Shows
Birth Matters133: Taylor Swift, Toilet Time, & the Truth About Labor: Jane’s & Sam’s StoryJane & Sam, New Yorkers who met in San Francisco, share the story of their unmedicated, physiologic birth attended by midwives in a Manhattan hospital and supported by a doula. A year or so into being married, they decide to try to conceive with hopes of having a baby in the Year of the Dragon as Jane is Chinese-American. To their surprise, they get pregnant immediately after removing her IUD. Given Jane’s background having previously worked for a women’s healthcare tech company, she had learned enough about the maternal healthcare system to know she wanted to strategically position hers...
2025-08-151h 15
Birth Matters127: A Faith-Filled Home Waterbirth: Doula Ann’s 2nd BirthIn this episode, Lisa reconnects with Ann Morris—doula, childbirth educator, and mother of two—to hear the powerful story of her second birth: a planned home birth after a positive hospital experience. Ann shares why she chose midwifery care, how her husband became her “moula,” and how she prepped mentally and physically for a peaceful, water birth at home. From laborade popsicles to postpartum healing and navigating breastfeeding challenges, Ann offers practical tips and emotional insight into birth, motherhood, and trusting your intuition. A must-listen for anyone planning a home birth, considering birth work, or seeking inspiration for informed...
2025-05-1955 min
Birth Matters120: What’s Gentle Cesarean Birth?Today NYC obstetricians Drs. Worth & Mussalli chat with Lisa to discuss all the ins and outs of gentle cesarean as well as the different medical indications for a c-section. They also compare and contrast planned cesareans to emergency cesareans to non-emergent cesareans. You’ll also hear them detail a new collaborative care model pathway in which pregnant folks in NYC can get prenatal care with them and then transfer their care for the big day to midwives at a local hospital. Grab a pen/device and take some notes to develop your belly birth plan, whether it’s being plan...
2024-09-291h 02
Birth Matters114: Healing from Birth: The Magic of Craniosacral Therapy with Regina PataneBrooklyn-based craniosacral therapist Regina Patane (BabyCranioNY) joins Lisa to provide some educational insights into this alternative modality of bodywork that can support babies and parents in their recovery from the birthing process. She not only explains the technique itself but also gives specific examples of how powerfully it can help a baby and parent receive gentle adjustments from the physically arduous experience they’ve just gone through together including for both physiologic/vaginal birth and also belly birth/cesarean. Subscribe for email updates Show notes (transcript, resources, photos) Connect: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | podcast@birthmattersnyc.com
2024-05-261h 23
Birth Matters112: Choosing Homebirth Amid Prenatal DepressionTaylor and her husband never expected to have kids, and if ever maybe around 40. Then one day when Taylor was only 30, surprise! She was pregnant. In today’s episode, Taylor, who identifies as a biracial Black woman, shares how she went from working with a hospital OB to planning a homebirth with midwives and a doula. Her beloved doula, Chana, joins in today’s sharing, too. Taylor shares how getting off her mental health meds in her pregnancy wasn’t a good idea and how she had never realized that prenatal depression is a real thing until she experienced it. Sh...
2024-04-281h 14
Birth Matters111: A Pediatric ICU Nurse’s 3rd PreemieEllen, who shared her first two babies’ birth stories in Episode 26, returns to share her son’s preterm birth story following a relocation from NYC to California where they are now homesteaders growing toward self-sustainability. She had wanted an unmedicated birth with midwives, but due to her history of two premature births, she stays with a high-risk OB who provides midwife-like, compassionate care. At the 20-week scan, Ellen learns their son has a cleft lip, like his dad. Despite this, he ends up being the only one of the 3 for whom breastfeeding comes easily. Ellen lays low and stays pregn...
2024-04-141h 19
Birth Matters104: An Endurance Athlete's Desire for an Unmedicated Birth (Part 2)In part 2 of this 2-episode birth story, Jessica shares the rest of her unmedicated birth story with midwives in an NYC hospital. She details the contrast of her very positive birth experience to the postpartum care experience, discusses some initial breastfeeding challenges in which an IBCLC provides stellar support and addresses a lip tie & tongue tie her son had. She also shares how important a postpartum virtual support group the our doula collective offered was for her as a new parent and the essential community of support she discovered there. Subscribe for email updates Show notes (transcript, resources...
2023-07-3154 min
Birth Matters101: No Rush to Hospital When Water Breaks for Empowering BirthFollowing an early pregnancy scare, Taylor proceeds to have a healthy pregnancy. Feeling frustrated when she passes her due date and isn’t showing much change toward going into labor, Taylor tries all the things to start labor and avoid induction. Once her water breaks, she has a super efficient unmedicated birth in which she labors at home for as long as possible until she starts feeling pressure and arrives at the hospital just in time to push and give birth. She and Joey share how educating themselves made a big difference in not feeling the need to rush to...
2023-05-161h 35
Birth Matters100: When Baby Prefers Car Over WaterbirthSierra envisioned a waterbirth for her baby, but was disheartened to find it’s hard to find a birthing location where that’s possible and also hard to find birthing center options in NYC. With the help of her doula, she finds the one birthing center in all of NYC and switches her care. Working with midwives, Sierra immediately feels much more cared about, seen and heard than she ever did with her hospital OB. Listen to hear this exciting story of how Sierra’s son had very different plans for where he wanted to be born at 39 weeks! Sub...
