The Birth Lounge Podcast

Inside The Birth Lounge, HeHe does a weekly group prenatal visit with our members! We chat about all things pregnancy, planning for birth, and preparing for postpartum. This week's episode of The Birth Lounge Podcast is a blurb from last week's prenatal inside the membership! After supporting over 200 birthing people, HeHe has a keen eye for things that hinder the birth process and disrupt the birthing space. She is sharing how nurses can sometimes unknowingly be perpetuating the patriarchy and stripping birthing folks of their power in doing so. This is an eye-opening episode to say the least! 

The Birth Lounge: www.TheBirthLounnge.com

Today’s guest is a dear friend of mine and a fitness expert specializing in prenatal and postnatal corrective exercise! Kayla Mehr, Founder of Your Fit Mom, is joining HeHe in an episode that is getting down and dirty about the truth of exercise in pregnancy and postpartum! Kayla is sharing how to determine who is qualified to help support your fitness goals during pregnancy (an unqualified instructor can seriously hurt you and your baby!), the top workout myths, and the best fitness routines to help you prepare for labor! We also dive into easing back into postpartum fitness, how to make c-section modifications, and Kayla’s opinion on Belly Bands! This episode is one you won’t want to miss! 

Work with Kayla: https://www.yourfitmom.com

The Birth Lounge: https://www.thebirthlounge.com

When people check in with us, it's generally done with good intention, but sometimes "checking in" can do more harm than good! There are multiple places in women's health and birth work where this rings true! When it comes to checking in with a pregnant person at the end of their pregnancy, it can be tricky! You can easily cross into the territory of annoying, overwhelming, and sometimes infuriating. What if I told you that cervical checks in the end of pregnancy aren't always evidence based? As in, 'checking in' on your cervix regularly can be counterproductive to your birth goals! I'm sharing my full list of places where humans "checking in" needs to be reconsidered and a new standard of practice needs to be created! 

Learn more about the science behind common birth practices at blog.thebirthlounge.com

You can join The Birth Lounge here! 

Have you ever heard the term “obstetrical violence” and wondered what it meant? Or maybe you envisioned this blatant act of disrespect or an assault of sorts. These are both examples of obstetrical violence, but is another side to it, too. A sneaky side. Today’s episode is going to share a few instances of medical manipulation in the birth room that were silent and coy and draped in not-so-graceful wordsmithing from providers. I am sitting down with Tranquility by HeHe team member and doula, Caitlin LeBeau, to chat about the things we have witnessed in labor and delivery rooms across the nation. Some cases are blatantly  obvious and some cases are as covert as 007 himself. Note to listener: we do not give traumatic recounts of these instances. You need not be worried about hearing content that may cause trauma. Nonetheless, this episode is focused on obstetrical violence so listener discretion advised.

To learn your rights as a birthing person and understand how to protect yourself during your birth experience, visit www.thebirthlounge.com

Inside The Birth Lounge, I teach my Secret Sauce to Pushing. Part of that formula is based on your baby's position in your pelvis! I actively advise against what's called 'directed pushing,' where birthing people are told how and when to push (primarily talking about unmedicated births). It is not new that directed pushing can be less effective than letting the birthing person push with their body, but what about being told not to push? Nurses are notorious for saying 'don't push' for this reason or that. (This is obviously not applicable to all nurses and is a generalization.) Whether it be that you are not fully 10cm dilated yet or the doctor isn't in the room, your body is telling you to push. I am diving into the science behind this urge to push and what you should do when you feel it! 

