The Birth Experience with Labor Nurse Mama

Thanks to our Sponsor HaakaaWhat if the most powerful postpartum tool you own isn’t a gadget at all, but a piece of fabric that keeps your baby close?This week, Trish sits down with Skye Amundsen and Mallory Bransfield, the best friends and co-founders behind hope&plum. They’re the size-inclusive baby carrier brand that moms across Trish’s community can’t stop talking about, and Trish’s own team happens to be full of fangirls. In 2018, Skye and Mallory were two new moms who were fed up with carriers that didn’t fit every body and brands that turned babywearing into a race to “score the drop.” So they built something better.Skye shares how a ring sling became her first “faith purchase” during IVF, and how babywearing helped her reclaim her motherhood during her daughter’s two-week NICU stay. Mallory opens up about how it kept her connected to her baby through a hard breastfeeding journey. Trish, a mom of seven who has watched babywearing go in and out of style for nearly three decades, brings the real talk. Moms have been sold a myth, she says, that keeping baby close holds them back. It actually gives them more freedom.In this episode:How a frustrating shopping experience turned into an eight-figure, size-inclusive brandSkye’s NICU story and why babywearing felt like a way to take back controlBabywearing through breastfeeding struggles, triple feeds, and pumpingThe research-backed benefits: co-regulation, less crying, support for nursing, and lower rates of postpartum depressionWhy babywearing is a cultural practice, not a trend, and why education matters as much as the carrierSafety, the legal bar that’s “entirely too low,” and brands chasing a money grabStaying true to your mission as a founder (and a mom) when things get hardTwo pieces of advice for expecting mamas: find your community, and trust your intuitionMore from Skye & Mallory:Website: hopeandplum.coInstagram: @hopeandplumTikTok: @hopeandplumThanks to our Sponsor Haakaa: Grab the Haakaa Petal Soft Silicone Milk Collector and use code ‘LOVELNM10’ for 10% off! Helpful Timestamps:00:00 Hope and Plum06:17 Skye’s NICU Babywearing Experience08:27 Mallory’s Breastfeeding Struggles14:45 Benefits of Babywearing30:04 Business And Motherhood Never Pause38:43 Where To Find Hope And PlumJoin The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐Connect w/ Trish: On InstagramOn YouTubeFor more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

At 28, with four little boys at home, no money for the trip, and a stomach virus she couldn’t shake, Trish boarded a plane to India alone to bring her daughter home. She didn’t know if she’d leave with her. She definitely didn’t know that September 11th would happen while she was there, and that every flight to America would be grounded.This episode is deeply personal. Trish’s adoption story went viral as an Instagram carousel, but she’s telling the parts a carousel couldn’t hold. There’s the courtroom, the embassy, the stranding in Mumbai, and the homecoming that still chokes her up. It’s a story about being scared and going anyway, and about the people who show up to carry you when you can’t see the whole path.In this episode, Trish shares:Why she stopped waiting at home for a court date and decided she had to show up in personThe surprise buddy pass that made the trip possible, first class, y’allMeeting her 15-month-old daughter, who screamed and ran the other way, and the lollipop that changed everythingGetting in trouble in an Indian courtroom for crossing her legsA taxi door to the head, a very sick baby, and refusing to leave the American Embassy without her paperworkBeing stranded in Mumbai on 9/11 with no flights and no phone lines home, and the one person she met that saved themFlying home with a plane full of military men passing her baby around, and the 50 people waiting in ChattanoogaThe three lessons from that trip that shaped who she is todayWhat Trish carries with her:You can make a meaningful decision without feeling confident about it.You can stick with something important when it gets complicated.You can take the next step without knowing the whole path, and let people come alongside you to help.If there’s a decision in front of you right now, ask yourself: what’s one thing you can do with what you know today, and who can come alongside you? Then take the scary step.If this story moved you, share it with a mama who’s facing her own leap of faith.Helpful Timestamps:00:00 Adoption Leap Begins04:23 First Meeting Sithara05:55 Courtroom Culture Shock09:58 9/11 & Stranded in Mumbai10:52 Help from Shikha14:21 Homecoming15:03 Three Lessons from This TripJoin The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐Connect w/ Trish: On InstagramOn YouTubeFor more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

