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.
Katy and her husband Andy welcomed their first daughter in February 2020, just before the world shut down. An uncomplicated and mostly unremarkable pregnancy, followed by a dreamy 3+ weeks early, mild, precipitous labor and unmedicated birth, led Katy to believe her story wasn’t “birth hour” worthy! That all changed when she got pregnant for the second time and experienced a vanishing twin and the surviving twin flipped between breach to head down throughout the pregnancy. Confirmed head down by the OB that morning, they arrived at the hospital an hour after contractions began (and less than 30 minutes before baby Lena arrived) when the OB resident said there were feet hanging out of the vagina. Lena’s head was stuck in the birth canal for 5-7 minutes and was pulled out by the OB not breathing and with a dangerously low heart rate. Miraculously she only spent 2 days in the NICU and came home as perfect as could be. Connect with Katy @carolglawrence on Instagram.
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.
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.
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!
Melanie’s postpartum experience was wildly different than she’d expected. Giving birth 2 days after the UK went into lockdown, she spent her first few months with her twin girls in lockdown, physically isolated from family and friends. She dealt with repetitive mastitis, severe reflux and slow weight gain with one of her babies, and the general anxieties and disappointments that came with Covid lockdown. She was grateful to have her husband home from work during this time, creating an amazing bond as a new family, and especially grateful for a freezer full of nourishing postpartum meals that she’d prepared during pregnancy.
Melanie Hadida Bio
Melanie is a Canadian living in the uk with her husband Gareth and twin girls Rowan & Lior. She’s a nutritional consultant and owns a small spice blending business. She specializes in nutrition for pregnancy, postpartum, hormonal wellness, and now for toddlers!
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!
