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In this deeply personal ghost story, I share a listener's extraordinary journey of communicating with her unborn children through dreams, signs, and telepathic messages—a testament to the unseen bonds between spirit and life. From premonitions of her daughter's name to divine synchronicities involving songs, boats, and even a car Bluetooth connection, this episode unravels how love transcends dimensions. If you've ever wondered how spirits guide us before they arrive Earthside—or how the universe conspires to affirm our deepest hopes—this hauntingly beautiful tale will leave you in awe of life's mystical choreography.00:00 - Podcast Intro: Ghost Story Theme 00:22 - Submit Your Ghost Stories (dr.amyrobbins.com) 01:27 - Prayer Circle Miracle in Portland, Maine 02:56 - First Dream: Baby Telepathy & Red Plaid Blanket 04:16 - Land Development Symbolism & Town Meetings 05:24 - Gender Revelation Dream: “Piper Girl” 06:47 - Daughter Piper's Birth (1/1/2020) 07:20 - Second Pregnancy: “I'm Ready, Mommy” 08:00 - Song “Grace” Synchronicity on Spotify 09:02 - Boat Named “Grace” Divine Confirmation 10:03 - Car Bluetooth Connects to Deceased “Tyler” 11:20 - Past Life Regression: “There May Be Two” 12:40 - Closing: Share Your Ghost Story In The Space Between membership, you'll get access to LIVE quarterly Ask Amy Anything meetings, discounts on courses, special giveaways, and a place to connect with Amy and other like-minded people. You'll also get exclusive access to other behind-the-scenes goodness when you join! --> https://shorturl.at/vVrwR Stay Connected: - IG - https://tinyurl.com/ysvafdwc- FB- https://tinyurl.com/yc3z48v9- YT- https://tinyurl.com/ywdsc9vt- Web - https://tinyurl.com/ydj949kt Dr. Amy RobbinsExploring life, death, consciousness and what it all means. Put your preconceived notions aside as we explore life, death, consciousness and what it all means Brought to you by:Dr. Amy Robbins | Host, Executive ProducerPodcastize.net | Audio & Video Production | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Candice Bernstein, writer/performer joined Clarence Ford on air for more on earthsideSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
enjoy this chatGPT formed description of our podcast: Carly and Erin dish on their weekends, explore history highlights, and weigh in on moral dilemmas from the "Am I the Asshole" subreddit. Join the fun as they share stories, delve into the past, and offer their unique take on modern-day quandaries. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/ONLYFRIENDS and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Frank Sacramone is keys player and multi-instrumentalist with prog metal / orchestral rock outfit Earthside. They've just come off a successful US headline tour, and we caught up with Frank just before they headed off on said tour. Lots of really honest insights that make it worth the price of admission alone. To listen /... The post Frank Sacramone, Earthside appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.
It has been 5 years since we last spoke with one of our favorite authors, Dennis E. Taylor, and a lot has happened. Since then, he has written and released, two more books in the Bobiverse series, Heaven's River and Not Till We Are Lost, and second book in the Quantum Earth Series, Earthside, two short stories, Feedback and A Change of Plans, and a one off book that may get a sequel as well, Roadkill. We had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Mr. Taylor about all of that plus some other fun things like a crossover he didn't know about.Next Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl Books 3-7Host: Eugene StephensGuest: Kris Andrew, Ray Andrew, Joseph Moroles, Shaun McLaren, Dennis E. TaylorLike the show? Support us by rating and reviewing wherever you listen. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.Listen and subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Audible, and YouTube.
Start Artist Song Time Album Year 0:00:47 Corde Oblique Gnossienne no. 1 3:26 Cries and Whispers 2025 0:04:14 Fluctus Quadratum Bridge to Suffering 0:49 Laplacian 2025 0:05:03 Ologram 22.43 0:56 La mia scia 2025 0:05:59 Jack O' The Clock No. 4 Mountain 2:05 Portraits 2025 0:08:04 Pymlico Don't Do That 6:31 Core 2025 0:14:32 Earthside […]
In the 69th episode of Festpod: The Unofficial Rock Festival Guide...Our hosts are: Neill Wilkinson, Rich Holmes - from Richard Holmes Photography, and Arran Prime from the metal band Crushed By Waves.This time we're talking about Radar Festival - a 3-day indoor rock festival held in Manchester. It's described as modern, contemporary and progressive. It won 'Best New Festival' in 2022. And we love it!with https://fatfrankscampingshop.comTimestamps ⏱:0:00 - Pre-titles0:26 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 1st sponsor spot01:08- Title sequence01:29- Welcome05:12 - Crushed By Waves at Radar 2023-- Friday at Radar Festival --08:38 - Trafford Park in Manchester 09:16 - Friday timings poster 09:43 - Cestra 10:55 - Music & Gaming Market 12:19 - Earthside13:13 - Unpeople14:38 - Ichika Nito16:14 - Vower17:55 - Vola20:29 - Food vendors and outdoor area20:59 - Thrown21:15 - Plini22:24 - Caskets25:12 - The Midnight-- Saturday at Radar Festival --28:36 - Saturday timings poster 29:07 - Tesseract35:20 - Bars & Merchandise37:43 - Combichrist break bumper37:52 - Fat Frank's Camping Shop - 2nd sponsor spot-- Sunday at Radar Festival --38:57 - Sunday timings poster 39:27 - Adharma40:09 - The Omnific41:34 - Future Static42:20 - Mike Dawes46:44 - Siamese48:14 - Sungazer51:48 - Blood Command53:51 - Holding Absence57:24 - Humanity's Last Breath59:10 - Leprous1:05:10 - Our conclusions1:07:38 - 2025 lineup so far1:17:38 - OutroPlease support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/festpodIf you'd like to buy our merch, visit our merch store here: https://etsy.com/uk/shop/FestpodAll our links here: https://festpod.co.uk#festpod #festival #music #livemusic #rock #metal #rockmusic #metalmusic #podcasting #podcast #wilkoproductionsuk #wilkoproductions #radarfestival #radarfest #rockfestival #radarmanchester #radar2024 #radarfestival2024 Get bonus content on Patreon including exclusive outtakes of the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Adam Janzi of Danish Prog Metal band VOLA and Jamie Van Dyke + Ben Shanbrom of Progressive Metal band Earthside share behind-the-scenes insights into the making of their new albums: Friend Of A Phantom and Let The Truth Speak. Don't miss the chance to hear about their recording process, creative journeys, and what went into crafting these incredible records! Subscribe now to stay updated on all episodes and other content from Mascot Records.
Are there moments when your life feels small? Take note of any patterns. Do you feel less than great whenever you get together with that one friend who seems to have a glamorous, exciting life? Or do you feel discontentment bubbling whenever you spend time on social media? SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: What to Remember When Your Life Feels Small by Deidre Braley Matthew 18:1-4: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying,“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Does your life ever feel small? Mine sometimes does. Just last weekend, in fact, I had the unsettling experience of smallness at a country concert that was featuring a major artist. As the sun sank below the edge of the stadium, the crowd's anticipation mounted. When the singer finally ran onto the stage, donning his guitar and saluting the audience, the stadium erupted. Girls clutched each other and screamed. Phone flashlights turned into constellations amongst the pulsing galaxy of people. Tens of thousands of lips moved in unison to sing the opening song together. Submerged in this world of smoke and lights and adrenaline, I had the unsettling feeling of being small. A longing began to stir deep in my belly—something like an exhilarating hunger. I suddenly wondered what it would feel like to live in this alternate reality called fame. Back at home, I knew that laundry was piled on our bedroom floor, that our toddlers would be wanting pancakes in the morning, and that the dishes would be nearly toppling in the kitchen sink. My line of work, in comparison to rocking and selling out this stadium, seemed so humdrum and un-noteworthy that I could hardly stand it. As it turns out, this hunger I was feeling—this longing to know what greatness feels like—came about long before electric guitars and jumbotrons. The disciples felt it too. One day, they even asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1) Jesus didn't name a rockstar. He didn't list off kings, or bible heroes, or professionals revered in their fields. Instead, he beckoned for a child to come and stand among them. “‘Truly I tell you,' he said, ‘unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me…'” (Matthew 18:2-5). Earthside, we perceive greatness as notoriety and wealth, power and fanfare. It involves being or having more than someone else. But in the kingdom of heaven? Greatness looks like humility, trust, and inclusion. Greatness looks like a child, turning to the Father for everything. If we align our life's work to what the world deems ‘great,' then our days will be filled with striving and discontentment. We'll be ever subjected to the fickleness of humanity. But when we align ourselves with what Jesus values—when we humble our souls and trust in the only one that is truly great—we are able to bask in an eternal greatness that gives our souls rest and contentment. So when we find ourselves caught in a pattern of discontentment, wondering when our time will come, or if anyone will ever notice us, or if our lives will ever possess that magnetic essence of greatness, let's come back to that image of Jesus, pulling the child near and saying,“This. This is what greatness looks like in my kingdom.” Intersecting Faith & Life Are there moments when your life feels small? Take note of any patterns. Do you feel less than great whenever you get together with that one friend who seems to have a glamorous, exciting life? Or do you feel discontentment bubbling whenever you spend time on social media? Once you are able to identify when, where, or what makes you feel “small,” you can develop strategies to help you fight the lie that greatness comes from what the world hails, like fame and wealth or power and position. These strategies could include: Limiting how often you expose yourself to these people or situations.● Memorizing Scripture to pray over yourself when you're feeling overcome withdiscontentment or inferiority. Surround yourself with others whose lives model humility and surrender to the Lord.● Finding solitude, then stopping to ask the Holy Spirit to reorient your priorities andremind you who are—and who he is. Further Reading Mark 10:35-45 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
It's OTD's second birthday and the 101st episode of the podcast! Thank you for being here! I like for the birthday episodes to be a way to help you get to know me, your host, better. This year I have Krystiana (earthside medium) reading my natal chart to help you get to know me through my astrology. You'll also learn a lot about reading a chart in this episode! Krystiana's website: https://earthsidemedium.com/ Krystiana's IG: @earthsidemedium OTD's website: https://www.openingthedoorpodcast.com/
Steven goes live for a news round-up (including info on a Relayer 50th anniversary pressing, a Bill Bruford box set, Rick's Yessonata, and more) before talking about his vinyl copies of Earthside's Let the Truth Speak and Ruth Radelet's The Other Side. Plus, a little bit of info on a couple of the episodes one can expect this month! (Also may have (AGAIN) mispronounced at least one name and didn't realize while recording. Sorry!) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yesshift/support
Send us a Text Message.This episode is jam-packed with tons of great information. There is something here for expecting mothers, women doctors, momma doctors, women in general, or anyone partnered with a woman. Check out this episode to learn more about the fantastic work that Michelle is doing with "Fourth Trimester Doc" and how integrative medicine and direct primary care can and do positively change the lives of patients and physicians. Michelle Haggerty is a physician boarded in family medicine, integrative medicine, and breastfeeding and lactation medicine. She is the founder and CEO of Fourth Trimester Doc, a private practice providing in-home medical care to birthers and their newborns postpartum. She provides postpartum and lactation coaching nationwide. She is also co-founder and co-executive director for the Center for 4th Trimester Care a national nonprofit providing education, business support, advocacy and community for professionals working in the 4th trimester space. She is a mother to two angel babies and three sons Earthside.Follow her on Facebook, IG, LinkedIn or Youtube!Facebook: Fourth Trimester Doc IG: @fourthtrimesterdocLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-haggerty/Youtube: 4th Trimester DocFollow me on Instagram @angelalifestylemd and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my podcast & SHARE this episode.