2023-04-111h 36
Birth Matters92: A NYC Dancer’s HomebirthWhenever Hannah tried to reconcile her background as a professional dancer with the idea of pregnancy and birth, it felt like the two were incompatible. Yet when she does get pregnant, she finds ways to beautifully integrate the two. While pregnant, Hannah obtains a grant to both create and perform a dance work that tells the story of her journey into parenthood and to hold dance & journaling classes to create a community of support for fellow pregnant people. Ultimately, she chooses to give birth at home. Today’s birth story shares all the details of how Hannah hires a gr...
2022-09-281h 18
Birth Matters90: A Runner’s Fast LaborKaley did everything she could to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle throughout her pregnancy. She continued her running habit, then around 20 weeks she needed to shift to swimming and also did prenatal yoga. Toward the end of her healthy pregnancy, she’s told that her cervix is already 4 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced, yet her labor wouldn't start for another 3 weeks.When she experiences some bleeding at nearly 40 weeks, she checks into the hospital to get checked out. They tell her they’d like to induce, but before they can start the induction, her water breaks with...
2022-08-1854 min
Birth Matters89: Loving Laboring at Home Too MuchMara & Dylan did lots of great prep for birth in pregnancy – acupuncture, massage, birth class, hiring a doula, yoga, and more. Having heard her stepmom share how beautiful her own home birth was, this planted a seed of trust in the birthing process. When the time comes for her own baby’s birth, she feels most in her element laboring at home, using the shower for hydrotherapy almost nonstop. In fact, she was so in her element that she labored at home almost too long, and their doula diverts them to a different hospital when Mara starts getting the urge...
2022-08-041h 11
Birth Matters88: An Aussie’s 2nd Unmedicated Hospital BirthLauren’s first time giving birth was pre-pandemic in Australia in a very different healthcare system. So when she and her husband Shaun relocated to the NYC area to suburban New Jersey and wanted to conceive again, she began listening to this podcast as a way to get to know the local birth environment. Today she shares her experience of having an unmedicated birth for a second time but in a New Jersey hospital. Lauren tells us she gleaned wisdom from listening to some of the birth stories shared on this podcast that helped her to more confidently advocate fo...
2022-07-191h 08
Birth Matters87: In Labor at a SederJewish doula and mental health therapist Chana decides to get off medications for depression and anxiety during her pregnancy. This results in a recurrence of both, including pretty severe insomnia and her family strongly encourages her to get back on medications. She gets back to feeling more well for the rest of her pregnancy, but then her beloved grandmother dies when Chana’s 38 weeks pregnant, closely followed by Passover. Chana goes into labor at a large Seder family gathering and goes on to have a waterbirth at a Long Island hospital attended by a doula and Jewish midwife. Then sh...
2022-07-1259 min
Birth Matters86: Managing Anxiety with Birth Team ChoicesMichelle knew all of her life that she experiences medical anxiety and convulsive syncope. So, when she started thinking about her deep desire to grow a family, she started educating herself and preparing strategically. Knowing herself and her anxiety challenges, she started planning for an unmedicated birth. Along the way, her strategies included eventually changing OBs who would be more supportive of her preferences and needs, hiring a doula, doing lots of research and taking birth class. This is a story of how this preparation contributed to her well-supported, uncomplicated, unmedicated hospital birth.Show notes at birthmattersshow...
2022-07-051h 32
Birth Matters85: Will Early Labor Ever End?When Brooklynites Megan & Ted decide to try to get pregnant around the beginning of the pandemic, they’re surprised to conceive immediately. After seeing an OB and desiring less rushed time and more holistic care, they eventually land on giving birth at Brooklyn Birthing Center with midwives and a doula. Megan’s taken aback and challenged when she experiences 3 days of prodromal early labor with very little sleep. Eventually, labor kicks into gear once her water breaks. After pushing for 3+ hours and being told she may need to transfer to the hospital, their doula smartly encourages Megan to try an a...
2022-06-281h 01
Birth Matters84: Self-Advocacy When Being GaslightedWhen Becky and her transgender husband decide to grow their family, it’s a long, winding road to meeting their baby. First step: make very careful adjustments to her depression & anxiety meds in order to conceive as safely as possible. Next step: the tedious process of seeking out a sperm donor. Then they had to go through 7 emotional rounds of IUI and finally IVF before they could even start a viable pregnancy. Today Becky shares all of those details plus her baby’s birth story, which starts with contractions in the middle of the night, being told she’s not ac...
2022-05-171h 01
Birth Matters83: Precipitous Pushing: A Doula’s Quick ThinkingAs a person working in both the wellness and fashion fields, Nadia had intentionally pursued a healthy, fit lifestyle with an active meditation and breathwork practice. However, she discovered she had to ease up on those expectations in pregnancy and be gentle with herself. Early on in her pregnancy and at the recommendation of a friend, she hired both a doula and switched from working with an OB to a hospital midwife practice to feel more nurtured and heard. Soon after graduating from birth class and before her due date, she’s surprised to go into labor. Everyone around he...
2022-05-101h 02
Birth Matters82: An Afro-Caribbean Psychotherapist’s HomebirthToday, Bronx-based Dominican couple, Ana Rosario & Josmar Rojas, share their son’s uncomplicated homebirth story. Ana’s background as a social worker had opened her eyes to the challenges Black/BIPOC folks face giving birth in a hospital setting, so she’d decided previously in her first pregnancy, which unfortunately resulted in loss, to give birth at home. They detail specifics of the holistic, nurturing, very safe care their homebirth midwife provided through their journey of pregnancy loss and then through her 4th pregnancy, labor and birth, and share about the indispensable support their doula also provided. Ana also reflec...
