The Golden Hour Birth Podcast

Kaitlyn from St. Louis joins us on the podcast to share part 2 of her birth story! Kaitlyn and her husband Matt met in Kindergarten and started dating in college. Matt proposed to Kaitlyn 10 days before she was set to start her Nurse Anesthetists Program. They started trying in 2020 to conceive and found out they were pregnant fairly quickly. Pregn…

Kaitlyn from St. Louis joins us on the podcast to share her birth story! Kailtyn and her husband Matt met in Kindergarten and started dating in college. Matt proposed to Kaitlyn 10 days before she was set to start her Nurse Anesthetists Program. They started trying in 2020 to conceive and found out they were pregnant fairly quickly. Pregnancy was f…

Lindsey from St. Louis joins us in sharing her triumphs and tribulations to starting a family. Her and husband knew they always wanted a family when they both grew up with multiple siblings. They started trying and quickly got pregnant. These two pregnancies both were miscarriages followed by D&C’s. After these two miscarriages they asked for addit…

In this episode, we hear the inspiring story of Melisha, a mother who has given birth three times and also gone through an adoption journey. Melisha shares her experience of navigating motherhood and wellness, and how it has led her to become an advocate for others. Melisha always knew that she wanted to have natural births. She felt strongly about…

Rianna from Texas joined us on the podcast this week sharing her four birth stories. Her four kids range in ages from 18 to 4. She had her first son in a hospital and ate an apple while she filled out paperwork while in labor, and met her delivery doctor in the elevator. When her son was around 2 he was diagnosed with lead poisoning which led Riann…

This is part 2 of Kelly Stary's birth story. In part 1 Kelly told us about her prolonged pushing leading to an emergency c-section. She developed an infection during all of this and continued to be in immense pain. When she was released form the hospital on pain meds, she was in and out of consciousness if she was late on her meds by even 10 minute…

This is Part 1 of 2. Kelly was living in the Czech Republic for four years, where she met her now husband with a plan to return to the states and start traveling out west and around South America. Right before they headed back to the US, Kelly found out she was pregnant! They decided to move back to Kelly’s hometown of St. Louis and reassess their …

Katie Wood, a pharmacist and fertility coach, shares her birth story on this episode! After coming off of birth control for 13 years Katie and her husband struggled to get pregnant and received no nutritional or supportive advice from her OB or midwife. She decided to start acupuncture and 3-4 months later she conceived her daughter. Her pregnancy …

This is part 2 of Bonnie's birth story. Bonnie didn't feel well for a few days and thought she was just experiencing heartburn. She started to think something was not normal and couldn't sleep due to the pain in her chest. She went to the hospital and found out she had HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelets) Syndrome, which is a…

This is part 1 of 2. Bonnie joins us today to share the story of her daughter, Sabrina! Bonnie and her husband met in college and married in 2018. They decided to start trying to start a family around 2020. When they went in for their “confirmation” appointment, they were met with the news of a miscarriage and decided to move forward with a D&C. Th…

Join us this week as we chat about the stigma behind "Breast is Best." Liz and Natalie share their own experience with the trials, tribulations, and beloved PIVOTS to ensure their children were meeting their goals and growth through nutrition. There can be so much stigma on mothers and parents regarding the way they choose to feed their children an…

Tia from North Carolina joins us on this week's episode as she shares the birth stories of her two children, now 19 and 13 years old! She always wanted to be a mother and after finding out she was pregnant, she remembers thinking her life has officially changed forever. Tia had wanted to be a midwife at that time in her life so she was very prepare…

Many parents experience mild mood changes during pregnancy and after giving birth. 15-20% of those experience more significant symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. It's estimated that up to 50% of those experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety never get a formal diagnoses or seek treatment. One reason for this may be not having knowledge of …

Carly from Philly joins us on the podcast today! Carly found out she was pregnant around 8 weeks with her first while she was finishing up Grad School & her student teaching. When she went to the hospital to have her first baby she waited in a wheelchair in the hall until being told what to do next in triage and finally was sent up to delivery. She…

We put together a few of our favorite resources to share with our listeners today! Check a few of them out below! Listen to the show for the rest! Business of Being Born- documentary on Amazon at the time of writing this. Read the description here. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth- book found at most bookstores. Amazon link here. Safe Sleep Group on F…

Georgia & her husband, VJ, met in college and married in November 2019. They had plans to travel for a bit but after the world shut down 4 months after their wedding, they decided to start a family. She took a test one morning, threw it away, and came home later to find the slightest positive. She sent VJ out for more tests to confirm - they were h…

