Jeneba’s pregnancy with her first daughter was pretty textbook and she planned for a hospital birth with pain management. Unfortunately, Jeneba labored at home not realizing how far she had progressed and gave birth within minutes of arriving to the hospital, completely unprepared for a non-medicated birth. Jeneba experienced a mound of complications with the pregnancy and birth of her second daughter: A Covid diagnoses at 15 weeks, a diagnoses of Cholestasis at 33 weeks, gestational hypertension diagnosed during her 37 week induction and subsequently, postpartum pre-eclampsia with a 5 day hospital stay three months after her daughters birth.
Jeneba McKnight Bio
Jeneba is a married mother of four children: Ten year old Jeremiah, six year old Jaala, two year old Josephine and 8 week old Judah. Jeneba and her husband Jeromie live in Woodbridge, VA, a suburb 45 minutes outside of Washington, DC. Jeneba works as a Behavioral Health Specialist for a local county government and Jeromie owns a home improvement business. Instagram: @BonafideLove080410
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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.
Planning for an intervention free hospital birth in the Summer of 2020, Ananda dealt with several curveballs to the first pregnancy experience she always dreamed she would have. These include a risk for a genetic condition identified during NIPT screening, a global pandemic, switching care at 34 weeks, and stubborn breech positioning. After going to almost 42 weeks, labor stalled and for a variety of reasons ended in an unplanned c-section that felt traumatic. All of these factors during her pregnancy led to some prenatal anxiety/depression that carried through her postpartum experience.
With her second pregnancy in 2023, Ananda chose to prepare for a VBAC and made changes to her care team and hospital to support that. Gestational Diabetes led to a marathon induction at 39 weeks that lasted almost 5 days but ended in a positive and redemptive repeat c-section.
Ananda DeMaio Bio
My name is Ananda, I’m 36 years old and I live in Providence, RI with my husband Jason, our three year old daughter Ramona, and our seven week old son Laszlo. I am a therapist and have a private practice and Jason is a Chef and used to own a restaurant here but switched careers after our daughter was born and is now an apprentice electrician. Connect with her on Facebook: Ananda Hegedus or Instagram: @Aday8787
Facebook support groups in general for due date, Gestational Diabetes, Breastfeeding, and Trisomy X
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.
After several years of infertility, Alexandria and her husband had become pregnant abroad in Okinawa, Japan. Her first birth was a planned induction due health complications. But when intervention takes place, she is left to navigate Postpartum Depression at the start of the Covid lockdown abroad in Japan in 2020.
Her experience leads her on a search to understand what had happened and sparks an interest in birth work. As a result, she and her husband seek support for a second pregnancy on island. However, navigating the military and local landscape is difficult at its best and something else entirely when international relations are experiencing a sudden healthcare crisis.
Her second birth starts as a home birth on base through a local clinic and culminates in a voluntary transfer during the push phase to a local clinic against her team’s advice. An action that ultimately saves her and her child’s life.
Alexandria Parks Bio
Alexandria currently lives in New Mexico with her husband and two daughters. She is an english teacher by trade but currently a stay at home mom to their one and three year old girls. They are a military family and were stationed in Okinawa, Japan when Alexandria gave birth. If you’d like to connect, you can leave a comment for Alexandria here and we will make sure she sees it.
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.
During Sarah’s second pregnancy and birth experience, she made significant changes in her healthcare providers and hospital preferences, transitioning from a regular OB practice to a midwifery group. With the support of an amazing doula and her husband, she had a truly redemptive birth experience. Sarah reached 41+1 weeks before inducing contractions through pumping, a method she reconsidered after reviewing the KYO inductions class, after initially resigning herself to another induction. Although her goal was to avoid an epidural, her long labor led her to opt for one after utilizing nitrous oxide for pain management and she peacefully delivered at 41+2 weeks. Her baby, Ellison, had consistently measured big throughout the pregnancy and weighed 10lbs 2oz at birth. Sarah received slight pressure to consider a C-section around 40+6 due to Ellison’s size, but her midwife wasn’t overly concerned as her previous child, Grace, was 9lbs 2oz, and she had no complications during that birth.
Breastfeeding went smoothly this time, and Sarah’s recovery was easier compared to her previous experience. Unexpectedly, she started experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety (PPD/PPA) around 9 weeks postpartum. This was a surprising development for Sarah, as she didn’t encounter such issues after her first child. Seeking pharmacological treatment proved immensely helpful in alleviating her symptoms and aiding her mental health during this challenging time.
Sarah Sushchyk Bio
Sarah lives in central Massachusetts with her husband, Joe, 3-year-old Grace, almost 1 year old Ellison and their fur -baby Cooper. You can connect with Sarah on Instagram @ssushhythoms
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.
Shelby’s first birth was a hospital induction in April of 2020, during the COVID lockdown. She went into that labor and delivery completely unprepared and the hospital experience left her feeling unheard and misunderstood by hospital staff.
She went into her next labor and delivery with more knowledge and preparation and had a redemptive homebirth, with labor support from her mom and husband. She gave birth under her own terms and left it feeling completely empowered.
Shelby Grammer Bio
Shelby is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Sonographer who lives just outside of Portland, Maine with her husband and two kids. Connect with Shelby though Instagram @shelby.c.grammer.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Redd Remedies. Redd Remedies has strong roots in the natural product industry and crafts Master Herbalist formulated supplements from premium ingredients, ensuring natural and effective solutions for life’s physical and emotional challenges. Peaceful Mama, one of their star products, provides stress support to all moms, including pregnant and nursing women!
To learn more about Peaceful Mama, Rhythm and Flo, and Redd Remedies and to view testimonials, head to www.reddremedies.com and use code BIRTHHOUR at checkout to get 20% off any 2 or more items. And be sure to head over th @thebirthhour on Instagram to enter a giveaway!
Amy had a 24 hour labor that ended in a waterbirth at a birth center that was inside a hospital.
Thanks to this podcast and the Birth Hour’s Know Your Options’s course and a local Bradley method class, Amy and her husband Daniel felt very prepared, but inevitably they had some hiccups along the way.
From 2 weeks of prodromal labor, to 12 great hours of real labor at home to walking the hospital for three hours trying to get admitted to finally getting admitted but not being allowed the tub and having no birth center nurse, it was quite a journey! After 6 hours in the shower, Amy finally had help at shift change and was allowed in the tub.
Within one hour of getting in the tub she was in transition and after 30 minutes of pushing, Amy brought baby Laura into the world! Amy’s water never broke so Laura was almost born en caul! Unfortnately, meconium in the water lead to a short NICU stay. Though Amy wishes they had had a golden hour post birth, their experience was overall positive and they are enamored with their healthy baby girl!
Amy Straiton Bio
Amy is a mom of 1 living in Dayton Ohio with her husband Daniel. She is a stay at home mom by day and by night she makes journals and paper crafts for her Etsy shop!
You can find her on Facebook as Amy Straiton and send a private message or leave a comment here.
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.
