After a PCOS diagnosis, two IUIs, and one round of IVF, Muriel found out she was pregnant! The pregnancy was uneventful and she planned for an unmedicated hospital birth. In the final weeks, very low levels of amniotic fluid (Oligohydramnios) became a cause for concern and required close monitoring. One day, Muriel noticed significantly decreased fetal movement which led to an unexpected induction. She and her team had to recalibrate her birth plan on the fly to keep up with the rapidly evolving situation. After 33 hours of labor, including 5 hours of pushing the baby to a +2 station, it became clear that he was stuck and was starting to go into distress which ultimately resulted in a complex and strenuous Cesarean delivery. Her son, Sol, was ultimately born healthy almost two days after her induction.
Muriel Schneider Bio
Muriel is a creative director, yoga teacher, bean and cheese burrito enthusiast, tv-binger, and mom. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, cats, and baby boy, Sol. You can find her on Instagram @____muriel or contact her via her website www.murielschneider.com
Today’s episode is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow has helped millions of new and expecting parents discover the breastfeeding and postpartum essentials covered by their insurance including breast pumps, maternity compression, and lactation education & support.
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 “BIRTHHOUR15” in their online shop for 15% off all supplies and accessories.
Four days before her due date, Jessica began having some cramping in the evening and went to bed early. Unable to sleep, she bounced on her birthing ball and felt what she later discovered was her waters breaking. Jessica experienced PROM and despite hours of waiting, walking, using her breast pump, and other measures, her contractions never became regular until she agreed to Pitocin. Almost immediately, Jessica endured excruciating back labor that eventually led her to ask for an epidural. After several hours of rest and allowing her body to ‘labor down’, Jessica vaginally delivered a healthy baby girl.
Birth #2, Claire:
Determined to have an unmedicated birth and to be in an environment that gave her body time to work, Jessica transferred to a free-standing birth center for her second birth. Ten days before her due date, Jessica experienced PROM once again. This time her midwives allowed her to wait at home until contractions became more regular on their own- almost 20 hours later. Jessica arrived at the birth center and used near-constant movement to manage her contractions. After asking to get into the birthing pool, Jessica experienced fetal ejection reflex and delivered a healthy baby girl 37 minutes later.
Birth #3, Henry:
For her third birth, Jessica was hoping for a repeat of her quick, redemptive water birth with baby #2. However, baby #3 had different plans and Jessica endured weeks of prodromal labor that had her questioning “is this it?” more than a few times. The day before her due date she had inconsistent cramping which eventually turned into light contractions throughout the next 24-hours. Contractions became more consistent and stronger in the early morning hours of October 29th, one day after her due date. After arriving at the birth center, Jessica labored standing, leaning, squatting, and in the water. Even though high winds caused the birth center to lose power when she was 8 cm dilated, Jessica stayed focused and delivered a healthy baby boy on the bed.
Jessica Wilson Bio
Jessica is a former elementary school teacher and new teacher coach turned SAHM. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, Scott, and three children ages 7, 5, and 2. Jessica has always been a bit of a birth nerd and actually considered training to become a midwife before she turned her career goals toward education. She hopes to one day work in the birth world- possibly as a doula or childbirth educator. Jessica can be reached at jessica.kresevic@gmail.com or @jesswilsonnc on IG if you have any questions or just want to connect.
This episode is sponsored by Oath Care – a welcoming community to connect with fellow moms, find judgement-free support, and get personalized expert advice from pediatricians, marriage and family therapists, lactation and sleep consultants, pelvic floor therapists and more. Download the free to use Oath Care app from oathcare.com or in the App Store or Google Play.
After her wife carried and birthed their first child, A-K got pregnant pretty quickly just before COVID shutdowns took effect in the US. This was part of the reason for choosing a homebirth midwife, who provided in-home visits throughout pregnancy. COVID, the Floyd uprisings, and an unexpected pregnancy complication contributed to a lot of anxiety during pregnancy.
The 20 week anatomy scan showed both a healthy fetus, as well as two large uterine fibroids that had developed during pregnancy. The larger fibroid was displacing the cervix preventing baby’s access to the birth canal as well as causing baby to switch constantly between head down and transverse positions. A c-section birth was confirmed as the only viable birthing option at a follow up visit with a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, recommended for week 39.
