After trying for about a year, Tiffany found out she was pregnant in February 2020. After the first visit with her midwife, the stay-at-home orders went into place. Navigating a pregnancy during a pandemic had a lot of pros and cons but one thing she enjoyed was being able to rest as much as she could. Aside from dealing with a global pandemic and some fatigue and nausea during the first trimester her pregnancy was textbook and she enjoyed it.
Tiffany labored for as long as she could at home, which was about 11 hours, then went to the hospital and labored for another 7. Although she has some mixed feelings about her doula support, in the end her unmedicated hospital birth was what she wanted and she feels empowered that she was able to do it the way she wanted at 41w5d.
Tiffany Smith Bio
Tiffany is a full time stay-at-home mom. She works part time as a nutrition coach and pilates instructor. She has been married to her husband for 4 years and they have a son, Maverick, a cat and 2 dogs. They live in Maryland in a suburb just outside of DC.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Babylist. The people at Babylist believe that you should be able to get exactly what you need for your unique and growing family. That’s why their baby registry easily lets you add any item from any store. Plus, Babylist helps you each step of the way with their customized checklist, product guides and reviews, and personal registry consultants. They’ve even got group gifting! Start your registry today to be eligible for a free Hello Baby Box of goodies for baby worth over $100 while boxes last.
After trying for the better part of 2019 to get pregnant with no luck, J.J. and her partner decided to put having a family on hold for 2 years in order to move from their home in Geneva, Switzerland to Myanmar (Burma) for a 2-year work assignment. Before leaving Switzerland and taking a 2 year break off of trying for a baby, they even froze embryos via J.J.’s generous health insurance in order to not have to worry about facing difficulty later down the road. To say that the next two years did not go as planned would be an understatement. A few months after arriving in Myanmar (Burma) in January 2020, J.J.’s employer evacuated her and her partner to Thailand due to the threat of facing a pandemic within a country with some of the worst healthcare in the world (they could not both be evacuated to their home countries since they don’t have the same passport(s), thus they were sent to Thailand). Due to an intense, prolonged bout of salmonella messing up her system during the month of March, J.J. unexpectedly found herself pregnant while living out of a suitcase during a global pandemic in Phuket, Thailand while they waited for the Myanmar borders to re-open. Early pregnancy was difficult for J.J. as she was nauseas 24 hours a day and had intense food aversions; the silver lining to feeling so awful was that she was working remote while in Phuket and could thus work from bed. Then, when J.J. was 11 weeks pregnant her partner, along with a few neighbors around their Airbnb, came down with mysterious body rashes, headaches and body aches. Their worst fears were confirmed when her partner and the others tested positive for Zika. In order to get out of the area where Zika was obviously active, J.J. and her partner fled Phuket for Bangkok via a long 12 hour journey in the car while still suffering from intense “morning sickness”.
Many urine, blood and antibody tests were performed in order to rule out the possibility that J.J. had contracted Zika anytime during the 11 weeks she had been pregnant before leaving Phuket. Not feeling comfortable staying in Thailand as her pregnancy progressed, J.J. left Thailand to spend her 2nd trimester in the German village where her father lives. She spent the next few months missing her partner (who stayed in Thailand) but otherwise having a very peaceful 2nd trimester working remote, taking long walks along the Rhine River listening to the Birth Hour, and getting quality time with her father and German family. A doctor in Germany also finally confirmed that she had not contracted Zika at any point during her pregnancy in Thailand. Then, a 2nd wave of COVID-19 in August 2020 confirmed that the Myanmar borders would not open anytime soon and therefore J.J. and her partner reunited in Europe in September 2020. Determined to have a vacation before welcoming a child into their family, J.J. and her partner spent the month of October in Greece before returning to the Geneva, Switzerland area in November to have their daughter. While seeing an OBGYN for a check up in Athens, a toxoplasmosis test was performed because stray cats are so rampant in Greece. Unfortunately, that test came back positive; this did not help J.J.’s already fragile mental/emotional state after having already dealt with Zika.