Today on News Du Jour, in episode 1 of 3 of our short series Earthside: Brit shares her story of battling infertility, even having to have her tubes removed, for the sake of a future child. —Connect with us:+ WEBSITE: www.sugarfreemedia.co+ INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/newsdujour.podcast+ TIKTOK: www.TikTok.com/@newsdujour.podcast BECOME A PATRON (and listen ad free): www.patreon.com/sugarfreemediaSHOP MERCH: www.sugarfreemedia.co/shop News Du Jour is a 10-15 minute daily news recap. We strive to relay stories in a calm, approachable way. We cover everything from politics, to art, to business, to celebrity news, and more. Be sure to subscribe so you‘re always up to date! If you enjoy News Du Jour, be sure to leave us a rating/review or share our podcast with friends, family, colleagues, or on social media!You can also always READ the News Du Jour on our website at:https://sugarfreemedia.co/category/news-du-jour/
Halló!!! Iratkozzatok fel a Youtube csatornánkra!! MOST! :) Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Stranger Things, Terminator Zero, Futurama, Alien: Romulus, Mayor of Kingstown. Könyv: Dennis E. Taylor - Quantum Earth sorozat: Outland és Earthside. Főtéma: Paycheck Elérhetőségek: Web oldalunk Discord Youtube ITunes TuneIn Spotify RSS Twitter Facebook Paypal támogatói link! PATREON link Outro: Track: I'm Yours [Lofi Hip Hop/Chill Study Music Mix] Music provided by Lofi Fruits / Strange Fruits Watch: https://youtu.be/9eyqOO7i3b8
On tomorrow's episode of The Wholesome Fertility Podcast, I speak to my dear friend and intuitive spirit baby medium @nancyweissintuitive Nancy Weiss. Nancy has been drawn to her work from her own fertility journey and her story is absolutely amazing. I absolutely love speaking with Nancy and highly suggest you hear our conversation because it's packed with wisdom! Be sure to tune in! Nancy Weiss is a Reiki master, psychic medium, hypnosis practitioner and spiritual coach specializing in spirit babies and personal growth. She helps women connect with the souls of their babies before pregnancy and guides them to trusting their intuition and their spiritual connection on their motherhood journey. Her own experience of becoming a first-time mother at the age of 42 via embryo adoption and communicating with her daughter before pregnancy was the catalyst to share this sacred work with others. Nancy shares her incredible journey of finding her babies through embryo adoption and the power of mindset and energetics in the fertility journey. She emphasizes the importance of connecting with spirit babies and fostering a playful and positive mindset. Nancy also discusses the role of divine timing and the signs that spirit babies send to communicate with their future parents. Links: Instagram @nancyweissintuitive "Cawfee with Spirit" Podcast on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3IQoec3 Book Your Spirit Baby Session: https://bit.ly/42Ah2d9 Takeaways: The power of mindset and energetics in the fertility journey Connecting with spirit babies and fostering a playful and positive mindset Trusting in divine timing and the signs that spirit babies send The importance of grounding and reconnecting with the body The Way of Fertility is here! Be sure to check it out here www.michelleoravitz.com/thewayoffertility Click here to find out how to get the first chapter of "The Way of Fertility" for free. For more information about Michelle, visitwww.michelleoravitz.com The Wholesome FertilityFacebook group is where you can find free resources and support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2149554308396504/ Instagram: @thewholesomelotusfertility Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thewholesomelotus/ —------------ Transcript: Michelle (00:01) Welcome back to the podcast Nancy. I'm so happy to have you back. Nancy (00:05) Hey, Michelle, I am so happy to be here too. It's been a long time, and I'm happy to be back talking about my favorite subject. Michelle (00:14) Okay, so we had an initial episode a while back, but I want you to, if it's okay, share your story again. But your story is so freaking amazing, just like how you found your babies and how it was meant to be. And I just love it so much. So I'd love for you to share that. Nancy (00:32) Of course, of course. So, um, it's like trying to remember now. Okay. Um, so we're going back six years, right? Cause my children are now four and six years old. Um, my husband and I got married late later in life. I think we were 40 when we got married. I can't remember anything, my dates. So don't mind me, but we were around 40, um, when we got married and, um, wanted to start a family. Michelle (00:36) Ha ha. Nancy (01:00) And we went through multiple rounds of IVF. It was kind of, you know, I didn't really give myself a chance to get pregnant naturally, which in hindsight I would have, but I spent so many years, you know, at getting older saying, oh, I'm gonna need IVF, I'm gonna need IVF, and that's the route that I took to have my children. So we had about... I had four egg retrievals, five transfers, using our own genetics that did not work. And I just kept my heart and my mind open the whole time of how my babies would come in because my main thing was about being all about mindset and energetics of how would I bring my, how to bring my babies in to having that faith, that hope, that trust. And one day I found out from a nurse, a friend of mine who's a nurse, about embryo adoption, which I had never heard of. And at that point, I think I was a fertility coach for, I think over two years at that point, where I was in this business. I was a spiritual fertility coach, but had not heard of embryo adoption or embryo donation. And as soon as I heard about it, I knew that it was the right thing for us. It was like it just, everything just clicked. And my husband loved the idea too. And if anyone out there doesn't know what that is, embryo adoption, it's when a couple has surplus embryos after having their children, you have a choice of leaving them frozen indefinitely, destroying or discarding them, or donating them to science, or donating them to other couples like me, like us. And we found out about it, we knew it was the right thing, and we went for it. And that is how I had my first daughter, Luna. She was frozen for 13 years at that point before I had my transfer. And then I had my daughter, Ayla, my second daughter, two years after that. And she was frozen for 15 years at that point before I transferred her. So that's how we created our incredible family. Michelle (03:13) Well, tell us a story about you moving to Georgia randomly and how they were there. That's the crazy, crazy part. Nancy (03:16) Oh. Yeah, so I think one of the things is hard, you know, when you're in your, when you're in your fertility journey and you're going through the ups and downs, you're going through the pain, you're going through so many different, you know, upsets and disappointments and highs and lows, it's hard to see the big story because you can't see everything that is being orchestrated. There is, and I always talk about, there's so much being orchestrated in the spirit realm, in the universe to make everything happen. as it should. So my husband and I, you know, we again, we met later and we met later in life. We got married. He was in Ohio for about 12 years, which would be about the same time that those embryos were frozen, which is wild. We met in New Jersey and we stayed there for a little bit. And we then randomly decided to move to Georgia just to get further south because we were like, The houses are less expensive there. Let's just move. We were newly married, having fun. We're like, let's just do it. And I did start my IVF treatment in New Jersey at that point, but we didn't get too far into it. We just had gone through all the testing. And so it wasn't like I needed to stay there. So we just kind of up. We surprised her entire families about moving to Georgia. That's where I started my official like IVF journey, I'll say. And those little girls were there waiting in Georgia for 13 years at that, right? 13 years at that point, getting my numbers a little mixed up. But it's just kind of wild to see that like that's where I needed to get my babies. And I call them my little Georgia peaches. Um, but that's where I needed to be. And if you would have said like, you know, like, why are you moving to Georgia? I couldn't see this, you know, but I know that is like this grand scheme, this beautiful thing that's being orchestrated and how that wound, how that came to be. Michelle (05:20) Wow. That's incredible. It's such an incredible story. And their genetic sisters? Siblings, amazing. It's just insane. And that's, you know, when we talk about the spirit realm and it seems so abstract, but it's actually not as abstract as one would think. Because I talk about it as just an, there's an intelligence, just like the intelligence that Nancy (05:30) They are genetic siblings, yes. Yes, yes. Michelle (05:53) moves animals to do certain things when they know they're sick and they like what it is that causes us to heal our bodies, the same intelligence that works in ourselves, works us as well on a different level of guidance. And all it is, is really intelligence and connecting to that intelligence. And part of that is not shutting down, but like maybe moving away from our analytical mind, because I just feel like also in society and just kind of like how the world is, we really rely very heavily just on the analytical aspect of our mind to the point where if nothing aligns with that and you can't see it and prove it, it's not real. But now what's interesting is that they're actually coming up with some studies that show intuition is real. Nancy (06:41) That's great. Michelle (06:44) that the people do actually see things or respond to pictures before they see the picture with the same frequency or the mind has a certain like expression when it's tested to certain emotions that would be appropriate to those pictures and they would feel that before that. So I want to talk about that first because I think people think it's like, oh, this like abstract thing, but it's, it's really comes down to an intelligence and connecting with that intelligence. So I'd love to get your take on that. Nancy (07:17) I think that's the only point. Yep. So that's the only point. We are all connected. We truly are. Just as I'm able, like, in my sessions, I could work with somebody that's in another country, literally Australia or England or anywhere. these abilities that we have. But you're like, how can I know those things? It's because we have this connection and we are all connected. Not just here in the physical body, but our energetics and then those spirit babies coming in, our past on loved ones. There is nothing there we may be separated in this physical form, but our energetics and spirit know each other and are quiet to tap in to start to tap into those things. Also like that intuition, you know, we make so many decisions sometimes based on fear, where we're just making these decisions on fear instead of letting that natural ability come up of being like, yes, this feels right. And the more that you start to tap in to yourself and that beautiful tapestry of energy, you can then start to make decisions. Michelle (08:31) Mm. Nancy (08:40) out of love, making decisions with this whole body, yes. And I think that's how it was. You know, for me, I think I chose IVF with fear because I was like, I don't see how else anything could happen. And so for me, looking back now, I feel like I chose that with fear, but the embryo adoption was really just based on this love, this knowing inside of, oh my God, like as soon as I heard it, my whole body reacted. And I was like, Michelle (08:42) I love that. Nancy (09:10) Yes, this is a yes, and I knew it was the right thing. And women, especially on the fertility journey, have turned off that natural, because that natural kind of intuition, that natural connection, because so much is fear, so much is like waiting and scared and wanting things to work. And of course we want it to work, but we then get out of our body. We then get away from that natural. that beautiful energy that's around us and within us to make those choices, to make those different choices. That makes sense. Michelle (09:46) Yeah, it totally makes sense. I mean, really trusting your body. I always, I compare it to like, are you willing to bet on yourself and your body and the intelligence that runs it? And really, are you willing to bet on your knowing, you know, that knowing that intelligence that you have within you, that voice that has always guided you and we've had those glimpses where we did listen or we... heard it and then we didn't listen. And then we remember hearing it and not listening. And those are the ones that we remember the most, but really, truly just trusting that, allowing ourselves to come. Nancy (10:17) Yeah, and that, yes, and the, you know, kind of going like the body believes what you tell it. If you say I'm old, if you say I'm sick, if you say I can't do this, I can't do that, your body listens to you, you know, and if we go back to grade school, and I don't know if anybody did this, but in grade school they would have an experiment where they had two plants, and one plant you would speak to it nicely and say beautiful things. And then the other plant, you cursed at it, you said these terrible things. Well, what do you know? The plant that was spoken nice to grew beautifully. And the plant that was spoke to negatively did not do as well or die. And our body is the same exact thing, telling ourselves, we got this, we can do this. I am fertile, I can carry a baby to term. And all of these things, even if in the beginning it's a little bit of fake it till you make it. Michelle (11:17) Mm-hmm. Nancy (11:17) Your body doesn't know the difference between you telling it 100% truth, you know what I mean? Or you're kind of faking it and you're just kind of going along with it. And that is a huge thing on this, you know, in anything that you do. I don't know if the listeners know, but also I, in the last few years, I had stage three breast cancer. And I treated that cancer just like I did my fertility journey. I'm not going to say that I wasn't scared and that it was hard, but I went through chemotherapy, radiation, a double mastectomy. I did all this. I realized today, you know, before coming on the podcast, I said, my goodness, in the last five years, right, six years, I had two babies and went through stage three breast cancer. Now, what did I do when I was going through my cancer journey was the mindset. It was huge to talk to my body and not say anything was wrong with it. not to be fighting against it, but that I was just going through this little upset within my body. And everything that I did became a healing. I would twist it into a healing. And the medicine, the chemotherapy I got was how can I make this positive? You know, I would see it as medicine or light coming in from the angels. And so I just, on my fertility journey and all through that, about that, with that, is always about the mindset. And how can I continue to feed my brain and my body the positive messages to help me form that faith to get me to the next step. Michelle (12:51) Honestly, you are such an inspiration because you walk the talk. Like, it's not something that you just talk about. It's something that you actually experience and you experience something that is so devastating. It's a really, I mean, like there's no words. And so something like that and to actually, in the face of that, still... stay with love towards your body is incredible. And this is just one of the few reasons I love you so much. And it's such an incredible, and it was actually interesting because I was going to ask you to talk about that. And it really is just a testament to the power of our belief in our intention and the way we speak to our bodies and how our bodies do in fact respond to our vibration. Nancy (13:46) Yeah, it's so powerful. And I don't think everybody always realizes how powerful those words are, how powerful that mindset is, the intention. Like I said, you can go into anything with a positive mindset or a negative mindset. Now, it doesn't mean that it's always going to work out in your favor, right? Like, I have a client that had a failed transfer recently, and that's hard. but it's all the little things that she's doing that are going to lead to that success, that lead to the long-term mindset and success. So you're gonna have your ups and downs. Don't think I wasn't on the floor crying at some points in the last six years on my journey, whatever I was going through, but it was the consistency and all the things that I did for myself of the next day, back to meditating, back to doing inner child work. Michelle (14:26) Yeah. Yeah, imagine. Nancy (14:42) back to doing energy healing, whatever I could do for myself and using all those tools for yourself and then trusting my body, trusting myself that I was making the right decisions and doing the right thing. So and I think it takes time. I don't, you know, I don't expect everyone to just be like, okay, yeah, just all of a sudden it's going to happen. It's going to I'm going to be like this tomorrow. This is incremental changes. This is incremental work that you do for yourself, your self care. and all the things that you do on your journey. Michelle (15:14) It's really mothering yourself. It's becoming a mother to yourself and loving and nurturing yourself. So, you know, that's not an easy thing in general. Like, you know, the fertility journey, the motherhood journey, the whole journey, it's not an easy thing. Like, as you know, I mean, it comes with its own challenges, it all does. So mothering yourself, it's the same thing. It's kind of sticking by your side, by your own side, no matter what. And staying... Nancy (15:17) Oh yeah. Michelle (15:43) strong, supportive to yourself and that self-care and having those breakdowns and accepting yourself and giving yourself those that grace. And I love that you mentioned that because that's part of the journey. It's part of it. We're not perfect. Nobody's perfect. And that's the point. It's like just honoring and accepting yourself where you're at, but from a place of love. Nancy (16:02) Yeah, yeah. And sometimes one of my coaches told me, she's like, you need to sit in the river of misery sometimes. You need to let that flow through you. A lot of us who are maybe type A or those really strong professional, not gonna say professional, but these women that are like me, I'm like Capricorn. I just think about the goals. I think about the next step. And sometimes I won't always, in the past I have not always... recognize that I have to go through sadness, that I have to go through pain in order to really heal through it, you know, instead of just going on to the next thing and like powering through. You need to kind of really experience the emotions in your body and I think this is a big thing when it comes to fertility or any type of things that can cause trauma is that we leave our body because we don't want to feel what we're going through. we can gloss over the emotions because it is so painful. But in that, it gets trapped within us, you know, and that gets us further and further away from our intuition and our gut and knowing what is right for us, what is wrong for us. And so it's a big healing journey. I think those of us, you know, I say that around the fertility journey, we're on a very specific journey for a reason. And it's all about really this self acknowledgement, this self growth, this transformation. of how we go through all these ups and downs. And it's no joke, it's not for the weak, right? But let me tell you, you become the strongest woman. You become so strong going through all these things, right? And really knowing yourself and knowing your body and your baby, I think it's just like, it's just such a big, it's almost inexplicable, but this giant web of all these things that come together and connect, you know? But I think it's really important to get back into the body so that you can process emotion, so that you can get in touch with yourself and your energy to then connect with your baby and connect with your mindset to bring them in. Michelle (18:15) I love that. And so how does one, if people are really disconnected with their bodies or it's really difficult for them to kind of like face or experience the emotion, how would you recommend for people to do that in a way that's like practical? Nancy (18:33) So I think one major thing would be to ground yourself. And if you've ever heard of grounding before, this is connecting with the earth. This is, you can imagine yourself for me, I love picturing myself as a tree. It's something I do every day and actually feel those roots going down into the ground, into mother earth, being held, being feeling safe, feeling secure. I think that it sounds so simple. It sounds so maybe magical to people like how is me picturing myself like a tree going to help? But remember this is all about energetics. This is about intention. And when you do that you're telling the body what to do. So getting back into your body, feeling grounded, breathing, literally breathing and taking deep breaths, putting your hands on your heart and breathing and feeling your heart, your chest rise and fall. Grounding yourself. starts to get you back into your body so that you can start to hear and listen to the signs, the sounds, the messages that come from within, whether it's physical, emotional, energetic. But breathing and grounding is one easy way to just start to reconnect with your body and yourself. Michelle (19:52) Oh my god, I love that. It's interesting to me because the simplest things are the most powerful, typically. Nancy (20:01) Yeah, and you again, you're just like, how could that be? How could that be the thing? You know what I mean? How could it be as simple as breathing? But once you start doing that, once you start developing a practice, like maybe five minutes a day, you know, you sit down, I think this is important too for women is to develop a self-care practice. And self-care is not pedicures and manicures, even though those are amazing, but self-care is really sitting down and