During the c-section scheduling appointment the following week with a new care team, the doctor emphasized the increased risk of hemorrhage and potential for an emergency hysterectomy. An unplanned ultrasound showed the umbilical cord was coiled on top of the cervix and the new providers feared a cord prolapse. A-K was asked to go home and pack and return for overnight monitoring with surgery scheduled for the following afternoon. A-K went into labor overnight as well, and she was joined the next day by her wife and doula, who were luckily both allowed in the OR due to recent COVID protocol updates.
After a prolonged difficulty in placing the spinal during surgery prep, A-K was overcome with emotion and grateful when her wife could finally join her in the OR. Despite the increased risks associated with fibroids and a minor scare with a heart arrhythmia, the surgery was successful and their second daughter, Zora, was born healthy at 37w6d.
A-K Gloe-Thordin Bio
A-K and her wife Kristy live in Minneapolis where they’re raising their two children, Luna and Zora, and their animals Avocado, Sol, and Franki. Connect with her on Instagram: @akgloethordin
This episode is sponsored by Fairhaven Health. Fairhaven Health offers a wide range of products for fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding and women’s health. Today, we’re highlighting a product from their vaginal care line – BabyIt Perineal Massage and Postpartum Gel. BabyIt is a water-based, isotonic and paraben-free gel designed specifically for perineal massage during pregnancy, and to soothe sore tissues postpartum. Fairhaven Health is generously offering 15% off of all products with the code BirthHour15 at www.fairhavenhealth.com
Sarah and her husband had their first daughter in 2018. After an uneventful pregnancy and relatively smooth birth, they got thrown into a very challenging postpartum season. Sarah experienced severe postpartum depression and anxiety made worse by nursing struggles that led to her exclusively pumping, dietary issues with her daughter, and colic that kept everyone from getting much sleep. After coming out of the fog of that experience, she was resolved to prepare for her second postpartum journey differently. She did a lot of emotional/spiritual work around her experience and also surrounded herself with as many supports as she could find. She enjoyed a much smoother postpartum season with her second and third, as well as a beautifully redemptive journey with her eldest daughter. She also experienced a precipitous labor that almost led to a car birth with her second as well as an unexpected transfer to a birth center at 38.5w with her third.
Sarah Gavin Bio
Sarah lives outside of Bozeman, Montana with her husband Kyle and their three daughters. She has a cookie business that she runs out of her home and also dabbles in a variety of other art mediums. She enjoys cooking, baking, hosting and gardening in the very short growing season she has up in Montana.
You can reach her on Instagram at her personal account @sgavin262 or her business account @secretgardencookieco (plus you get to see some cute cookies!).
This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. 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. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh and new Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer that we discussed on the podcast!
Adjusting to a new baby always comes with its challenges. Whether it’s your first or your fifth, you’re dealing with lack of sleep, hormone shifts, putting the needs of this new human before your own AND figuring out what your relationship with your partner looks like now that there’s another person in the picture. These are some of our favorite recommendations for new parents to ensure that everyone is practicing some self care while caring for their new bundle of joy.
Sleep
Sleep is obviously the biggest hurdle so let’s tackle this one first.
Hire a postpartum doula – this is an invaluable gift you can give to new parents that will help them get some extra zzz’s. Most cities have a doula group that you can work with to plan for this even before baby arrives.
Smart Nora – the last thing you need when you finally do get to lay your head down is to be woken up by your partner’s snoring. I’ve been truly AMAZED at how well the Smart Nora has worked to curb my husband’s snoring. It’s been priceless to not only get more sleep but also to not be annoyed at him for waking me up several times a night!
You can see in the picture below how it works, the box powers it and hides under the bed and then there’s a pillow insert that inflates when he starts snoring and it moves his head just enough to get him to stop.
The egg looking thing on our night stand is the sensor that detects the snores and activates the pillow.
Eye Masks – I was one of the first supporters when this mask launched on Kickstarter and I can’t say enough good things. It completely blacks out the room which is so great when you are trying to get your sleep in at odd times. They also recently added kid’s sleep masks that my 9 and 11 year olds are loving and a bluetooth sound sleep mask that is perfect for listening to an audio book or meditation to wind down when you can’t quite get to sleep.
