Pros Talk Pregnancy Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

What is a compound presentation and how can it make the birthing process potentially more challenging for both the one giving birth and baby? In this episode Chiropractor and Dynamic Body Balancing maven, Kristen Hosaka joins us! She shares absolutely fascinating insights into how she learned to identify compound presentations in utero, what to do to help baby, and why we should even consider how the baby is experiencing the birthing process and the lasting implications. 

Kristen explains how observing a baby's sleeping position can give us big clues into their go-to position in utero. We discuss how baby’s experience of the birthing process can have lasting effects and what we can do to support their best journey. The conversation moves into a beautiful articulation of the role our stress plays and the beauty of  not just a down regulated but a truly responsive nervous system. 

Kristen reveals that she herself had 2 really challenging births with her first two babies in compound presentations and talks through how that had a lasting impact on the work she does today. I share a birth story from a VBAC client over a decade ago through the new lens of Kristen’s explanation of compound presentations and have a lightbulb moment that this may have been what was at play way back then. So fascinating!

We learn signs and symptoms during pregnancy that a compound presentation might be present and what to do about it during pregnancy and at birth. Even though we get nerdy on pelvic imbalances, we also share many actionable tips for birth pros and families.

Don’t miss out on this episode!

Websites: https://welladjustedbirth.com | http://icpa4kids.com
Show Notes: https://www.serola.net/research-education | Witnessing the Miracle of Birth - video by Dr. Carol Phillips | The Anatomy of the Baby’s Journey - book by Spinning Babies

In this episode, Adriana Lozada of the Birthful podcast joins us to jam out on all things physiological pregnancy prep and birth support. What does the term “physiological birth” even mean? How do our minds influence our physiology? How do chemicals influence our physiology? And, what is considered an intervention. Does more technology equal a “safer” birth? Is a home birth the only way to have a physiological birth? And, what is the role of the doula in supporting a physiological birth? Statistics show having a doula in the birthing space improves birth outcomes. What is the superpower that doulas specifically bring to the birth?

Adriana talks about her own birth. She mentions how it went well ‘on paper’, but it was not the experience she desired. She talks about the importance of internal work i.e the mindset along with the external work. Everything else we do will not help if we are not equipped with the mental tools we need to have a safe and calm birth.

In addition, we discuss the importance of hormones. Especially unhindered flow of the oxytocin in labor and how the modern day birthing environment is inhibiting it. We discuss inhibitors such as the pressure of giving birth on or before the due date, continuous electronic fetal monitoring during labor for low risk birthers, and the importance of surrendering to your intuition for physiological birth.

In this episode Adriana really breaks it down into actionable ways we, as birth workers and families, work towards getting the pregnancy, birth and recovery desired.  

 
Website: https://birthful.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birthfulpodcast/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birthful/id948399815

Yes! You read that right, 43+ weeks pregnant and, true story, a news crew capturing the whole experience for the local news! 

In this episode I am joined by my husband, Matt Mccoy to share the story of our 3rd birth. This was my first birth after having become a birth professional. It was my longest pregnancy and birth process, but also the birth I consider my easiest birth (although, postpartum was a completely different story. But, that’s a story for a different day!).

This story is really a journey into trust and intuition. Something I consider crucial throughout pregnancy and especially when due date arrives.

Listen in as Matt and I talk through making decisions that were right for us, especially as we went weeks past our guess date. How important the “bubble of peace” was in remaining calm and confident. And, what Matt as a birth partner did to help keep both of our nervous systems from going into fight or flight mode.

I discuss the ways I visualized this birth to go (I wanted it to be LONGER than the last ones! Yes you read that right.) and how it actually played out in reality. I touch on birth at 43+ weeks after becoming a birth professional. I was now teaching exercises and childbirth classes. How did this impact my experience, birth choices, etc.? Can knowing more about the ins and outs of birth make us more confident or more nervous during the whole process? Where is the fine line? Tune in and find out our take on all things pregnant and overdue!

Website: http://bodyreadymethod.com
Facebook: BRM Private Community
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyreadymethod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bodyreadymethod

In this episode we talk all about birth partner support with my husband, Matt McCoy! We often forget about how overwhelming the journey to baby can be for the partners. Pregnancy, birth and recovery are huge physiological events and it’s really easy for birth partners to feel like a deer caught in headlights and freeze or sink into a corner when things get intense. Many partners want to be involved, but just don’t know how or what to do and just need a bit of extra support and encouragement.

