by thebirthhour | Apr 2, 2019 | Birth Center, Birth Stories, Hospital, Hypnobirthing, Waterbirth
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Three Empowering & Peaceful Births with Melissa Emler
Melissa’s children were born in Iowa under the care of midwives but in a hospital setting. In Iowa all midwives who are legally practicing are Certified Nurse Midwives and many of them are providing care within a hospital setting. The hospital that Melissa gave birth at was set up more like a birth center than the typical hospital image that you may have in your head. It had a large tub as well as other comfort measures that aided her with finding more natural methods of coping with labor than typical hospital pain medications. Melissa also practiced Hypnobirthing which really made a big difference with her births and kept her from even considering asking for an epidural.
Melissa Emler Bio
is a mom to three kids, Cooper, Addilyn and Conner and lives in Wisconsin where she works in education. She connects schools with the best and most useful tools available to them in the 21st century! Melissa also has a podcast called On the Vender Floor where she connects educators and entrepreneurs in conversations that positively impact learning.
Resource Links
Hypnobirthing
Zahler Prenatal Vitamins
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by thebirthhour | May 17, 2016 | Birth Center, Birth Stories, Hospital
Karyssa and her husband grew up in the Seattle area and are now raising their own family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Karyssa has known she wanted to be a mother since she was very young so she and her husband started trying for a family right away and now have two girls who are currently 2.5 years and 8 months old. After giving birth to her babies, Karyssa became fascinated with what women’s amazing bodies are capable of and she hopes to become a doula herself. Today she shares her two daughter’s birth stories, the first born in a hospital and more recently her birth center birth.
You can connect with Karyssa on Instagram.
To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!
by thebirthhour | Mar 24, 2016 | Birth Center, Birth Stories
Water Breaks Early and Suddenly
5 days before her water broke, she taught one of her dye classes at the Fiber Frolic. Then, the day before her baby arrived, she was working outside dyeing up yarns in the hopes she’d get it all done before he arrived, having no idea what would happen that weekend.
Rachel was surprised and in shock when she woke up the next morning with a start, and her water broke. Her son was early by 3 weeks and 3 days. She delivered him in a wonderful birth center called The Birthplace in the nearest town with a doula, midwife, nurse and her husband. Her contractions were slow to start and she still couldn’t feel them after 24 hours, so it was recommended that she use Pitocin to get things moving. Her labor was 13 hours and she delivered vaginally. Rachel and her son were perfectly healthy and did well throughout the whole labor and delivery.
To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!
A Long Breastfeeding Struggle
However, after giving birth, much to her deep disappointment, Rachel found she had a very low milk supply. She wanted badly to provide her own milk for her baby and did everything she could think of to build her supply. Reading books and blogs, taking herbs in every form, abstaining from everything she thought she should, trying so hard never hurt so bad.
The day after her son was born, his blood sugar dropped and he got a touch of jaundice. He wasn’t getting enough milk from her as my body wasn’t making enough. 9 years prior to this, Rachel was diagnosed with a benign pituitary tumor making her gland produce too much prolactin. She went on cabergoline to lower her prolactin levels and she suspects it did something to permanently alter the operations of her pituitary gland.
After 5 months of only making an ounce a day with pumping as often as possible, putting her son to her breast on both sides each time before she offered him his bottle, she finally gave up. She says it was very exhausting but she felt driven to keep offering her milk and doing everything she could to produce milk out of fear. When she finally recognized where that fear came from, she was able to start the process of letting go of pumping and nursing.
Rachel Kessler’s Bio
Rachel is a new mom to a little boy named Rónán and she owns and operates a small batch hand spun, plant dyed yarn business on Etsy called 44Clovers.
Resource Links
Kelly Mom
Making More Milk
by thebirthhour | Mar 15, 2016 | Birth Center, Birth Stories
Giving Birth at a Birth Center in Austin, TX
Today’s guest is Jamie Dorobek who is sharing the birth story of her son Maxwell who was born at a birth center in Austin, Texas. Jamie discusses her decision to have a natural birth and the speedy delivery of her son after arriving at the birth center. Jamie shared this story while she was VERY pregnant with baby #2 and has since given birth to a daughter as well!
To learn more about Jamie, you can read her bio over on her blog, C.R.A.F.T Blog. You can connect with her on Instagram at @thecraftblog where you can catch glimpses of her newborn daughter, Amelia who is SO sweet along with big brother Maxwell.
Resource Links
Bringing Up Bebe
KiwiCo Panda Crate
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by thebirthhour | Feb 9, 2016 | Birth Center, Birth Stories, Hospital, Twins
To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!
Jesse Coulter’s Birth Center and Natural Twin Birth Stories
Today’s episode features Jesse Coulter who is going to share the birth stories of both her son, born at a birth center, and her twins who were born vaginally in a hospital. The twins’ birth story is fast and furious as they arrived before the hospital staff even had a chance to put the IV in Jesse.
Jesse Coulter is a wife and mom of a 3 year old boy and newborn boy/girl twins. She is a full-time marketing professional by day and blogger by night. She blogs at JesseCoulter.net about DIY projects, fashion, marriage, motherhood, travel and more.
Jesse grew up in a small Texas town (currently lives in Austin), and loves traveling the world with her husband who she met while studying abroad in Austria. Some of her favorite things include binge watching Netflix in an old pair of sweatpants, aerobics, slavic languages, anything that comes from a bakery, living debt free, and mojitos. You can find her @JesseCoulter on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. “
Listen to Jesse’s The Lively Show podcast episode about living with painful sex here.