looking at yourself saying, What do I need to heal? What is it that I need to heal? You know, is it forgiving someone? Is it forgiving myself? Is it for processing some trauma? Is it for loving my inner child? You know, maybe I need to go out and hula hoop today and reconnect with that little girl inside of me. Maybe I need to just sit down and meditate. Maybe I need to write a letter to someone that piss me off and I need to let them go. Maybe I need to set better boundaries for myself and not let people walk all over me. There are so many things that you can do to really foster that self care and that connection with yourself. Me, that's every morning. I sit down in front of my altar. I'm pulling behind me in front of my altar in my space. I listen to some beautiful music. I choose something on YouTube and I close my eyes and I sit there and I breathe. I ground. I connect with my angels and guides. I do my gratitude every day. Something as simple as that, five, 10 minutes, can completely change your life. I've seen it change mine. It transformed my fertility journey. It transformed my cancer journey 100% because I was able to put myself first and make myself the priority. Michelle (21:54) I love that. And it's true. It's really choosing yourself, choosing yourself throughout the day, giving yourself that presence, like being present with yourself. When you're doing that, you're able to access a higher intelligence. And that is where you get those downloads and really connect with your intuition. So speaking of that, let's talk spirit babies, one of my favorite topics ever. And it's really wild because I always tell my patients, listen and talk. Nancy (22:17) Yeah. Michelle (22:23) Talk to your spirit babies, but also ask for signs and it's insane. I can write a book just on that. The stories they tell me, they are blown away by some of the signs they see. And all it takes is just asking. So talk to us about spirit babies, how they come in, how that can influence people's initial feeling or being called to parenting in the first place. Nancy (22:47) Yeah, so spirit babies are the souls, the spirit of children that are ready to come in at Earthside, to come into a human body. Just like we have loved ones in spirit that have passed away, babies are out there too. They're going through their reincarnations, they're going through other lives, and they are ready and choosing a parent to come through. And one of the things to do is to calling on a spirit baby if you've never done this before, is to say like, hey, my body is ready, spirit baby, I'm ready for you and start to call in that child. And when they see you, you're like a little light and they're like a little moth to a flame and they're like, oh my goodness, yes, her, I love her. And I love who she is with. And I want that to be the way I come in, through that mom or however it is. This could be adoption too. So I don't always say like spirit, but we're talking about spirit babies, we're talking about babies that are coming in freshly into that new body, that human form. This greatly changes a fertility journey because you are starting to connect on that deeper level with the child that is meant to be yours. And it sounds maybe crazy to some people, but connecting with that baby, fosters this trust, this hope, this faith that they're coming. You know that they're coming and the more that you work on that, the more positive you feel, the more connected you feel knowing like yes I know this baby is coming. And so this is one of the great ways to really help on the fertility journey is connecting with those spirit babies. And I forgot what else you asked me so let me know. Michelle (24:43) I think I forgot too, because my memory these days, I don't even know, but who cares? It just will keep moving forward. But I think that it's just so interesting that you're saying this. I mean, the way I see it is that it's actually, a lot of times there's that initial thought, okay, I'm going to get pregnant or we are going to get pregnant. But then there's like this other element to this, which is this other being that's... Nancy (24:46) Yeah, I feel it. Yeah, yes. Michelle (25:09) part of this process and acknowledging that being, I think that the power of acknowledging that being is incredibly potent. Nancy (25:18) Yeah, we are making just like we chose to come into this lifetime through our parents, choosing all the things that we have, our financial situation, our sibling situation, what color are we, what nationality, what religion, we choose all these things. And so these babies that are coming in are doing the exact same thing. They're looking for the lessons, they're looking for who they need to be with. Do they need somebody that's extra? loving or fun or wacky or silly or serious or whatever that is to come into this earth so that they can then be on their own path in having their lives. And it's just like a grandmother can send you a cardinal or a butterfly and say, oh my God, Aunt Rose or Grandma Rose, she used to always send me butterflies. I know it's her or a cardinal. Spirit babies can do the same thing. and you can ask them to send you specific signs. And the more you connect, you can start to hear, feel, see, know exactly who they are. They're all gonna be a little bit different. Our communication is gonna be different, just like it was different for my first child versus my second. But to have them send me their name, for them to send me these things that just pop up, you start to just get that. beautiful connection knowing they are real. Just like women know like oh I just knew it was a boy, oh I just knew it was a girl. That's that mother's intuition and it can get deeper even deeper than that like with spirit baby work. It's incredible. Michelle (26:46) Mm-hmm. That's so cool. Do you have any interesting stories on what you've seen, just stories from your clients on connecting or asking for signs? Nancy (27:04) Yeah. Yeah, well, even one of my own, one of my favorite is the cake plate for the baby shower. And now she was, I was pregnant with her at this time, but I started connecting with Luna six months even before I knew how I would get pregnant. This was, we had, you know, I was kind of in limbo at that point. I didn't know if I was gonna try our genetics again with another egg retrieval and go through that again. I don't even think I knew about embryo adoption yet. Um, but here I am, you know, we would talk. I knew her middle name was Grace. She literally yelled it to me one time in a meditation session. So every day I would sit there. I would connect with her. I would use crystals. And she was like, my middle name is Grace. And I'm like, are you for real? Okay. Are you sure? Like, I was like, I don't know if this really goes well, Luna Grace Weiss, but all right, girl, this is going to be your middle name. And so, um, I was doing my shopping for my baby shower, and I wasn't a pink girl, I was a gray and purple. I wanted all her stuff to be gray and purple, and I'm looking at home goods, and I'm looking for this cake, a cake plate, a display for the cake. So I'm going through the aisles, I go through all the aisles of the cakes, cake plates, there's nothing there. There's, you know, pink ones or red ones, whatever. So I kind of give up at this point. And I'm like, all right, I guess I'm not finding this cake plate today. I'm going through the store. I'm like looking in the lamps or something really weird, like lamps or something completely non-related to baking. And all of a sudden I see a cream colored plate and it's got this ceramic plate and it's got this gray ribbon tied through it with polka dots, which I'm like, why does this cake plate have this gray ribbon? I'm like, that's exactly what I want. you know, for the purple cake, and then I lift it up and a sticker in the middle of the cake plate says grace on it. And I'm like, what? I like flipped out in the store. I was like, are you kidding me? She literally sent that to me. We have a cake plate with the gray ribbon and then the name, the middle name in the middle of it. And what are the odds of this, right? So you're just like, you just have to like. Michelle (29:09) Oh my god. Wow. Oh, yeah. Nancy (29:30) except these things too. People will be like, oh how do I know it's not imagination or coincidence? It's not. These things, there are no coincidences. Everything is synchronistic and is happening for a reason. You can't tell me that baby didn't send me that plate, right? Or my other client, right, my other client, she had her child send pine cones and pine cones, I mean, Michelle (29:45) Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. The signs are too obvious. Nancy (29:58) know they're in certain places right? You could she asked for pine cones and um they would pop up in interesting places like she would find one she'd be like oh my goodness but like here she shows up to a beach wedding and a beach wedding you would think like she's seashells uh something like that and the individual ornaments things on the table were pine cones and she was like I know Michelle (29:59) So she asked, she asked for that specific sign. Yeah. Right. Yep. Nancy (30:27) There's just like, once you start developing this relationship with them and yourself and with spirit, it's just a beautiful thing because the impossible becomes possible. Michelle (30:43) I love that. I love that. That's so cool. Because it's magic. It's really connecting with a state of miracles. Because I think that ultimately, and I haven't fully, fully read this, but the book of miracles, it was at the book of miracles. Is that what it's called? The book of, I think it's the book of miracles. It's the one that Marianne Williamson wrote about. You know what I'm Nancy (31:00) I'm not sure. Okay, yes, A Course in Miracles, A Course in Miracles. Michelle (31:11) A course in miracles, right. Okay. So a course in miracles, they say that basically miracles happen all the time that we, that is really our birthright. But we're the ones who sort of hold ourselves from that. I think part of it is not acknowledging the realness of it. When we don't acknowledge that it exists, it hides. And then when we acknowledge and make that relationship, make that connection, it shows up a lot more. And so. Nancy (31:36) Yeah. Michelle (31:39) What are some of the reasons that you've seen that spirit babies are hesitant on coming through, like being born? Nancy (31:48) I think one of the big things that is a big message that I've seen over the last, I think it's eight years now that I'm doing this. I'm so bad with my ears. They want to know that mom wants to play. And that sounds very simple. You'd be like, of course babies wanna play, kids wanna play, but they see so much seriousness. They see so much of this stress. that they just want to know like, I really want mom to be playful and fun. And it doesn't come through all the time, but I've seen it come through where that's like a concern of theirs. And when we are going through so much stress, right, we're going through all this stuff, we can kind of tend to just shut down and we need to reconnect with the playfulness inside of us. We need to reconnect with our inner child. And so I'll tell my clients, go out hula hoop. Go out and blow bubbles. Go to the park and run around. Lay down in the grass and just do some grass angels. Go in the snow. Do something that's really fun and lively that you would have done like a kid to really get that, to show them like, yes, I can have fun. Yes, I'm ready to welcome you. I think that's a huge one. And I think it has to do a lot with us, the women. in showing that we can be that way. You know, that it's not just, yeah, the kid just want like kids love to play. They want that connection. playing is a huge part. I'm trying to think of what else. I think babies really have their own, they have their own agenda. This is not our time. This is not when we choose to get pregnant. This is for them saying, yes, I'm ready, the time is now. And so trusting in that divine timing, while it is so hard on your fertility journey, especially if you're getting older and you're like, oh my God, I'm 40, I'm this, I'm that, I need this to happen right now. It's really on their timeline and we need to remember that. We need to remember divine timing and these universal, these beautiful miracles that occur exactly when they need to. Sometimes a child needs to wait for, let's say, another sibling to be born or they need to wait for a specific time or a specific season when mom moves from the city to the country. Different things like that really do affect our children. Or who is the dad? Or where is this other, you know, the other part coming from? There are so many things that babies kind of look at and say like, okay, this is not the right time. I need to wait until this time, or I need to wait until this other sibling comes through, or mom does this or Michelle (34:53) so if somebody wants to connect with a spare baby, and this is really foreign to the person or somebody's listening, and what is one of the first ways they can ease into this or have that connection, what are some tips that you could provide? Nancy (35:11) I think one of the things is. not letting the imagination get in the way thinking I'm dreaming this or this is not real but sitting there say five minutes a day closing your eyes putting your hands on your heart and picturing this child picturing a baby picturing what they might look like you know kind of giving them maybe a face giving them what they look like maybe you see you're holding them in your arms this is all part manifesting too This is making these dreams become a reality. So starting to connect with them, or if that's a little bit too much for somebody, to maybe write a letter to the baby and tell them about you, say, I'm so excited, I cannot wait for you to come Earth side. I have the perfect room picked out for you. I would love to tell you your name. And just starting this conversation, just as if you would pray to God, if that's what you believe in, or praying to a loved one. or talking to someone in spirit, just kind of starting that conversation. And the more you do that, it's like a muscle. And then they start to connect back with you. It may not happen that first day. It may not happen the first month, but as you continue to develop this relationship, it really starts to flourish. Michelle (36:36) Amazing. And it's true. It's actually, I feel like more intuitive than people think, that you almost have a remembrance to it. And I feel like our cells remember what we're capable of doing, like our potential when it awakens, it's really something that is dormant. And when you bring that into your world or your perception, that it awakens more so than it's a new foreign thing. Nancy (37:04) Yes, yes. I mean, it's going to be different for everybody, you know, depending on your level of intuitiveness. Some women are very intuitive, some people are just learning about it. So there are going to be like these building blocks and these kind of steps that need to be taken in order to start to really foster that relationship. And again, every relationship with a spirit baby is going to be different. Some are you're just going to feel them. So maybe when you're in meditation and you say, baby, I want to meet you. I would love to meet you. Please let me know that you're here. And then all of a sudden you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up, or maybe you get goosebumps on your arms. You can look at that as that sign of, yes, they are here. I'm getting that response. And so trusting, again, this is about getting into the body, back into our bodies, so that we can trust the emotions, the visions. the knowing and all those things that come up and we can trust those things. Michelle (38:01) I love that. And of course I can talk to you for hours, but if somebody is really intrigued by what you're talking about and really wants to reach out, which I know is going to be a lot of somebody's, how can people reach you? Nancy (38:05) I'm going to go to bed. Hehehe So Instagram is the best place to find me. I'm at Nancy Weiss Intuitive, and I know Michelle's gonna put that information down here. So we have that. So there's lots of stuff on my Instagram that you can watch. And then I have something called the Coffee with Spirit podcast, in case you don't know, I'm from New York. So I have a little podcast called Coffee with, yes, gotta have coffee. Coffee with Spirit on YouTube is a podcast. Michelle (38:34) Gotta have the coffee. Nancy (38:41) where I talk about spirit babies, spirit stuff in general, so you can learn there how to connect with your spirit baby. And then I offer sessions as well, where I do spirit baby mediumship sessions and energy healing to help you connect with them, where I can connect you with your spirit baby and also teach you how to do it as well. Michelle (39:00) Nancy, I adore you. Like seriously, I adore you. We go way back, like way back. We go way back. New York, we're both from New York and we have the New York connection. And I just think that you're incredibly so unique in your approach to life and you have such a light about you and incredible positivity. And I think part of it is just this belief that you have this real faith. Nancy (39:02) No. Hahaha! Michelle (39:29) in miracles and like the ability to do anything in life. And I think that you just teach so much just by your presence and how you live as a human. So of course, I love having conversations with you and I'm so happy you came back to Spirit Babies and talking about it and the podcast and thank you so much. Nancy (39:41) Thank you. Stay tuned. Thank you.
Today we are welcoming Krystiana AKA Earthside Medium BACK to opening the door to give us all the knowledge about how to start working with the moon! Krystiana infuses this conversation with plenty of astrology knowledge, moon phases, and all the moon basics. Krystiana is a witch, Psychic Medium, Astrologer and Tarot Instructor based in Vancouver Canada. Krystiana has been practicing psychic development, tarot and evolutionary astrology for around 15 years. As a queer, disabled woman she is committed to a trauma-informed approach in her work. By merging the realms of psychic mediumship and astrology she is able to use her gifts to support the intuitive development and personal growth of her clients. Krystiana's website: https://earthsidemedium.com/ Krystiana's IG: @earthsidemedium OTD Spring cleaning mini reading: https://www.openingthedoorpodcast.com/shop/p/mini-reading-spring-cleaning OTD book & deck recs: https://bookshop.org/shop/openingthedoor
1- Medio oriente. Le tensioni tra Iran e il governo israeliano preoccupano gli Stati uniti Arrivato a Tel Aviv il capo del Comando centrale dell'esercito americano. La Casa Bianca intanto ha mandato tramite alcuni paesi arabi un messaggio di distensione a Teheran 2- “La strage di Gaza si fermerà quando il mondo smetterà di inviare armi a Israele e imponendo altre sanzioni” parla Amira Hass, giornalista storica di Haaretz 3- Deforestazione, accaparramento di terre, violenza e corruzione. Succede nel Cerrado in Brasile. L'Ong britannica Earthside denuncia gli abiti sporchi dei colossi della moda. Sotto accusa il più grande sistema di certificazione del cotone e le multinazionali del fast fashion. 4- Cina Taiwan. L'incontro tra XI Jinping e l'ex presidente Ma Ying-jeou potrebbe rilanciare il dialogo tra i due paesi. 5- World Music. Il nuovo album del gruppo portoghese Retimbrar racconta la storia di una famiglia di braccianti durante la dittatura di Salazar.
Steven talks mainly about the first concerts he's attended in 2024, which featured Earthside, Caligula's Horse, and Fake Band Practice. And maybe also sprinkling a bit about Yes/prog news. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yesshift/support
I'm so excited to bring you a special episode this week in honor of me turning 33 on February 2nd: 3 Things I've Learned at 33 Years Old. Truthfully, there are a lot of things I've learned in my 33 years here Earthside so far. But, given I can't talk your ear off for too long, I narrowed it down to three major life lessons that I can't wait to share with you. Without giving too much away up front, we're digging into topics like: The timing of things in life and “shoulda, woulda, couldas”. Understanding hustle culture. Moving “forward” vs. moving “on”. Tapping into and owning our unique magic that we bring. The value of being open-minded and open to change. How we're not guaranteed anything in life, and how we cope with adversity in terms of growth and personal development. I think it's important to do a reflection every now and again to see how far we've come, what we're learning along the way, and the ways we've grown with the beauty of age. Because truly, as unsettling as getting older can be at times, the wisdom we can gain from more time and life experiences is second to none. It's something I wouldn't change for the world, and I hope this episode resonates with you today! Once you listen, if there's anything that jumped out at you or is something you resonate with, I'd love to hear from you! Drop a comment or DM on Instagram and share your thoughts. Work with me: Explore my Intentional Life After Loss membership: https://lossesbecomegains.com/membership Work with me one-on-one: https://lossesbecomegains.com/work-with-tara Connect with me further: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lossesbecomegains/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/losses.become.gains Website: https://lossesbecomegains.com/ Shop the LBG Daily Journal: https://lossesbecomegains.com/journal By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents are the property of Tara Accardo, or used by Tara Accardo with permission. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including—without limitation—reproduction, retransmission or editing of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Tara Accardo, which may be requested by contacting hello@lossesbecomegains.com. This podcast is for educational purposes only. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any necessary therapy or counseling to address deeper, past-focused traumas. We don't attempt to give answers, fix, diagnose, or treat grief. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein.