The same week J.J. was meant to sign off from work and have a month of pre-partum tranquility and birth preparation, J.J. experienced preterm premature rupture of the membrane (PPROM). After checking into the hospital and receiving antibiotics to avoid infection, their daughter Zoé was born 2 days later (exactly 4 weeks early) during the height of the 2nd wave of COVID-19 in Geneva, Switzerland. While J.J. originally wanted to attempt an unmediated birth, because she went into active labor at midnight and labored for 9 hours without dilating past 2 centimeters, her exhaustion helped her make the choice to get the epidural along with a generous amount of Pitocin. After a post-epidural nap, J.J. woke up fully dilated, pushed for less than 5 minutes and Zoé was born at 2.7 kilograms (5.9 lb) and 47 centimeters long (pretty good for 4 weeks early!). Unfortunately, during the skin-to-skin period there was a chaotic, and frantic search for a retained membrane wherein almost 10 medical staff searched in vain for 20 minutes before finding and removing the membrane. Despite having a baby less than 6 lb, J.J. had 2nd degree tears on her labia and cervix.
In Switzerland you are forced to choose the baby name within 3 days. Unfortunately, due to her early arrival and the COVID-19 restrictions only allowing her partner at the hospital 1 hour a day, they chose the “wrong” name for their daughter and ended up going with a different one when she was 2 months old (they’re still in the administrative process of changing it!), Otherwise, after 6 days together in the hospital together wherein Zoé was treated for temperature regulation and jaundice, J.J. and baby left the hospital in early December. Post-partum included some intense hormones (post partum rage), a difficult breastfeeding journey and pretty severe social isolation due having a pre-term pandemic baby in the middle of winter. A few weeks after the birth, J.J. and her partner were able to meet with the head midwife from the hospital in order to fully debrief with her the events before/during/after her daughter’s birth (she had a full, minute-by-minute transcript of the birth); this service is offered routinely to women in Switzerland that didn’t “love” their birth experience and at least for J.J. and her partner it helped immensely in better processing the birth of their daughter.
At 3 months post partum, the same day J.J. and her partner received Zoé’s passport in order to return ‘home’ to Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), the Burmese military staged a coup d’etat and imprisoned the democratic leaders of Myanmar. Therefore, J.J. and her family now live in Thailand and will return to their ‘real’ home in Switzerland at some point next year.
Jessica F. Bio
I am a 35 year old German American (raised between Florida and Massachusetts) and have been an ‘expat’ for the past 12 years in Germany, Nepal, Switzerland, Singapore, Myanmar and Thailand (though Switzerland has become my primary home base). I work in the international NGO domain as a project manager and business development specialist. I live with my partner of 5 years and our 11 month old daughter Zoé in Thailand. Connect with her on Instagram @jjfleskes.
Resources
Lactation consultant (free in France), do a lot of breastfeeding research before birth
Today’s episode is brought to you by Kindred Bravely. From adorable maternity wear to comfortable nursing bras, this mom-owned company has you covered. See all of their comfy clothing at kindredbravely.com! I especially love their Simply Sublime nursing tank, their high waisted leggings (for pregnancy AND postpartum). Listen to this episode for a special coupon code and to hear about my new favorites in their summer line of clothing and loungewear!
Claire shares her pregnancy and birth story which includes misdiagnoses during labor, a hospital transfer from a birth center, and an empowering and joyful postpartum experience.
Claire and her partner became pregnant in May 2020, a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic hit California. She sought hospital care and experienced some anxiety during pregnancy which she worked with a therapist to move through and process. Claire transferred to a birth center late in her second trimester to prepare for a low-intervention birth.
Claire’s labor was complicated. At 41.2 weeks, she agreed to have her membranes swept. Beginning around 10am that day, she experienced regular contractions that grew in intensity and frequency. All signs pointed to active labor. By the afternoon, her duration and frequency of contractions were such that her midwives recommended she come to the birth center to be checked and hopefully admitted. When she was checked, she learned that she had not yet progressed enough to be admitted to the birth center, and was sent home. Around midnight, her contractions and labor had progressed again. Her husband, sister (doula), and midwife recommended she come back to the birth center to be admitted and deliver the baby.
