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.
When pregnant with her first child, Jen’s pregnancy was subject to many rounds of additional tests and scans throughout her pregnancy as she was being continuously monitored for IUGR. She eventually was pressured into an induction, which failed at the first attempt, sending her home after 48 hours not in labor and with a baby. Waiting it out over the next few days, Jen was leaking amniotic fluid without realizing and ended up back to a 2nd induction a few days later, this time with no fluid left. Her son was born at a low birth weight for gestational age which subjected him to numerous tests during his stay in the hospital and additional monitoring for months after delivery.
The anxiety surrounding her pregnancy and birth resulted in PPD where Jen turned to alcohol to self-medicate and cope. After about 2 years of evaluating her relationship with alcohol and failed attempts at moderation, Jen came to the realization that the only path for her was sobriety. Three days after making that promise to herself and her family, Jen found out she was pregnant with baby number 2.
Her second pregnancy was textbook from start until (almost) finish. It ended in an emergency C-section but despite the trauma she thought that might cause, she was able to fend off the PPD through proper medication, sobriety, and support.
Jen Fracker Bio
Jen is a mom to 2 children living in southern Connecticut. Her first, a son Eric, was born in 2018 and her daughter, Harlow, was born in March 2021. Jen and her husband Chris have been married about 6 years and live a happy and full life with their family and friends.
She can be found on Facebook by searching Jennifer Fracker or on Instagram at @jdfracker and encourages anyone who finds strength in her story to reach out.
Resources
The Milk Minute Podcast
Breastfeeding for Busy Moms FB group (ran by the two IBCLCs that host the podcast)
Mothers Embrace prenatal/postpartum yoga community for anyone in the Connecticut area
Recovery Happy Hour podcast (Has ended but has a library full of great episodes)
This Naked Mind – Annie Grace (book, podcast, program, accountability group)
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.
Ja’Nae is part of a family of four from Northern California, rooted in the Bay Area. They love the outdoors – snowboarding, stargazing, camping, farmers markets. Ja’Nae enjoys photography on the side while working and juggling life. She is a Mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a grand daughter and a niece. Ja’Nae’s husband Justin, her son Darion and her daughter Alannah are all on this crazy ride of life with her. Ja’Nae wanted to tell her birth stories to add to the vast and wide library the Birth Hour holds and to put her little stamp of herstory out there, for her son and daughter. She also wants to share this story with others traveling down this path, creating comfort and community. Connect with her @jlee_carns on Instagram.
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.
Despite a beautiful, complication free pregnancy, Megan’s path to motherhood was not easy. After years of struggling to conceive, several fibroid removal surgeries, a difficult new role at work and the loss of her father during her first trimester, it felt as if she was stuck in knee-deep mud not knowing whether to grieve or allow herself to be happy.
Before long, at 41 weeks, she arrived at the hospital for her scheduled induction. After a great response to the Foley balloon, labor was in full swing. Despite the immense pain over the course of 15 hours, Megan felt like she was finally able to release the anguish that had accumulated over the past 9 months and finally, her son Sterling Dagger was born in a dimly lit room surrounded by his father and grandmother.
Megan’s postpartum wasn’t without stress and unfortunately, because of incorrect information regarding her LOA benefits, her maternity leave was cut from 16 weeks to 12 weeks. Returning to work was difficult for her and her husband, and ultimately, it was decided that she would leave her full-time job and pursue part-time work to once again be the primary caregiver of their son. Watching her son grow and explore the world around him felt like the best decision for her emotionally and her family.
Megan Spar Bio
Megan is a 38 yr old creative millennial who, after graduating college, landed in the world of visual merchandising. She enjoys making things with her hands, listening to birth and tech podcasts and spending time with family. She met the love of her life, Brian, right after high school and after 10 years together they got married in Newport, RI on a cliff overlooking the water surrounded by a small group of friends and family. Now almost 20 years later they are raising their first child, Sterling Dagger and looking forward to this new adventure they’re on called parenthood. Connect with her on IG @everythingafteryou.
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!
At the 20-week anatomy scan, Alexis and her husband found out that their son would be born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate. The news came as quite a shock and took a lot of processing. Due to the cleft diagnosis, Alexis had extra ultrasounds which led to them discovering that her amniotic fluid level was towards the higher end of the scale. Her midwife warned her that when her water broke, she would know it. After a cervical sweep at her 41-week appointment, at 41 and 3 her water broke at 5am and her midwife was not lying! It was SO MUCH fluid. Contractions picked up quickly after that and they headed to the hospital. Alexis prepared for birth with the Gentle Birth hypnobirthing app and used it to help her labor for about 10 hours until she got stuck at 6.5cm. Her contractions were picking up and getting stronger, but due to the baby’s position, her cervix was having a hard time dilating. She opted to get an epidural, took a nap, and an hour later was at 8.5cm. After using the peanut ball, other positional maneuvers, and a little drip of Pitocin, she was able to get to almost 10cm with a slight cervical lip. After 14 hours of labor, Alexis was able to begin pushing, pushed for about an hour, and delivered her sweet cleft lip cutie! He was incredibly healthy and took to eating from a bottle seamlessly. Alexis could not be more grateful for her experience. Even though it wasn’t unmedicated like she hoped for, she truly believes it unfolded exactly as it should.
Alexis Duron Bio
Alexis is a wife and a mom to one little boy living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Originally from Seattle, WA, she is a true PNW girl living in the south for now. She lives with her in-laws in a multi-generational/multi-cultural home. She works with a national non-profit and will soon be pursuing her masters in counseling. She enjoys getting outside when it isn’t too hot or too cold, spending time with her family, and binge listening to different podcasts that have anything to do with women’s health, birth, politics, and true crime. You can find her on Instragram @alexisannduron.
@bemybreastfriend on Instagram for all things exclusive pumping
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!
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.