Unfortunately, most of us know someone in our network who has been affected by Cancer. In fact, as many loyal listeners know, my dear past co-host Kate Callaghan left her Earthside home after a bloody heroic battle with Breast Cancer, and in the last 18 months, my beautiful Mum has been on her own Breast Cancer journey. I'm not the only one that's for sure, so if you've been affected by Cancer yourself or through someone you know, my heart goes out to you.In today's episode, we wanted to review some of the basic foundational allopathic principles and consensus around what you can do according to the research to reduce your risk of Cancer. We will be doing a part two in the future to round out this conversation and add more of our functional medicine and Naturopathic flare to it. It feels important to share a timely reminder of the foundations for health and longevity as we know so many of you have health as one of your highest values and we celebrate you for this.Enjoy the episode and please send us any questions you'd like covered in part 2 of this series. SEND US A QUESTION:https://www.speakpipe.com/theholistichealthpodcastFIND NAT BELOW:Website - https://nataliekdouglas.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/natalie.k.douglasBook a Free Assessment Call - https://calendly.com/nataliekdouglas/thyroid-discovery-callEndoNourish - Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Guide - https://nataliekdouglas.com/endonourish-holistic-endometriosis-adenomyoisis-care-guide/ SacredSeeds - Preconception Care Guidehttps://nataliekdouglas.com/preconception-care-guide/PCOS Wellness Guidehttps://nataliekdouglas.com/pcos-holistic-guide/Thyroid Rescue - Self guided programhttps://nataliekdouglas.com/thyroid-rescue/Coming Off The Pill/IUD Holistic Guidehttps://nataliekdouglas.com/coming-off-the-pill-mini-course/Become a one-to-one clienthttps://nataliekdouglas.com/1-1-naturopathic-nutrition-consultations/FIND AMIE BELOW: Website - https://whatthenaturopathsaid.comInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thatnaturopathJoin the mailing list - https://elysium-clinic-of-natural-medicine.ck.page/69663ce14aBook a Discovery Call: https://p.bttr.to/3yBdmu3Free eBook 'Is mould making you sick?' - https://www.amieskilton.com/MPYHeBookFree webinar 'The 9 subtle signs your home has a mould problem' - https://www.amieskilton.com/MPYHwebinarMouldProof Your Home eCourse - https://www.amieskilton.com/mouldproofMould Prevention 101 mini-course - https://p.bttr.to/3Cp5DkB
Metalheads!! Tracey brings the Prog.
If you have a beloved pet companion- the thought has probably crossed your mind- “man- I wish they could just talk!” Today, we sit down with animal communicator Katie Wilkes to learn all about communication with animals. Whether they are Earthside or passed on, Katie can hear their messages. We discuss: What is an animal reading? Aka: what does Katie do? How did Katie get into animal readings? Katie's mentor: Recently featured in the WSJ article, Nikki Vascanez What was it like transitioning from a “normal” job to a spiritual one? What is the hardest part, best part and funniest part of communicating with animals? What does it sound like to communicate with animals? Cindy's experience with her horsecTache's reading How did you learn and hone this skill? What are common themes and messages that our pets want us to know? Connect with Katie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcwilkes Connect with Katie on her blog: https://www.deependblog.com/ If you love Slightly Spiritual and want to help us expand our community, please leave us a quick review on ITunes or Spotify!
Chapter 460 - "Let The Truth Speak" ...as read by EarthsideToday we welcome Ben Shanbrom and Frank Sacramone from Earthside to the podcast! Earthside released Let The Truth Speak back in November. The guys talk about their friendship and the journey to forming Earthside, putting the time and effort into each song as if each were an album, and more.https://us.earthsideband.com/https://earthside.bandcamp.com/https://www.patreon.com/asthestorygrowshttps://asthestorygrows.substack.com/DiscordChapter 460 Music:Earthside - "But What If We're Wrong"Earthside - "The Closest I've Come"Earthside - "We Who Lament"Earthside - "The Lesser Evil"Earthside - "All We Knew And Ever Loved"Email: asthestorygrows@gmail.com
Welcome to Live From Progzilla Towers Edition 499. In this edition we heard music by Gary Moore & Phil Lynott, Max Webster, Big Big Train, Naryan, OK Goodnight, EBB, Duncan Mackay, Earthside, Kyros, Spurv, The Imagined Village (Ft Benjamin Zephaniah), The Round Window, Dandelion Charm, Quásar, The Amorphous Androgynous, High Tide, Massive Attack, Rush, This Winter Machine, Al Winter & Freiheit.
Join us for an exciting episode of Baby Banter as we reunite with Helen and Monique celebrating three wonderful months Earthside! With Gio (Monique's baby) nestled on my lap, we reflect on the conclusion of the fourth trimester and that precious newborn bubble. Oh, how time flies, and it's truly bittersweet bidding farewell to those long, sleepy days. But fear not, as we eagerly embrace the sweet smiles and infectious laughter that fill our lives now. Gain access to 250+ play ideas, a comprehensive masterclass, webinars by paediatric experts, helpful resources, a supportive community, and everything you need to nurture your baby's growth for the first 18 months: Baby Play Academy Use Code [ BABYBANTER ] to get 20% OFF Connect with Nicole on Instagram @nicole_kidsphysio and engage in conversations about risky play and other parenting topics.
Join us for an exciting episode of Baby Banter as we reunite with Helen and Monique celebrating three wonderful months Earthside! With Gio (Monique's baby) nestled on my lap, we reflect on the conclusion of the fourth trimester and that precious newborn bubble. Oh, how time flies, and it's truly bittersweet bidding farewell to those long, sleepy days. But fear not, as we eagerly embrace the sweet smiles and infectious laughter that fill our lives now. Gain access to 250+ play ideas, a comprehensive masterclass, webinars by paediatric experts, helpful resources, a supportive community, and everything you need to nurture your baby's growth for the first 18 months: Baby Play Academy Use Code [ BABYBANTER ] to get 20% OFF Connect with Nicole on Instagram @nicole_kidsphysio and engage in conversations about risky play and other parenting topics.
Join us for an exciting episode of Baby Banter as we reunite with Helen and Monique celebrating three wonderful months Earthside! With Gio (Monique's baby) nestled on my lap, we reflect on the conclusion of the fourth trimester and that precious newborn bubble. Oh, how time flies, and it's truly bittersweet bidding farewell to those long, sleepy days. But fear not, as we eagerly embrace the sweet smiles and infectious laughter that fill our lives now. Gain access to 250+ play ideas, a comprehensive masterclass, webinars by paediatric experts, helpful resources, a supportive community, and everything you need to nurture your baby's growth for the first 18 months: Baby Play Academy Use Code [ BABYBANTER ] to get 20% OFF Connect with Nicole on Instagram @nicole_kidsphysio and engage in conversations about risky play and other parenting topics.
It's been eight years since Earthside's debut album blew listeners' minds, and now they seem set to do it all over again with their latest release, Let the Truth Speak. Once again, they bring their patented brand of cinematic prog rock/metal along with a bevy of guest vocalists to delight fans. Jamie Van Dyck spent some time talking to me about their goals and the process of creating their latest album,
This week solar activity increases Earthside with several solar storm launches that could give us a glancing blow followed by a fast wind chaser. Although not very strong, the combination of these three things could enhance effects enough to give us some aurora. Aurora photographers, especially at high latitudes could get some nice views
Earth, our Earth at least, continues to fall into chaos. But over in Outland, everything is great. Well, good. Well, ok. Things are going in the dumpster as well. Kevin and Bill continue to find new worlds but most aren't any place you would want to vacation on. The colony keeps finding more survivors which means more mouths to feed. Monica and B keep running into locals who don't want to pull their weight or overthrow the colony. So just another day of life in Earthside by Dennis E. TaylorNext books will be:August: #1 in Customer Service by Larry CorreiaSeptember: How to do Nothing by Jenny OdellHost: Eugene StephensGuest: Ray Andrew, Kris Andrew, Shaun MclarenLike the show? Do us a favor and rate / review the show on iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts from.You can always reach us at EpicallyGeeky.comYou can also find us on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram.You can find us on iTunes here: http://apple.co/2fiw4eHYou can find us on Stitcher here: http://bit.ly/2f1IuYPYou can find us on Google Podcast: http://bit.ly/3mJGuWZYou can find us on Spotify here: https://spoti.fi/2PIJwM7You can find us on Amazon Podcast here: https://amzn.to/35Nop5lYou can find us on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/2fffyO0Music by: Peter Emerson Jazz
Welcome to The Doula's Guide To... Podcast, season 1 episode 21, all about releasing fear during pregnancy. We'll chat about why this is important, touch on how you can do it and then I'll guide you through how to do a fear release exercise which you can practice throughout your pregnancy. We'll end with another absolutely delicious guided relaxation entitled "Release for Birth Confidence and Calmness" for you to relax, connect and bond with your baby as you prepare to meet them Earthside. This guided relaxation is suitable for any stage of pregnancy and can be built in to your weekly routine as you journey through pregnancy. I really hope you enjoy, if you love it and would like to hear more then please do let me know as I will record more! The script is written by Danielle Freshwater, shared copyright free for hypnobirthing and antenatal practitioners. Some words and parts of the script have been edited by myself.Links mentioned in the episode:Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It? - click here to readSupport the podcast - leave me a small tip via buy me a ko-fi by clicking hereClick here to find out more about my brand new prerecorded online courses: thedungareedoula.co.uk/onlinecourseUse code 'PODCAST' for 20% off!Love the podcast? support me by leaving a tip via buy me a ko-fi: click hereBook a Power Hour: click hereIf you enjoyed the episode please give it a like, review and click follow so you never miss out! New episodes are out every Friday at 7am so stick around.Connect with me:thedungareedoula.co.ukinstagram.com/thedungareedoulafacebook.com/thedungareedoulatiktok.com/@thedungareedoula
Welcome to The Doula's Guide To... Podcast, season 1 bonus episode, an absolutely delicious guided relaxation for you to relax, connect and bond with your baby as you prepare to meet them Earthside. This guided relaxation is suitable for any stage of pregnancy and can be built in to your weekly routine as you journey through pregnancy. I really hope you enjoy, if you enjoy this and would like to hear more then please do let me know as I will record more!The script is titled PRENATAL BONDING and is written by Ann Ball, shared copyright free for hypnobirthing and antenatal practitioners. Some words and parts of the script have been edited by myself.Click here to find out more about my brand new prerecorded online courses: thedungareedoula.co.uk/onlinecourseUse code 'PODCAST' for 20% off!Love the podcast? support me by leaving a tip via buy me a ko-fi: click hereBook a Power Hour: click hereIf you enjoyed the episode please give it a like, review and click follow so you never miss out! New episodes are out every Friday at 7am so stick around.Connect with me:thedungareedoula.co.ukinstagram.com/thedungareedoulafacebook.com/thedungareedoulatiktok.com/@thedungareedoula
Welcome to The Doula's Guide To... Podcast, season 1, episode 13 all about the golden hour. In this episode I'm chatting about what happens immediately after giving birth - from cord clamping to placenta birth, vitamin K to initiating feeding we cover those initial considerations you want to be planing for once your babe is Earthside.**Huge apologies for the blunt ending of this episode - the file corrupted which lost the last few minutes and the outro and I didn't realise until it had uploadedLinks mentioned in the episode:TBU virtual birth festival - join the groupWait for White website - click hereSara Wickham Vitamin K resources - click hereNewborn breast crawl - watch hereClick here to find out more about my brand new prerecorded online courses: thedungareedoula.co.uk/onlinecourseUse code 'PODCAST' for 20% off!Love the podcast? support me by leaving a tip via buy me a ko-fi: click hereBook a Power Hour: click hereIf you enjoyed the episode please give it a like, review and click follow so you never miss out! New episodes are out every Friday at 7am so stick around.Connect with me:thedungareedoula.co.ukinstagram.com/thedungareedoulafacebook.com/thedungareedoula
100% Efficiency; PayPal layoffs; Microsoft & ChatGPT Plus; Spotify increases premium subscribers, loses more money; Tesla bitcoin loss; pushback against self-driving cars; Amazon shutting down grocery stores; Meta paid for data scraping while denouncing it; AI alien signals; Picard; Paramount+ With Showtime; Cunk on Earth; Earthside; Ask a Historian; After Babel; Barnes & Nobel is back; Wikenigma; the Dark Side with Dave; more playing around with ChatGPT; ElevenLabs AI voices; Stormtroopin'.Sponsors:Hover - Go to Hover now and grab your very own domain or a few of them at hover.com/gog and get 10% off your first purchase.Lectric eBikes - Start your next adventure with a Lectric XP 3.0 today. Visit lectricebikes.com to learn more, and mention GOG at checkout because you love us!Show notes at https://gog.show/587FOLLOW UPWorld's first electric dump truck stores as much energy as 8 Tesla Model S carsIN THE NEWSPayPal is laying off 2,000 employeesReport: Microsoft plans to update Bing with a faster version of ChatGPT in the coming weeksChatGPT Plus FAQOpenAI launches ChatGPT Plus, starting at $20 per monthChatGPT reportedly reached 100 million users in JanuarySpotify reaches 205 million Premium subscribers as losses mountTesla records $204M loss from bitcoin in 2022The DOJ is looking into Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving claimsSan Francisco asks California regulators to halt or slow the rollout of driverless taxisEU vows to get tougher on Big Tech privacy violationsAmazon Plans to Close Some Grocery and Convenience StoresDocuments show Meta paid for data scraping despite years of denouncing itAI Finds Possible Overlooked Alien Signals In Radio Telescope DataMEDIA CANDYPicard Season 3 TrailerParamount+ Premium will absorb Showtime and rebrand as 'Paramount+ With Showtime'Cunk on EarthAT THE LIBRARYEarthside - Quantum Earth, Book 2 by Dennis E. TaylorAsk A Historian: 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know by Greg JennerAfter Babel - Jonathan HaightHow Barnes & Noble Came Back From Near Death by Ezra KleinWikenigma - an Encyclopedia of UnknownsSECURITY HAH!The CyberWireDave BittnerHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopCyber CraftKirk, Spock, Scotty, and McCoy outwit the AndroidsElevenLabs BetaChatGPT's New Tool for Detecting Text Written by AI Doesn't Work Very WellNew AI classifier for indicating AI-written textSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Motherhood Anthology Podcast: Photography Education for a Business You Love
Today Kim sits down with Chelsea Hollis, our friend and TMA educator inside our community. In this episode, we're talking about: Chelsea's customer experience journey covering the entire process of bringing baby Earthside: including using her Doula certification to photograph birth how Chelsea has used podcasting to build a following and attract clients why Chelsea took her phone number off of the internet in order to actually increase her lead conversion all things CRM - specifically how Chelsea uses Honeybook to manage her client base Our signature question: what does success mean for Chelsea? Connect with Chelsea: https://chelseaallegra.com/ https://www.instagram.com/chelseaallegra/ Website | Membership | Courses: www.themotherhoodanthology.com Free Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themotherhoodanthology Our Instagram: instagram.com/themotherhoodanthology
We start this episode by asking a question that seems to be on everyone's mind right now- how do you call in your soul family? How do you call in friends as an adult that are aligned with who you are and who you want to be? Spirit has a lot to say about this- and it might surprise you. Ali and Cindy also discuss signs of Masculine energy coming in- and you can see if it resonates in your life too! In this episode, we learn that letting go of what isn't aligned with our highest and best self is just as important as calling in what we want when it comes to calling in our soul family IE making friends as an adult- which is hard enough as it is! We must drop judgment of ourselves and others, and look at what intentions we set around who and how we are calling our peeps to us. Cindy walks us through how to ask the universe to only send people that we have soul contracts with, and cut through the gunk and murkiness. We also learn that we might be aligned with people at different times in our lives and that those people change as we evolve. We learn that our souls overplan before coming Earthside, and that we might have more than one bestie, soulmate or life partner. Libra season is the perfect time to call in friendships and relationships- it is all about balance. As always- feel free to send us a DM if this resonates!