But what if we empowered the birth partners? Prepare partners so that they could show up in the way the birther needs them to. What if working together in this way could be a catalyst for even deeper connection. What if it could be a catalyst for your partner finding their flow as a parent (if your birth partner is also your parenting partner).

Yes, just like we can prepare during pregnancy for birth, partners can prepare to give the support needed! Birth support for each person looks different. There are birthers who’ll want someone near, someone holding their hand. There are birthers who’ll want their space. This is just one small example of how support can vary from person to person. Matt and I talk about our own birth experiences. We touch on ways to get the birther and the birth partner in tune to know what will be needed when the moment comes.

It is not about becoming an expert about birth. Practicing a few things together not only helps you to recall it at birth it also helps you to connect. Join us as we discuss what it means to be ‘partner ready’ and what you can do, together, to make this your reality. In this episode we talk through our stories and tips to make you feel more prepared, together. I encourage you to listen!

Website: http://bodyreadymethod.com
Facebook: BRM Private Community
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyreadymethod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bodyreadymethod

On this episode Matt and I chat about our second birth and what a different birth experience it was. Have you ever had an experience that altered the course of your life so deeply and profoundly that you knew your life would not be the same without it? Our first birth wasn’t the experience we’d hoped for. And after this birth, in our own ways, we became obsessed with figuring out why and what could be done differently.

Matt, as my birth partner, dived into research to learn more about how he could actively support a birth better. I really got into reading and learning more about pregnancy and birth and how I could incorporate my background in exercise science into it. 

This led us to make very different choices for our 2nd birth experience two and a half years later, which led to a profoundly different experience. An experience so deep and profound, an experience so autonomous and empowering, that it altered the entire course of our lives. This was the birth that led me to step fully into my power as a birth worker. 

I thought I was leaving exercise science and my  job as an exercise physiologist behind… little did I know that I would someday combine the two to create what is now known as the Body Ready Method®.

Listen in on this episode to hear what the McCoy’s did differently and how these choices altered our lives forever! There are a few tips and tricks you can take into your next birth or your next client’s birth that may just make the difference in the type of birth you experience.

Webite: www.bodyreadymethod.com
Facebook: BRM Private Community
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bodyreadymethod
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@bodyreadymethod.com

Join me and my amazing husband, Matt McCoy, as we recount the story of our first pregnancy and birth, from 2006/2007. Picture two young adults who thought they had it all figured out. Who figured “people have been having babies forever, I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Who wanted a natural first birth, but didn’t really have a plan as to how to get there. 

At the time, I was finishing up my Exercise Science degree and was teaching almost every fitness class possible. From bootcamp to water aerobics to spinning. You name it, I was teaching it. I read all the right books and even googled “doula near me,” but found none nearby. 

Needless to say, our first birth didn’t go the way we had hoped. We ended up at the hospital, tubes everywhere and I ended up getting an epidural. When this happened, being the research nerd that I am, I needed to know why. Really, this is the story of how an exercise physiologist, who said she’d never go into birth as the daughter of an L&D nurse and granddaughter of an OB/GYN, started the ball rolling to what would eventually become the realization of her life’s calling. It’s also the story of a partner learning what true support means during pregnancy, during birth, and during postpartum. Learning to become a parent.

As Matt and I discuss our first birth for the first time in almost 15 years, we interweave helpful tips and tricks that you can take into your own pregnancy and birth experiences. It is often difficult  to see how far we have grown until we look back at a former version of ourselves, with love and appreciation, yet here we take a look at a former version of us and the birth that started it all.

Website: http://bodyreadymethod.com
Facebook: BRM Private Community
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyreadymethod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bodyreadymethod 

Have you ever heard of the flow state? Have you ever felt “in the zone?” That zone where you seem to have effortless momentum, where time seems to melt away and you are just flowing? Maybe you were running a race, writing, or doing artwork. 

Maybe you’ve also felt what it feels like to be out of “the zone”. Where everything just feels more challenging and you just can’t seem to find your flow. This is a researched state of being known as the flow state. Research has identified how to get into the flow and stay in the flow. It has also identified what keeps us out of the flow. 

 Did you know that we can use the flow state and the research behind it to have a better birth? When we are able to get in and stay in our labor flow state during birth, not only do we have more access to our intuition to know what to do, we also have access to more natural pain relief. In this episode we dive into three main things that can help or hinder the birthing person’s labor flow state.

As a birth pro, there are things you can do during a birth to help your client stay in their labor flow state. Ask yourself, ‘what are some things that could be a great distraction to my client’s labor flow state?’ ‘How can I minimize these distractions?’ ‘How can I help them get back into the flow?’