2022-05-0353 min
Birth Matters81: Breech Belly Birth & Embracing Your WeirdLiza & Jon are surprised when they conceive much more quickly than expected. Toward the end of an uneventful, happy pregnancy, they learn their son is breech. They try almost everything to get their breech baby to flip, but baby was happy as a clam sitting on her bladder. With cesarean scheduled, Liza goes into labor spontaneously a week early and labors for a day and a half before heading to the hospital for the cesarean surgery. She shares about the beautifully respectful care they received throughout, ways that it felt like the beautiful birth it should feel like including...
2022-04-261h 22
Birth Matters80: A Rainbow Breech Baby’s Belly BirthAfter Amber experienced both a pregnancy loss and subsequent challenges conceiving a second time, she and her husband eventually conceive their rainbow baby on the first try with IUI. At 18 weeks, they learn their baby is breech, and she continues to be persistently breech, despite trying a number of things to help baby flip. Amber has to make a mental shift in expectations from desiring a physiologic birth to normalizing the necessary cesarean and comes to the realization that it can also be a beautiful way for a baby to be born. She also shares the importance of actively...
2022-04-191h 22
Birth Matters79: Baby Debuts Early to Beat the PandemicToday, Joanna & Tony share their son Felix’s birth story. They were due after the Covid shutdown in NYC but, fortuitously, gave birth just shy of 37 weeks shortly before the shutdown. They show up to a prenatal visit almost 6 cm dilated (technically called “active labor”) yet not even feeling any labor sensations. Their doc tells them they need to go straight to the hospital, where they spend many hours in the waiting room and triage but then proceed to have an unmedicated labor and birth. Joanna & Tony are the only couple thus far to take Birth Matters class, give birth...
2022-04-121h 16
Birth Matters78: A Pelvic PT’s Curve Balls in PushingAs a pelvic PT, Helene started off pregnancy with unique and applicable skills that informed her decision to pursue an unmedicated delivery in a hospital. She shares about the various things that helped her have mostly the kind of labor and birth she had hoped for, including support from her husband and doula, breathwork, a peanut ball, hydrotherapy, and more. When it comes time for pushing, both the position and the technique she ends up using are not ones she ever would have guessed she’d do nor would she recommend to clients, but that felt necessary due to bo...
2022-04-0546 min
Birth Matters77: Transferring Care for a Peaceful HomebirthJaymie started off her pregnancy under OB care but came to realize that the medical setting wasn’t the right choice for her birth, so she transferred her care to a home birth midwifery team. She shares about what helped her prepare for her physically demanding labor at home and how her husband and team of midwives supported her throughout labor. She also shares about her experience breastfeeding and working with some lactation consultant friends.Show notes at birthmattersshow.com Subscribe for email updates Show notes (transcript, resources, photos) Connect: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | podcast@birthmattersnyc.com
2022-03-291h 13
Birth Matters76: When Your Mom is an L&D NurseAstoria resident Eileen chose her birth place on Long Island because it was where her Labor & Delivery nurse mother works and had relationships that would lend themselves to things going as well as possible and having her preferences honored. She also did all the things to prepare as best as possible for a healthy pregnancy and birthing experience. Today, she shares the details of a surprisingly long and intense 36-hour labor which included thinking her water broke early on, laboring a long time at home and at her mother’s house, going to be checked and advocating to not be...
2022-03-221h 04
Birth Matters75: Daddy, Catch the Baby on the Sidewalk!Lisa and Clint share the details of their unexpectedly fast first labor experience that results in Clint catching their baby on the sidewalk right outside Weill Cornell hospital in Manhattan in the dead of winter. They also discuss the realities of navigating postpartum at the start of a global pandemic and the importance of giving yourself lots of grace and flexibility when parenting in these challenging times.Show notes at birthmattersshow.com Subscribe for email updates Show notes (transcript, resources, photos) Connect: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | podcast@birthmattersnyc.com
2022-03-1548 min
Birth Matters74: A NYC Doula's Home VBAC after Cesarean for BreechSophia’s first birth was a planned homebirth that needed to transfer to the hospital for a cesarean due to baby’s position. Today she shares how she was determined to try for a vaginal birth after cesarean, also known as VBAC, at home. Sophia details lots of smart insights based on both her own journey as well as her knowledge as a doula. We talk about kinds of things that can help both parent and baby thrive through the journey to, through and beyond birth such as acupuncture & moxibustion, chiropractic, cranial sacral therapy, pelvic physical therapy, Spinning Babies tech...
2022-03-081h 02
Birth Matters73: Feeling Heard When Birth Doesn’t Go as PlannedToday’s season 3 premiere episode shares a birth story with birth class students and podcast listeners, Lucy & Cam. They share how Lucy had hoped for a physiological birth and how surprised she was in coming to the U.S. from the UK that midwifery isn’t the default standard of care. As she goes through her pregnancy working with an OB, over time she realizes she’d prefer more patient-centered care so she switches from OB care to a hospital midwifery practice. Once she has something to compare to, she breathes a huge sigh of relief and feels like she’s...