You spend months preparing for birth, but what about the feeding journey that starts the moment baby arrives? Breastfeeding isn’t just a “from the chest up” experience. It’s a whole-body journey for both mama and baby.This week, Trish sits down with Melissa Bradley, a pediatric occupational therapist, certified lactation counselor, and mom of four. Together they talk through how to prepare your mind, body, and home for breastfeeding before baby gets here. They cover the emotional prep no one talks about, the “mommy injuries” that come from poor positioning, why the hospital’s Breastfeeding 101 class is only the beginning, and the few supplies Melissa says you truly need.In this episode:Why breastfeeding is a whole-body experience for mom and babyHow to plan for emotional regulation and support before you come homeSetting boundaries around visitors without the guilt, and choosing your “village”Mommy shoulder, mommy wrist, and mommy thumb: what they are and how to prevent themCreating a comfortable, supportive feeding spaceWhy the medical system is reactive, and how to have support ready before problems startDebunking breastfeeding myths from social media and even providersPumping vs. nursing, wearable pumps, and choosing what works for youMelissa’s short list of must-have breastfeeding suppliesConnect with Melissa Bradley, OT, CLC:mamababecharlotte.com Follow her on Instagram @mamababecharlotteHelpful Timestamps: 00:00 Preparing for Breastfeeding 04:45 Emotional Prep And Support08:26 Setting Boundaries 12:13 Physical Setup And Injuries17:07 Get Proactive Lactation Help21:59 Personalized Goals And Myths26:52 Minimal Must Have SuppliesJoin The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐Connect w/ Trish: On InstagramOn YouTubeFor more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

This episode is sponsored by Motif MedicalAfter 16 years as a high-risk labor and delivery nurse, Trish shares the five truths she wishes every mama heard before she puts on that hospital gown. Spoiler: you don't have to be the "good patient," and you don't have to prove a thing.In this episode:You don't lose your autonomy in a hospital gown. Trish explains why "they won't let you" thinking starts in your head, and how to ask questions calmly without becoming combative.You don't need to prove anything in labor. There's no trophy for suffering. Unmedicated, epidural, or somewhere in between, it's your birth, and you're allowed to change your mind.Your support person needs to know their assignment. Trish shares what your partner should know before labor starts, from counterpressure to knowing when you want quiet.Labor doesn't look the same for everyone. Stalls, starts, long pushes, and short ones are all normal variations. Trish explains the difference between labor taking time and labor becoming unsafe.A good birth isn't one where everything went to plan. Trish talks about preparing without trying to control your birth, and why you're allowed to grieve the parts that didn't go how you hoped."Birth preparation is not about controlling your birth. It is about helping you feel prepared enough to navigate birth." - TrishSend this episode to the person who'll be in the delivery room with you, or to a pregnant bestie. You shouldn't be the only one preparing for this birth.💗Thanks to our sponsor Motif Medical: Go to motifmedical.com and use code ‘TRISH15’ for 15% off!Helpful Timestamps:00:00 5 Things Every Pregnant Mama Should Know02:03 Autonomy 04:10 No Need To Prove Anything06:33 Your Support Partner09:47 Every Labor Looks Different12:13 Redefining A Good Birth14:52 The Right Birth Prep Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐Connect w/ Trish: On InstagramOn YouTubeFor more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

What if tearing isn't inevitable? There is so much more you can do than "hope for the best," and it starts with a part of your body nobody ever taught you about: your pelvic floor.My friend Sarah Almodovar is a mom of three, a prenatal yoga teacher, and a pelvic floor expert. She started by teaching yoga on a rooftop in NYC, and now she helps moms all over the world show up to birth prepared, confident, and far less afraid.We're talking about the thing you've all told me you're most scared of - vaginal tearing - and how to take the fear out of it with practical tips to lessen your chance of tearing.What We Cover:Why vaginal tearing is such a hot topic (and why it's only a tiny part of your birth experience)Why the pelvic floor's real job is to release and open, not tense and pushSarah's 3 tips for moms worried about tearingWhy "one, two, three, push" doesn't make sense, and what the research says about spontaneous pushingWhy your birth team matters for your pelvic floor, tooRed flags your body may be sending you now, like leaking when you sneeze, painful sex, or tailbone painHow learning to relax your pelvic floor can influence labor length, risk of tearing, and even C-section riskWhy seeing a pelvic floor specialist and a Webster-certified chiropractor during pregnancy is worth itMore from Sarah AlmodovarBirth-Ready Pelvic Floor MasterclassFirst 6 Weeks - use coupon code ‘TRISH’www.sarahjoalmo.comFollow her on Instagram & YouTube: @sarahjoalmoMentioned in this episode:Listen to: Vaginal Tearing during Birth: Real & Gritty Helpful Timestamps:00:00 Is Tearing Inevitable?01:30 Sarah’s No Tear Story03:38 Mindset Over Outcomes08:22 Three Tips To Prevent Tearing15:33 Pelvic Floor Basics Explained17:56 Advocacy And Red Flags23:49 Masterclass And Programs28:00 Where To Find SarahJoin The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐Connect w/ Trish: On InstagramOn YouTubeFor more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services