My birthing friends, take some time during your pregnancy and think about some of the things that would make you feel really good in your birthing space. Make a list of these things and share it with your birth team. I’ve seen it all from adding twinkle lights around the birth room  to covering the clocks and monitors in the room with blankets. Nothing is too out of the box, we need to do what makes sense to us.

Getting into the labor flow state is something that we can prepare for and should prepare for. Listen to this episode to learn how to prepare in pregnancy and what to do in birth to find and stay in the flow!

Website: www.bodyreadymethod.com
Facebook: BRM Private Community
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bodyreadymethod/

Have you ever thought or heard that the best way to have an easier birth is to stretch a lot? Or that flexibility = better birth? Sometimes being too flexible can actually create some problems. While yes, it is important to be mobile, there is a difference between mobility and flexibility. This episode is all about being “too flexible” during pregnancy. We are joined by Physical Therapist and creator of Train4Birth, Monika Patel.

Did you know joint laxity increases by about 10% during pregnancy?

In this episode, Monika talks about the lack of information on the musculoskeletal changes in pregnancy available to expectant parents especially if they are hypermobile. We chatted about what hypermobility is, how much of a culprit relaxing is, issues that can present themselves during pregnancy and birth, and what we should do about it. Monika shares with us the type of movements that are recommended for hypermobile people to prepare their bodies for birth. She also shares some great nuggets, including simple questions that she asks her clients who may be showing signs of being “too flexible”.

We also discuss how the labor and birth of a hypermobile person can be different from those who aren’t hypermobile. If you work in the perinatal space you will have a client with hypermobility at some point. It’s so important that as birth pros, we understand what’s going on and what we can do about it, ensuring our clients can have the most efficient birthing experience.

Website: www.train4birth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Train4Birth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/train4birth/

In this episode we talk about the twists and turns of becoming a parent with Nikki Johnston Beaudoin. Nikki is a Body Ready Method® pro, expecting mom, and collaborating author of the newly released The Mom Babes, An Anthology of Motherhood.

Nikki gets really vulnerable as she talks through her unique journey to becoming a parent. She discusses her fertility, pregnancy, birth, and recovery journey. She sheds light on the taboo of discussing fertility issues openly and why she thought sharing her own journey will help other people. What does it look like to use holistic support alongside the need for medical intervention? And, how do we as a birth pro and/or birthing person live in that space between? Do we have to choose between one of the two paths, or is there a middle ground?

Nikki is also a pre and post-natal Fitness Specialist who has dealt personally with fertility struggles, premature birth, and at the time of recording was expecting her 2nd child! She discusses her NICU journey with her first baby and talks through what she is doing differently this time and the unique struggles of being an expectant perinatal professional. She also sheds light on how being a Body Ready Method® Pro has changed her perspective towards birth.

We also discuss the power of prenatal prep, and the role of doulas at birth. The presence of a well prepared doula can support the birthing person in many ways to shift the birth environment. As a birth pro, we get so obsessed with the to do's that we sometimes don't let ourselves just be. A doula in the birthing room allows us to let go while they do the observing and suggesting. This is a great episode that both birth pros and expecting folks can truly enjoy!

Website: https://www.nikkijfit.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seatoskyfitness/
Show Notes:  The Mom Babes, An Anthology of Motherhood

Navigating stress. Trauma. Drama… We all deal with it in one way or another. How do our lived experiences and that of our ancestors impact our bodies, our births, and even what we pass on to kids? When we are living in a prolonged state of stress it can become our baseline. Maybe we always feel rushed. Or on edge. This not only impacts our mental health, it impacts our physical health as well. And that of our children. Our brains are powerful. And learning how to hone the power of our brains can allow us to change our world (including our pregnancies, births, recoveries, and even the stress response of our kids). Yet too often we may feel like our brains are working against us. We have negative coping mechanisms that we can’t seem to take control of. We yell, freak out, or sometimes we shut down. And then we are expected to be calm during birth?
 
It’s normal and sometimes necessary to react with fight-flight or freeze. This is our nervous system’s way to protect us from danger. What happens with trauma, however, our bodies internalize and store that. Essentially we are ‘running from danger’ internally, all the time. Causing not only mental struggles, but physical as well. In today’s episode we dig deep into the stress and trauma response including studies looking at prenatal stress and trauma’s impact on the developing fetus and go into ways to take control rather than feel controlled.

Website: https://www.themindbodybirth.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/themindbodybirth