Here's the backstory...I've realized I've referred a lot to Beau's entrance into this world, but haven't explained fully how Beau entered Earthside, so here it is!Also I explain my service project that I'm putting together with the help of some of my family and friends, to go to something that I found myself in, when I was in the hospital, and because of it, don't want any other women to have to go through it.***Instagram: @munchandminglepodcastFamily Members who are helping with the Service Project:@tastydoughcookiedough@mammamer_fitness
Sarah speaks with returning guest Edward Willett about his sci fi novel, The Tangled Stars: "More than a century ago, the network of MASTTs, the space-time tunnels that made interstellar travel possible, violently collapsed, the backlash destroying a lot of the solar system's space-based infrastructure. Cooper “Coop” Douglas, a thief and conman is in serious debt to outer-system crime-lord Eric Galioto. While trying to salvage a valuable chunk of a space station destroyed by the backlash, Coop makes a startling discovery: MASTT Primus, the tunnel that used to lead to New Earth, is open again. That raises an intriguing possibility: Coop could flee the solar system and his debt to Galioto and make a new life—and possibly fortune—around another star. Accompanied by his first mate, the wisecracking, AI-uplifted, genetically modified cat Thibauld, Coop sets out to “liberate” the solar system's only remaining functioning starship from an Earthside museum, enlisting the help of Laysa Grey, a former-lover-turned-cop on Luna. Along the way, he is pursued by Galioto and dogged by law enforcement and thugs. And beyond MASTT Primus, the tangled stars await . . ." If you enjoyed this episode, follow and subscribe to the show: you can find us on iTunes or on any app that carries podcasts as well as on YouTube. Please remember to subscribe and give us a nice review. This way you will always be among the first to get the latest GSMC Book Review Podcasts. We would like to thank our Sponsor: GSMC Podcast Network Advertise with US: https://gsmcpodcast.com/advertise-with-us Website: https://gsmcpodcast.com/gsmc-book-review-podcast Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/…/gsmc-book-review-po…/id1123769087 GSMC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-EKO3toL1A Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSMC_BookReview Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSMCBookReview/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsmcbookreview Disclaimer: The views expressed on the GSMC Book Review Podcast are for entertainment purposes only. Reproduction, copying, or redistribution of The GSMC Book Review Podcast without the express written consent of Golden State Media Concepts LLC is prohibited.
You guys! We finally did it! We had our baby boy Ozzy. AND we finally got around to recording our birth story to share with you all. I am so excited to be offering this out into the world, and I am thrilled that my fiancé, best friend, partner, lover, and teacher Levi Moodie was able to join me to share his perspective on things as well. Go to episode website for links and show notes! Connect with Meg: Receive a FREE 11 minute breath work practice from Meg! Just head to the website. Join my year-long women's coaching container, the EMPOWER MASTERMIND! Follow me and The Meg Pearson Podcast on Instagram Love the show? Then why don't you: • Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe to the show. • Tag us on Instagram @themegpearsonpodcast or @coachmegpearson and let us know what you think or what and who you'd want to hear on the show!
This is a repost, the previous version of this had the incorrect audio In our thrilling two hundred and eighty-fourth episode we continue our journey through the Galaxy's Greatest Comic with the 1993 Winter Special of 2000AD. This is an action packed special, with several stories from the cancelled Earthside 8 comic! This episode Conrad … Continue reading ep 284 – 1993 Winter Special
One of my dear mentors, Jane Hedwick Collins often says that every pregnancy results in a birth and shows the mother, what she most needs to know for the next season of her life. Miscarriage and early pregnancy loss impacts us in ways which are definitely underacknowledged and we need to be having more conversations, such as this one, with my guest Katrina Thompson. Kat is a Mama of four: two healthy Earthside children and two angels. Her miscarriage experiences were traumatic and led to huge crackings open into a dark period of her life. Listen to this vulnerable conversation about: Fully experiencing, accepting and allowing permission for the fourth trimester of matresence, no matter when we give birth and what other trimesters we may, or may not, have experienced. Assumptions that birth, motherhood and pregnancy is something we 'should' just be able to do. The rush and pressure to try again after pregnancy loss, how that can impact the grief process. Questioning our body when it falls short and how connected we can feel to the tiny human growing inside (at all different stages of pregnancy). This conversation is raw, open and honest. Due to the sensitivity of this topic, please check in with yourself and seek help and support as necessary for your own matresence journey. To find out more about Kat and the Sacred Support Circles and 1 on 1 support around miscarriage you can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/miscarriage_transformed/. If you would like a deeper understanding of matresence and how we support women differently, Mama Rising facilitator training opens just once a year. For early offers and to join the 5 days to a motherhood revolution event before August, please jump the link below to join the wait list. https://mamarising.net/mama-rising-waitlist/ (https://mamarising.net/mama-rising-waitlist/)
Today on the podcast we have one of Meagan's local doula clients, Aubree. Aubree's unexpected HBAC story is one of overcoming fears and digging deep when birth moves much faster than planned!We also discuss the risks and benefits surrounding home birth. Julie mentions criteria you can use to help you decide if HBAC is right for you. However and wherever you choose to birth, our mission is to help you feel empowered, peaceful, and safe in that choice. Additional linksThe VBAC Link Blog: HBACMamasteFitJulie's Fear Release VideoHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull transcriptNote: All transcripts are edited to correct grammar, false starts, and filler words. Meagan: Happy Wednesday, everybody. It is Julie and Meagan and we are so excited for you to hear this story today. We have our friend, Aubree, on and she has got a really cool story to share. And kind of a little side note or a little teaser, I was actually one of her doulas. It was me and my partner, Melinda, and I sadly didn't get to make it to the birth. Melinda went, but I seriously can't even believe how awesome this story is. I'm actually excited to hear her share it. We actually had scheduled to go to lunch and hear her story, and we never got to have that happen. So I'm so excited today to hear along with you guys her version of the story. As usual, we have a Review of the Week and our amazing Julie is going to share that with you before we dive right in. Review of the WeekJulie: Hello, I am so excited to hear this story too. Meagan was just telling me a titch about it before we started recording and it is always fun to have somebody local share their story with us. I do have a Review of the Week. This is from Apple Podcasts and it is from libbywilger. The title is “My Safe Space”. That makes me really happy– “My Safe Space.”Meagan: And I love her name, Libby. Julie: Libby. I know, that's cute. Okay, so she says, “I have been listening to The VBAC Link from the very beginning and it has carried me through my own VBAC journey (and beyond)! I had an emergency C-section with my first baby in 2017 and knew immediately I wanted to pursue a VBAC with future pregnancies. I tried listening to birth stories on other podcasts, but initially, it was too difficult for me to hear from first-time moms whose stories ended with peaceful, unmedicated, vaginal births. The VBAC Link became my safe space to hear from women who had been through what I had and had come out empowered, triumphant, and healed, even if they weren't able to have a VBAC. “This podcast helped me to heal emotionally from my first birth experience and to surround myself with the research, support, and POSITIVITY that I needed to prepare for my next birth. These stories allowed me to believe in birth again, and they carried me through my beautiful, healing VBAC during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. “Julie, Meagan, and all the women of strength who bravely share their stories are changing the world with this podcast. Thank you for giving so many mamas the gift of education, empowerment, and JOY while they bring their babies Earthside. God bless!”Meagan: Aww, that gave me the chills. Julie: I know, me too. Meagan: That is amazing. I love it so much. Thank you so much for sharing your review, Libby. Julie: Yeah, absolutely. I love that. I love it when people are with us from the beginning. We've been doing this for four years now. Meagan: I know. So crazy. Julie: It's been a really long time and really fun to see people come around full circle. I was at our local ICAN meeting last night. They are starting up ICAN meetings again here. Meagan: Oh yay! That's awesome.Julie: Yeah. So if you're in Utah, look up ICAN of Utah County. There are meetings on the 3rd Monday of every month in Lehi and I will probably come to every single one of them because I just– you know me. I love talking about birth and VBAC and everything. It was fun because a lot of the people there– it's been a while since we've had ICAN meetings– and everybody there knew who I was. It was kind of strange walking into a room where everyone knows you but you don't know them. It was just a little strange. I don't know. It's been a while since we've been in front of real-life people instead of talking on Zoom. So it was just fun to be able to see and connect with people. I'm excited to hear the stories of when people found The VBAC Link. There are people who have found us at the beginning and they had their C-sections, then their VBACs, and VBAC after two C-sections. There was a mom there last night who is preparing for a VBAC after three C-sections and I love that VBAC after three C-sections is becoming more common. We are hearing more stories in our community and more on our podcast. I think it's incredible. Aubree's StoryMeagan: Okay, Ms. Aubree. We are so, so excited to hear your story. We are so grateful that you're here with us today. We are going to turn the time over to you to share this beautiful birth story. Aubree: Oh, yeah. Thank you so much for having me. Meagan: Absolutely. Aubree: I actually was going to say that I've almost been with you since the beginning. My daughter is three and a half. She's my C-section and that's how this all got started. Meagan: Mhmm, that's awesome. We really do. We get emails all the time where it's like, “Oh, I've been with you from the very beginning,” and we are like, “Thank you. Thank you for sticking with us this whole time.”Aubree: I love it. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I'm super pumped, actually. Meagan: Absolutely. Aubree: I'll just start with my daughter's birth first. She's the C-section one. Right off the bat, I went and actually had an IUI which is intrauterine insemination. It worked on the first round. I'm infertile, so that's why we had to see a fertility specialist but it worked and I had a pretty normal pregnancy with her. Nothing out of the blue or anything. I did find out, though, about two weeks before birth that my doctor told me, “Oh, I'm going to be going out of town.” That was a big surprise to me.Meagan: Shocker, yeah. Aubree: I had never even thought of that being a possibility, so I just assumed. She had told me, “Everybody there that will be there will be awesome. You don't need to worry.” I did not think about it. Fast forward– it actually gets to two days after 40 weeks, so 40+2, and that's when my contractions started. I was visiting the gravesite of my father and it was really special that my contractions started while I was visiting him.It was exciting because I had taken a HypnoBirthing class. I had done a lot of work– what I thought work was– mentally to prepare for it, and so it just felt super exciting at first. The whole car ride back– it was about an hour away and every five minutes, or not five minutes at first. It was about every 7-10 minutes apart. We got to our apartment. I decided to do a little bath and that's when it slowed down and stopped, my labor. I just got bummed. I was super bummed. I was like, “You have got to be kidding me. I have been waiting 40 weeks for this.” So I hopped out of the bath. I shouldn't have. I should have rested. But I hopped out of the bath and I was like, “Let's get this ramped up again.” So I just started cleaning the apartment, vacuuming, everything like that, and lo and behold, my contractions started right up again. They slowly got closer and closer together. Even though I was working on breathing through them, I was managing them so well. About an hour later, I was like, “These are clockwork. Five minutes apart and they are lasting,” I can't even remember, but they seemed textbook and I was like, “Let's go to the hospital.”I didn't want to wait for them to get even closer. It started to get to the point where I was like, “I'm needing a little bit of help, too.” So we get to the hospital and that's when my anxiety kicked in. It felt really real. We got up to the tower or whatever where we get checked in and the nurse was like, “Why are you here?” I'm like, “Can you not tell? I'm in labor.” I had to do that little bit even though I had pre-done everything. She still asked me a few questions. We finally got our way back and they said, “Okay, we'll check you in triage.” I was like, “Joke's on them because I'm five minutes apart and I'm going to be super far along.” But come to find out, I was only 3 centimeters. They said, “Well, we'll keep you for an hour and then we'll see,” but an hour later, still no progress which makes sense, but the contractions were just so intense for me. I was asking, I'm like, “Can you do something for me? I need something to help with this” and I had forgotten everything, literally, from my HypnoBirthing class. I just remember being in so much fear. So finally, I think they did administer– I can't even remember what it was– a little shot to my bum. It kind of took the edge off, but not really. Meagan: Maybe morphine?Aubree: Yeah. Meagan: Was allotted or something? Sometimes in that earlier stage, if it's really intense, they'll give you a little morphine shot in the bum while you are awake just to take it away a little bit. Aubree: Yeah, that's probably it then. They said, “We'll allow you that, but since you are not admitted, we can't even start an epidural or anything.” I was like, “Why isn't this on-call doctor allowing me to be admitted?” Because they kept saying, “Well, the on-call doctor thinks this,” and “The on-call doctor thinks that.” Already, I'm not liking this on-call doctor very much. And so they said, “We are going to come back in one more hour. I manage through that one hour. I think I progressed to a four. Because I had made some progress, they said, “Okay, we'll go ahead and admit you now.” That's when my mom had gotten to the hospital. My husband was with me in the room and I still was just very fearful. I couldn't find a position that was comfortable for me. And so I basically asked for the epidural right as I got to my room. I just was like, “I need rest.” Meagan: And relief. Aubree: And relief, yeah. I call him a nice, old anesthesiologist because he was pretty old. He actually helped me relax. He administered it and it was actually smooth sailing from there but my body– even though I hated not feeling my legs, I had that relaxation. By I think, so sorry. I should have said. I checked in at about 8:00 p.m. and by 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning, they told me, “You are 10. You are complete.” It actually helped me relax so much that it allowed me to dilate which was awesome. They said, “For an hour, we are going to let you rest and descend.” I had no idea what that meant. I was like, “Okay.” And then around 6:00 or 7:00, we started practice pushing. I think I knew from the beginning, “That is a lie. This is not practice. They really want me to start pushing.” It was the coached pushing because they had me push, push, push for ten whole counts. I had to hold my breath and it just was awful. I had heard and I had told them. I had my whole birth plan and I said, “I prefer not to have coached pushing,” but I don't think anyone cared too much to look at it. I definitely didn't remind them because I was just in the moment. So I am in the middle of quite a few practice pushes and this is the first time I saw the face of my on-call doctor. He comes into the room and he goes, “Push, push, push, push, push, push, push, push!” He sounded like a barking football coach.Meagan: I was going to say, “What are we doing?”Aubree: I am like, “What are we doing?”Meagan: Are we sprinting up a hill right now?Aubree: So shocked. My husband said he wanted to (inaudible), but he was trying to help me, so I just dealt with it. I dealt with all of the coaching. I did not like the coached pushing. In fact, I was holding my breath and they were like, “Oh, she needs more oxygen. Let's put an oxygen mask on her.” That made it even worse. I just felt claustrophobic with that on, and then they would try to rotate me. They were like, “Let's rotate her to her other side,” because I had been on my left. Every time they tried to rotate me, they were like, “We lost baby's heartbeat,” or it had deceled, and so I couldn't move. I had to stay on my left side. I had to keep the oxygen mask on and it just did not feel good. In fact, I knew I was pushing because I am one of those people that pooped on the table. It was like, “Come on. You know I am working!” It was so embarrassing.Meagan: Listen, poop is a good sign. It means you are doing things really well.Aubree: Okay good. I pushed for an hour and a half and that's when the doctor said, “Okay. I need to probably give you the C-section talk,” because she had not descended. She engaged but she had not decided one bit, not even with pushing. There was nothing from her. He said, “You look exhausted. I actually see a little bit of blood in your urine output and we can't get you to move on the other