2022-03-011h 17
Birth Matters72: Gratitude Through a Well-Supported Hospital InductionIn this final episode of Season 2, we'll hear a theme of gratitude. Laura communicates lots of it in today’s birth story as she shares the story of a well-supported metamorphosis into motherhood, her matrescence. Laura’s story is another pandemic birth story in which she equipped herself and her partner with birth doula support early in pregnancy and then also hired a great postpartum doula to support her for several weeks afterwards. She shares how, while the birth didn’t play out totally as she had hoped, it was still a positive experience largely because she had great suppor...
2021-05-251h 13Birth Matters71: A Dancer-Trainer’s Waterbirth & Pelvic RecoveryWhen Evelyn & James conceive their baby, they have no idea they’ll be giving birth during a pandemic. As a dancer and trainer, she even keeps touring for a while with her dance company and teaching Pilates classes for part of pregnancy and just before Covid gets real. Once the pandemic hits, they decide to abruptly leave NYC to be closer to Evelyn’s family to give birth down in Houston, never thinking that it might just be a permanent move away from NYC. Ultimately, they decide to give birth at a freestanding birthing center, not wanting to give birt...
2021-05-181h 14Birth Matters70: Low-Income Folks Deserve Homebirths, Too!Scharisse felt like she was getting lackluster care in her pregnancy at a hospital under Medicaid but thought she just had to deal. She was being told she should just schedule a cesarean because of her age and being overweight, and it didn’t sit right with her. Then one day, when she was around 30 weeks pregnant, she encountered a doula who encouraged her that she deserves to have respectful care and a great birth. This empowered her to switch to giving birth at home -- something she never thought someone on Medicaid could do, thanks to so...
2021-05-1149 minBirth Matters69: Postpartum Anxiety After a Great BirthActor-singer Aimée discovers she’s pregnant right after her and her husband’s honeymoon, which they returned from just before the pandemic shutdown and experiences both a healthy pregnancy but also sadness of not being seen by friends or family throughout her pregnancy. Today Aimée will share her baby's birth story in which she intentionally labors at home for a good, long time and then gives birth in a Manhattan hospital with the support of her husband and doula and without pain medications. Despite the fact that she had a great birth, you’ll hear how she began ex...
2021-05-041h 06Birth Matters68: Care Choices Calm When Complications ComeSasha planned to give birth with a midwife and developed a birth plan for a peaceful, unmedicated birth. Some of her plans necessarily go out the window when, at 37 weeks Sasha is diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and has to immediately come to the hospital in the snow to be induced for the safety of her and her daughter. This story will help expectant parents think through their choices in care providers both in pregnancy as well as for baby, and also drives home the value of hiring a doula. Subscribe for email updates Show notes (transcript, resources, photos) Connect...
2021-04-2754 minBirth Matters67: A Rainbow Baby’s Unmedicated BirthToday Emily shares her two pregnancy stories and a birth story. First, she describes experiencing pregnancy loss at 11 weeks. It surprises her when the grief was longer-lasting and more complex than she expected, but shares the essential support she discovered to help her through the journey of loss. Then Emily tells the story of conceiving her rainbow baby shortly after the Covid-19 shutdown and the many ways she and Scott prepared for giving birth, including hiring a team of 2 virtual doulas. She provides detailed strategies that helped her have the kind of birth she had hoped for (an unmedicated...
2021-04-2055 minBirth Matters66: An Opera Singer’s 2 HypnobirthsSo it was a very stressful situation to be sent to the hospital and be told if you can't get your blood pressure down, you're being induced today. It's sort of the worst thing you could tell somebody who's trying to -- but what I found was I would put my headphones on, I would lie down on my left side and I would start to listen to my Hypnobirthing tape and I would just really focus on the relaxation and my breathing. And my blood pressure numbers would just drop. And they would come in and sort of s...
2021-04-131h 27Birth Matters65: Grief in Growing a FamilyWhat happens when you grow your family from an only child to two children? Today Danuta & Jacek share two birth stories -- one hospital birth with an obstetrician and one birthing center birth with a midwife, both so fast they barely make it to the birthplace in time. They compare and contrast the two birthing environments and care provider models, which will be helpful for anyone trying to make these choices before or during pregnancy. You’ll note that last week’s and this week’s episode titles both center on grief. Grief is a necessary process in any life c...
2021-04-061h 05Birth Matters64: Non-Linear Grief: A Brooklyn HomebirthToday Sarah & Steve share their daughter Molly’s birth story as a special way to celebrate and honor her on her 13th birthday, which is the day this story is airing. It’s a story of an unmedicated vaginal birth at home with a homebirth midwife in Brooklyn. Interesting, perhaps, to note that Molly has recently become interested in becoming a midwife and has listened to every single episode of this podcast! Sarah shares how giving birth and becoming a mother stirred up a new wave of grief over the loss of her mother, which was about 7 years before she...
2021-03-301h 17Birth Matters63: A Black Birth Pro’s Fast 2nd Birth at Home & Tongue TieToday Simone Toomer joins us again to share her second baby’s birth story. Simone is a Black perinatal professional who serves birthing folks and families in a number of capacities, but at this point in time is mostly focusing on supporting nursing parents. In today’s story she shares how she again chose a Black support team and how her decision to give birth at home was a very logical choice following attending many births as a doula in various birth settings after her first baby’s birth. Simone had a quick first birth, and this one is even s...