Amy from Montana shares her pregnancy and birth stories from her three sons. She was a Med Surg nurse to Labor & Delivery nurse, and now a Massage Therapist, primarily focusing on Prenatal and Cranial-Sacral work on babies, and a childbirth educator. Amy became pregnant with her first baby at the age of 23 (10 years ago). She had no idea what pregn…

Body image is a hard topic for nearly everyone. 20-40% of women struggle with body image, and 10-30% of men. These statistics rise with pregnancy. More than 40% of women say there is some sort of dissatisfaction with their appearance during or after pregnancy. Liz and Natalie share their own experience with body image before, during, and after preg…

Part two of Katie's Birth Stories. On this episode, Katie tells us about her third “grand finale” pregnancy and baby. She had just gone through a termination for medical reasons, a second trimester loss, a pandemic, on top of her best friend’s diagnosis with terminal cancer. She again battled with high blood pressure readings and had to stay a week…

Katie from Long Island shares her journey to motherhood this week! Katie and her husband decided to start a family and quickly got pregnant after she believed it would be a longer road as it was for her mother. Her daughter Harper was born via emergency c-section after being diagnosed with preeclampsia. For her second birth, she hoped for a VBAC an…

Join Natalie and Liz as they discuss their experiences with postpartum anxiety in this mini episode! Postpartum anxiety is not as talked about as postpartum depression but is very common. It is estimated that 1 in 5 women has postpartum anxiety. Symptoms of postpartum anxiety are constant or near-constant worry, feelings of dread about things you f…

*CONTENT WARNING* : This episode includes discussions of Perinatal Anxiety and Mood Disorders, including scary intrusive thoughts and thoughts of suicide. Jenn and her husband were married in 2018, and knew they wanted to start a family soon after. In 2020, they became pregnant and were very excited to embark on this journey of parenthood together!…

Alissa joins us for Part 2 of her birth story, with her second son. At five months postpartum, her friend suspected she was pregnant. After much hesitation due to her periods being off track since having her first child, she took a pregnancy test and it was positive! She was shocked due to her infertility issues with her first but couldn’t imagine …

Alissa shares her first birth story of her son, born in November 2019. Her partner and her decided to stop taking any precautions after their May 2018 wedding. She believed she would come home with a honeymoon baby, but that did not happen. Being the planner she is, she quickly turned to tracking her cycle with 7 months of negative pregnancy tests.…

Join us for a bonus episode where we chat with Eleni after the show about some of the struggles of motherhood, bodily functions, the love of parenthood, not comparing babies or self, and more! Our mission is to provide a safe space for mamas to share their stories, struggles, and triumphs, and that looks differently for everyone! Connect with Eleni…

Eleni shares her birth story of her beautiful boy Walter “Wally”! Eleni shares her process of having a gut feeling that she was pregnant and taking a test while she was running her dog walking business. It was a very welcomed surprise by herself, her boyfriend, and their families! Pregnancy was positive overall besides one intense day of very sensi…

We continue our chat with Emma Ginder in this episode about her journey to becoming a midwife. She shares how her passion for supporting birthing people and their partners transpires through her doula and midwifery care. While she is more active in the actual birth, she knows her years of doula work runs deep and helps her continue to stay passiona…

This week we chat with Emma Ginder, a local doula in the area and Natalie's own doula for her first son! Emma is one of the most compassionate and knowledgeable doulas we have met. Emma opens up to us about her journey to becoming a doula, and how her motherhood journey has been impacted and influenced by being a doula. We dive deep into the state …

Alissa Alter aka “The Amy Poehler of vaginas” shares the second half of her story. Alissa suffered from a 4th degree tear (an extensive tear that goes from the vagina to the rectum). She had an extremely tough postpartum not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well. She was very disappointed in the lack of support and education on how t…

Alissa Alter aka “The Amy Poehler of vaginas” joins us this episode to tell us all about her birth and journey to working as a women's health expert and motherhood advocate, with a side of humor. This is part 1 of 2. Alissa found herself stuck in a bad marriage and an unfulfilling career when she decided she was done suffering in silence. She began…

Karley joins Liz and Natalie today to share her stories of her two births and navigating life with a medically-complex child. Karley and her husband knew they wanted to have children while they were young. Karleys first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage while she was living away from family and friends finding it difficult to navigate. Her second pr…