side for your baby's heart rate.” He was like, “I could let you go for another hour and a half,” but he said, “I think the best option for you is just to have a C-section because this will just get even more exhausting.I consented honestly because well, I took a minute with my husband. We talked about it because I did not want a C-section although I had no idea what it entailed anyway. We decided it was the best for the baby and for myself, and we wanted to go through with it. It did go really well. The C-section went fine. I just did not like that right after the procedure, I was so shaky. Literally, so much to the point I couldn't even hold her when they finally brought her back from the NICU for her breathing. I couldn't even hold her. I was violently shaking.Man, I don't want to get emotional, but that was the hardest part. I couldn't even bond with her. I was able to still learn and work through everything and enjoy her afterward. I just feel like I had a rough start, especially being a first-time parent, and especially because two weeks later, we came to find out she had colic. I kept blaming the C-section for her colic because I was like, “She never got the microbiomes from my vaginal canal.” I just knew at the end of all of that and the rough recovery of not being able to lift much or walk around as easily at first. My friend is who introduced me to you guys. That's when I just knew things had to be different the next time. So yeah. That's my C-section story.Meagan: Yeah, thank you.Aubree: Yeah. My son's story is completely still baffling to me because I did not expect it. We had to go back to the fertility center. He took five or six rounds of intrauterine insemination and we were actually close to them saying, “Hey. You probably need to go to IVF after this.” But anyway, we were so lucky and blessed to get him in the fifth round. We had a pretty good pregnancy with him. The only thing that I had fear about was the birth and choosing the right care team.And so at first, I knew for sure, I think I contacted Meagan to be my doula right out of the gate. I think I was only five weeks along.Meagan: Yeah, early.Aubree: Early, yeah. I wanted to secure you and I wanted to secure my provider. I initially went to a hospital here with a midwife because I wanted things a little bit more natural, but when I went to my first meeting with her– I had given her my whole story and she had said, “I don't see a reason to not let you try, but I do want you to consider having an induction at 39 weeks and I would like to monitor you as we get closer.” Things didn't sound VBAC-friendly. It just sounded tolerant and I got that feeling of, “Is this who I really want?” because I don't do well having to fight for myself during labor. I don't want to have that as an additional thing to worry about.I had been keeping this other clinic in the back of my mind and I went and did a couple of interviews with the midwives at a freestanding birth center. They are an amazing team. The thing that made me feel so safe with her was that she said, “The odds are in your favor if you come to be with us.” That sounded really awesome, but I also decided to do one other thing which was that I wanted to go physically stand out in front of each place to see if I could get a feeling. You know, like, “Does this feel right for me?” I stood out in front of the hospital and then I stood out in front of the birth center and I did not feel pulled to either one. I was super shocked. I kind of figured out why later because he didn't get delivered at either. Yeah. I will keep telling my story, but I think that's the reason why my prayers went unanswered because he did not decide to come to either place. I did not make it. I would not have made it. So I decided, “Okay.” Around 20 weeks, you know when you have your anatomy scan, we found out he was not only breech, but that my placenta was anterior and it was also covering my C-section scar at that point. And so they said, “Okay.” This is with the birth center because I had decided to go with them. They said, “We are just going to need to keep an eye on that because we can't have your placenta covering your C-section scar or sticking right there. It needs to move up and away from it,” as well as, breech, right? I did not want to deal with a breech baby. And so I did quite a few things and this is actually something I pulled from your guys' previous podcast which is why they are so amazing. A previous person had said she started talking to her baby throughout the pregnancy and how she created a bond with them, so I was like, “I need to start talking to him.” That's when I started having conversations. I was like, “Hey, honey. You are breech. We need you to turn.” I started to keep him informed along the way, even learning things from MamasteFit, or Gina. I kept telling him at night. I kept saying, “Okay. Remember when it is birth day, you have to tuck your chin in. You have to have the pointiest part of your head face down.”Meagan: Those things work.Aubree: They do. They just do. It did work. I had to have another scan later because we had to check both his position and my placenta at around 30 or 35 weeks. I can't remember, but he did end up flipping. So I went and saw a chiropractor because I wanted to do everything to get him to not be breech. I went and saw a chiropractor here. I did the Spinning Babies Daily Essentials most days. Not every day, but I did that. I had the red raspberry leaf tea and dates. I just wanted to do all of the things I could to make this possible for myself. About one week before, I actually went into labor. My contractions started in the car when we were on our way back from the lantern festival. I was so fearful. I actually was like, “It can't happen now. It can't happen now.” It was a week before my due date. Mentally, I wasn't prepared. The fear came back. Feeling those contractions put me right back in the hospital remembering how scared I was and it was surprising to me because I just kept saying out loud, “I am not ready. I am not ready. You've got to stop. We need to wait.” They fizzled out by the time I got home. That whole week, I worked with, and even throughout my pregnancy, I worked with a life coach about my fears. I did your guys' fear release from your course. I worked through it. I wrote out everything and then I burned it. I burned my piece of paper with my fears and it felt so good.Meagan: Mhmm. Listen, that is such an amazing thing too. In fact, Julie has a whole recording on our YouTube channel about that and how to do that. It's so amazing. It really is.Aubree: Yeah, for sure. I think that's partially what helped me get to be okay with whatever could happen because I was so afraid of things like shoulder dystocia, needing to transfer, all of those things, and so it just needed to get out, be said, and be burned because, at that point, I did all that I could and had to let the pieces play out.Meagan: Just let it go.Aubree: Yep. Just let it go. So a week later, it was still two days before my due date. I had been feeling kind of nauseous all day and I was like, “I feel off. Let's go to bed early tonight.” And by early, I didn't get to bed until 11:00, but it's fine. I said, “Let's go to bed early.” At 11:17, I kid you not. I was not even in bed for seven minutes when the first contraction came. It made me go, “Oh no. Did I dream that?” And then five minutes later, the next one came. I shot up out of bed and I said, “This is it!”Meagan: You can tell a difference.Aubree: Yes. I told him. I was like, “You have got to stay asleep.” I did not expect to be fast. Knowing my C-section and whatnot, I was like, “We have got at least six hours. I want to labor here as long as possible.” I went and started a shower bath for myself with Epsom salts. It was so great. I let myself go for a whole 45 minutes. I was alone and it was awesome until it kind of really started picking up. They were consistently already five minutes apart. The intensity just grew and grew with each one. So 45 minutes later, I was saying, “Justin, can you get out of bed? I am needing help squeezes. Help me.”That's when he was like, “Okay. Let's text the midwives,” so I sent a sweet text like, “I've been pushing for an hour. I'm just going to check–”Meagan: Contracting, yeah. Contracting—Aubree: Oh sorry, not pushing. Yeah, contracting for an hour and things are going well. I said, “Just keep us informed.” Seven minutes later though, I had a freak out because they just were ramping up so much. It's not like the part you want to see in a movie because I was frantic. I was on my knees in my bedroom. I was like, “I can't move. I can't go anywhere.” I was like, “I picked the wrong thing. I need the epidural now. Get me somewhere. Fix it.”Meagan: It was a lot happening really fast.Aubree: Yeah. So my husband, bless him because he knew how much I wanted the VBAC and he said, “We need to remember what we want to try.” He was like, “What can you remember that you want me to help you with?” I said, “All I can think about is how funny it was that Gina said you can turn around on the toilet and sit there while you are in labor.” He was like, “Okay. Let's go try it.” And so I made it there and it actually felt so good to sit there backward. For every contraction, I do not recommend this. But with every contraction, I pushed my forehead into the wall because it gave me some more counterpressure. He was giving counterpressure behind, but it gave me a counterpressure on my head too. It's just what I did to cope. That's when my husband was like, “We need to get places.” So that's when– let's see. I think it was at 12:21, he was like, “Call your mom.” I finally called you guys, my doulas. My mom quickly came and so did–Meagan: Melinda.Aubree: Melinda, yeah.Meagan: She was really close to you so I was like, “It sounds like it is going fast,” and so she was like, “I'm going.” “Yeah. You've got to get to her.”Aubree: I'm so appreciative of her because I don't know if you would have made it, Meagan.Meagan: I don't think I would have. I mean, I wouldn't. I wouldn't have because I'm not that far, but still, with the way things were going, I was far. Do you know?Aubree: All right. You were far enough, yeah. So my mom arrived and she was kind of like, “Wow. Don't you guys have to get going?” Justin was like, “Yes. Yes, we know. We are trying to get everything.” I couldn't really talk. I just was in the zone and saw my mom arrive. The doula arrived and then he called Adrienne. Adrienne heard me grunting over the phone and said, “Is she pushing?” Adrienne is my midwife and I didn't think I was pushing. Honestly, I was just, it's how I was like, “I am just getting through the contractions I am making a grunting noise.” I actually was like, “I think we can make it if you guys just let me go poo really quick.”She goes, “Oh no. I am on my way right now,” because she knew what that meant and I had no idea. I was like, “Guys. Jokes on you. I really have to just go to the bathroom real quick,” but she knew. Anyway, I'm so glad she was on her way. She called us not too long after saying, “Hey. If you need to, call the paramedics. This is going to be quick.” But she luckily made it. So she made it and when she got there, she set up a birthing stool right next to me in my bathroom. It took a little coaxing to get me off the toilet because I did not want to move, but we ended up getting on the birth stool. I was hugging Melinda because I needed to hunch over and hug her. Justin was giving me the counterpressure still on my hips. They just switched back-and-forth so neither one got burnt out, but at one point, and apparently this is when I realized, “Oh, I really am pushing.” At one point during this pushing, I felt my baby boy. I felt him use his legs to push up into my ribs and turn. I felt him twist and turn and I'm like, “Oh my gosh, he's doing it! He's doing what I told him to do.”Meagan: Exactly, yes.Aubree: I told him to get in the position. I was like, “You do whatever you need to, baby. It's fine.” I felt him do that and at first– I should back up a little bit before I felt that. They put a mirror underneath me and at first, I couldn't see anything. I was like, “What if he gets stuck? What if he gets stuck?” I couldn't see anything, so I decided. I was like, “Stop looking in the mirror to check your progress and just let it happen.” After I felt that push, I was like, “Maybe I will check now.” I looked down and that's when I could finally see his head crowning. I was like, “Oh my gosh. This is it. He really is doing it.” And oh man, the ring of fire. Yes. I felt that so much. In fact, every time I would contract, I would probably push a little too hard to push him out because it was just so intense. I should have eased up. I should have probably eased up on it, but it was just so intense. I can't tell you how many pushes it took, but man. He made it out and he did that slippery slide out. My midwife prepped my husband to catch him and that was super shocking because he is not the type of person that was like, “I want to catch the baby or cut the cord or do any of this,” but he was just right there raw and real with me.We were just going through it doing what we had to do with what was presented. I don't want to share the pictures with you, but if you saw the pictures of my face, I was just exhausted. I looked exhausted because it just was a wham, bam, boom. Two hours, I calculated it. It was two hours and 40 minutes from start to finish. It just blew me away. I did not think that it could be that quick.But I should say that after he was delivered, they got my bed all set up and put all of this protection down. After I delivered the placenta, I did hemorrhage, and so I was so grateful for my midwife. She administered IV fluids to me. She stitched me up right there. It was such a turnaround, immediate bonding experience that I missed out on so much with my daughter even though I was purely exhausted. I just was so much empowered. Yeah. I'm trying to think if there is anything else. The recovery– I should say this. One thing that I have learned going through the C-section and a vaginal, it wasn't like one recovery was amazingly better than the other. They just each had their pros and cons. Right? I'm not saying, “Don't have a C-section” or “Don't have a home birth”, but they just have pros and cons. Everybody is different and it just is okay no matter how birth happens. That's the biggest thing, especially through my life coach that was helping me, my friend. She is now a certified life coach. She is the best. I really think that is what helped me. She helped me push through all of the fears I had and that is what started me on my own journey. I actually signed up now. I want to become a doula and I am going to sign up to be a life coach as well because I want to handle not only the birth, but I want to help people through their mental– it's such a mind game for birth. So that's my story.Meagan: Yay. Absolutely. Oh, I love it so much. We have a client that we just recently were talking to and she had a fast birth the first time. Not fast-fast, but it was a 24-hour first-time birth. She is scared of that happening and it just being so fast. I'm like, “There are pros and cons to fast birth,” but when it's fast, it's usually really, really intense. Aubree: Yeah. Meagan: Yeah, and then you're exhausted because it was so intense so fast, but yeah. As I said, there are pros and cons. I don't even know if I would prefer fast and intense or if I would prefer what I had– 42-hour long labor. I”m like, “I don't think I would prefer the 42-hour-long labor.”Julie: A nice, happy medium for me. Meagan: Yeah, just a nice, happy medium. Even just 8-10 hours. Aubree: Yeah. Meagan: Oh man, it can get intense. You are amazing. I remember Melinda was like, “Dude. That was insane!” I'm like, “Yeah. That sounded insane.” But so amazing, too. Like, so amazing. You are just incredible and you just let your body and your baby do exactly what they needed to. I also do. We love Gina. Everyone knows we love Gina so much. Julie: Gina is amazing. Meagan: Talking to your baby, connecting to your baby. There is something to be said about that. It's so real. I feel like I did that so much with Webster and people probably would be like, “What? You're just talking to your stomach?” I'm like, “Yeah.” And feeling your stomach and feeling him and saying like, “Okay, buddy. It's you and me. Let's do this. I'll be okay with however you come, but this is how I would love for you to come.”Aubree: Exactly. Meagan: And that happened and it was amazing. I'm so, so grateful forever. I will be forever. But yeah, I just adore you and I am so grateful for you and your story. I am so excited that you are going the doula route and life coach route. There is so much goodness in life coaching as well. I think it's going to benefit your mamas in the future. You've had it, but probably more than you even know, you are going to change people's lives. Aubree: Aww, thanks. Yes, that's my goal. There are so many friends that I even have that have had C-sections and at first, you don't believe in yourself because you put a lot of stock in what a professional doctor will tell you. They told me, “You have such a small pelvis” and I've been told I'm small my whole life, so I didn't really doubt them at first. I was like, “Well, they're probably right. This is just another curse of the smallness.” But you know what? There's also something to be said for educating yourself with other professionals as well and getting second opinions. Like you are saying, trust your body because when I learned, when I took your course, The VBAC Link course, and I followed people like Gina, you empower yourself with more knowledge. Even though it might not work out how you want, the fact that you empowered yourself to know no matter what way it goes, I think that's what I hope any future client would want. “No matter how it goes, I'll be okay.” Julie: Yeah, absolutely. Meagan: I love that. HBAC Statistics and CriteriaJulie: Should we talk a little bit about home birth? Meagan: Sure. Aubree: Yeah, sure. Julie: Have a little educational piece about home birth? First of all, if you are interested in our VBAC Prep Course for Parents, we also have a VBAC Doula Certification course, you can find all the information for those courses on our website at thevbaclink.com and we also have a blog about home birth after Cesarean. Surprise, surprise. I'm actually looking at it right now so I can go over some of the data because sometimes it will get all smushed around in my head. But it's interesting because we have all of this data about home birth and its safety and things like that, but during the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, preliminary numbers show an increase in out-of-hospital births because I feel like a lot of people were being forced to choose between having their supportive birth team or being really restricted with who they could and could not have in hospitals. So I love that home birth is an option in most parts of the country. You're not going to face much of a kickback. There are a few Southern states that really restrict home birth options there and out in Nebraska. My best friend is getting ready to have a baby in Nebraska and home birth is just illegal there. It's illegal for midwives to attend home births. They really don't have any options out there in Nebraska, so you've got to work hard to create advocacy and change if you're in that state. In 2019, there was a peer-reviewed meta-analysis. A meta-analysis is a study that looks at a whole bunch of studies together so it's really a more comprehensive view than an individual study would be. In 2019, there was a peer-reviewed meta-analysis of 20 years worth of studies on home birth that contained roughly 500,000 parents. So it is a pretty good size study. The study showed that low-risk parents who have a hospital birth have no difference in the overall birth outcomes than low-risk parents who have a planned home birth. Now, it's really interesting because a lot of times, we'll see and hear a lot, even now. Even last night at the ICAN meeting I was at, people were saying, “Oh my gosh. Home birth scares me. It scares me so much” or “Out of hospital birth scares me.” When you really look down at the difference in mortality rates and birth outcomes, they are very, very similar between birthing and home or birthing in a hospital. So there's that if you are a statistic junkie like me. That is really interesting for you to see. But also, you have got to understand there are different risks associated. Sometimes your risk is a little bit different. Of course, if you're having a home birth, we highly recommend that you have a midwife that has attended many, many home births and that has a solid transfer plan in case of an emergency or if you go the unassisted route that you have a solid transfer plan in case an emergency happens so that you can get to the hospital quickly if it is needed. But it's really cool because this analysis also showed that birthing at home had fewer medical interventions and fewer Cesareans. Meagan, maybe you have a better idea of this than I do, but I know that in some of our birth centers around here and for our out-of-hospital midwives, their Cesarean rate is 5%. Like, 95% vaginal births. 