Birth Matters
Lisa Taylor - Birth Matters NYC Childbirth Education & Labor Support
1 Creator
1 Creator
1 Listener
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 Birth Matters Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Birth Matters episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Birth Matters for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Birth Matters episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
84: Self-Advocacy When Being Gaslighted
Birth Matters
05/17/22 • 61 min
When 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 actually in labor when she clearly was, augmenting with pitocin, Becky advocating to have her preferences be honored, and an otherwise fairly uncomplicated birth. She also shares a bit about her breastfeeding journey and how postpartum anxiety started around 3 months out from birth when baby went on a nursing strike.
Please always curate for yourself which episodes you feel will build your confidence and not your anxiety. This is one of the more challenging stories in that Becky was the unfortunate recipient of patient gaslighting, which could be upsetting or triggering for some listeners. However, you’ll hear how smartly Becky advocates for her voice to be heard and her preferences to be respected, so this is one reason we feel this story could be very useful for expectant parents to hear.
If you do choose to skip the story, I highly recommend tuning in to the teaching portion at the end because I’ll go over some simple but powerful self-advocacy strategies that are a glimpse of what you’ll also learn if you come to birth class.
Show notes at birthmattersshow.com
1 Listener
111: A Pediatric ICU Nurse’s 3rd Preemie
Birth Matters
04/14/24 • 79 min
Ellen, 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 pregnant a bit longer than with her daughters, and despite her son being born a preemie, he doesn’t need the NICU after birth. She shares how much she struggled in the first month, despite all her preparation for and support in the postpartum period. The details of Ellen’s story drive home the importance of being quick to speak up if you’re ever not okay in the journey into parenthood. And stay tuned for some mental health resources that may be a lifeline for anyone who might be struggling; those will be shared in the commentary after Ellen shares her story.
14: A NYC Actor's Vocal Work in Birth
Birth Matters
12/03/19 • 77 min
In today's birth story, Amy's labor begins with a spontaneous rupture of the membranes, laboring at home for a number of hours, eventually transferring to the hospital where the labor continues with induction and epidural. As Amy and her husband are both actors, she describes the ways in which their acting training, specifically breath work & bodywork, helped her find her groove in her 3-hour pushing stage with a fairly large baby. She shares about some postpartum struggles with pelvic floor health. Finally, she details some compelling things to consider in partner communication and establishing healthy boundaries entering parenthood, particularly in light of the hormonal roller coaster we experience after birth.
11/10/20 • 61 min
In 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 and Peter set up the hospital room in a way that was both meditative and celebratory, including the use of battery-operated candles, aromatherapy, music, and even a hand drum and dancing. As a psychotherapist who specializes in meditation and mindfulness, Toni details how she used those skills and tools to have an almost completely unmedicated, quick 5-hour induced labor in which she pushes the baby out in only 4 pushes. In light of the fact that most inductions are expected to take, on average, 24 hours, and even spontaneous first-time labors take 18 hours on average, this was doubly fast and efficient. Toni gives a couple of insights and recommendations to listeners for early breastfeeding, and they both reflect on the moment of meeting their daughter as well as the monumental transition into parenthood.
41: Two Induced Births with Hospital Midwives
Birth Matters
10/20/20 • 89 min
In 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 with both medical inductions with non-pharmacological pain coping techniques using some of the techniques she knows intuitively and as a clinical psychologist as well as with the support of the team she so carefully chose.
30: Delaying Induction: Self-Advocacy Strategies
Birth Matters
03/24/20 • 92 min
Today, 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 be scheduled for several days leading up to that, and proceeding with an induction using cytotec, a foley balloon, and artificially rupturing the membranes. This story is an example of an induction in which pitocin wasn’t needed (not the most common road for an induction to take, but can happen), for which Jess was very thankful. They’ll also share about how they chose a doula, how Rich and doula Tia worked together optimally, and about early breastfeeding challenges and receiving the support of both Tia and then an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). Finally, they’ll share a couple of tips for the journey into parenthood.
05/12/20 • 78 min
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 unknowable and unpredictable birth can be, and listen to the amazingly positive attitude this couple has through it and on the other side of it. These episodes provide a poignant lesson in how important mindset and flexibility are, keeping in mind it’s your baby’s birth, not yours, choosing a great birth team that hears you and gives you choices, among many other valuable lessons. Even if birth doesn’t go “as planned”--which it hardly ever does, but this one goes off-plan in almost every possible way!--Sarah & Chris share strategies for averting feelings of trauma and for, instead, still feeling good about the birth.
75: Daddy, Catch the Baby on the Sidewalk!
Birth Matters
03/15/22 • 48 min
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
87: In Labor at a Seder
Birth Matters
07/12/22 • 59 min
Jewish 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 she identifies her daughter’s gender at birth and names her after her grandmother.
Show notes at birthmattersshow.com
73: Feeling Heard When Birth Doesn’t Go as Planned
Birth Matters
03/01/22 • 77 min
Today’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 found someone she can totally trust to hear and respect her birth choices and not intervene unnecessarily. When Lucy’s told she needs to go to the hospital immediately to be induced for low fluids at 41 weeks, it becomes clear things won’t fully go as she had hoped. However, you’ll hear Lucy share how it was still a positive, empowering experience overall because of her careful choice of a care provider with whom she felt truly aligned and who helped her discern each step of the way when interventions were truly medically indicated.
Show notes at birthmattersshow.com
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Birth Matters have?
Birth Matters currently has 123 episodes available.
What topics does Birth Matters cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Parenting, Labor, Fertility, Baby, Pregnancy, Doula, How To, Midwife, Podcasts, Education and Birth.
What is the most popular episode on Birth Matters?
The episode title '84: Self-Advocacy When Being Gaslighted' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Birth Matters?
The average episode length on Birth Matters is 66 minutes.
How often are episodes of Birth Matters released?
Episodes of Birth Matters are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Birth Matters?
The first episode of Birth Matters was released on Sep 6, 2019.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