In 2017, Chanice established well-woman care at a birth center and women’s care facility just two months before she and her husband were surprised by the news of expecting their first child. All was well until she developed Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) and was hospitalized at 11 weeks. She practiced prenatal yoga her entire pregnancy. After laboring for 12 hours, she gave birth at 40 weeks + 4 days at a birth center on Christmas Day.
After two months of trying to conceive their second child, Chanice and her husband became pregnant in the summer of 2019. Similar to the first pregnancy, Chanice battled HG, required IV fluids during early pregnancy, and was prescribed medication for extreme vomiting. She practiced prenatal yoga 1-2 times weekly. She went into labor while napping at 39 weeks + 6 days. While she prepared her space for laboring for an unknown number of hours, her body had other plans… a precipitous (rapid) labor and birth!
After two birth center births, Chanice and her husband made the decision to have their third child at home. Her third pregnancy mirrored her first and second pregnancies but with two energetic toddlers and continuing to work full time. Multiple false alarms led up to the real event on baby’s due date on a rainy day in February 2022. Her labor was eerily calm. She birthed baby #3 in a birthing tub in her bedroom.
Chanice Reid Bio
Chanice is a wife and mother of three. Chanice was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a proud Howard University graduate. She is a speech-language pathologist on the path to becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is passionate about serving all families but especially families of color in the Phoenix area. She can be found spending time with family and friends, eating a delicious meal, planning a community event, binge-watching her favorite shows, traveling, and avoiding doing laundry at all costs. Connect with her on Instagram @thejoyfulslp and @joyfulcommunication.
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.
Kiira and her husband, David, decided to start “trying” after 4 years of marriage (13 years together) and got pregnant right away! Kiira’s pregnancy was mostly happy and calm, with the exception of first trimester nausea and second and third trimester sciatic pain. All of her prenatal care was at a local birth center, staffed by many midwives of color. It was extremely important to both Kiira and David to have OB providers who would listen and respect their wishes, and having Black midwives was one of the best ways they could think of to ensure that. They also hired a Black doula to support them through the pregnancy and labor. Kiira planned on a birth center delivery, with minimal intervention, but that’s not how things ended up.
Around the time she was 36 weeks, the birth center went on a “diversion” requiring all births to take place in a hospital. This was a huge source of disappointment and frustration for Kiira and David because it went against all their plans. They both held out hopes that the diversion would be over by the time Kiira delivered. But, when she went into post-dates and had an unsuccessful biophysical profile, she ended up needing an induction anyway. Going completely against her birth plan, Kiira wound up having an induction using Cytotec, Pitocin, nitrous, and an epidural. She labored for nearly two full days and pushed for close to four hours total. On April 26th, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in a room of incredible Black women (plus David). Although Kiira’s birth looked very different from what she had planned, it ended up being exactly what she needed. She had a care team that fully supported and cheered for her from start to finish. Kiira’s postpartum journey had challenges of PPA and low milk supply, but she immediately fell in love with being a mom and remains that way to this day.
Kiira Lyons Bio
Kiira is a wife, researcher, and mom of two. She lives in the triangle region of NC and is a lifelong Tar Heel. She is an avid podcast listener and has been a birth junkie since watching The Business of Being Born at 18. Connect with her on Facebook.
Resources
Doulas! Midwives! IBCLCs!
The Birth Hour
Evidence based birth
Kelly Mom
Facebook groups – local parent groups and national/international support groups for specific concerns (low supply)
Needed
Today’s episode is sponsored by Needed. Needed is the leading women’s health supplement brand recommended by nutritionally-trained practitioners. While most perinatal supplements include the bare minimum of the nutrients needed during pregnancy, Needed’s products are based on the latest clinical research and in-practice experience of nearly 4000 practitioners. Needed has all your needs covered, from your prenatal vitamin to pregnancy-specific Pre/ and Probiotics, to egg quality support, sleep, stress, immune and hydration support, as well as your protein needs for blood sugar balance and postpartum healing. Needed’s Complete Plan delivers unparalleled nourishment for every phase — whether you’re trying to conceive, pregnant, or postpartum! Instead of having to pair 6 different products together to meet your needs, I love that Needed has simplified things by bundling together four core products you need, in an easy and flexible monthly plan. Save 20% off your first order of Needed’s Complete Plan or any of their other perinatal nutrition products at thisisneeded.com with code BIRTHHOUR.
