Sarah was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during her first pregnancy. Her waters broke naturally at 39+1 and her baby girl was born in hospital 18 hours later. Sarah studied hypnobirthing to prepare for the birth and despite her GD making her a higher risk pregnancy and causing her and baby to be continuously monitored, she was able to have a calm and natural birth without interventions. She ended up giving birth standing up in the hospital bathroom and was able to pull bub out herself (with support from the midwife).
Sarah Purins Bio
Sarah is an Australian Mum of one little girl, and is married to her husband Jason. They also have two retired Greyhounds. Sarah works as a Life & Mindset Coach for Mums and a Perinatal Mental Health Peer Worker, supporting Mums with Mental Health Struggles throughout Pregnancy & Postpartum. You can connect with her on IG @sarahkate.coaching.
The Not-For-Profit I work for (but currently only available in my small area, so I didn’t mention on the call in case it’s not practical to share): https://peachtree.org.au/
Baby Tula
This episode is sponsored by Baby Tula. Baby Tula creates unique and expressive carriers that help parents keep doing what they love while connecting with their little ones. Baby carriers are so much more than a parenting tool! When you wear your baby, you support the emotional, social, and physical well-being of your baby as well as your own! With a variety of unique prints, small batch and handwoven fabrics, inclusive sizing, and carriers for older babies too, you can find a carrier that’s distinctly you! You can use the code BIRTHHOUR at BabyTula.com and BabyTula.Co.UK.
Ruth gave birth to her first baby in Qingdao, China in 2010. While the pregnancy and birth were relatively uneventful, doing everything in a foreign country added an extra layer of stress! At that time, it was common for expats in her city to travel to a larger city to give birth at an international hospital with western practices. After deciding to give birth in a brand new hospital in her city instead of traveling to Beijing, it became a waiting game to see if baby would be born in time to make their international flights back to the USA.
From first meeting her baby bundled up in layers of blankets, to shocking the nurses by taking a shower the day after birth, to having to travel across the country for passports, Ruth’s experience was truly a mishmash of east-meets-west! Ruth couldn’t have had such an empowered birth without the support of her devoted husband who stood by her side and let her know he would protect her and their daughter from unwanted interventions.
For Ruth’s second birth she decided to forego the translators and work directly with the hospital. A few humorous (in hindsight!) linguistical mishaps occurred, but the fast and smooth birth made up for it! In the time between her first birth and second, Ruth had become informed about the benefits of immediate skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping. After another expat had asked for and received both, Ruth felt confident to request them and was delighted to experience receiving her son directly to her chest instead of hearing his cries from across the room.
After these two births, Ruth became passionate about helping others around her navigate the Chinese system so that they can make informed and empowered decisions for their own bodies, babies, and births. Her clients now hail from every corner of the world, from South Africa to Brazil, to New Zealand to Scotland, from Zimbabwe to Korea, and Ruth counts it an honor and privilege to walk along side families no matter their culture, religion, or background.
Ruth Greene Bio
Ruth Greene CD(CBI) is an American expat and a full-spectrum doula living in Qingdao, China, supporting birthing families since 2013. She is co-owner of Having a Baby in China (HABIC), founder of the International Birth Workers of China Annual Conference, married to her high school sweetheart, and Mom to four beautiful children.
Connect with Ruth via IG: Having a Baby in China, Wechat: GirltravelOR, or Email: ruth@havingababyinchina.com.
Have you ever wondered whether your baby will inherit your partner’s eye color, or if their hair will be curly or straight, or maybe they will prefer sweet food over salty? Enter BabyPeek, the revolutionary genetic test that unveils your baby’s potential traits as early as 10 weeks gestation.
With BabyPeek, you can discover 12 distinctive traits before they’re born, from the color of their eyes to whether they’ll have a sweet tooth. For example, you might learn that your baby has a 72% chance of dark brown hair, 18% chance of dark blonde hair, and 11% chance of black hair… or that your baby has just a 12% chance of thinking cilantro tastes like soap!