2021-03-2359 minBirth Matters62: A Wellness Practitioner’s Early Induction for HELLP SyndromeWhat happens when you’ve planned a peaceful, undisturbed birthing center birth but are diagnosed at 37 weeks with a rare form of preeclampsia called HELLP Syndrome? Jennifer shares how this unexpected news threw her for a loop but how she calmly drove herself to the hospital to check in for an induction in which she had the pressure of needing to give birth within a few limited hours or else a cesarean would be necessary. Tune in to hear how uncharacteristically efficient Jennifer’s labor was and how ready for giving birth her body and baby were. She also shar...
2021-03-161h 09Birth Matters61: [TTC] A Lesbian Couple's Overlapping IVF Pregnancies In this last episode in our fertility journey series, we share a fertility journey story (2, actually), that may be particularly useful for folks who identify as queer and who are on the TTC path. Trigger alert: pregnancy loss is mentioned in this episode.Ashley tells her and her wife’s story of overlapping pregnancies via IVF using 1 anonymous sperm donor for both of them so their children could be genetically half-siblings. Ashley’s pregnancy followed enduring 6 failed IUI’s, a 7th IUI that resulted in an ectopic pregnancy as well as one IVF transfer that resulted in an earl...
2021-03-0952 minBirth Matters60: [TTC] The Fifth Vital Sign: Lisa Hendrickson-Jack on FAMIn today’s episode, fertility coach Lisa Hendrickson-Jack joins us to explain how the fertility awareness method can be used for the TTC fertility journey as well as for postpartum and lifelong bodily awareness. Lisa is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who teaches women to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control, conception, and monitoring overall health. In her book The Fifth Vital Sign, Lisa debunks the myth that regular ovulation is only important when you want children by recognizing the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Drawing heavily from the current scientific li...
2021-03-021h 09Birth Matters59: [TTC] Reframing a Challenging Vaginal BirthWe’re nearing the end of our fertility journey series before we return to birth stories; this week we have a bit of both. In the last couple of weeks of Jenn’s pregnancy and with the deadline set to induce labor, Jenn’s desperate to avoid induction and pulls out all the stops trying everything from bouncing on a yoga ball to red raspberry leaf tea because she had hoped for an unmedicated birth. Finally, sex seems to do the trick and her water breaks. When they show up to the hospital thinking they’d get to go hom...
2021-02-231h 31Birth Matters58: [TTC] Fertility Warrior Jasmine Katatikarn on The Artist Mindset to the Fertility Journey (Ep. 58)Today you’ll hear the story of fertility warrior Jasmine Katatikarn, who struggled to have a child for six years. After multiple IUIs and her 2nd IVF, she was told that she had a less than 1% chance of having a baby and to stop trying. However, Jasmine didn’t give up.Using her background as an artist, she applied an artist’s mindset to overcome her roadblocks and design a life that gave control of her fertility journey and life moving forward. Using her designer point of view and tools, Jasmine shows you how to take control of your...
2021-02-1651 minBirth Matters57: [TTC] IVF for Unexplained Infertility***Trigger alert: pregnancy loss is mentioned/described in this episode.***Early in the podcast’s first season, in episode 5, Julie shared her baby’s birth story. She returns today to share her fertility journey whereby it took several years of perseverance to successfully conceive and give birth to her healthy baby boy. The path to conceiving her son via IVF included unsuccessful IUIs, a chemical pregnancy, early loss of twins, and switching care providers and hospitals along the way. She explains how her Christian faith created a bit of conflict within her at first about this...
2021-02-0955 minBirth Matters56: [TTC] Fertility doula & 2 IVF birth stories (Pt 2)Today we continue our fertility journey series and share the second part of fertility doula Alison Wehr’s 2 IVF and birth stories. Alison’s second path to conception was a smoother one; today she shares how quickly IVF worked this time around, how she wasn’t nearly as anxious this time, and will detail her second born’s birth story that started with her water breaking a few days before her estimated due date. After she shares her son’s birth story, she discusses how she got into fertility doula as well as birth and postpartum work. Subscribe for email u...
2021-02-0251 minBirth Matters55: [TTC] Fertility Doula & 2 IVF Birth Stories (Pt 1)Today, we continue our fertility journey series. In this and next week's episode, birth and fertility doula Alison Wehr shares the story of her two babies’ IVF conception and birth stories. Just need to give another trigger alert that this first story includes some stories of loss in the process of trying to conceive. If you listened to Episode 47, you heard a birth story that happened on the heels of Hurricane Sandy. Alison’s first baby’s birth that she’ll share today occurred immediately before the same hurricane hit. Alison’s first birth story is one of an efficient...
2021-01-2655 minBirth Matters54: [TTC] Life and Loss: Shared by a Black Full Spectrum DoulaToday, Marise Angibeau-Gray, a Black mother and full-spectrum doula, shares the story of 3 pregnancy losses -- one in each trimester -- that led up to her 4th baby’s birth story. (Please note that this episode may be triggering for anyone who has experienced pregnancy loss or trauma.) Marise shares aspects of the emotional journey as well as how she selected each of her care providers and eventually found an optimal fit who would give her customized care. She also shares insights on a couple of things that are NOT helpful to say to someone who has experienced pregnancy lo...
2021-01-191h 22Birth Matters53: [TTC] 2nd IVF with frozen embryo, Homebirth Transfer (Pt 2)Today is part 2 of the birth story that we started last week with Adriane Stare, so if you didn’t listen last week, be sure to listen to that first. To review, this is Adriane’s 2nd IVF and birth story to share. The first story was shared back at the top of Season 2 in episode 40 and was a birth at home. This birth story didn’t go quite the same way due to the fact that her baby was in an awkward position, and we left off last week just before Adriane’s midwife advises them to transfer to the h...