95% successful home births. They go on to have hospital transfers and some clients will eventually need a Cesarean, but we have really, really high VBAC success rates at birth centers and with home birth midwives. Meagan, do you see that?Meagan: Yeah. I don't know the exact percentage by any means because I am not good with numbers, but yeah. Yeah, for sure.Julie: It's incredible. I love that. Home birth is not for everybody but there are four things, four criteria that you need in order for home birth to be a safe option for you. The first one is that you have to have a low-risk pregnancy. Here is a little plug-in: having a prior Cesarean does not automatically make you a high-risk pregnancy. I'm going to say that again. Having a prior Cesarean or going for a VBAC does not automatically make you high risk in your pregnancy. Now, you are at a higher risk for uterine rupture. That is true, but the risk is still fairly low. It doesn't put you in a high-risk category. You don't need to see maternal-fetal medicine. You don't need to see a high-risk doctor or anything like that to manage your pregnancy.The second criterion is chosen, planned, and prepared for. A home birth that is planned and prepared for has better outcomes than accidental homebirths do. The care provider involved is qualified and experienced in homebirth so you don't just have your next-door neighbor come and help deliver your baby. Unless your next-door neighbor happens to be an experienced homebirth midwife, then that's okay.The fourth birth criterion is that your home birth plan includes a backup transfer plan in case of an emergency, as I talked about before. We know that it is relatively safe and most birth is a natural process but every once in a while, things happen where you are going to need more emergent care and you're going to need an expert involved so having a backup transfer plan in place is important in that regard.We have a blog about it. It's at thevbaclink.com/blog. You can just type HBAC in the search bar and it's going to put up right there or you can just go to Google and I think it's the second search result on Google. Meagan, what would you add?Meagan: I love it. Nothing, you're just amazing. I guess I should say when I was preparing to have my VBAC after two C-sections, people told me that I was crazy and that I was going to kill my baby. Really, really awful things, and yeah. It can be scary, but if you prepare it can be just as great. I mean, Aubree was planning on going out of hospital but not at home, but she still had her team equipped and ready to help her and it was still really great. And so yeah. I just think that doing what you feel is best for you and being at the place where you feel safest is going to be the best place too. All right, well Ms. Aubrey, we are so grateful for you. Thank you so much again. We really love your story and are excited to share it with the world.Aubree: Yeah, thank you guys so much. Seriously, I'm so glad you guys have done The VBAC Link and keep doing it because it is so helpful for all of us out there.ClosingInterested in sharing your VBAC story on the podcast? Submit your story at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Julie and Meagan's bios, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Happy Father's Day! This week the guys recap their first Father's Day with their kids...Earthside? We get into the history of Father's Day and what made this day so special for us this year. Join in on the candid conversation and go behind the scenes with your favorite dads!As always please leave us a 5 star review and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube just search The Dad Jokes Podcast.
Lindsay's first birth was a planned home birth which ultimately resulted in a hospital transfer and emergency C-section. She was left feeling unprepared, unheard, and committed to fighting for a VBAC next time. Lindsay worked for months preparing for a VBAC both physically and emotionally. Once labor started, she was coping extremely well with her intense contractions. She arrived at the hospital at 10 centimeters, ready to have her baby!Until…her contractions completely stopped. Lindsay shares with us how she overcame ultimate doubt when pushing continued for over four hours. Doubt can creep in at any time on your VBAC journey. Trust yourself and your preparation. Lean into your supportive birth team. We know you can do this!Additional linksThe VBAC Link CommunityHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull transcriptNote: All transcripts are edited to correct grammar, false starts, and filler words. Julie: Welcome, welcome. This is Women of Strength Wednesday and you are tuned in to The VBAC Link podcast with Julie and Meagan and our special guest, Lindsay, today. We were actually just chitchatting a little bit before we pressed record about different providers and how they influence birth outcomes. Sometimes you will have a provider who is surprisingly more supportive than you would expect them to be and vice versa, right? So we are going to talk about that and all the different parts of Lindsay's story in a little bit. Before we do that though, Meagan has a Review of the Week for us.Review of the WeekMeagan: Yes I do. This is from RokFray and it says “Getting VBAC Ready. This podcast has been inspiring and motivational to me as I prepare for a VBAC with my fourth baby. Listening to each of these stories and realizing that through listening I have learned how to advocate for myself and my family has been a true blessing. Thank you!”And I just want to say thank you to RokFray for sharing your review. Julie and I say it all the time. We love your reviews. We truly mean it. And honestly, we are running out of some reviews because we haven't been recording for so long. We haven't had a ton of reviews here coming in and so we would love some new, fresh reviews so we can read them on future podcasts.Julie: You never know. Maybe next week, we will read yours.Meagan: Yep.Julie: I love it. I always remember that time when somebody was Review of the Week and they posted on their Instagram. Well, I guess it has happened a couple of times, but it just makes me happy. Getting reviews, reading them, and everyone letting us know how we have been helping you so thank you, thank you. It means a lot to us.Lindsay's StoryJulie: All right. Let's get to it. We have Lindsay with us today. Lindsay is an Advertising Account Director and a mom of two. She loves being a mom and thinks bringing babies earthside is one of the most surreal experiences that we have as mothers. “Childbirth is the best lesson a mother can experience,” she says. “A lot is out of our control, so plan for the worst and hope for the best.” Do you know what that reminds me of? That reminds me of when I was in the military. Plan for the worst and hope for the best because I don't know if anybody out there listening is in the military, or a military spouse, or has ever been in the military, but you know that whenever things can go wrong if there is a possibility, then it probably will go wrong. So you have got to just kind of expect not very much, but hope for great things. That just reminded me of that when I was just reading your bio. Lindsay. But I like that sentiment because you can prepare for all of the things, right? You can prepare for all of the outcomes, but always hope for and even expect the best outcomes as well. So I love that.But Lindsay, why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit more and share your story with us?Lindsay: awesome. Thanks so much, Julie. So I will start with my pregnancy and the birth of my son which was my first C-section. It took us a while to get pregnant with my son. We thought that it was going to be quite simple and it turns out it wasn't. So with a little bit of help from a fertility specialist, we successfully got pregnant. We were so excited and he recommended that we be handed over to the care of midwives. I had a low-risk pregnancy. I was in great shape, healthy, and a strong BMI, so he felt like this would be the best care provider for what I needed. And then also with my style, he loved that and recommended that we have someone who would be really guiding throughout.He also recommended that I ask them about homebirth, which was probably unexpected for most coming from more of the traditional Western medicine perspective. So we started on with the midwives. We loved them instantly and homebirth was brought up pretty early on. And so we had planned for a homebirth and in this, my biggest learning was that we really focused on the homebirth and the realities of a homebirth. We didn't necessarily talk about labor preparation.So I had read Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and I had chatted with friends who had gone through labor, especially in natural labor and delivery, and so I felt like I was prepared enough until I was 40 weeks pregnant– 40 weeks, 4 days exactly– and my water broke. It was the slow leak. We confirmed that the amniotic sac ruptured. I was slowly leaking fluid, but I wasn't under stress and baby's heart rate was fine, so we made a little bit of a plan. If I hadn't gone into labor in 24 hours, then I would go in to the hospital and we would do an induction. If I did go into labor naturally, then I would continue on with a planned homebirth.So we went home with the instruction to just enjoy each other‘s company and try to wind down. It was really hitting home that this was our last moment where we would have just the two of us and our dog in this house. And so we were anxious, excited, nervous and that was when I started feeling the, “Oh my god. I wonder what labor feels like.” At 9:30 p.m., I had my first contraction. It was a very traditional wave. I felt the build. I felt the release. I went through the motions of like, “Okay. I can handle this,” and then quickly let my husband know that, “Okay, so labor is starting.” My mom was coming over and we were prepared for what was about to come. I gave both of them the call sheet for the midwives and we went over the birth plan and were feeling good.Within an hour, I had all back labor, no break between contractions, was really nauseous, and something just didn't feel right. I kept saying to my husband and my mom like, “We need to call the midwife. We need to call the midwife,” and they were just calm and steady like, “Lindsay, you are doing great. It's okay.” And at that point, my mom said, “I think you are having back labor–”Meagan: MhmmLindsay: “–based on the fact that you don't have any breaks and it's just back-to-back.” I had been given the instructions to not go in the water, and so for me, that meant I shouldn't even be standing in the shower. I was a very cautious first-time laborer and after some pretty frantic, “Call the midwife! Call the midwives!”, my mom and husband in fact called the midwives and we agreed to do a home visit. They were going to come and check on me and likely transfer me to the hospital just because I was having a hard time managing the pain.And so my midwives came over and checked me. I was only about 5 centimeters dilated. I was having a really hard time managing the pain. It just goes back to total unpreparedness. I had read one book and had some conversations, but I don't think I necessarily understood the different ways that labor can feel. The thought of it being exclusively in my back was such a foreign concept to me and really unbearable.We drove to the hospital which was less than five minutes away. My husband was asking me on the way there like, “You are going to do up your seatbelt right?” I could barely sit down. I am not concerned about my seatbelt. And so we get to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. It's about 3:00 a.m. and we were waiting now for an epidural.I am laboring, very vocal, have a lot of discomfort, and am still a little bit unsure if this is normal, where I am feeling it, and not being provided with a lot of reassurance that I am doing great and that this is normal. And so now at this point, I am like a little bit panicked like, “This is a foreign feeling. I don't know what's going on. I feel totally unheard and I also feel voiceless. I'm asking questions and I just feel like I am not really being given reassurance and direction.”Of course, my husband being a first-time dad and first time witnessing labor is also a little bit of a deer in the headlights like, “What is happening? Is my wife okay and is this normal?” And so an hour in, we start asking, “Where is the epidural? Where is the anesthesiologist? We need some sort of pain meds.” My approach was an epidural or bust.I didn't want to take fentanyl or laughing gas unnecessarily. I would rather just go for the good stuff and get the epidural. I don't tolerate pain medication well, and so I was apprehensive about the effects that it would have on me but also recognized that I was feeling like it was an out-of-body experience and like I just couldn't handle this. I did not have confidence in myself.So around 4:30, it was like one of those lightbulb moments where I was like, “My massage therapist said if I feel back labor, ask for the bee stings,” which is sterile water injections in my low back.Meagan: Oh yes.Lindsay: It was the first time I was able to really advocate for myself in labor. I was like, “Can I get a sterile water injection? I will take the bee stings,” which are definitely a little bit more aggressive than a bee sting. I must have just been stung by really a really lightweight bee in the past.But I got the sterile water injection and instantly felt relief. At that moment, I was like, “Man, I can handle this. I feel really good about now.” I started to feel proper contractions and a proper wave inching closer to 5:00 and so at that point, I am like, “Okay. I am handling this well.” I suddenly felt the urge to bear down. And so I went to the washroom and as I am sitting I am like, “It feels like I have to poop.” And so my midwife– I am vocalizing this and she is like, “Okay. Let's give you a quick check,” and so at that point, she was like, “Listen. The anesthesiologist is about to walk in.” She gave me a check and I was 8 centimeters.Meagan: Wow.Lindsay: And so she said, “You are at the cusp and so you either get the epidural now or you don't get it at all.” I was just blindly looking at her for advice and guidance and I was like, “I guess I think I should get it,” and she was like, “I think that is a good decision.” I got the epidural and I felt relief. But going back to preparedness and not feeling heard, at that point, being prepared– I was not prepared for an epidural. And so as I am leaning over my husband, he, in turn, was also not prepared. He was like, “I may pass out. That is a very large needle.” I was just like, “Just stick it in me. I need to feel some sort of relief.” As soon as the effects of the epidural kicked in, suddenly I felt like, “There is no turning back. I have just made a horrible decision.” Maybe I was handling labor okay and I was starting to feel some relief. I was just on the cusp of transition because as soon as I had the epidural, I had the hormone shakes and the sweats, and so I was transitioning naturally anyways. The feeling of defeat was really stinking in.At 5:30 and the direction was, “Rest. You need to sleep and we are just going to flip you on a peanut ball side to side.” So every 30 minutes, my husband and my midwife would wake me up and flip me. It was just side to side with the peanut ball until about 7:00 a.m. At that point, I was 10 centimeters dilated and they decided to just let me continue resting. I felt nothing, so I didn't feel the urge to push. They said, “Around 10:00-11:00, we will check in and you can start pushing at that point.”So at that point, they come in and say, “Okay. You need to start pushing.” The piece I missed in this was that my mom and dad had come to the hospital to give my husband some relief so that he could go and have a coffee and a bite to eat because keep in mind, we weren't planning for a hospital birth, so we were really not prepared. We had a small hospital bag packed and that was about it. My dad is