Diffuser and essential oils (lavender, frankincense, roman chamomile and cedarwood are my faves).
Sleepy lotion with magnesium – great for sleep and restless legs during pregnancy as well!
Eat
Nourishing your body with good food when you’re new parents is almost as important as sleep. Some great gift ideas are.
Home cooked meals – easy meals that can be frozen and popped into an oven or crock pot are ideal.
Gift card to a meal prep service. Either one that makes complete meals or one that sends the ingredients and you make the meals like Blue Apron. My best friend’s husband loves to cook and got sick of eating meals people brought so this was a great option for them, especially when he was on paternity leave and had some extra time.
Grocery shopping – either offer to do this for them and stock them up with some staples or gift them with a credit to a grocery delivery service in their area. Instacart is one many people use and most grocery stores have delivery options now as well. Amazon Fresh is also a great option that can delivery food from Whole Foods as well. I love to order a few pre-made meals (and snacks for older siblings) from Costco to be delivered to new parents.
Nursing snack station – Fill a basket with healthy and quick snacks for the nursing mom (trail mix, granola bars, jerky, nuts, etc).
A great book that outlines specific meals that are nutritious and healing during the 4th trimester is this one!
Monthly subscription for healthy snacks or fresh fruit.
photo: @danihampton
Household
House cleaning service!!! (This is the #1 recommended by all parents I interviewed!).
Dog Walking Service or doggy day camp gift cards.
Take the older kids somewhere on the weekend and/or offer to do school drop off/pick-up for a week! A gift card to a local drop in childcare center you trust is a great option too.
Laundry Service.
Cloth diaper service (obviously check with them first on this one!)
Monthly subscription for flowers.
Comfort
Here’s where you can have some fun and do some pampering for both parents. Almost all of these ideas came from new moms!
At home massage visit or spa gift card. There are massage therapists that specialize in postpartum.
Since they will be spending most of their time lounging around the house, a really nice robe or set of pj’s is a great gift especially since baby likely already has tons of sleepers, treat the parents instead! Obviously a gift card is great but they might not be up for shopping so take the guesswork out and choose something!
Slippers (men and women’s – last forever and so comfy/soft)
Nice sheets or a cozy blanket (maybe even one to commemorate baby)
Herb baths – Mom shouldn’t be using any bubble baths or bath bombs right after baby but an herbal bath that’s specifically meant for postpartum is a great gift. I love this one for sitz baths and this one for full tub soaks.
One mom suggested a special body wash or shampoo to motivate her to take showers and practice that basic form of self care! Love this bubble bath that is safe for littles too.
High end face wash and moisturizer to help mom feel fresh and self indulgent at the beginning and end of each day.
Past guest, Von Lane, is back with her funny storytelling style to share her second homebirth birth story! Listen to her past episodes (698 and 699) to hear her first birth story.
Von Lane Bio
Von is from Toledo Ohio and moved to Houston in 2018 just one year after after being married to her husband, Charles. Charles is from Seattle and a navy veteran. They have a daughter, two dogs Astro the pit bull & Yogi the English bulldog, and are expecting their second baby. Connect with her on IG @Von__Lane, via TikTok: von__lane or listen to her podcast – Anchored Podcast.
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.
Nina shares 3 c-section birth stories. Each different: One with restricted growth and blood type incompatibility scare, a second attempted VBAC with a CMV diagnosis, and a final smooth going pregnancy (well deserved after the first 2 adventures!). They all take place in Ecuador and involve adventures of trying to find tests and medicine that were temporarily unavailable in the country as well as having to travel to the US for consults. She talks about how her father’s passing was important in her decision to have children and how being a working mom motivates her to be the best mom she can.
Nina Solah Bio
Nina is 37 years old and mom to 3 handsome boys (ages 4 months, 3 years old and 6 years old). She is happily married and lives in Ecuador where all 3 boys were born. She studied at Yale and returned to live in Ecuador where she works full time as marketing manager for a retail company. She loves to read, run, and figure skate. She has a passion for evidence based medicine. You can connect with her on IG @nina_solah
Resources
KellyMom
The Birth Hour OF COURSE!