What sets BabyPeek apart is that it’s the first and only genetic test of its kind, brought to you by BillionToOne’s cutting-edge technology and backed by extensive research. BabyPeek is available exclusively as an add-on to Unity Complete, a routinely offered first trimester prenatal test that screens for genetic disorders. Unity is the only version of this test that sequences your baby’s DNA directly from one maternal blood sample taken at your doctor’s office. BabyPeek uses that same sample and cutting-edge technology to give you a fun sneak peek into your baby’s genetic makeup before birth—for the first time ever.
Visit babypeek.com/birthhour now to request access and learn more about how BabyPeek is transforming the way we connect with our little ones even before they arrive.
With her first birth, Nicole leaned on her support team of a Doula and midwives to assist during her induction at 41 weeks. Though this did not align with the spontaneous labor and unmedicated/limited intervention birth she hoped for, she found it to be a peaceful and empowering experience. During her pregnancy, she was misdiagnosed with fluid in her fallopian tube which resulted in emergency unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy surgery to remove a 10.7 cm ovary cyst that torsed 5x.
Nicole was surprised when she quickly became pregnant with her second child. She enlisted the same team of doulas and midwives and once again hoped for spontaneous labor and unmedicated hospital birth. Her second entered the world after a quick 7-hour labor, just 5 minutes after her water broke.
Nikki Rogers Stroman Bio
Nikki lives in Philadelphia with her husband, EJ and two children, Hendrix (2 years) and Harlow (11 months), and two dogs, Remi and Stache. Nicole works full-time in marketing for a large bank but spends her spare time creating fun and creative play spaces for her children, focusing on sensory play. Connect with her on instagram @Lovegrow_Sensory
Today’s episode is sponsored by SNP Therapeutics, makers of the Genate Test. Based on over 16 million dollars in NIH grants, and more than 30 years of nutrition and genetic research, SNP Therapeutics is leading the charge in the field of prenatal, precision-nutrition genetic testing.
SNP Therapeutics is committed to providing accurate and usable information to help mothers provide the best possible nutrition to their babies through The Genate Test: a prenatal, precision-nutrition, genetic test that offers personalized dietary adjustments and supplement recommendations based on your DNA.
You can rest easy knowing that your prenatal nutrition has been optimized by tailoring it to your genetic code. Find peace of mind about your prenatal nutrition with the Genate Test by SNP Therapeutics. Learn more at genate.com and Use code BIRTHHOUR15 for 15% off your order.
After years of infertility, two rounds of IVF, and a miscarriage, Becky and her husband Denton finally welcomed their baby, Rose, into the world! Although the pregnancy was healthy, Becky dealt with nausea and vomiting all the way up until the moment Rose was born. Becky gave birth in the hospital with her husband, mom, and doula there to support her. She felt empowered and safe and had a peaceful and smooth labor and delivery with no pain medications!
Becky Myers-Pollock Bio
Becky lives with her husband, Denton and baby, Rose in Pennsylvania. Becky now stays home with Rose but is a trained Montessori teacher and continues to help parents learn more about the Montessori philosophy through Facebook groups and her instagram account, bec_montessori. She’s passionate about women feeling educated, supported, and empowered through pregnancy and motherhood.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Mountain Meadow Herbs. Help prepare your body for birth with their leading herbal birth prep supplement called Gentle Birth. Gentle Birth is a midwife approved, time-tested liquid herbal formula that more than 100,000 women have chosen to help prepare their bodies for birth. Gentle Birth is a perfect blend of herbs formulated with the wisdom of Amish midwifery, like red raspberry leaf, milk thistle, wild yam root, and nine more thoughtfully blended herbs known to help lessen labor pains, improve uterine muscle tone, manage bleeding, and even ease you and baby into nursing by reducing postpartum letdown.
