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Welcome back to Season 7! Host Bianca Sprague sits down with Dr. Sam Vaive, psychologist, sexual health educator, author, indigenous-informed full-spectrum doula, yoga teacher, sound therapist, and founder of Sound Birthing, for a wide-ranging conversation blending neuroscience, psychology, and birth physiology.

In this episode:

• The fear of childbirth (tokophobia) and just how common it really is
• How cortisol shapes our perception of pain during labor... and why "more fear = more pain"
• The "screaming birth trope": how TV and movies (Knocked Up, Friends, and more) wire our brains to expect birth to be terrifying
• Script theory and how media shapes our beliefs about our bodies, long before we're ever pregnant
• Bianca's personal story: how she and her sister witnessed the same empowering home birth as kids, yet had completely different birth experiences as adults
• Why the environment of a hospital room (cold, bright lights, hunger, itchy sheets) spikes cortisol and stress
• The surprising benefits of pooping during labor, and how it helps build your baby's microbiome
• Two practical breathing tools (pranayama) you can use to stay calm and in control during pregnancy and birth
• How patriarchy, capitalism, and "intensive parenting" culture pile pressure onto birthing people and new parents

Guest links:

• Dr. Sam Vaive's book: Mind Body Birth: Your Guide to Fearless Childbirth — available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and soundbirthing.com
• Workbooks: Birth Map and Birth Map Embodiment
• Online course and guided sound baths available at soundbirthing.com
• One-on-one sessions available virtually worldwide (Michigan Medicaid accepted)

Bebo Mia links:

• Scholarships now open: DM "scholarship" on Instagram @bebomiainc
• Early bird pricing for the Full-Spectrum Doula Training & Certification: use code birthbird to save $300
• Free Mindset Mini Course: www.bebomia.com/bib

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