Claire got in the tub at the birth center and labored for another 6 hours, experiencing back labor and frequent, intense contractions which she worked through attempting spinning babies positions and mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. Her sister and husband were her champions, both pressing on her back with their full force of pressure with every frequent contraction.
To help her concentrate, Claire had requested that she not be told her dilation progress when she was checked. After over 20 hours of early and active labor she learned that was 3cm dilated- the same amount she had been when first checked that day. At the time the midwife team assessed her as experiencing prodromal labor and recommended she leave the birth center to rest at home. Claire decided to transfer to the hospital and elect for an epidural and therapeutic rest to support her progression.
Claire was assessed at the hospital and learned that prodromal labor was not an accurate diagnosis, in fact, the baby was asynclitic (positioned with her head pressing into Claire’s hip socket rather than engaged on the cervix) and posterior (backward). She was wholly positioned on the right side of Claire’s uterus and because of her odd positioning, she was not able to progress labor.
At the hospital, Claire received a growth ultrasound measuring the baby’s size and her amniotic fluid. She had not received a growth ultrasound in her third trimester at the birth center. The baby was diagnosed as having IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and Claire and Kasey were advised that the baby would likely need to spend time in the NICU after delivery, and that she was at high risk.
Claire received an epidural and Pitocin and after many hours more of labor and practicing spinning babies’ positions to try and flip the baby, Claire dilated to 10cm and was able to push. After nearly 3 hours of pushing Claire birthed a healthy, aware and strong baby! She was a healthy weight and was not in fact IUGR. Octavia did not need to be admitted to the NICU. She was able to do a golden hour of skin-to-skin contact and a breast crawl where she latched at her own direction for the first time.
Claire had tremendous support during postpartum from her sister who is a board certified lactation consultant and postpartum nurse. Claire’s breastfeeding journey was empowering and successful for parent and baby, and although Octavia was on the smaller side when she was born, by her 2-day pediatric appointment she had gained back her full birth weight. Octavia has continued to make health gains since then. Claire worked to maintain breastfeeding even through the distracted 4-month-old phase, and her experience breastfeeding inspired her and her sister to start a business, Boop Bead Shop, where they design and handmake fidget necklaces as breastfeeding tools to engage babies during feeding.
Claire credits the mental health work she did during her pregnancy as setting her up for a healthy and empowering postpartum experience. She is an advocate for reproductive justice and for all people to have the autonomy and access to make the reproductive choices that suit their lives.
Claire de Leon Bio
Claire de Leon (she/her pronouns) works as a communications strategist for health equity. She’s mom to Octavia and partner to Kasey. Claire studied public health education and in her career has worked to advance birth justice. She is the co-founder of Boop Bead Shop with her sister Rose who is an internationally board-certified lactation consultant. Together with her sister, Claire designs and hand makes fidget necklaces for chestfeeding that respect babies, parents, and the planet. Claire is a creative enthusiast who loves flower arranging, playing with natural dyes, and reading. She lives with her family in Long Beach, California. Connect with her on IG @deleonclaire.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Babylist. The people at Babylist believe that you should be able to get exactly what you need for your unique and growing family. That’s why their baby registry easily lets you add any item from any store. Plus, Babylist helps you each step of the way with their customized checklist, product guides and reviews, and personal registry consultants. They’ve even got group gifting! Start your registry today to be eligible for a free Hello Baby Box of goodies for baby worth over $100 while boxes last.
After a very relaxed first half of pregnancy things got a little complicated when Avery’s daughter was suspected to be growth restricted and she ended up having a medical induction at 39 weeks. Labor was way faster than Avery or the nurses expected. Avery had hoped for all the interventions during labor and was even open to a C Section. After the epidural failed that was all out the window and she ended up giving birth unmedicated and LOVED it! Postpartum was not at all what Avery expected and then came COVID-19 and she ended up staying home with her daughter for over a year, which turned out to be a dream come true. Nothing went according to plan but it turned out to be the perfect story for their family.