Trusted for over 20 years and earning thousands of rave reviews and testimonials from midwives and mothers alike, Gentle Birth is Mountain Meadow Herbs signature product. But they also have a full range of herbal remedies for all your family’s needs, from infants to adults of all ages. Find out more at mmherbs.com and take advantage of this special offer by using code BIRTHHOUR for 10% off and free shipping on your first order.
After a disappointing hospital birth for her fourth child (told in episode 431), Cassi already knew what kind of birth she wanted when she conceived her fifth child in November 2019: a serene water birth at home. Despite the pandemic, she had a blissful, easy pregnancy and when she went into labor at 10 days past due after a membrane sweep, she was excited for the opportunity to experience her first out-of-hospital birth. However, a planned homebirth became an unplanned unassisted birth after a precipitous labor that lasted only 2 hours and 15 minutes. Baby arrived long before the midwife ever did and was delivered into the hands of his daddy and big sister. And though Cassi was incredibly grateful for her homebirth and the safe delivery of her first child, she had many mixed emotions as she processed the grief of losing out on a waterbirth and the peaceful experience she had envisioned.
When Cassi eventually became pregnant with their 6th child in 2023, it was only after more than a year of trying to conceive and a miscarriage that ended in a hemorrhage. The pregnancy was an emotional challenge as there was lots of anxiety and Cassi experienced spotting until 18 weeks, but she was hopeful that she would finally get to experience the kind of homebirth that she had been dreaming of. What she couldn’t have known was that this pregnancy would end at 42 weeks with a castor oil shake, a placental abruption at home, a dramatic birth in the back of an ambulance, a diagnosis of an undetected heart condition for her baby, and a 10-day stay at a children’s hospital. Cassi is still processing and healing from this traumatic birth, but is grateful every day that her little heart warrior is growing and thriving despite her difficult beginning.
Cassi Robinson Bio
Cassi is a stay-at-home mom living in western Washington with her incredibly supportive husband, wonderful mother, small old dog, and six children ages 0-13 who fill her home and her life with noise, chaos, joy, and an immeasurable amount of love. She can be found on Instagram @cassi.robinson.8
Human Milk for Human Babies (Facebook group for each state)
A really smart, supportive, respectful care provider you can trust!
Aeroflow Breastpumps
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.
After a challenging pregnancy that included a bad case of covid, pubic symphysis disorder, low blood pressure that resulted in fainting episodes, surgery at 16 weeks to remove a teratoma the size of a softball, a positive GBS test, and going 12 days past her due date, Sophie gave birth to her son in a tub at a magical hospital in rural Vermont. The birth was everything Sophie could have hoped for — extremely low-intervention, drug free, and most importantly, attended and supported by the most wonderful team of midwives, nurses, husband, and doula. It was an empowering and redemptive experience. Sophie’s postpartum has not been without challenges, but it has mostly been defined by joy and love. Sophie lives with her husband, son, and dog in Vermont. You can leave a comment on this post to connect with her.
Today’s episode is sponsored by SNP Therapeutics, makers of the Genate Test. Based on over 16 million dollars in NIH grants, and more than 30 years of nutrition and genetic research, SNP Therapeutics is leading the charge in the field of prenatal, precision-nutrition genetic testing.
SNP Therapeutics is committed to providing accurate and usable information to help mothers provide the best possible nutrition to their babies through The Genate Test: a prenatal, precision-nutrition, genetic test that offers personalized dietary adjustments and supplement recommendations based on your DNA.
You can rest easy knowing that your prenatal nutrition has been optimized by tailoring it to your genetic code. Find peace of mind about your prenatal nutrition with the Genate Test by SNP Therapeutics. Learn more at genate.com and Use code BIRTHHOUR15 for 15% off your order.
Rena got pregnant with her first child at the “perfect” time. She was turning 30, had just started a career in nursing, gotten a larger vehicle and moved into a bigger house with her partner. Additionally, many friends and family were getting pregnant and having babies at the same time!