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.
India shares some highlights from her births below… listen to the full episode (771) in your favorite podcast app to hear the full story!
India’s first daughter: 2 weeks before my due date I went through 3 days of prodromal labor. Hardly any rest because the contractions were waking me up. Beyond exhausted. Progressing but very slow (Arrived at the birth center at 5/6AM ish and she arrived at 6:33PM) She slightly turned when I got to the birthing center but we got her to turn back All back labor We went home within 8 hours
India’s second daughter: 2 weeks before my due date Complete opposite from my 1st birth I was sleeping and it felt like I peed the bed. I thought I was dreaming I went to get up to go to the bathroom and water is just gushing I literally thought I was going to have her in the car. My birth center is 45 minutes away. All back labor Quick and hard Arrived at the birth center at 10PM/11PM and she came at 3:51AM
India Brown Bio
India is a sought-after Video Marketing Strategist known for her ability to help coaches, entrepreneurs, and SME’s leverage the power of video to grow their businesses.
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.
Hope and her spouse Tyler decided they were ready to have a baby in 2017 and began trying to conceive. It was a long road of unexplained infertility and multiple miscarriages. They conceived a sticky baby in June 2018 and gave birth to their daughter, Magnolia, March 5, 2019 at 38+5 weeks at a free standing birth center in Nashville (Baby&Co, now Vanderbilt Birth center). After 24 hours of back labor, thanks to Magnolia being OP, Hope achieved her goal of an unmedicated birth while squatting in the corner of the room at 9:45 pm.
Hope Aberg Bio
Hope Aberg (@Hope_aberg)is a full spectrum doula (BADT) and childbirth educator (ICEA) in Nashville, Tn. She found her passion for birthwork through her journey ttc, kisses and eventually the birth of her daughter. She began birth work in 2020 and founded @VillageBirthServices. She works along side the incredible doulas on the @EastNashvilleDoulas team.
An out of Hospital evidence-based Childbirth Education course
Spontaneous labor, induction and surgical birth plans
Spinning Babies
Blossoming Bellies
Pelvic Floor PT prenatal and postnatal
Secure lactation consultant prenatally
Happy Baby Carrier
Kindred Bravely
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After an uncomplicated pregnancy, Samara had many days of prodromal labor that lasted well into her 41st week of pregnancy. True labor finally kicked off at 41 weeks and 4 days after a foley balloon placement at the freestanding birth center where she planned to meet her baby boy. Over the next thirty-eight hours, Samara went from laboring at home with her doula to laboring at the birth center in a big, beautiful tub to laboring on all fours in the back of her Mazda 2 Hatchback due to a meconium-related hospital transfer. She was going for an unmedicated, out-of-hospital birth and ended up epiduralized, working with her hospital care team (who were also her coworkers) to pull out all the interventional stops to get her a vaginal delivery. While both she and baby tolerated labor well (the meconium never presented a problem), she still never progressed past 7 centimeters. At the 38th hour, she had a c-section for arrest of dilation.
It’s taken time to process the birth and her feelings have evolved with each passing month. Labor came with its fair share of stress and pain and things did NOT go as planned but overall she’s grateful for the feelings of autonomy she had throughout the experience. She believes that regardless of birth outcome, feeling respected and having autonomy throughout the experience can turn a potentially traumatic birth into an empowering one. She’s incredibly grateful for the care she received both outside and inside the hospital, and she hopes to one day provide that same level of care to her patients as a Certified Nurse-Midwife.
Samara Laxineta Bio
Samara is a Labor and Delivery nurse and Master’s student at UCSF where she’s studying to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. A once astute conversationalist, Samara now struggles to chat about anything but birth, pregnancy, and her new favorite subject…babies. She welcomes any and all new conversation topics. A lazy cyclist, beer lover, and self-help enthusiast, she lives in San Francisco with her husband Toby, baby boy Ziggy, and two precious cats Sass and Frankie.
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.