2021-01-1253 minBirth Matters52: [TTC] 2nd IVF with frozen embryo, Homebirth Transfer (Pt 1)In today’s episode, we kick off our fertility journey series as postpartum doula and babywearing educator Adriane Stare, who shared her first baby’s conception and birth story in Episode 40, returns to share her 2nd baby’s Christmas Day birth story. This is a story of a frozen embryo IVF conception and then a planned home birth that needed to transfer to the hospital in the pushing stage that results in a vaginal birth. In contrast to her first birth at home, Adriane shares some challenging aspects of her hospital stay including feeling unsupported, feeling unnecessarily shamed for attemp...
2021-01-051h 01Birth Matters51: Unexpected Early Induction for Lack of Fetal MovementWhen Erin shows up for her weekly prenatal appointment around 37 weeks without her partner due to Covid restrictions, she is caught by surprise when she’s told an immediate induction is necessary because they don’t detect enough fetal movement. They’re not even packed at this point, so Mike goes home to grab a few things. Birth intentions out the window, Erin finds new perspective and resolve to give birth with confidence when a couple of things happen to help her re-center and adjust. This is a birth story of a smooth induction with a necessary epidural in which...
2020-12-2946 minBirth Matters50: Surprised an Un-Scary Birth: Unfounded FearsToday’s birth story was one that took place back in May in the first couple of months of the pandemic in a Manhattan hospital, and it was recorded mid-June. Alissa initially hired a doula to help her remain calm, but due to the pandemic the hospital wasn’t allowing more than one support person, so she shifted that support to postpartum virtual support. Despite not having doula support for the labor, Alissa is surprised when she finds most of her 8-hour labor so manageable that she questions being in labor at all for much of it. She also expl...
2020-12-221h 15Birth Matters49: Arriving Just in Time to Push & Pumping on a TrainAlmost 2 years after her daughter was born, and following a cross-country move closer to family in California, Kirtan shares the details of her firstborn’s birth. She has an unusually quick, 6-hour unmedicated labor and arrives at the hospital just in time to push, similarly to Simone a couple of episodes ago, in Episode 47. Kirtan will then share quite a bit about her struggles with breastfeeding, including experiencing a painful letdown as well as anxiety she experienced surrounding not only breastfeeding but also in introducing solids. As a bonus, you’ll hear about an intentional ritual her husband, Brendan, init...
2020-12-151h 20Birth Matters48: 3 Birth Stories from 1 MamaToday’s episode is the first time for this podcast to have one mother on the show to share all three of her babies’ birth stories. As a mom of 3, you’ll see how efficiently Traci shares her stories as this is, ironically, one of our shortest episodes. (We suspect that’s because when you’re a mom of 3 you learn to be as time-efficient as possible!) Traci shares how all 3 of her babies’ births were fairly uncomplicated, vaginal births, the first being in NYC and the 2nd and 3rd in Indianapolis. Traci shares how, while her first two had no nursi...
2020-12-0841 minBirth Matters47: A Black Lactation Counselor’s Fast 1st Hospital BirthToday, we’re excited to have a local colleague on the show to share her first baby’s birth story. Simone Toomer is a Brooklyn-based Black mother of two as well as a perinatal professional who wears many hats -- she’s a doula, childbirth educator, sleep educator, lactation counselor and soon-to-be lactation consultant. At this point, Simone is mostly focusing on nursing support, serving as a leader for La Leche League International and for Chocolate Milk Cafe, a now-national organization that specifically provides nursing support groups for nursing parents who identify with the African diaspora. In addition to sharin...
2020-12-0147 minBirth Matters46: Sorry, House Hunters, My Water Broke!Today, Mila & Shawn share their baby’s pre-pandemic, premature birth story. In the weeks leading up to Mila’s labor, the couple had been chosen to be on the tv show HOUSE HUNTERS. However, Mila’s water breaks at 36 weeks before they even finish shooting the episode. While Mila, who had done a lot of work to reduce her anxiety and build trust in the birth process, had hoped for an unmedicated labor, the way things play out induction and then pain medications ended up being needed. They share how Mila pushed for 3 hours, and just as things were headed...
2020-11-241h 03Birth Matters45: Birth Team Story Circle: Optimal Support, Unmedicated Hospital BirthFor the first time on this podcast, an almost-complete birth team is joining us today for a birth circle of sorts. Kelsey shares her firstborn’s story, with her midwife, Jenna Sood & her doula, Christine Gibson, providing their perspectives and filling in gaps where Kelsey’s memory becomes foggy. Kelsey had spent a lot of time in pregnancy envisioning and planning for the kind of birth she desired, which was an unmedicated birth in which she felt connected and well-supported. Her labor surprises her, similarly to Elaine’s story earlier this season and Toni in the last episode, in being...
2020-11-171h 26Birth Matters44: A Psychotherapist's Strategies for Quick Induction w/o Pain MedsIn today’s episode, Toni & Peter share their firstborn’s birth story only about 6 weeks after the big day. Originally they had hoped for a completely unmedicated birth. They share how, as they approached and passed the due date, they tried everything under the sun to go into labor spontaneously, to no effect. The unexpected development of needing induction just after 40 weeks due to developing borderline preeclampsia then required some adjusted expectations. You’ll hear how strong self-advocacy techniques were game-changers that Toni & Peter used to delay and, ultimately, avoid using pitocin for labor. They also share how their doula...