Avery Shears Bio
Avery is 29 years old and married to Ian, they have been together for 11 years and married for 3. They have a very hairy lab/german shepherd named Sophie – who they treat like a child. Their daughter’s name is Kara Noelle and she is almost 2 years old! They live in Grand Rapids, MI where they love to be homebodies and have friends over for bonfires! Connect with her on Instagram: @mrsaveryd or TikTok: averyshears2.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Ergobaby is dedicated to helping families bond, grow, and thrive by creating premium baby products where function and quality are not compromised. Ergobaby has created a broad range of award-winning baby carriers, strollers, swaddlers, nursing pillows, and related products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably and safely. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet.
Surprised to find her baby had “flipped” near to term, Amanda discusses her experience with version as well as a dural puncture postpartum. Her struggles with breastfeeding postpartum ignited a desire to directly address a national problem of suboptimal breastfeeding rates by creating a national network of virtual lactation consultants and her company, Nest Collaborative.
Amanda Gorman Bio
Amanda Gorman is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner, specializing in primary and urgent pediatric care. An early adopter of health technology for the family, she founded Nest Collaborative in early 2017 to address the growing need for affordable and easy access to reliable healthcare for families with young children.
Amanda holds undergraduate degrees in Nursing and Psychology from Columbia and Fordham Universities, and received her graduate nursing education in Pediatric Primary Care at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Prior to her transition to primary care in 2011, Amanda spent 6 years in emergency and peri-operative nursing at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles and UCSF. Additionally she has consulted for the US Department of Labor’s Job Corps program, as well as provided patient support for One Medical Group’s virtual clinical support team.
She and her husband, a family physician, have two small children, and now live in Connecticut. She can be contacted through www.NestCollaborative.com, and on FB and IG @nestcollaborative.
This episode was sponsored by Motif Medical. Motif designs insurance-eligible products for busy moms. With a focus on innovation and empowerment, Motif’s line of breast pumps and maternity compression garments are sophisticated, yet discreet, and made to support mothers as they navigate new motherhood. Discover why moms are reporting more milk in less time with the Luna breast pump, and see how you can get it covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour.
After over 4 years of dealing with infertility Gisselle and her husband Lynneric found out they were pregnant due to an IUI. A few weeks later they found out they were having twins! After a mostly uneventful pregnancy to that point, Gisselle was diagnosed with cholestasis at 30 weeks. At 32 weeks they found out both babies were breech and began to plan to have a cesarean. She delivered at 36 weeks and the babies never had to go the NICU. Postpartum she dealt with some postpartum depression and sought help from her doctor for medication and also attended therapy on a regular basis.
Gisselle Topham Bio
Gisselle and her husband Lynneric live in Ogden, Utah with their 4 yr. old boy girl twins. Her husband works for the government and she is a trained doula and childbirth educator working on her certification. She became involved in the infertility world while trying to get pregnant and has since also joined her local twin moms club. She enjoys watching movies and reading books. With her family she likes to have dance parties. Her kids keep her busy and she loves laughing at the crazy things they say and do. Connect with her via Facebook (gisselletopham) or by email gisselle.topham@gmail.com. Gisselle is also an active member of The Birth Hour Patreon group!
When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads by Barbara Luke
What to do when you’re having two – Natalie Diaz
Searched twins in podcast app and google
PSI International
Facebook groups for infertility and twins
Asking about a therapist and psychiatrist
Local Twins club
Other twin moms
Wumblekin
This episode is sponsored by Wumblekin. Life’s busy and there’s a lot of noise out there, that can be especially true during pregnancy. Wumblekin breaks down pregnancy, labor and birth with evidence-based education and expert-curated products for mom and baby. Easily buy or gift single boxes, or subscribe to receive them throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Be informed and prepared by ordering Wumblekin pregnancy, birth and postpartum essentials, today! Get 15% off your first box by using promo code BIRTHHOUR at checkout. Visit wumblekin.com to order or subscribe, today!
