Rachael’s first birth was a 9 hr unmedicated labor and delivery, but then two months later she had two craniotomies to remove a subdural hematoma. Despite that jarring postpartum experience, she was eager to have another baby, so right around her daughter’s first birthday Rachael and Zane were excited to find out they were pregnant again. Once again, Rachael had a very straightforward, easy (as easy as possible) pregnancy. She was excited to give birth in the same hospital with an OB/midwife practice, but this time she wanted to use a doula to have more experienced support. At 39+2, Rachael started to have cramps and pretty quickly they left for the hospital. When they arrived she was already 6cm dilated, and they quickly set up the labor and delivery room with twinkle lights and started playing the hypno birthing tracks. After an intense labor, Willow was born at 10:18pm after just 7 hrs. The first night in the hospital was difficult but the rest of postpartum was very restful and sweet.
Rachael DeGraffenried Bio
Rachael is 32 years old and lives in Western Colorado with her husband Zane and two daughters, Juniper (3) and Willow (1). Rachael stays home with her crazy girls and Zane is a software engineer. She also teaches a mom fitness class at the local rec center and line-dancing at a local watering hole.
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.
Erika is honored to share her story of two hospital unmedicated, hypnobirthing births as a Black and Asian mom. Each birth couldn’t be more different with the first one in the summer of June 2018 and the second in January 2021, where she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and induced. Erika was still able to have two empowering, life changing experiences. She was surrounded by love and support from her husband, sister, doula, midwives, Hypnobabies tracks, and of course endless birth hour episodes in preparation.
Erika Pablo Bio
Erika (she/her/hers) is married (for 8) to her partner of 14 years and is a mother of two kiddos, one kindergartner and a 2.5 year old. She identifies as Black and Dutch-Indonesian. She was born and raised in Tacoma and currently resides at her home in West Seattle with her husband and two young kids. She works in local government and previously served on a coalition that provided legal info and doula support to incarcerated parents impacted by the Child Welfare System. She enjoys family walks, visits to the beach, all things personal finance, bravo reality tv, and fantasy football. Connect with Erika on IG at @mixedgirlfinance or @erikaa_p.
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.
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.
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!
Gina had two different births with her two boys and her postpartum experiences followed suit. With Owen, in 2020, the pandemic made for a lonely start, but she was so grateful for the support she received from her Doula, lactation consultant, and close family and friends. Owen was a healthy baby but was losing a lot of weight and it was determined that the cause was poor transfer and low supply. Triple feeding became a huge source of anxiety and sleep deprivation. Eventually they found their groove and had a beautiful nursing relationship but the low supply was a giant elephant in the room, constantly causing anxiety and stress.
Physical recovery was challenging after a long 4 hour pushing phase and at her six week appointment, It was determined that she had developed granulation tissue at her 2nd degree tear site. After having it removed, she had no more discomfort and was glad she followed through. Between the isolation of the pandemic, breastfeeding struggles, and a colicky baby, those first couple of months were a lot harder than she expected. She began to feel like herself again after sleep training and felt immensely better when she ended their breast feeding journey. Finally, she was able to focus on her sweet boy without having her supply hanging over her head.
When Gina became pregnant with her 2nd baby, she wanted to do things differently and signed up for hypnobirthing. She worked thorough a lot of her fears and anxieties around back labor and low supply and had a quick, easy, and peaceful birth. However, the day after Colin was born they realized he had broken his right collar bone. His discomfort impacted his ability to latch and Gina ended up almost exclusively pumping. After baby chiropractic care and time, Colin was able to latch again. She still had low supply but made more milk than she expected and did not let it steal any of her joy this time around. Being able to be social and enjoy her family and friends made a big difference in her mental health. Sure enough though, the whole family got Covid when Colin was 8 weeks old. He got the least sick out everyone and it was proof that even a little bit of breast milk can have huge benefits. Managing expectations, support from family and friends, and an easy physical recovery made this postpartum period so much easier than the last.
Gina McCleary Bio
Gina lives with her two sons, Owen (2 years old) and Colin (5 months), and her husband Chris. Chris is an engineer and Gina is a freelance surface designer and family portrait photographer. Their two dogs and two cats help make their home a happy and furry place. They love living on Cape Cod, where they are surrounded by local artists, salt water, antiques, great ice cream, family and friends. Connect with her on Facebook: Gina McCleary or Instagram: @GinaElizabethPhotography or @Mrs_McCleary
Monumental Beginnings Doula (Massachusetts and Rhode Island)
Mama Bloom Beyond Doula & Hypnobirthing (Cape Cod)
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 that we discussed on the podcast!
Ashley shares two unmedicated birth stories. The first story of her son’s birth was drastically different from her daughter’s birth. Her son was born at a birth center after being in labor for over 26 hours (and pushing for two hours). Her daughter was born in the backseat of her car, after 15 hours of mild contractions and 5 hours of more intense contractions. She appreciates both of her experiences and is grateful to her husband, her main birthing partner in both births. She is also grateful for the Hypnobabies training that she and her husband completed in preparation for childbirth.
Ashley Boone Bio
Ashley is an excited full-time mommy of two. She lives in Orlando, FL with her husband, three year old son, and one year old daughter. She was a Personal Fitness Trainer and a Sales Engineer before she decided to dedicate all her time to her young children. She loves almost all forms of exercise, especially running and hot yoga. She wants to encourage every pregnant Momma to have faith and trust in your body’s abilities! Contact IG: a_marie_fit
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.
