY)Sponsorship music: "A

After having a cesarean birth for a failed induction, Mandy Morine was determined to have a VBAC. She did all the things to prepare and set up an extensive team to support her. Then COVID hit, and Mandy found herself having to adjust to virtual doula support, a closed yoga studio, canceled bodywork appointments, and feeling she was losing her resources. So what happened when her water broke early, and she found herself facing another induction?Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-VBAC-COVID-storyIf you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!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! Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Canceled fertility cycles, face-to-face appointments, bodywork sessions, baby showers, having as many people as you want at your birth, a postpartum period surrounded by a loving village… These are just a few of the anticipated experiences you may have lost during these times. And all that loss can be bringing up a lot of grief. So, how can you work with your body to process that grief, along with the anxiety and fear you may be carrying? Will all this result in trauma? Parijat Deshpande 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-grief-anxiety-pregnancy-COVIDDownload 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_Zabriski

How do you prepare for virtual doula support? What about the technology? What can you practice ahead of time? Does this shift your partner's responsibilities? Do you keep your laptop open the whole time? How does it differ from regular doula support? Jakki Devereaux, mother of three, shares her experiences with receiving virtual doula support by choice, and more.Show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-virtual-doula-supportIf you enjoy what you hear, make sure to subscribe!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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries

In today’s episode, Adriana Lozada focuses on the essentials of partner labor support during this time of the pandemic. Many hospitals are limiting birth support to one healthy person, so we wanted to do a special episode on how to prepare for providing labor support during these times, and also help birth partners feel more confident about their active involvement in the process. Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-labor-support-essentialsDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birth

For her first birth, Krissy Whitehead didn’t have much of a plan, other than getting an epidural. That birth was a lovely experience, so what made her alter her birth wishes with each consecutive birth, and choose a home water birth for her fourth one? Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-four-births-different-wishes-storySign-up for my Postpartum preparation courses at Birthfulcourses.comDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle

Is there a best time to introduce solid foods? What foods should you start with? Is it best to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? What about nutritional requirements, allergies, water, texture windows, and flavor windows? Is food before one just for fun? Does your baby have any say on this? Lily Nichols 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-starting-solid-foodsDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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-laborDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Both of Molly Chesterson’s labors have started with inductions but under different circumstances. After having an epidural for her first birth, Molly was hoping for an epidural free experience the second time around. It was an intense close call at the end, when she went from 4 centimeters to baby in about 30 minutes, while her husband was getting food! Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-scheduled-induction-without-epidural-storySign-up for my Postpartum preparation courses at Birthfulcourses.comDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork

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-birthDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/d

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-storySign-up for my Birth and Postpartum preparation courses at Birthfulcourses.comDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.co

Adriana talks with Pelvic Health Physical Therapist Sara Reardon (aka The Vagina Whisperer) about what optimal pelvic health looks like. They go into the details about what to do -and not do- when peeing or pooping, discuss common issues such as leakage, painful intercourse, and abdominal separation, and explore proactive actions you can take during pregnancy to support your postpartum recovery. Show notes at birthful.com/podcast-pelvic-floor-functionCheck out my birth and postpartum online preparation classes ar BirthfulCourses.comDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.co

Melissa Statler had a quick and mostly flowing birth. Feeling elated, she placed her newborn to her breast, only to be met with excruciating pain and instant damage to her nipples. As her confidence drained, she was informed that because her baby was large for gestational age, she would have to meet certain sugar level requirements during the first series of feedings, adding stress to injury. How did Melissa overcome these and more breastfeeding problems, to have the satisfying and nurturing breastfeeding relationship she has today? Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-damage-nipple-shield-breastfeeding-storyDownload 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,

Krista Thompson shares her progression from a prodromal labor that ended with her baby being taken to the NICU, to a precipitous second hospital birth with Fetal Ejection Reflex, and finally an unassisted-like home birth experience. She also gives us a glimpse into her struggles with codependency, and why it was so important for her to take the reins of her last pregnancy. Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-hospital-homebirth-progression-storyClick to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episodeDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Ch

When you’re expecting, anxiety and worrying seem to take center stage, especially if you are categorized as high-risk. What can you do with these feelings? Can they affect your and your baby’s health? How do you make the mind-body connection work for you, to put this anxiety in its place? Parijat Deshpande 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-anxious-mind-pregnancyDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/birthful/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Alaina Gay woke up excited and happy, thinking her water had broken, only to discover it was blood. Her planned birth center birth turned into an induction at the hospital, but thanks to compassionate care providers, that focused on her wellbeing as well as on a respectful transfer of care, Alana had the healthy and empowering birth she was looking for. Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-placental-abruption-storyClick to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episodeDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactat

With the legalization of cannabis expanding around the world, it’s time to have a nuanced conversation about its use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. What do we know about the health risks? What about the legal risks? Is a non-biased risk-benefit analysis centered on harm reduction possible, and what would that look like? Heather Thompson 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-cannabis-pregnancy-breastfeedingClick to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episodeDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https:

Anne-Marie Shumaker’s story is epic no matter how you approach it. Her fertility process was an long road involving surgery, multiple rounds of IUI, and a devastating miscarriage. The birth itself included persistent back labor, stalling for hours at 8 cms, and a long pushing stage. And yet, holding her miracle baby released all her previous feelings of brokenness and fear. Get the most of this episode by checking out the resources and links listed on the show notes page at birthful.com/podcast-IVF-posterior-vaginal-storySupport our sponsors: storyworth.com/birthful for $20 off your first purchase.causebox.com and use the code birthful30 to get 30% off your first box.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 episodeDownload 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 M

More and more, we’re acknowledging the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Let’s take it one step further, to consider how the uterus connects to general health. What happens to the uterus during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum? Why is it important to restore the uterus after having a baby. Valerie Lynn 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-restore-uterus-postpartumClick to join the Birthful Patreon Community, and get the extra content related to this episodeDownload 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)Our Sponsors:* Check out Mabbly : https://lactationnetwork.com/Support this podcast at —