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.
This birth story includes a lot of first. Sarah shares her first homebirth which was also her first unmedicated birth all while in a lockdown. Sarah experienced irregular contractions, following 1.5 days of prodromal labour into only about 2.45 hours of active labor. This homebirth birth was a healing experience for Sarah, especially after experiencing prenatal depression and complications and it being nearly 11 years since her last birth.
Sarah Landry Bio
Sarah is a mom of 4 kids aged 1-16, divorced and remarried and now blended perfectly together. After getting exhausted by social media and body perfecting habits along the way, Sarah decided to change the way she showed up in the world. Healing through her perfectionism, disordered eating, body shame and so much more, she now loves having powerful social media conversations around life and our experiences in it. Sarah is a body confidence advocate, speaker, writer, occasional model, and weekly podcast host and an ongoing student of life. Connect with her via her website,Instagram, or The Papaya Podcast.
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.
Needed’s 4-part Complete Plan includes their Prenatal Multi, their vegan Omega-3, their pregnancy-specific Pre and Probiotic with targeted strains to support you and your baby’s microbiome, and their ethically and sustainably-sourced Collagen Protein that mixes easily into just about everything. Needed’s Complete Plan truly meets all of your micronutrient, microbiome, and protein needs. 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.
Jill felt prepared and ready as she entered her final days of pregnancy in 2018. Hospital bag packed, labor plan ready, she had an unexpected 3 hour labor that brought her daughter into the world.
After a rough postpartum, difficulty conceiving and one missed miscarriage during the pandemic, baby number two was on the way in 2021. Her plans were different this time around which led her to another fast labor and home birth.
Jill Clapper Bio
Jill lives in Minnesota with her husband Michael and two kids- Adeline who is 4.5 and Forrest who is 9 months! Connect with her via IG @_jillclapper_
Julie had an uncomplicated pregnancy under the care of midwives, made both harder and easier by COVID restrictions (she didn’t get to see family and friends but she did get to rest as much as she wanted and never dealt with unsolicited comments from strangers). After hiring a doula and talking in detail about birth options, she made the choice to switch to a birth center. Julie prepared for birth using hypnobirthing, and was surprised to find that she enjoyed doing meditations before bed with her husband, Matt. She went into labor at 40+5 following a membrane sweep, and went to the birth center after a fast and intense early labor. Julie used all the tools available to her at the birth center, including the tub, and eventually gave birth in the water after about 8 hours of active labor. Her daughter, Lily, was born on Julie and Matt’s 5th wedding anniversary, and the new parents shared some champagne to celebrate both occasions while resting together.
After this smooth welcome to the world, breastfeeding difficulties quickly developed. Lily had a lip and tongue tie which caused weight gain issues and unbearable pain while nursing. She had a release at 5 days old, which led to improvements, but Julie struggled with anxiety and stress associated with these early issues, as well as persistent pain and discomfort while nursing. She was eventually able to establish a feeding routine that worked, but she was never able to enjoy the breastfeeding process and dealt with recurring clogs. Julie also struggled to decide whether or not to return to work, and after choosing to stay home with Lily to pursue new career opportunities, she was surprised and encouraged by how many women reached out to tell her they had also left the workforce when their children were small and never regretted it for a minute. Julie was happy to find a job that better fit her lifestyle when Lily was 8 months old, and despite challenging newborn days, she has enjoyed every stage more than the last, especially after successfully weaning when Lily turned one.
Julie Rosenberg Bio
Julie lives in New Jersey with her husband, Matt, and one-year-old daughter, Lily. She was a book editor in New York City for over a decade and now works remotely as an editor at a software company. Send Julie a message to connect on Instagram @juliearosenberg.
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!
Megan found out she was pregnant in November of 2020 and was immediately interested in pursuing a home birth, inspired by her sister’s three beautiful home births and a desire to learn to trust her body in this new way. Throughout pregnancy Megan received care through her insurance provided OB alongside what she would call the most wonderful homebirth midwifery practice, Meadowsweet Midwifery. Megan was so spoiled with her midwives, who at almost every appointment would speak to what they called the ‘symphony of heartbeats’ as they would point out the baby, Megan’s, and the cord all sounding through the doppler.
The day before her due date, Megan began experiencing labor waves picking up and had her doula come over to labor with her. Around 5:00pm her water broke quite dramatically and the waves started coming very quickly! The midwives arrived later in the evening, and Megan was still sitting at around 2cm dilated at 10:30pm. Megan labored in bed with her peanut ball and husband until 1:30 when she was desperate to get into the labor tub — after being checked and measuring in at 8cm after just three hours, the pool was a huge relief.
Getting in the pool, Megan began getting pushy very quickly and after just 28 minutes of pushing, delivered her beautiful baby boy Orson Zachary into the world on his due date, after just seven hours of labor! Postpartum recovery was more than Megan was expecting, but with a great support system, it was primarily positive. Orson is now 5 months old and the most magical person Megan knows.
Megan Stanton Bio
Megan lives with her husband, five month old son, dog, cat and chickens in Denver, Colorado, where she practices as an infant and early childhood mental health therapist and her husband pastors at a local church. Megan also loves to rock climb and teaches pottery classes at a local rec center, though all of those things are a bit in flux as she orients to life as a Mother!
Part II of this episode is sponsored by Aeroflow Breastpumps. Aeroflow has helped thousands of new and expecting parents discover the breastfeeding and postpartum essentials covered by their insurance including breast pumps and maternity compression and postpartum recovery products, 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 “TBH15” in their online shop for 15% off all supplies and accessories.
Kelly shares her birth stories in episodes 639 and 640. Kelly’s birth journey began with her first pregnancy, which despite the long bout of nausea, was smooth and low-risk. She had a hospital induction at 40+3, and delivered her daughter after 36 exhausting hours of labor with the aid of an epidural.
A few years later and after a miscarriage at 8 weeks, she got pregnant with her second daughter. Though this pregnancy, like her first, was relatively smooth and low-risk, it was anxiety-inducing after her recent loss. However, after a lot of prayer, she felt at peace and eventual excitement for the new baby.
After the birth experience with her first daughter, which was long and not particularly empowering, Kelly knew she wanted something different this time around. After researching and listening to various birth stories, she decided she wanted a birth center birth. Her second daughter came as a result of spontaneous labor with her water breaking at 40+3. After laboring for 13 hours, though only 3 hours were active labor, Kelly got the water birth she’d dreamed of, and the empowering birth experience she’d wanted this second birth to be.
Postpartum Story
Kelly came back on the podcast to share her postpartum journey in episode 671 and had some great tips for listeners on how to incorporate your partner and the big sibling in bonding with a new baby.
Kelly’s baby’s eye shortly after birth. It ended up being a clogged tear duct.Big sister “diaper bag” full of supplies for the baby!
Kelly Batchelder Bio
Kelly is 37 and lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband Steven of 11 years and their two daughters, Estella (age 4) and Pearl (1 month). She teaches English at Kennesaw State University for her professional gig, and teaches group fitness at a local gym for her personal gig. While both of those jobs bring her joy, the most fulfilling parts of her life are being a wife and mother. You can connect with Kelly via Instagram @kellybatchelder
Today’s 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!
