Big Birth Junkie

Lorena Garcia was born and raised in Mexico City and comes from a culture that revolves around community and family. Lorena shares with us her full journey into parenthood - from the heartbreak of her first two miscarriages to finding joy and ease through her postpartum choices.

Lorena's postpartum experiences combined with her deep Mexican heritage (that put emphasis on taking care of the new mother is a priority) became the impetus for becoming a "mompreneur" and creating Majka, wholesome nutrition for motherhood.

Join us for an hour of heartbreak, joy and a few good laughs.

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For more information to go: GraceFull or follow us: @gracefullbirth or our guest: Majka or @lovemajka on IG.

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We want to give a HUGE thanks to our sponsors, without whom you would not be able to listen to this information so you know your choices!

Majka took the nutritional needs of new moms, worked with a brilliant team of professional nutritionists, and created yummy cookies and tasty shakes that not only fulfilled the fundamental nutrition you and your baby needs, we also included ingredients that support lactation and are meant to help increase breast milk supply.

A Big THANK YOU to Modern Milk for hosting our live taping in Arizona. (Check them out if you live in AZ check them out as they have a great pregnancy and postpartum community!)

GraceFull where you can find BBJ's host Elizabeth's free ebook: Birth Planning: All the Questions to Ask and all kinds of educational videos including Childbirth Education, Birth Worker Trainings and Lactation Classes.

If you live in Los Angeles and are curious about birthing outside of a hospital, check out our midwives for home births, water birth, and our accredited birthing center (where we are in-network for Blue Shield!) We also have a full wellness facility with NDs, Chiropractic, Therapy, Massage, Lactation and lots of amazing classes.

Rhonda is the mother of two beautiful children, both of whom were born at the hospital. There was an expectation on the 2nd birth, because of the ease of her first birth. But, as it happens, she had two very different births with both her children with two very different versions of the water breaking.

This is a special edition of Big Birth Junkie that coincides with the artwork of Judy Chicago's Birth Project Born Again Series at the Pasadena Museum and relates to her piece: Hatching the Universal Egg

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For more information to go: GraceFull or follow us: @gracefullbirth or our guest: @rhondaedelstein

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This episode is sponsored by GraceFull where you can find BBJ's host Elizabeth's free ebook: Birth Planning: All the Questions to Ask and all kinds of educational videos including Childbirth Education, Advanced Doula Trainings and Lactation Support.

If you live in Los Angeles, check out our midwives for home births, water birth, and our accredited birthing center. We also have a full wellness facility with NDs, Chiropractic, Therapy, Massage, Lactation and lots of amazing classes.

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Here are a few other social media resources that might resonate with you about this podcast topic. These are not specific to water breaking but they tend to have some great photos and stores: @blackwomenbirthing @the-angela_gallo and @birthstories.by.meaganadams

When Kelly gave birth to her 3rd child in the hospital she kept saying, "I need to push!" but was dismissed by the nurse. She was blessed to have her mom in the room who took control because Kelly's son was right there, crowning, between her legs. Kelly is another person of color who was not seen or heard in the hospital. Join us as we talk to Kelly and her husband Jason about childbirth, trusting your body and the huge problem in America for women of color: Not being seen and heard!

This is a special edition of Big Birth Junkie that coincides with the artwork of Judy Chicago's Birth Project Born Again Series at the Pasadena Museum and relates to her piece: The Crowing Quilt

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For more information to go: GraceFull or follow us: @gracefullbirth or our guest: @kellyamcknight

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This episode is sponsored by GraceFull where you can find BBJ's host Elizabeth's free ebook: Birth Planning: All the Questions to Ask and all kinds of educational videos including Childbirth Education, Advanced Doula Trainings and Lactation Support.

If you live in Los Angeles, check out our midwives for home births, water birth, and our accredited birthing center. We also have a full wellness facility with NDs, Chiropractic, Therapy, Massage, Lactation and lots of amazing classes.

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Here are a few other social media resources that might resonate with you about this podcast topic:

@ancientsong @momsincolor @glowmaven @bstereo

Jenny Silva is a local doula who holds within her in the ancient wisdom passed down to her by her ancestors. It was an honor to share sacred space (or what I like to call ceremony) with her and her mother, Maria Silva, inside the Judy Chicago Birth Stories exhibition in Pasadena, CA in September of 2018.

In this episode we go deep into quite a few places around childbirth. We talk about Jenny's 4 births and her mother, Maria's 11 births. They share with us some of their traditional wisdom around herbs (but they don't give away all the secrets :), frustrations with hospital care, the wisdom of the ancestor and the ultimate lesson: Birth is not an illness, the body always tells us what it needs.

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For more information to go: GraceFull or follow us: @gracefullbirth or our guest: @doulajennysilva

__________This episode is sponsored by GraceFull where you can find BBJ's host Elizabeth's free ebook Birth Planning: All the Questions to Ask and all kinds of educational videos including Childbirth Education, Advanced Doula Trainings and Lactation Support. Go to GraceFull to download the ebook for free.If you live in Los Angeles, check out GraceFull's midwives for home births, water birth, and our accredited birthing center. We also have a full wellness facility with NDs, Chiropractic, Therapy, Massage, Lactation and lots of amazing classes.

Also, thank you to our sponsor BEB Organic, a natural, vegan certified, NICU approved line of 5 baby products that do what they say (and I use on my face too!). To get your free gift with purchase go to their website BEB Organic and add "WEEKENDER SET" to your cart and use the code: BBJ at checkout to get the weekender set for free!

Renee first noticed she had stretch marks when she was 14 and remembers thinking “Does this mean I’m ugly? Are people going to think I’m ugly?”

After the birth of her children, she was ashamed, embarrassed, and often felt that she had ruined herself because of her loose skin and stretch marks. It was her Auntie Loody and her friends who gave her the courage to accept her baby marks.

Renne and I talked quite a bit over the phone (and please accept my apologies for a sometimes challenging connection) about stretch marks, being a teen mom, yoga and body acceptance.

This is a special edition of Big Birth Junkie that coincides with the artwork of Judy Chicago's Birth Project Born Again Series at the Pasadena Museum and relates to her piece: Birth Garment - Flowering Schrub.

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For more information to go: GraceFull or follow us: @gracefullbirth or our guest: @iamreneewatkins

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This episode is sponsored by GraceFull where you can find BBJ's host Elizabeth's free ebook: Birth Planning: All the Questions to Ask and all kinds of educational videos including Childbirth Education, Advanced Doula Trainings and Lactation Support.

If you live in Los Angeles, check out our midwives for home births, water birth, and our accredited birthing center. We also have a full wellness facility with NDs, Chiropractic, Therapy, Massage, Lactation and lots of amazing classes.

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Here are a few other social media resources that might resonate with you about this podcast topic @4thtribodies and Renee’s friend @childishyogini