Being a long time birth nerd, Rena originally wanted a midwife-led unmedicated birth in a birth center, but ended up choosing the route of a hospital birth with an OB. After a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy with lots of false contractions/an irritable uterus, she got induced at 40 weeks and 5 days. The induction was challenging but ultimately ended in the beautiful birth of her baby boy.
Postpartum, Rena and her baby experienced challenges with breastfeeding as baby had a tongue tie and tight muscles that led to pain, nipple damage and an infection. They were able to work through these issues with the help of a IBCLC, pediatric dentist, feeding therapist and the San Antonio La Leche Legue group.
Rena Bio
is an ICU nurse living in San Antonio with her partner and their two dogs, cat and baby boy. She has always loved learning about pregnancy and birth and would love to work in obstetrics as a nurse someday. In her free time she like indoor rock climbing, hiking/swimming with her family and traveling the US and the world!
Motif Medical
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.
Chelsey’s first two pregnancies and births were typical. Mother’s Intuition told her that things wouldn’t be as straightforward for her third pregnancy. Nothing could have prepared her or her husband for the challenges and adversity they and their son Elliott would face in his first few months of life. At her 20 weeks ultrasound, Chelsey and her husband found out that the baby had 1 kidney, a potential heart defect, and the umbilical cord had a marginal cord insertion. At 28 weeks, her baby was diagnosed as IUGR, and she had to switch to an OB from a midwife with weekly monitoring. Chelsey was induced at 37 weeks and managed to give birth unmedicated, caught her baby, and announced the gender! Unfortunately, baby Elliott was admitted to the NICU at 18 hours old for monitoring of his heart which led to a 70 day NICU stay, emergency surgery at 6 days old for Necrotizing Enterocolitis, heart surgery, and an additional abdominal surgery to reconnect his colon. Baby Elliott fought through each challenge he faced and is home with his family today.
Chelsey Demory Bio
Chelsey is from Washington State, and she lives in the Spokane area with her husband, Joel, and kids, Adrion (12), Hudson (8), and Elliott (4 months). In their free time they enjoy being outdoors, hiking, gardening, camping, paddleboarding, and working on home improvement projects. Chelsey is a fierce advocate for her children, and believes every person deserves to have an informed care and the birth they envision. Connect with her at @chelseydemory on Instagram or email at chelsey.demory@gmail.com.
Have you ever wondered whether your baby will inherit your partner’s eye color, or if their hair will be curly or straight, or maybe they will prefer sweet food over salty? Enter BabyPeek, the revolutionary genetic test that unveils your baby’s potential traits as early as 10 weeks gestation.
With BabyPeek, you can discover 12 distinctive traits before they’re born, from the color of their eyes to whether they’ll have a sweet tooth. For example, you might learn that your baby has a 72% chance of dark brown hair, 18% chance of dark blonde hair, and 11% chance of black hair… or that your baby has just a 12% chance of thinking cilantro tastes like soap!
What sets BabyPeek apart is that it’s the first and only genetic test of its kind, brought to you by BillionToOne’s cutting-edge technology and backed by extensive research. BabyPeek is available exclusively as an add-on to Unity Complete, a routinely offered first trimester prenatal test that screens for genetic disorders. Unity is the only version of this test that sequences your baby’s DNA directly from one maternal blood sample taken at your doctor’s office. BabyPeek uses that same sample and cutting-edge technology to give you a fun sneak peek into your baby’s genetic makeup before birth—for the first time ever.
Visit babypeek.com/birthhour now to request access and learn more about how BabyPeek is transforming the way we connect with our little ones even before they arrive.