Fairhaven Health
This episode is sponsored by Fairhaven Health. Fairhaven Health offers a wide range of products for fertility – including fertility supplements for women and men, like FH PRO and FertilAid, ovulation prediction tools, sperm-friendly lubricants, pregnancy tests, and more. Fairhaven Health is generously offering 15% off of all products with the code BirthHour15 at www.fairhavenhealth.com
About three months into a new relationship, on Valentine’s Day, Leighton couldn’t sleep because of a terrible cold. At about 2 am she took whatever cold meds she could find because she was desperate to sleep. At about 5 am, she woke up again and threw up. She assumed it was from taking multiple meds that were partially expired, so she decided she would just sleep in until work at noon and was sure she’d feel better then. When she didn’t feel any better at work, she grabbed an old pregnancy test from the car just to be sure, and was stunned to see a blazing positive 3 minutes later.
While the pregnancy was mostly uneventful health wise, it didn’t start out that way. At 7 weeks, Leighton woke up around 4 am in a pool of blood. The ER called it a threatened miscarriage, gave a 50/50 chance for continuing a healthy pregnancy, ordered pelvic rest, and instructed her to call the OB immediately to be seen. The OB said they didn’t need to see her for 5 more weeks, and when she finally went they said it was a subchorionic hematoma that was no big deal whatsoever and never required pelvic rest. While the SCH healed perfectly fine, the relationship never recovered sexually. Leighton blamed herself and her body.
Leighton’s partner at the time was in a police academy, and was only granted one day off for the birth of the baby. Her family lived two states away as well, so her OB agreed to an elective induction after her due date to allow for as much support as possible. Leighton wanted her partner, mom, and her grandmother with her for the birth. He consistently argued that it wasn’t fair to also include his mother. This was the beginning of being unsure of what decisions Leighton was allowed to make for herself.
At 39 weeks, Leighton’s regular OB was unexpectedly out of town, so she saw a midwife instead. The midwife scoffed at Leighton’s request to be checked, but she did it anyway and said she was only maybe a fingertip if she was being generous. She went on to lecture Leighton about the potential consequences of an elective induction and epidural. Again, Leighton already felt very unstable in her ability to make decisions, so this made her feel like she was being selfish instead of being a good mom.
On October 24, Leighton had contractions for 3 hours with her mom. When she left for the hospital with her partner, they slowed down and eventually stopped. The next day was her last prenatal appointment, and the OB scheduled her for induction that night at 8pm.
They arrived at the hospital at 8pm, and Leighton was given Cytotec around 9pm. Her mother-in-law showed up pretty much immediately, but promised to leave come push time. They started Pitocin at about 10:30pm, and shortly after contractions got very intense. She got an epidural at about 12am and slept until 7am when she woke up to pressure. The midwife on call was the same midwife from the 39 week appointment, and Leighton knew shift change was at 7am so she purposely stayed quiet until the new midwife came in. They weren’t doing any checks because Leighton’s water had broken earlier in the night, but the pressure feeling was building. At about 9am, the new midwife came in to check and said she found baby’s head instead, so she started pushing. After 15 minutes of pushing, Selah was born. Leighton immediately thought she was beautiful, but also that she didn’t look right. Leighton and her partner expressed concerns over her lack of movement or crying and the royal blue color of her skin upwards of eight times before being taken seriously. The NICU team rushed in, as did her mother-in-law while Leighton was in stirrups waiting on placenta and stitches. Dad and mother-in-law went with baby to the NICU.
The placenta and stitches took about 45 minutes, and at the hour mark the nurses demanded Leighton get up and use the bathroom because they “needed the bed.” She insisted she wasn’t ready and was still fairly numb, but they grabbed her arms and pulled her up anyway. In the bathroom, she fainted. She woke up maybe 2 hours later feeling enraged, but unsure who to direct it to. After 5 hours, mother-in-law was finally told to leave the NICU so that Leighton could see her baby. Upon arriving, she was informed that Selah had a lot of fluid in one lung and needed help breathing.
