Alicia’s first baby was born at a free-standing birth center with midwives and all was going well until, during pushing, thick meconium was present in her amniotic fluid which added to the urgency when the 11lb 1oz baby’s shoulders got stuck and needed help from her midwife to get out. After resuscitation, her daughter went straight to the NICU and stayed there for a week. Her second birth was wildly opposite when her water broke just before midnight and her baby was accidentally born in the bathroom just after 2am. That FER kicked in but she was able to keep from pushing until her midwife arrived and the baby flew out in 3 pushes. Her third birth was not quite as fast, but smooth and straightforward at home after driving herself to her midwife appointment only to have her cervix checked (she was 8cm dilated!) and told “Go home! You’re having a baby today!!” Sure enough, her third baby was born just over an hour after arriving back at home.
Alicia’s blood shot eyes after “purple pushing” with her first baby.
Alicia Brose Bio
Alicia is a 28 year old wife and mother of three who lives 30 minutes south of Seattle. She and her husband owned a small home inspection business for 8 years and recently sold that so her husband could pursue a firefighting career. After doing all the research she has for her pregnancies, birth and postpartum, she has become a self-proclaimed “birth nerd”. Alicia does part-time photography, loves gardening, plans to homeschool her children and enjoys baking and riding her peloton bike. Her secret dream is to own a flower farm someday. You can connect her on instagram at @aliciawithtoniechristine
Resources
The Birth Hour Podcast
Christian Hypnobirthing App
Spinning Babies- Parents Class and Daily Essentials
The Freya App for contraction tracking
The Miles Circuit
Virtual HAES Dietitian- specializing in pregnant moms with GD & a history of eating disorders
My favorite Gestational Diabetes instagram account: @gestational.diabetes.nutrition
MommaStrong- workout program that focuses on functional movements and the pelvic floor with quick but effective workouts.
Cozy Earth
Today’s episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth. I first learned about Cozy Earth when their sheets were named one of Oprah’s favorite things in 2018 and I was having a baby in the Fall of 2018 and treated myself to the softest sheets I’ve ever slept on! I’ve been sleeping on Cozy Earth’s best-selling bamboo sheet sets (and their pillow too) ever since. Cozy Earth sheets are temperature-regulating and incredibly soft which is so perfect for all of the life stages we talk about on The Birth Hour. Seriously, if you are a hot sleeper these are a game changer and worth the investment! They’d also make a great baby registry item. Cozy Earth provided an exclusive offer for our listener’s today. Up to 40% off site wide when you use the code “BIRTHHOUR”
Adina got pregnant with her first baby in 2017, and her daughter was born after a long hospital birth that included an epidural and other interventions to help labor move along. Shortly after birth she developed postpartum anxiety and depression, amid breastfeeding issues and challenges with insomnia. Her second baby was born in May 2020, shortly after the pandemic began. She planned another hospital birth, however her son’s labor progressed much faster than her first and he was unexpectedly born at home with assistance from her doula. She struggled again with postpartum anxiety and depression, but was able to push through breastfeeding challenges and establish a successful nursing relationship.
Adina Olsen Bio
Adina lives in the Bay Area, California with her husband of 10 years and her two children Adriana (5) and Atlin (3). She is currently pregnant with her third baby. Connect with her on Facebook at Adina Olsen.
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.
Kelli Ingram is a wife and mother to eight children by birth and adoption. She lives on a little farm in the upstate of South Carolina, enjoys being a homemaker, homesteader and instagram influencer, but her true love is for her husband and babies. She gave birth in a hospital five times in a hospital with epidurals each time but because of Covid restrictions while pregnant for the sixth time she knew she wouldn’t be allowed to have her family around for the birth. After years of thinking that birthing at home was crazy, she finally faced her fear of the pain and did it! Find her on instagram @kelliingram
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.
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.
Michelle Coles is the mother of 5 boys between the ages of 10 and 7 weeks, no twins included. Each birth was a unique experience. All births were vaginal. Her first three were born in hospitals and her last two were born at home with midwives. She was in labor with her first son for around 20 hours and with her last son for only an hour and a half. She received an epidural for her two largest babies, weighing in at 9 and 10 lbs, and went unmedicated for the others. As a result of these varied experiences, she learned a lot about giving birth and is happy to share what she’s learned with others.
Michelle Coles Bio
Michelle Coles is an award-winning young adult novelist, civil rights attorney, and public speaker. Her goal in writing is to empower young people by educating them about history and giving them the tools to shape their destiny. Her debut novel, Black Was the Ink, a young adult historical fiction about the Reconstruction Era, was published in 2021. Black Was the Ink received numerous awards including the 2022 Grateful American Book Prize, a 2022 Skipping Stone Award, a 2023 In the Margins Award, and the 2019 New Visions Award Honor.
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, learn about the new hands free, Aura pump, and see how you can get pumps covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour.
Allison Yarrow shared her first two birth stories on episode 273 of The Birth Hour (listen to that episode here) and today she is back to share her more recent homebirth as well as her postpartum experience —all of which influenced her most recent book.
She has written about health, politics, and gender for many publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Vox, Insider, USA Today, Time, and Newsweek. She was a national magazine award finalist, a TED resident, an Aspen Ideas Festival fellow, and a grantee of the International Women’s Media Foundation. She produced the award-winning Vice News documentary “Misconception,” and gave a TED talk called “What to Expect Post-Expecting.”
Allison was raised in Macon, Georgia, and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, daughter, and sons. Connect with Ali via her website or Instagram.
Hello Baby (children’s book on homebirth, Bryn refers to it as “Welcome Baby” in the episode.)
Ergobaby
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!