By the time the baby was ready to arrive on a warm London day, Poppy’s birth preparation gave her the tools she needed to labor at home for 15 hours with her husband, Tom, using just a birth ball, water therapy, and vocalization. Poppy arrived at the hospital fully dilated, and two hours later baby Juniper was born. Poppy shares how it wasn’t picture perfect, but rather “a beautifully awkward moment, two human beings meeting for the first time”.
After an empowering birth experience, things took a turn for the worse as Juniper was rushed to the NICU. Poppy and Tom were told that ‘Due to COVID’ there were limited visiting hours and no beds available for the parents. Poppy, dazed and exhausted after giving birth, didn’t know how to react. Tom stepped in to advocate for their family and argued that mum and baby could not be separated. Five days later the three of them were home and healthy, all the closer for the experience.
Poppy Child Bio
Poppy is a birth educator and podcaster from London. After giving birth to her daughter, Juniper, she felt “a fire ignite inside her” and knew she had to spread the positive message about birth. Since then she has devoted all of her time sharing knowledge on her ‘Pop That Mumma’ podcast. Topics include, pregnancy mental health, empowered birthing, and conscious parenting. Poppy coaches pregnant people and their birth partners to view pain in labour as healthy, functional, and powerful. She runs Power Hour sessions and full courses both in-person and online. If you’d like to get in touch with Poppy, head over to her IG page: @ Popthatmumma
Today’s episode is sponsored by Esembly- a new diapering system for sustainability. Esembly provides EVERYTHING you need to to radically reduce diaper waste, from organic diapers and skincare, to upcycled storage bags and specially-formulated diaper-cleaning detergent. Their complete system, coupled with their 4 step wash instructions, make cloth diapering simple enough for any sleep deprived new parent to master. And just 44 of their reusable diapers is all you’ll need from birth to potty training- compared to 6500+ diapers if you’re using disposables! Esembly diapers don’t just save thousand of diapers from sitting in landfills, they save you thousands of dollars too! Not to mention, they are blowout-proof and insanely adorable.
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After being diagnosed with PCOS in 2019 and trying to conceive for over a year, Makayla and her husband took the next step by meeting with fertility specialists in January 2020. After the pandemic hit and they overcame some obstacles, they finally began the process in September 2020. Much to their surprise, they found out they were pregnant after their third IUI in November.
Makayla braced herself to navigate pregnancy as a plus-sized woman and prepared to be an advocate for what she wanted. She was greeted with a mixture of many supportive providers and a few that made her feel a lot of negative emotions. There were several small obstacles she faced, but overall she enjoyed her pregnancy. Due to anxiety surrounding the baby’s position and feeling a need for some control, Makayla elected to be induced at 39 weeks. After a long and intense labor that didn’t go as planned, Bronx arrived on July 22, 2021.
Connect with Makayla via email makaylafield1@gmail.com, on Instagram @makaylafield_, or on Facebook.
Aeroflow Breastpumps has helped thousands of new and expecting parents discover the breastfeeding and postpartum essentials covered by their insurance including breast pumps and maternity compression and postpartum recovery products, they take care of everything – including all paperwork, working with your insurance company, and explaining your options to get these free essentials shipped straight to your door.
Aeroflow offers all major breast pump brands including Medela, Spectra, Motif, Lansinoh, Ameda, Elvie, Willow and more.
All you have to do is go to the Aeroflow Breastpumps website and fill out their free and easy Qualify Through Insurance form. Be sure to go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/birthhour so they will know we sent you! Bonus — use the promo code “TBH15” in their online shop for 15% off all supplies and accessories.
Lindsey Henke is the founder and Executive Director of Pregnancy After Loss Support, a writer, clinical social worker, wife, and most importantly a mother of two beautiful daughters and one sweet-smiling little boy. Tragically, her oldest daughter, Nora was stillborn after a healthy full-term pregnancy in December of 2012.