2020-11-101h 01Birth Matters43: A Black Mom's Care Team Choices for Baby's Cleft DiagnosisToday you’ll hear a story shared by Amayra, a black woman living in NYC who initially planned to give birth at home due to her knowledge about the poor outcomes for black birthing folks in hospitals. Things took an unexpected turn when Amayra learned her baby had a cleft diagnosis so that she needed to switch to a hospital birth attended by midwives. Amayra shares how she intentionally chose black care providers not only for her birth support team, including her doula, but also as she selected a surgeon during pregnancy to correct the cleft soon aft...
2020-11-031h 02Birth Matters42: A NYC midwife's quick first laborToday we're excited to have a wonderful NYC midwife, Elaine Keller-Duemig, on the show. Elaine was the care provider in last episode's 2 birth stories and, in this episode, shares her own baby’s birth story. She chose to gave birth at the hospital where she works with a midwife at her practice, Central Park Midwifery. This is a story of a shorter than average first-time labor in which she gets to the hospital in the nick of time. Elaine shares how, experientially, the unpredictability of how labor can go felt kind of surprising. It’s amazin...
2020-10-271h 07Birth Matters41: Two Induced Births with Hospital MidwivesIn this episode, Yuliya shares both of her babies’ birth stories. She explains how she made the intentional choice of working with a practice of in-hospital midwives as well as hired a doula for both births, as this was the kind of birth team that she felt could help her have the kind of physiological births she hoped for.While she didn’t plan or hope to have 2 inductions, that’s how things played out given unexpected circumstances in each pregnancy of low amniotic fluid and then the pandemic. She details how she was able to cope...
2020-10-201h 29Birth Matters40: [TTC] IVF with Donor Sperm to HomebirthAdriane shares her very unusual fertility journey story as well as her distinctive choice to, following IVF, give birth to her first baby at home. Adriane is not only a mom of two, but is also a babywearing expert, postpartum doula, breastfeeding counselor, and the former owner of a baby boutique in Greenpoint, Brooklyn now called The Wild. She’ll share her 2nd IVF and birth story later on the season as we begin the series on fertility journey challenges. Subscribe for email updates Show notes (transcript, resources, photos) Connect: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | podcast@birthmattersnyc.com
2020-10-131h 21Birth Matters39: A Tale of 2 NYC HomebirthsSEASON 1 FINALE! Today we have another home birth story for you. Actually, this episode is two home birth stories. And it’s shared by the dear friends of the couple from the last story whom Sarah mentioned.The day before Nora’s & Michael’s firstborn’s 4th birthday, and about a week before their 2nd born turns 1, they share both of their stories of uncomplicated births at home. Listen to hear details of thoughtfully choosing the birth location and birth team that would be most likely to honor their hopes to have a peaceful and physiolog...
2020-05-261h 33Birth Matters38: An Epic-Length Labor, Homebirth to Cesarean (Part 2)Today, we continue our cesarean birth stories series; this episode completes a 2-part story and is the grand finale to the series. We continue this EPIC birth warrior story that goes in all kinds of unexpected directions told by Sarah and Chris. This story feels like several birth stories wrapped into one. Sarah & Chris share their story of a very long, planned home birth that eventually transfers to the hospital and after DAYS of labor (literally, days) ultimately, Sarah gives birth via c-section after her waters have been ruptured for 90+hours. Get ready for a taste of how unknowable...
2020-05-191h 13Birth Matters37: An Epic-Length Labor, Homebirth to Cesarean (Part 1)Today, we continue our cesarean birth stories series; this episode begins a 2-parter and grand finale to the series. You’re in for an EPIC birth warrior story that goes in all kinds of unexpected directions told by Sarah and Chris. Quite honestly, this story feels like several birth stories wrapped into one. Sarah & Chris share their story of a very long, planned home birth that eventually transfers to the hospital and after DAYS of labor (literally, days) ultimately, Sarah gives birth via c-section after her waters have been ruptured for 90+hours. Get ready for a taste of how un...
2020-05-121h 18Birth Matters36: Induction for Cholestasis to Cesarean Birth for Fetal DistressIn today’s episode, we return to our cesarean birth stories that were scheduled for last month’s Cesarean Awareness Month following our 3-week detour to share birth stories taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Do be sure to give us a follow over on Instagram or Facebook (both @birthmattersnyc) for some educational content on this topic that we posted last month. The month of May will be the last few episodes of our first season, as we'll be going on hiatus for the summer to prepare lots more great content for the fall. Today, Amanda & Grant share t...
2020-05-051h 25Birth Matters35: Birth During Covid-19: Want Partner? Hurry, Induce!Just before their due date, Sarah & Spencer receive an urgent call from their obstetrician saying they need to be induced immediately if they want Spencer to allowed to support Sarah in labor. Not wanting to give birth without support, they heed the call and head to NYC’s NY Pres Weill Cornell for an uncomplicated vaginal birth. They describe the ways in which the environment was different in light of the pandemic, including testing, wearing masks, the hospital feeling quieter than normal, and more. They both share that, while they were grateful that Spencer was able to be present to...
2020-04-281h 24Birth Matters34: Birth During Covid-19: Advocacy for Partner SupportAmidst the growing Covid-19 pandemic and stay at home orders, Natalie & Jackson share the stress they experienced late in her 3rd trimester when they learn that their hospital is no longer allowing partners to accompany the laboring person. They scramble to advocate for the decision to be reversed at Mt. Sinai East and are interviewed by multiple reporters along the way. They share how they were surprised when Natalie’s water broke a few weeks before the due date. Thankfully, baby waited to come just long enough for Governor Cuomo to issue an executive order requiring partners to be al...
