This week, I’m joined by my friend Lauren, whose epidural worked a little too well to the point that she broke her pubic bone without even realizing it! In this episode, Lauren walks us through her 3 pitocin & cervidil inductions and 2 failed inductions. She also experienced preeclampsia with all 3 of her pregnancies, but gradually learned how to manage her symptoms and advocate for proper care.

Even though there were some bumps along the way, Lauren’s stories have so many beautiful highs, like when she was able to catch her own baby during delivery or when she had a bonding moment with her daughter that reminded her that they were chosen for one another.

This episode is like a breath of fresh air. So if you’re looking for an uplifting conversation about all things motherhood, this one’s for you!

Trigger Warning: Mention of infant death (40:25 to 40:39)

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Lauren

00:09:05 - 1st Pregnancy: Conflicting Advice & Late Preeclampsia Diagnosis

00:16:29 - 1st Labor: Powerful Epidrual + Broken Pubic Bone

00:18:33 - 1st Postpartum: Postpartum Anxiety & Emotional Breastfeeding Struggles

00:29:04 - Miscarriage

00:30:52 - 2nd Pregnancy: Processing Pregnancy After Loss

00:35:19 - 2nd Labor: Failed Epidural, Advocating for Herself, & Catching Her Own Baby

00:41:43 - 2nd Postpartum: Residual Empowerment From Birth + Self Compassion in Breastfeeding

00:55:14 - 3rd Pregnancy: Phantom Pregnancies & Managing Preeclampsia

00:59:17 - 3rd Labor: Embracing an Unplanned, Unmedicated Birth

01:02:19 - 3rd Postpartum: Gaining Confidence & Finding Peace in Breastfeeding

01:19:07 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week, I’m joined by my sister-friend, Rachel, who is the third and final of my sisters-in-laws to share her story with us! Rachel went through quite the journey to bring her two daughters into the world. Starting with endometriosis-related fertility struggles, followed by hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and severe preeclampsia that led to one daughter being born at 30 weeks and the other at 33 weeks. We discuss extended NICU stays, the long-term effects of being a micropremie, and how Rachel learned to stand up for her family through it all.

This week’s discussion is a bit heavier, but it is a reminder of the power of a mother’s intuition and the strength that comes when fighting for your children.

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Trigger Warning: Discussion of miscarriage and traumatic birth throughout

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Rachel

00:19:50 - 1st Pregnancy: PCOS + Clomid, HG, & Bed Rest at 29 Weeks

00:52:33 - 1st Delivery: Preeclampsia & Life Saving Measures

01:01:58 - 1st Postpartum: 2 Month NICU Stay & Learning to be Assertive

01:15:46 - 2nd Pregnancy: Secondary Infertility, Subchorionic Hematoma, & Feeding Tubes

01:32:42 - 2nd Delivery: Failed Stress Tests, Redemptive C-Section, & OR Skin-to-Skin

01:40:12 - 2nd Postpartum: COVID in the NICU & Coping with Postpartum OCD

01:55:42 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week I’m joined by my new friend Kyla, who learned how to differentiate between what was in her control and what wasn’t early on in her motherhood journey. This distinction helped her achieve a positive, unmedicated hospital birth with the help of a doula, even through 12 hours of labor, 2 hours of pushing, and an episiotomy!

Kyla truly loved her birth experience and just being a mom overall, so this episode is perfect if you’re looking for some positive motherhood vibes!

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Trigger Warning: Mention of infant death (01:00:05 to 01:00:30)

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Kyla

00:12:38 - Pregnancy: Delayed Conception & Channeling Energy into Birth Prep

00:23:12 - Labor: Positive Unmedicated Hospital Birth + Doula Assistance

00:59:21 - Postparum: Immediate Adrenaline High, Breastfeeding Woes, & Loving Motherhood

01:08:36 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week, we are joined AGAIN by my friend Ashley, who is a mom to six kids! In this episode, we are wrapping up her story by walking through her last three birth experiences. Ashley shares how the precipitous, unmedicated delivery of her third baby (which we ended on last week) brought a lot of anxiety into the medicated delivery of her fourth. She also remarks on how different it felt going back to an epidural birth after having experienced an unmedicated birth. This ultimately influenced her to decide to have unmedicated home births with her fifth and sixth babies! It is amazing to hear how much more empowered and excited Ashley felt with her last two births in contrast with some of her other experiences.