After the safe arrival of her second child, Zoe, in March of 2014, Lindsey was inspired to create a sacred place for other bereaved moms like herself to find support during their pregnancies that followed a loss, and Pregnancy After Loss Support, an online magazine and peer-to-peer support organization, was born. Knowing the journey to and through motherhood is not easy, Lindsey also provides professional support to other mothers struggling with loss, pregnancy after loss, and parenting after loss as a maternal mental health therapist in her private practice in Minneapolis. Lindsey’s writing about life after loss has been featured on Scary Mommy, Healthline, Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine, and The New York Times. She is currently working on her first book. Connect with her via PALS or on lindseymhenke.com.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Kindred Bravely. From adorable maternity wear to comfortable nursing bras, this mom-owned company has you covered. See all of their comfy clothing at kindredbravely.com! I especially love their Simply Sublime nursing tank, their high waisted leggings (for pregnancy AND postpartum). Listen to this episode for a special coupon code and to hear about my new favorites in their summer line of clothing and loungewear!
After over one year of trying to get pregnant, Chloe Melas got the three words she had been praying for: You are pregnant! The journey was not an easy one. Chloe underwent IVF after several failed rounds of fertility treatments. She was diagnosed with low ovarian egg reserve and her husband, low sperm count. But it was well worth the wait and Chloe went on to have a healthy and uneventful pregnancy. Unless you count the nights being awake due to heartburn — the worst! Her son Leo, who is now 4, decided to grace the world with an earlier-than-expected debut and mommy couldn’t sit after delivery without a doughnut pillow.
Luke’s Birth
When Chloe’s first son, Leo, was one year old, they decided to embark on their fertility journey once more to try and give him a sibling. Brian and Chloe went straight to IVF since it worked with Leo a few years prior. Luckily, it worked again and the couple ended up giving birth almost exactly two years to the day after Leo was born. The boys are now two days apart born on Fourth of July weekend. Another uneventful pregnancy but yet another early debut. Hear Chloe as she talks about being sent home from the hospital when she went into labor and the joys of her epidural not working as expected. She also opens up about the postpartum depression she experienced for several months after birth.
Chloe Melas Bio
Chloe is an entertainment reporter for CNN covering all things Hollywood for the network across all platforms. She and her husband, Brian, are also the proud parents to two boys and they currently reside in Westchester, New York. They have both been vocal about their journey to start a family, undergoing IVF for each of their pregnancies. Chloe is now an outspoken advocate when it comes to destigmatizing infertility and was last year’s recipient of Resolve’s Hope Award for Advocacy. Connect with her on IG @chloemelas.
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Guest post written by Maria Sorrentino-Magnuson, BSN, RN (Labor and Delivery) – Clinical Lead at Wumblekin
There’s a lot to learn during a first pregnancy – and even in the second, third, fourth and so on with the rapid evolution of culture and technology. Here at Wumblekin, we are firm believers in the importance of education, but realize the seemingly endless stream of information (and ~helpful~ tips from everyone you meet) can feel a bit overwhelming. That’s why we recommend building your care team as early on as possible; medical professionals who can give you individualized care and guidance from first trimester through the fourth.
Who all is on/or can be part of a care team? Here’s a mini-breakdown of titles and roles:
OB/GYN Doctor
OB/GYN is a little bit like a square and a rectangle. An OB (obstetrician) is always a GYN (gynecologist), but not all GYNs are OBs. An obstetrician is a physician who specializes in labor, delivery, and postpartum care. A gynecologist is a physician who treats the female reproductive systems including STIs, menstruation, and fertility.
Education/Credentials: Medical school; four years of residency in obstetrics and gynecology; board certification
Family Practice Doctor/Primary Care Physicians
A Family Practice or Primary Care Doctor provides general care for any person at any age – everything from rashes and sore throats to heart conditions – and refer out to specialists when indicated. Some Family Practice Doctors even deliver babies; they attend vaginal deliveries and call in an OB/GYN physician partner if a cesarean is necessary. Some are trained to use forceps or vacuums but many are not. If you’re planning to use a Family Practice Doctor for your delivery, it’s important to ask who they consult with if a labor turns high risk.