For four days, she went to most feedings to nurse. On day two, the hallways were closed so they were about 5 minutes late to feed. The nurse had already fed Selah formula, and she scolded them for being late and asked that they didn’t hold the baby. At the next feed, Leighton nursed and the nurse smacked Selah’s hand away from her cheek. After this, Leighton cried to the charge nurse about getting a new nurse for the baby. The same midwife that hadn’t been very nice was back, and when she came to check on Leighton she broke down and told her about the nurse as well. The next morning, the midwife insisted they would be able to stay until 8 pm the following night and that she would make sure the issues in the NICU were taken care of. Not even 30 minutes later, Leighton was given discharge papers and told they had to be out in 30 minutes and that the midwife had no authority to give us that information.
Once they were all home, Leighton started really feeling the effect of sitting upright in a hospital chair at the NICU for so long. She went back to the doctor for the pain, and was told there was an issue with how things healed but that it shouldn’t be painful. Getting Selah off formula was difficult, but she did it by 6 weeks. At the 6 week appointment, she was diagnosed with a labial fusion that had to be cut with a scalpel in office.
Dad consistently fell asleep while feeding the baby, so Leighton did it alone. Soon she learned that he also fell asleep while “watching” her so Leighton could sleep, so she stopped doing that too. He refused to keep the baby so she could attend her college classes. Leighton sleep trained Selah at 4 months, and luckily it stuck really well. Unfortunately, at this point the abuse ramped up. The previous sexual issues led to rape incidents, he pointed weapons at Leighton and the baby, and refused to participate as a parent. They broke up when Selah was 9 months old, and custody battles ensued.
Two years later, the same OB office failed to report Leighton’s chlamydia test results to her for over a year.
At Selah’s 3 year wellcheck, they found a heart murmur. It was eventually diagnosed as an atrial septal defect that she was born with and had just been found. Leighton took her out of state for treatment, which was an imperative decision for Selah’s sake. Connect with Leighton at @leighte01 on Instagram.
This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. 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. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh and new Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer that we discussed on the podcast!
Akua’s first pregnancy in 2020, evolved alongside the emerging-pandemic and was marked by a cross-country move, a 6 hour drive for an ultrasound, switching birth teams and finding creative ways to cultivate trust in herself and the process of birth.
Amidst a backdrop of demoralizing black maternal health statistics, Akua devoted her pregnancy to immersing herself in birth literature, workshops, childbirth education, podcasts, journaling and speaking with friends who had given birth. She interviewed over a dozen doulas and sought out affirming midwifery care – which would allow space for all of her questions, curiosities and concerns.
At the end of a very long pregnancy, an unassuming yoga session would spark the start of a very fast first labor. Guided by metaphor and visualizations, Akua labored mainly alone in the dark; listening to playlists, a self-recorded affirmation track and holding on to a bathroom radiator for dear life. After their hot water heater spontaneously died, her partner spent most of active labor frantically heating-up water on the stove in hopes of filling the birth tub. Akua birthed her baby standing up in the living room; roaring from the depths of her belly and held by the loving support of her doula, partner and midwife.
Postpartum involved watching the entire Sopranos series, pelvic floor therapy, a baby who would never take a bottle and a temporary bout of depression that dissipated as the world slowly opened back up to new beginnings.
Akua Carson Bio
Akua is an artist, Full Spectrum Doula and Childbirth Educator.
She founded ‘Caring In Color’ with the intention of providing creative, compassionate and affirming support to people navigating pregnancy, birth, postpartum and loss. Akua is also a part-time facilitator at the Urban Perinatal Education Center (UPEC) founded by Quatia Osorio in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The center is a safe space for Black, Indigenous and people of color to source education and build community throughout their perinatal health journeys.
Outside of birth work, Akua enjoys bumping music around the home, reading, singing and recording, great wine, ceramics and finding ways to entertain the tornado that is her toddler . She might get into gardening this year. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her partner and their child near the ocean. Connect with her via www.caringincolor.com or on Instagram: @caring.in.color.
This episode is sponsored by Oath Care – a welcoming community to connect with fellow moms, find judgement-free support, and get personalized expert advice from pediatricians, marriage and family therapists, lactation and sleep consultants, pelvic floor therapists and more. Download the free to use Oath Care app from oathcare.com or in the App Store or Google Play.