Sources:

Longer labor times with directed pushing: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871519218304025

EPU: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613812001805

Dilation: https://midwifethinking.com/2016/06/15/the-anterior-cervical-lip-how-to-ruin-a-perfectly-good-birth/

https://midwifethinking.com/2014/04/16/pushing-leave-it-to-the-experts/

The Birth Lounge: thebirthlounge.com/waitlist

Today’s episode is all about planning for the unexpected parts of postpartum! HeHe is joined by MaMa MD, Ariana Within, to dive into how to thrive (not just survive) in the weeks right after birth! Postpartum is often feels like one of the most isolating times in a parents life, so how can you feel empowered during such a challenging space in life? Shifting the perspective to how amazing postpartum women are is huge in this—we grew and birthed a baby and now are keeping that baby alone! Shifting the way you think about productivity, prioritizing needs, and asking for help can make an incredible difference, too! Ariana is here to share that you have control over how your postpartum period goes with the proper planning! We talk about the importance of community and communication plus how important it is to reign in the negative self-talk that can cause ‘comparisonitis!’ Join us for this honest conversation about what life after birth looks like! 

Ariana”s Website: arianawitkin.com.

IG: @arianawitkinmd

 Power Hour (1:1, baby shower gift): https://arianawitkin.com/work-with-me

Masterclass info: http://bit.ly/MamaRisingPPP

Masterclass sign up: http://bit.ly/MamaRisingRegister

Everyone in the birth room has a job—your provider, your nurse, your partner, and you…but, what does your job really look like? Probably different than you think if your goal is to have your dream birth! Deep breathing and movement, sure, but what’s your ultimate job? To stay in control. Today’s episode is going to share with you the number one responsibility that a birthing person has to keep their birth on track! You have so much control and this one tip will make sure you don’t have over control at any point during your labor experience! 

Join The Birth Lounge: www.thebirthlounge.com/join

Today, HeHe is joined by Ginny Parham, a Period Coach who help women with bed bound periods turn them into kick ass periods so they can live their lives to the fullest. She created the 90-Day Pain-Free Period Method that changed my life and I want to share it with you!! Ginny is going to break down the basic understanding of our menstrual cycle plus quick, simple switches you can do in your home to better support your hormones and having a healthier period. ! The fluctuations of your hormones each month will impact everything—your sleep, you mental clarity, your anxiety, your appetite, and your ovulation! We are diving into the length, color, odor, and flow of a typical period , plus how to know if your period is ‘normal.” Ginny is also going to share what we need to know about birth control and how this impacts our menstrual cycles (and our brains!) on a hormonal level. This is for anyone who has a period or knows someone with a period!  

Mentioned: EWG app (Clean 15 and dirty dozen)

The Birth Lounge: www.TheBirthLounge.com

Free Masterclass:https://painfreeperiod.easywebinar.live/registration-6

Join Rhythm & Root: https://www.rhythmandroot.com/course/64jud

Do you really need childbirth education classes? Wondering if you can get all the information you need for a good birth by reading books and taking a one-hour online course? This largely depends on how you define 'good birth." This episode is breaking down exactly how to decipher what the best way to prepare for your birth might be! HeHe is going to share the 7 slippery slopes of birth that is taught in The Birth Lounge. These are the seven most common places where folks slip down the slippery slope of losing control in labor! If your goal is to have an informed and confident birth, then this episode will show you exactly how to do that! 

Join The Birth Lounge: www.thebirthlounge.com/join 

Free Masterclass: www.thebirthlounge.com/youridealbirth

Did you know that 98% of all feminine care products has at least 1 toxic ingredient? That's scary! Healthy products are my jam! I’m always looking out for things like fragrances and perfumes in products around my house. I’m a big fan of Thinx instead of traditional period products because of the bleach and parabens and hormone disruptors…We store our food in glass containers and use eco friendly detergent. So, it should be no surprise that you sexual health is important to me too! Especially in pregnancy & postpartum! Rebecca Alvarez Story earned her BA in Women’s Health & Sexuality from UC Berkeley and her MA in Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State and is the founder of The Bloomi. She is joining me to dive deep into what’s wrong with traditional sexual wellness products, how to spot harmful ingredients and false labeling, and what you need to know about long term effects of these issues in sexual wellness and women’s health! 

The Bloomi: https://thebloomi.com 

The Banned List: https://thebloomi.com/pages/the-banned-list

The Birth Lounge: www.thebirthlounge.com

Free Training: www.thebirthlounge.com/youridealbirth