It is seriously special to see how all six of her experiences come together to create a beautiful journey through motherhood. Ashley’s stories are truly a reminder that every birth is unique and transformative!

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:15 - 4th Child: Unsolicited Membrane Sweep, Processing Anxiety, & Choosing an Epidural

00:29:25 - 5th Child: Mentally Preparing, Working with a Midwife, + Mostly Unassisted Home Birth

01:04:05 - 6th Child: Overcoming Doubt & 1-Push Home Birth

01:23:38 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week I’m joined by my friend Ashley, a mom of six!! In this episode, we walk through her first three birth stories, and next week she’ll be back to share the final three. Ashley’s journey starts with two smooth pregnancies that resulted in almost identical deliveries (seriously—same birth weight and everything!). But her third baby threw her for a loop, from taking longer to conceive to a labor so fast she didn’t even have time to get an IV!

Each of Ashley’s experiences builds on the last, and I can’t wait for you to see how all six come together to form such a beautiful, resilient story of motherhood.

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Ashley

00:13:19 - 1st Child: Smooth Pregnancy, 45 Minutes of Pushing, & Weaning From a Nipple Shield

00:38:08 - 2nd Child: Finishing School While Pregnant & Admitted at 8 cm Dilated for a Deja Vu Delivery

00:52:46 - 3rd Child: Slower Conception, Unintentionally Unmedicated, Out in 2 Pushes

This week, we’re talking about the stories YOU shared about the nicest things someone did for you postpartum. Y’all gave me all the insider secrets about what your postpartum friends ACTUALLY need. We talk about meal train etiquette, C-section postpartum hacks, and ways dads can help lighten the load.

This episode is packed with ideas and insights that I had never even considered before! Perfect for expectant parents to share with their support team, or for you, like me, who want to do more for your new mom friends, but don’t know where to start!

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

This week I’m joined by my new friend Katie, whose journey to motherhood has many twists and turns. Her story includes a hurricane that influenced her decision to discontinue her birth control (yes, really), a snafu between two medical offices that resulted in her missing 17 weeks' worth of OBGYN visits, and an unintentionally unmedicated birth after she missed the window of opportunity to get an epidural. Her son spent time in the NICU due to a tight umbilical cord around his neck during delivery, and Katie herself had to be readmitted to the hospital due to postpartum preeclampsia.

Through it all, Katie shares her experience with warmth and humor. Her story is a testament to the emotional and mental strength that you discover when there’s no way out but through.

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Kaite

00:14:02 - Miscarriage

00:17:50 - Pregnancy: Anatomy Scan Scare, Medical Miscommunication, & Increased Monitoring

00:55:08 - Labor: Data-Motivated Progression & Going Unintentionally Unmedicated

01:18:46 - Postpartum: Umbilical Cord Issues, NICU Transfer, & Postpartum Preeclampsia

01:46:10 - To My Pre-Mom Self…

This week I’m joined by my amazing friend Meredith, who is a type 1 diabetic mom who breastfed three babies (one of them not even her own!) for over six months! What makes that even more incredible is that she once wasn’t sure if she’d be able to have children at all.

In this episode, Meredith opens up about how diabetes has shaped her motherhood journey, her difficult first delivery that led to her daughter’s dislocated shoulder, a NICU stay, and a fourth-degree tear (!!), and how her second birth, a planned C-section, brought a much more positive experience in contrast.

Meredith’s episode is a reminder that you are more capable than you think and that you are strong enough to feel scared but to do it anyway.

Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Meet Meredith

00:11:18 - 1st Pregnancy: Slow Fertility, Wonderful Endocrinologist, & Big Baby

00:26:29 - 1st Labor: Spotty Epidural, 4th Degree Tear, & Dislocated Shoulder

00:38:03 - 1st Postpartum: NICU Stay & Breastfeeding Success

00:59:09 - 2nd Pregnancy: Struggling to Find Supportive Doctors

01:08:26 - 2nd Labor: Scheduled Positive C-Section

01:11:21 - 2nd Postpartum: Changes in Milk Production, Milk Sharing, & 2 Under 2 Haze

01:25:34 - To My Pre-Mom Self…