Joana went into labor with her first baby at 39w4d. She was coping reasonably well with contractions at home despite back labor, but after seeing bright red blood decided to go into the hospital at her Doula’s advice. A cervical check at triage indicated she was 8cm dilated, and she continued laboring unmedicated at the hospital. After a few hours, she was checked again and felt discouraged when a new midwife told her she was now 6cm. She developed a fever and the midwife determined the baby was asynclitic which may have been causing the back labor and lack of progress. Joana opted for an epidural, and the midwife performed a rebozo technique maneuver to reposition the baby. Heart rate dips led to increased monitoring, and she was given antibiotics due to the fever. Her son Luke was born that night after 1h of pushing. Unfortunately skin to skin was not possible given the medical team deemed it necessary to monitor the baby due to the high fever during labor. Joana’s second son was also born at 39w4d. Her labor started fast and furious with contractions ramping up quickly. Arriving at the hospital in transition and with the baby crowning, Joana asked to climb into a (barely with water) tub, and after one contraction felt the baby’s head fully emerge. The midwife called a shoulder dystocia at that point, and attempted to assist delivery of the posterior arm without success. Joana’s husband stepped in and lifted her out of the tub. Luckily that change in position was all that was needed and Noah emerged fully without further interventions in the doorway to the hospital bathroom, less than ten minutes after her arrival to Labor and Delivery.
This episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. From an award-winning and parent-preferred bouncer, to a comfortable compact stroller that can go anywhere, to the baby carriers millions of parents have grown to love, Ergobaby is committed to helping make life with baby easier with thoughtfully designed products focused on comfort and backed by science. Use code BIRTHHOUR for 15% off at ergobaby.com.
Mariah always knew she wanted to try for an unmedicated birth. Due to rural location and insurance restraints, she was limited to a single hospital option for her births. Armed with as much research as possible, she hired a doula and prepared for an unmedicated hospital birth with an OB group. Mariah and Matt took in person childbirth classes and online Hypnobabies courses to try and make their hospital/OB birth as close to their dream of a birth center/midwife led birth as possible. Mariah relied heavily on her doula and partner during labor, inspiring her nurse to become her advocate as well. After eight hours of intense active labor, their daughter was born safely into the hands of the on-call OB provider, but not before Mariah had to advocate for her intervention free birth several different times. When preparing for the birth of their second child, Mariah was ecstatic to switch care to a midwifery practice that now had privileges at the hospital she had to give birth. Her midwife provided a calm steady presence (a stark difference from her first birth!) during the intense hours of labor in the new natural birth suites the hospital had just opened. Her doula, husband, and even the same nurse as her first birth, once again helped her bring their precious babe earthside.
Mariah Durham Bio
Mariah is an ICU pharmacist in Southern Kentucky. She has combined her love of evidenced based medicine in her professional practice with her love of all things baby to become the ultimate birth nerd. Mariah is married to her high school sweetheart, Matt, and together they have two beautiful children. You can listen to Matt’s version of their first birth on the Partner Pod! You can connect with Mariah on Instagram @mariahrow.
Lactmed – evidence for medication safety during lactation
InfantRisk Center – staffed resource for questions on medications during pregnancy/lactation
Doulamatch.net
Mountain Meadow Herbs
Today’s episode is sponsored by Mountain Meadow Herbs. Help prepare your body for birth with their leading herbal birth prep supplement called Gentle Birth. Gentle Birth is a midwife approved, time-tested liquid herbal formula that more than 100,000 women have chosen to help prepare their bodies for birth. Gentle Birth is a perfect blend of herbs formulated with the wisdom of Amish midwifery, like red raspberry leaf, milk thistle, wild yam root, and nine more thoughtfully blended herbs known to help lessen labor pains, improve uterine muscle tone, manage bleeding, and even ease you and baby into nursing by reducing postpartum letdown.
Trusted for over 20 years and earning thousands of rave reviews and testimonials from midwives and mothers alike, Gentle Birth is Mountain Meadow Herbs signature product. But they also have a full range of herbal remedies for all your family’s needs, from infants to adults of all ages. Find out more at mmherbs.com and take advantage of this special offer by using code BIRTHHOUR for 10% off and free shipping on your first order.