Kelli joins us this week to share her story of her two cesarean births. She had an unexpected and difficult first pregnancy that culminated with an unplanned cesarean birth. Kelli was induced but did not progress. After being told about her narrow pelvic inlet and how difficult a vaginal birth would be, a c-section was offered. Kelli felt helpless …

On today's episode our guest Brie shares her birth story of her 10 month old son, Dax! Brie believed she was always going to be fun Aunt B and never believed children were in the cards for her. In early 2021, after experiencing some menopause signs, Brie made an appointment with her OBGYN for what she kept hearing as her “confirmation appointment”.…

On this episode of the Golden Hour Birth Podcast, we welcome an Atlanta mom of 2, Christina! Christina and her husband got married 9 years ago and essentially created a trip list before trying for a baby. After a fairly easy pregnancy, Christina was met with a difficult postpartum. She struggled with setting boundaries and hosted family immediately…

Erin shares her story of her three pregnancies and births. Erin had pretty easy pregnancies after suffering a miscarriage first. She loved being pregnant with all three boys! Her first pregnancy was a hospital induction that went smoothly although pushing proved difficult. Her second birth was quicker with knowing how to push this time around. Her …

Hannah joins us to share the story of her second birth which was wildly different from her first. Hannah had a fairly easy pregnancy again except that she was GBS positive with a suspected penicillin allergy. After advocating for herself, she finally found an allergist to help her. She was all set for another birth at the Birth Center when she went…

Katie shares her journey to motherhood while navigating anxiety and depression during her pregnancy and postpartum. Physically, she had a positive pregnancy with some round ligament pain and swelling. Katie struggled mentally with anxiety during pregnancy. She was nervous to speak up about it but her husband supported her throughout the pregnancy. …

Hannah had a smooth pregnancy besides nausea during the first trimester and restless leg syndrome in the third. She switched providers midway after learning that her OB wouldn't accept birth plans. She switched care to a midwifery team at a birthing center. She experienced prodromal labor for a few weeks before her real labor started. She labored a…

Join Liz and Natalie for this special episode where we rage about Roe v. Wade. On this Independence Day 2022, we aren't feeling very independent at all. We can't celebrate when women's liberty has been lost. The Supreme Court overturned a 49-year-old precedent that secured the right to an abortion. We are angry, we are sad, we are pissed off. We ar…

Jessie shares her story of her beautiful daughter. Soon after she found out she was pregnant she was hit with morning sickness. As she geared up for her first prenatal visit, she was met with news that she was not as far along as she thought and the dread came through as she continued to battle morning sickness, severe nausea, and vomiting. As week…

Jennilyn shares her journey starting with infertility due to PCOS. She got pregnant with twins, struggled with PUPPs and soon after was admitted into the hospital for a shortened cervix twice. Jennilyn spent more than 5 weeks on the high risk perinatal unit on bedrest. She started experiencing contractions and was found to have bulging waters at 33…

Lauren shares her experience with her first birth. Lauren and her husband were met with many twists and turns during their journey from infertility and miscarriage to an unplanned cesarean birth after an induction for preeclampsia. They welcomed a perfect baby girl who is the light of their life. Visit our website and blog: www.thegoldenhourbirthpo…

The Golden Hour Birth Podcast welcomes it's first guest, Hannah, to tell her birth story about her first baby. Hannah had a fairly easy pregnancy amid Covid-19 and scheduled an induction towards the end, feeling done with being pregnant. She had second thoughts immediately but went into spontaneous labor the morning before her induction. Her labor …

Co-Host Liz shares her second birth story! Liz had planned to give birth at the same birth center she delivered her first, but this pregnancy journey had a different plan and made many twists and turns to navigate high blood pressure, Covid, and perinatal depression. Liz's birth team attempted to mimic the birthing center's calm ambiance in the hos…

Join our co-host, Natalie, as she shares her experience laboring at a birth center then transferring to the hospital after painful back labor. After getting an epidural, Natalie was able to rest and baby came 'sunny side up' shortly after! Her postpartum journey was met with postpartum anxiety and a depleting milk supply after starting birth contro…

Our very own co-host, Liz, shares her experience with an empowering birth center birth followed by a very difficult postpartum experience after blood loss and a hand-delivery of a retained placenta. Visit our website and blog: www.thegoldenhourbirthpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram here and here Follow us on Facebook here Intro Song by Carpathians…

Welcome to The Golden Hour Birth Podcast! Our mission is to provide support to expecting parents to help them be informed and empowered on their very personal journey. Our goal is to create a community from our shared experiences. We wanted to tell you a bit about ourselves before our first birth story goes live on May 8, 2022 which is Mother's Day…