2020-04-2149 minBirth Matters33: Virtual Doula Support in the Covid-19 PandemicWhen the Covid-19 pandemic starts getting real in March, Jackie & Michael try everything they can near their due date to help labor to start when their doctor wouldn't agree to induce until after her due date. A few days before her due date, Jackie's surprised when her water breaks. Because she sees meconium in the fluid and she was Group B Strep positive, they head to the hospital. They describe how both the induction and the pushing stage surprise them when it progresses more quickly than most. You'll hear the different ways that, in mid-March when Jackie gave birth...
2020-04-141h 12Birth Matters32: Trying to Change OBs for Vaginal BreechIn today’s episode, Christine learns in her 33rd week of pregnancy that her baby has flipped to breech, or heads up, position. She scrambles to change care providers in hopes of having closer to the kind of birth she and her husband, Omri, wanted. While she wasn’t able to have the vaginal, unmedicated birth she had hoped for -- because it’s nearly impossible to find any care providers who are trained to safely deliver breech babies vaginally -- she opts out of the recommended scheduled cesarean and waits for labor to start spontaneously before having a surgic...
2020-04-0757 minBirth Matters31: A Parent's Cancer Diagnosis During Pregnancy & Postpartum Anxiety A few days before celebrating their daughter’s first birthday, Nissa & Brit share the story of an unexpectedly quick first labor with the support of a doula. You'll hear about how a preexisting condition Nissa has, Crohn's Disease, caused confusion when she actually went into labor. She shares the emotional challenges of a cancer diagnosis her mom got in the middle of Nissa’s pregnancy and mentions a therapeutic method that was helpful to her. She details how she thinks her background and training in acting was helpful in giving birth, while Brit explains how being a parent has helpe...
2020-03-311h 12Birth Matters30: Delaying Induction: Self-Advocacy StrategiesToday, Birth Matters alums Jess & Rich share the story of their firstborn son’s birth. Jess explains how super-prepared she was, reading up on everything she could get her hands on, hiring a doula in the 2nd trimester, focusing on eating nutrient-dense foods, taking prenatal yoga classes and childbirth education classes. She proceeds to share how, while she had very much hoped for a completely unmedicated birth, she and Rich were able to swing with the curve balls they were dealt toward a satisfying, great birth experience. They go into details about being induced at 41 weeks 6 days after refusing to...
2020-03-241h 32Birth Matters29: Yoda-Quoting Nurse Helps Support Induction w/o Pain MedsToday, Alicia shares details about her hospital induction, which she was able to manage without pain medications. Before she gets into that, she talks about the various ways she equipped herself with as much knowledge as she needed to feel confident going into the process of giving birth. Because her blood pressure read high and amniotic fluid looked borderline low at 39½ weeks, the decision was made to induce labor. She describes the many hours that proceed from there, how their doula provided comfort measures, and how praying helped center her through to the pushing stage. Alicia also shares some d...
2020-03-171h 06Birth Matters28: A Prenatal Yoga Teacher’s Unmedicated Hospital Birth on Long IslandIn today's story, Nicole shares about an unexpectedly brief, 6-hour, unmedicated first labor in a Long Island hospital with midwives and with the support of her husband and a doula. Before she goes into her birth story, she describes her background as a child life specialist in a hospital setting as well as her love for teaching prenatal yoga and pursuit of education in aromatherapy. She also details the ways she learned to really listen to and honor her body in slowing down, reflecting and journaling to connect with her baby. Listen to hear how, after her water breaks...
2020-03-101h 09Birth Matters27: Induction w/o Pain Meds for Autoimmune Condition Sjogren’sToday, Desire shares her son’s birth story just a few weeks after the birth, which was a 3-day long hospital induction at Forest Hills Hospital in Queens. She was determined to do it without pain medications and was able to do just that. Also determined to breastfeed, Desire shares the varied experiences she had with hospital staff trying to support her in breastfeeding, and how disempowering language was not helpful. With some perseverance and professional lactation support at home once she and baby were discharged, she details how things improved fairly quickly. Desi explains a few ways that he...
2020-03-0347 minBirth Matters26: A Pediatric Nurse's 2 Preemie Births with Hospital MidwivesToday Ellen shares the birth stories of her two daughters, who were both born prematurely. We discuss the benefits of midwifery care and why Ellen chose midwives for both of her births, as well as some of the insurance challenges that we face when attempting to choose midwives. She details how both of her daughters were not only preemies but also how her bag of waters broke as the first sign of labor both times. You'll hear Ellen describe a difficult 2nd pregnancy and how seeing a chiropractor who was expert in this phase of life helped e...
2020-02-2554 minBirth Matters25: 911 to Hospital for Unmedicated Birth Inspires Doula WorkIn today’s episode, Ann shares details of her experience giving birth for the first time. Her labor progresses more quickly than most first labors, and she explains how they called an ambulance when she thought she felt the baby’s head. She’ll describe that she was, indeed, very close to pushing upon arrival at the hospital, though not quite as far along as she had thought. After she shares her birth story, she’ll also explain how her birth inspired her to move into birth and postpartum doula work as she relocated to be closer to family in south...
2020-02-1842 min