Shortly after moving to a new state Kelly found out she was pregnant, and when Covid hit at the beginning of her third trimester she found herself feeling increasingly anxious and isolated. At 38 weeks she was diagnosed with gestational hypertension and an induction was recommended. Kelly was induced at 39 weeks and was still able to have an unmedicated birth and her son was born on June 5th. Kelly developed PPA and health anxiety right away and postpartum became clouded with mental and physical health struggles as well as breastfeeding issues. Eventually feeding became easier and the anxiety started to get a little better around 6 months postpartum and at 1 year postpartum they moved again but this time a little closer to family. Last spring Kelly completed a birth doula training and describes it as a very healing experience, now in therapy and with her anxiety controlled she has come to realize that there is no one size fits all definition of trauma and acknowledges that while some might see her birth as a “textbook” induction, to her it was a traumatic experience that needed to be processed.
Kelly Williamson Bio
Kelly is married to her husband Ben and together they have 1 son Julian who was born in June of 2020. After several moves around the country Kelly and Ben have settled down in Ann Arbor MI and are enjoying their time as Michiganders. Kelly works for a nonprofit that focuses on food equity and is also a trained doula.
You can reach out to Kelly on Instagram: @kellymaregan or her doula Instagram: @lovegrowbirth.
This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Their commitment to providing parents with the foundation to thrive has launched the company into creating a broad range of award-winning products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably, and safely – where function and quality are not compromised. 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. Check out Ergobaby’s Embrace in Soft Air Mesh and new Evolve 3-in-1 Bouncer that we discussed on the podcast!
After an incredible pregnancy, Joan found herself going into labor at 41 weeks and 2 days. Her baby was in a posterior position which resulted in terrible back pain and a labor journey that everyone expected would go on forever. After laboring at home for 24 hours she transitioned to the hospital where she had the most transformative bath and an unexpected delivery of her baby girl.
Joan Dostal Bio
Joan is small business owner who lives in Nebraska with her husband, 7 month old baby and 11 year old yorkie. She spends her days sewing baby clothes and accessories that she sells on her Etsy shop, Jhana Threads. Having spent time living overseas at various points in her life, and grown up traveling, Joan and her family love to travel whenever time allows. Joan can be found on instagram @JoanWortmann, or her business page, @Jhanathreads.
This 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!
Jasmine’s first birth was a hospital birth in Northern Virginia, that did not go as planned — starting with an induction at 41w 3d — but she says, because of the support she received from her husband, she felt empowered and super connected to him, to God, and to all the women who birthed before her. In Jasmine’s words: “Together, my husband, our baby girl, and I, turned what could have been a scary, sterile situation, into a beautiful, love-filled hospital birth! The birth transformed me and showed me my new purpose in life. I quit my 10 year career as a news reporter, focused on pouring into our family, and launched a doula business!”
Fast forward almost three years to 2021, and Jasmine and Julian’s second baby was born in the living room of their Tokyo home! After a bit of – active labor denial on her part — and 9 hours of peacefully laboring through the night, their son, Nile Alexander, eased into the water just as the sun was rising on March 5. Jasmine describes the birth as euphoric and spiritual, and says, it was a true gift to be cared for by a traditional Japanese midwife throughout her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period — Everything from bone therapy (a Japanese practice similar to chiropractic care), acupuncture, reflexology, moxibustion, healing through foods, womb warming, and so much more.
Jasmine and her family will welcome Baby #3 in March 2023 (!!!), and will again, be supported by So San, the wisdom-filled midwife who supported their second pregnancy and birth.
Jasmine Dioulo Bio
Jasmine Dioulo is a homemaking, home-birthing, love-cultivating, light-spreading believer, wife, and mama. She and her husband, Julian, are currently raising their babies overseas, in Tokyo! For 10 years, Jasmine worked as a TV news reporter and anchor. However, she says, with the birth of her first child, came massive transformation, an extremely clear vision, and a strong calling on her life to take it back to the basics. Today, she gets to spend her days pouring into her husband and children, building community, and supporting other women and families on their journeys to and through motherhood.
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.