Education/Credentials: Medical school; three years residency in general medicine
Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist/Perinatologists
These specialists are trained to care for complex medical problems or complications in pregnancy, labor, or birth. If your medical history puts you in the realm of high-risk, this is the doctor you’ll want to have on hand.
Education/Credentials: Medical school; four years of OB/GYN residency; three years of a MFM fellowship
Anesthesiologist
Most of us are fairly familiar with anesthesiologists – they’re the doctors who put you to sleep when you got your wisdom teeth out and made sure you didn’t feel a thing when it came time to part ways with your tonsils. In textbook terms, anesthetics are medications that block sensation (pain) or awareness. During labor & delivery, anesthesiologists provide epidural pain relief and help ensure the safety of mom and baby during cesareans or other surgeries.
Education/Credentials: Medical school; four years of residency; board certification
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist/CRNA
Instead of an anesthesiologist, you may have a nurse anesthetist to subdue any pain sensations. CRNAs are advanced practice RNs who are licensed to administer anesthesia. They can also treat and monitor surgical patients.
Education/Credentials: Minimum of a Master’s degree; extensive clinical training; board certification
Resident Doctor
If you are delivering at a teaching hospital you might find yourself in the care of Resident Doctors. These are doctors in the midst of their required years of – you guessed it – residency. First year residents are often called interns (see: Grey’s Anatomy). They diagnose and treat patients under the supervision of an attending physician and their level of independence and responsibility increases with time.
Education/Credentials: Medical school; in progress, residency
Medical Students
Medical Students are still completing their medical school requirements. They’re often in a more observational role. Typically, they use this time to practice interview and patient assessment skills.
Education/Credentials: In progress, medical school
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
Not all midwives carry the same title – it varies based on education and credentials. Nurse Midwives have the most rigorous requirements (see below.) They primarily train and practice in hospital settings and partner with OB/GYNs for high-risk or C-section pregnancies. As specialized nurse practitioners, CNMs not only care for women during labor & delivery, they often see and treat patients from puberty through menopause.
Sometimes referred to as “direct-entry midwives”, Professional Midwives are only trained in out-of-hospital births. No college degree is required, but they must complete an apprenticeship to gain their credentials through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). CPMs are not legally recognized in all 50 states, so be sure to check your local legislation before finalizing your decision.
Education/Credentials: Apprenticeship (usually two years); NARM certification
Registered Nurse/RN
Your nurse is likely to be the one you write about in your child’s baby book. The most hands-on part of the labor team, they are right by your side the whole time assessing and caring for both mom and baby, reporting any abnormal findings to the midwife or doctor – and occasionally performing the delivery if the doctor doesn’t make it on time. (Nurses are rock stars.)
Education/Credentials: Two or four-year undergraduate degree; state license
Labor Doula/Birth Coach
Derived from Ancient Greek, Doula translates as “someone who serves”. There to provide emotional and physical support and mitigate non-medical pain, Doula’s services range widely from one individual to the next, but include everything from warm baths, massage, and words of encouragement to placenta encapsulation, lactation support, and even birth photography – though their role stops short of clinical care.
Education/Credentials: No legal training requirement, most complete certification programs
Lactation Counselor and Lactation Consultants (IBCLC)
Breastfeeding is hard – if you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times (and you’ll probably find yourself saying it a million times more.) Lactation Counselors and Consultants can make it a whole lot easier providing support in the areas of latch, pumping, and supply. A Lactation Counselor, the highest breastfeeding credential, can also assist in more complicated challenges like NICU admission, oral/motor dysfunction, breast abscess, mastitis, and more.
Education/Credentials – Consultants: 45-hour training course/certification
An attentive care team personalized to your unique needs and wants makes a world of difference for both you and your baby. If you’re looking for guidance in establishing your own, follow us on Instagram @wumblekin and submit your questions to our weekly “Ask An L&D Nurse Anything” hosted by our team of Wumblekin Experts.
ABOUT WUMBLEKIN
Wumblekin is a curated pregnancy, birth and postpartum box company that demystifies pregnancy with evidence-based education and expert-curated products for mom and baby. Pregnant women are busy and there’s lots of noise out there. We want to help women who feel overwhelmed with pregnancy, labor and birth go from panicked to prepared. Learn more at Wumblekin.com.
Angela and her husband got married in 2015. They always knew they wanted 2 children. She got pregnant easily on the first try in 2016. They felt so extremely lucky. Unfortunately, at 23 weeks they lost their sweet baby girl. They did genetic testing to find some answers on why there were such major abnormalities. Their baby had a rare heart defect, where the heart did not form properly. They also found out the baby had a rare chromosome deletion. After finding out Angela’s husband carries that gene, they decided to do IVF with PGD genetic testing. They wanted to avoid passing on the gene, as it was a 50/50 chance each pregnancy.
Angela had major complications from the D&E/D&C, which led to hemorrhaging. They started IVF in May 2017, and after 5 stim cycles, 4 egg retrievals and 4 failed transfers, they did not have any luck. They went to two doctors in two different states. Angela also underwent two hysteroscopies and many other minor procedures to see what was going on and why she wasn’t having any success. Her first doctor recommended surrogacy after her 3rd failed transfer because everything “looked good on paper”.
After her 5th IVF transfer with her new doctor was cancelled in March 2020 due to COVID, they decided to leave it up to chance and try again naturally. Shockingly, it worked the first try and she was pregnant. She had not seen a positive pregnancy test in 4 years. After undergoing a CVS (for genetics) and a fetal echo with an MFM following her whole pregnancy, all came back normal and they started to relax a bit more. Getting the phone call from the genetic counselor that the baby did not inherit the genetic condition was the best news of their lives. The rest of their pregnancy was “uneventful”, as they say…which is a good thing! The silver lining to being pregnant during the pandemic was getting to take more time off than she would normally have.
Angela was due on December 28, 2020. On Christmas Eve, she started having contractions but they were irregular and far apart. They did not think the baby was coming soon since she had an appointment a few days earlier where her doctor said baby had not dropped and she wasn’t dilated at all.
Angela’s one wish was for the baby not to come on Christmas Day. But of course…her water broke at 1am in bed and water went everywhere! It was just like in the movies! She labored all night at the hospital and got an epidural at 10:30am on Christmas morning. Her doctor saw that baby was in distress and her heart rate was dropping so they recommend an emergency cesarean right away.
At 12:38pm, Aria was born. Angela didn’t get to meet her right away as Aria’s cord was wrapped around her neck and she wasn’t crying. Shortly after the team took her away, they heard Aria scream loud and clear. It was a huge sigh of relief. The rest of the 3 night hospital stay was a blur and then all of a sudden, they were clear to go home and start their new adventure. Life has been so busy for the new family of three but has been the best year of their lives. Aria has been the biggest blessing and joy in their lives. She is so smart, alert and is absolutely adorable. She is a constant reminder that miracles DO happen!
Angela Fong Bio
Angela is a first time mom in Los Angeles. She is originally from Vancouver, BC, Canada. She has lived in the US for 12 years. She works in marketing. Once upon a time, she was a professional wrestler and traveled the world performing in front of thousands (but that is a whole different story for another time!) You can connect with Angela on Instagram: @missangelafong1
Owlet
Today’s episode is sponsored by Owlet. Meet the Owlet Pregnancy Band, an at-home pregnancy monitor using innovative, passive technology to give you daily insights into your pregnancy. You can track Mom’s sleep position, get manual kick count prompts, hear heartbeat recordings and see Baby’s trends through the night and over several days, plus read weekly pregnancy milestones all in the Owlet Pregnancy App. Right now get exclusive access to the Owlet Band in its beta program at owletcare.com/band.