asking my midwife, “What if she can't push this baby out?” and he is kind of leading the horse like, “What is going on? Is there something happening with her or with the baby? What's the next step?” They were like, “No, no. She has had an epidural. Even if this baby is in a bad position, she can push it out.” And this was the first moment where I heard the baby was in a bad position.Meagan: Yeah. No one said anything.Lindsay: No one said anything and I didn't realize that my water breaking early was likely due to an OP baby. And again, it was just a lack of communication or something that I wasn't aware of. My dad keeps asking, “What if the baby is turned a little bit?” or “What if the baby is OP?” Like, “Nope. Nope. She's had an epidural. She can push this baby out okay.”So we have now gone from homebirth to hospital to feeling really in the dark and really unclear about what's happening. I had this epidural that I am deeply regretting at this point, but there's no turning back and it's time to start pushing and I feel absolutely nothing. And so I push for a couple of hours. No headway is being made. At this point, there is a change in the midwife team so I am with a different midwife and she said, “I'm just going to step out of the room,” looking to my husband and I. “When you see a contraction on the monitor, continue to push. Continue to breathe through it and I will be back.”About 15-20 minutes later, which felt like a lot longer, she came back with the OBGYN on call. He, in a very flat and direct way, said, “You are spiking a fever. The baby's heart rate is dipping and your heart rate is dropping.” I have incredibly low blood pressure to begin with. So he said, “These three factors, coupled with the likelihood that your baby is OP– we are bringing you in for a C-section.” I was absolutely gutted.Meagan: Was it like, “Hey, this is why I think a C-section is needed” or it was it like, “This is what we are doing.” Did you feel like you had an option? Do you know what I meanLindsay: Yeah. So like, yeah. Totally, totally. So I'm sure you can see two first-time parents who have from a homebirth to now being a hospital to suddenly being told they are having a C-section, which we know absolutely nothing about other than it was a major abdominal surgery.Meagan: Yeah.Lindsay: And so I'm sobbing saying, “Can we turn off the epidural? Can we bring down the epidural even a little bit? Rip it out of my vein,” beause I have no concept of how it works, right? My husband is saying, “Can she just push for another 30 minutes?” And very flat, he was just like, “No. The difference in time is five minutes to talk about it now and to open you up in here versus bringing you into the OR.”Meagan: Whoa.Lindsay: And so again, my husband and I were just looking at him. There was really no other option that was presented to us at least. We were grasping at straws. He just again reiterated very calmly, “I understand that this is not what you wanted, but we need to get this baby out now.” And so they bring us to the OR. My husband is a wreck. We haven't been prepped for this procedure, so he is waiting as I am signing forms. This amazing nurse is wiping my tears so that I can somewhat sign blindly. It's about 2:00ish in the afternoon. We get into the OR. We had gone from a dark room with no windows and little candles everywhere to this stark, sterile, bright light environment. A different anesthesiologist came in. The energy was so nonchalant in comparison to the fear and grief that my husband and I were feeling. The anesthesiologist was phenomenal. He spoke to us throughout the entire C-section at every stage. He reassured us off the top by saying, “My wife has had two C-sections beyond seeing this through my job on a day-to-day basis. I know exactly what's going to happen. I will talk to you through this.”And so he talked us through it. He held my shoulder. My husband held my hand. By this point, I am maxed out on my epidural. I can feel my left side. It was really traumatic beyond just the flow of how the birth went, but also being in this very sterile environment and feeling a lot of what was happening.But again, the anesthesiologist just was so wonderful, coaching us through it and really, I'm sure he could sense our fear. My sweet little boy came out and was put to my face. I turned and I was like, “I think I'm going to throw up. I am super nauseous.” I am out of it at this point. I wanted to name my son Benjamin, which was not a name that my husband and I had discussed. The anesthesiologist said, “This is no longer something that you have to feel.” He gave me a good shot of fentanyl to really knock me out.And so, three hours later, I woke up to my husband doing skin-to-skin with my son Miles, not Benjamin and from there, I was confused, disoriented and in a lot of pain and discomfort, wanting to nurse. Breastfeeding was really important to me, really wanting to bring him in for our first latch and even from there, trying to latch my son but not being able to sit up and bring him to my chest, and just having a midwife take my breast and shove it in my baby's face. I felt like I didn't matter which, I think, was the furthest thing from the intention. It was rather, “We need to get this done.”Meagan: Yeah. Yeah, but still. I feel like there was such a lack of including you in everything. It was just like things were being done to you versus with you, and so I could see how you were feeling that.Lindsay: Thank you. Yeah, exactly. So we ended up having two days in the hospital and really focused on nursing and controlling what I could control. So making sure that I was walking as quickly as I possibly could. We were really focused on breastfeeding and getting my son on an every two hours nursing schedule on top of on-demand while focusing on letting him get that long stretch of sleep at night. So that's why I started to excel as a mom and really stepped into my own, but I carried a lot of trauma and grief from that birth. I remember the first night being at home laying in bed, my son was fussing and my husband was walking at the end of the bed back-and-forth with him on his chest. I was just sobbing saying, “You don't realize how lucky you are. All I want to do is get up and walk my son back-and-forth. This is what I've dreamed of and I can't.”And so the first few weeks, also feeling like I was pretty helpless in terms of my lack of mobility and how sore I was, and it was just a much longer recovery then I had anticipated and was prepared for. And so at my last discharge appointment, my question was, “Can I do a VBAC? Can I deliver vaginally after a Cesarean?” It was a very clear, “Absolutely. Your baby was OP.” So my son Miles was full OP and he also was 9 pounds, 2 ounces.Meagan: Hmm, a bigger baby.Lindsay: So he was pretty big. A bigger baby and at the point of the C-section, he had descended so far down the birth canal that he was just stuck. And so the message was, “You can absolutely do a VBAC. In your next pregnancy, we will focus on a lot of bodywork, chiropractic care, and massage,” so some of the things that I was doing before. The big one was diet. I had gained a lot of weight in my pregnancy with my son. I definitely was carrying a bigger baby and that showed, but I was an all belly pregnancy and very active. We are talking hiked 15 kilometers at 38 weeks active. I felt, at that point, pretty defeated. Like, “Okay. I must carry big babies, but for my next pregnancy and birth, I am going to do everything within my control to have a VBAC and whatever else is passed over to the higher powers.”And so I continued on raising my little boy, really loved being a first-time mom. We were keen to expand our family, and so we ended up getting pregnant a lot sooner than expected. We got pregnant when my son was about nine months and we just made it in on the cusp of when they would endorse and support a VBAC versus mandate or strongly recommend a C-section. Where I am, 18 months is the standard and my babies were exactly 18 months apart. So I really, really just snuck in there.Julie: Nice, nice.Lindsay: So I'm pregnant with my second and I just started to consume a ton of literature and content all around VBACs. If something was recommended to me, I did it without hesitation. I went for chiropractic care and massage very early on. I saw an acupuncturist. I did Spinning Babies religiously. I hired a doula and I followed her lead and guidance. I used her as a sounding board and I focused on what I could control which was finding my voice and using it, and learning about birth and labor so that I could be undeniably prepared for what was about to happen.I also was really keen to have a homebirth just knowing statistically that homebirths for VBACs statistically are more successful in terms of a vaginal delivery. Unfortunately, my midwife team couldn't endorse that. It was just out of their scope of practice, and so I did have to deliver in hospital. I just focused on really getting over those mental hurdles so that when it came time to being in labor, all I would focus on was just my labor and what was happening within my body.So at about 37 weeks, I started to actively try to induce labor. I wouldn't say I was doing anything like drinking a midwives' cocktail, for example. It was more so just focusing on ensuring that my body was prepared for labor and when my body was ready to go into labor, I was ready right there with it.I started doing acupuncture weekly. I was drinking my red raspberry leaf tea. I was doing my Spinning Babies, really focusing on inversions and bodywork for strong baby positioning. My baby was head down but not engaged in my pelvis yet, and so I was like, “I just want to make sure that this baby stays where he or she is supposed to be.”At 40 weeks exactly– she is a due date baby– I went into labor. The piece before this is, I had started pre-labor at about 38 weeks. So for two weeks I was in prodromal labor. Am I saying that correctly?Meagan: Prodromal labor, mhmm.Lindsay: Thank you. And so I was consistently feeling strong Braxton Hicks and it was manageable, something that I wasn't even really noticing because I was so busy with a 17-18 month old, but it was something I was noticing– the feeling and shift in my body. For the four nights leading up to my birth, every night from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., I would have consistent contractions. It was this feeling of the wave, the build, and the release, but by 5:00 a.m., they would just go away. So on a Monday night, we had called our doula thinking, “I am for sure in labor.” My contractions were getting closer together. They were getting stronger and they were definitely more consistent than the previous waves.As soon as she entered our house, they stopped. And so I am like, “Yeah. We have just been up for hours tracking this.” Now it was to the point where I was uncomfortable and couldn't stay in bed. And so we started talking about what I was feeling and I was like, “It just feels like something is tickling my bladder.” She was like, “That, my friend, is a hand. I think your baby has his or her hand in front of her face, so often you will see that start-stop labor pattern because the baby isn't in a position where you can actively go into labor.”This was really the start of feeling so heard, being able to talk through what was happening and have a solution provided and also the validation of, “You're not going crazy. You are feeling something real within your body and it is going to be okay.”And so she gave me some exercises and very strict direction like, “Do these exercises. Rest today and let's see what happens that night. Let's touch base before you go to bed and let see what happens.” So we get my son in bed. We call my doula and she said, “Okay. Here is the plan. You are going to go in the bath. You are going to do this exercise–” where I lay on the pillow and kind of let my leg hang and float.Meagan: Side-lying. Mhmm. Side-lying probably.Lindsay: No like, laying face first in the bath.Meagan: Oh, in the bath. Wow!Lindsay: In the bath. Yeah.Meagan: Okay, cool.Lindsay: Yeah. “You get in the bath. You are going to relax. You are going to lay on your belly and you are going to let it just hang.” My tub was just big enough to do this comfortably. And she was like, “And then from there, you are going to go to bed and you are going to try to get as much sleep as possible. If at 5:00 a.m., your contractions are still strong and consistent, I am coming over and we are going to kickstart this labor.” Let's do it. I felt like we had a plan in place. And so I am laying in the tub and I am just going over my mental mantras like, “You are strong. You are healthy.” I definitely watched my diet in this pregnancy. Not that I was unhealthy with my son, but I was really strict with the sugar that I consumed and what I put inside my body.I was like, “Your body was made to birth this baby. You can do this.” And so I just had my mantras that I said over and over. I got ready for bed. I tucked in. My husband and I were lying there. At 9:30, I have my first contraction and it feels just like my son.Meagan: In the back?Lindsay: All in my back and I am instantly like, “This is–”Meagan: Triggering, probably.Lindsay: Triggering, yeah. It's happening again. And so I'm turning to my husband and I am like, “You need to call the midwives. You need to call the doula. I need to go to the hospital now.” My husband was just such a calm, strong voice of reason. He was like, “Okay Linds. We are going to crank up the bath. We're going to crank up the bath to a hot, hot heat and get you in it for some comfort and relief and I am going to call the doula.” And so I get in the bath and I am sitting facing the long side of the bathtub wall, kind of pressing against it with my knees up, and we are running the water hot. He is pressing on my pressure points and my low back. He calls the doula and he is like. “This is it. She is in labor. This is happening.” And she was like, “Okay. Well, talk to me. What is happening?” And he is now kind of frantic like, “No, no. There is no time for me to tell you what is happening. She is in labor.”And so he quickly says, “She is in the bath. It is as hot as we can get it. I am pressing on her back and if you don't come here, we are going to the hospital.” Keep in mind, I was pregnant during COVID, so our doula couldn't come with us to the hospital. She could only be with us at home.Julie: Oh man.Meagan: Yeah, aww. Oh no.Lindsay: So she gets to the house and it's now like 10:00ish. She takes over for my husband, pressing on my low back and she is like, “Okay. You've got this.” She is like, “You are doing so great, Linds.” She's asking me how I am feeling. She's asking me about the sensation and I am like, “It is in my back, but I do get relief when you are pressing on the pressure points. It is just that it's now in my back and my hips.” I could just feel everything moving down.And so at 11:00, and an hour where I am in this bathwater, she's like, “Okay. Let's get you out and let's make a plan on what we are going to do.” We knew I had to transfer to hospital because I didn't feel comfortable birthing a baby without medical support in my home. And so we are standing in my living room, slowly getting me dressed. She transitions to doing these exercises where every contraction, I press up against the wall with loose knees and she lifts my belly up as I lean over her. The whole intention was just ensuring that we were working with my body and baby to get my baby in the best position.Meagan: Yeah, like an abdominal lift.Lindsay: I think that's what it's called. Don't quote me on that, but I am going to guess.Meagan: Yeah, that's awesome. It's intense too, for you.Lindsay: Super intense, but we are in such a good rhythm. We are like, “Now we have a plan for every contraction.” I have the rhythm. I'm feeling really good. She calls the midwives and she's like, “Okay. Lindsay's contractions are two minutes apart and consistently a minute long,” and the midwife was like, “Meet me at the hospital now.” I had been in labor for an hour and a half and I knew things were moving quickly.And so we hang up in my doula was like, “Listen. You are in charge here. We will go to the hospital when you want to go to the hospital. 30 minutes, an hour, we get there when we get there. So what feels good for you?” Again, it was just that validation of feeling a part of what was happening and feeling like I was steering the ship. We decided that my husband was going to pack the car and in the next 30-ish minutes to an hour, I would be at the hospital. She was like, “Let's just continue to focus on this really good rhythm.” So at 11:15, I looked to her and I was like, “I am in transition.” She's like, “Okay. Tell me what you are feeling. I was like, “I am shaking. My contractions are back-to-back. I am cold and hot at the exact same time. I'm sweating from pores I didn't even know existed.” She was like, “Yep. You're definitely in transition,” and very, very calm.Meagan: Positive things, positive things.Lindsay: Positive things, yeah. She was like, “We should probably get you into the car.” Just as we were getting downstairs, I had that little pause in contractions and she was like, “Okay. So when you get to the hospital–” reminding me of all of the things to ask for like how many centimeters dilated I am, what station I am at, so on and so forth. And so I am feeling good about going and we are kind of waiting. I was still like, “Let's have one more contraction, and then get me in the car and we will go straight to the hospital. So that's the plan.”There was like a little break. I am enjoying the relief and all of a sudden, there was a contraction. I get on the wall and she lifts my belly. I am leaning over her and my husband, and just as she lifts my belly, baby drops and I used some very foul language directing everybody to get their hands off of me. My doula drops to the floor. She just looks up and she is like, “Are you okay?” “I think so.” She was like, “Okay. Are we doing this here or are you going to the hospital? We need to go to hospital now.”So she helps me out to the car, which, I am sure at 11:30p.m. was quite the sight for any of my neighbors because she is behind me but also cautiously ready to drop to the ground at any second. My husband is now panicked in the car honking the horn like, “We need to go!” So I get in the car– quickest ride I have ever had to our hospital. We pull into the labor and delivery ward, do the COVID screen and get in. I go in first, but my husband hast to stay back and wait. And so I go into the first section of the labor and delivery ward and my midwife does my check. She is kind of scolding me like, “You said you would be here in 30 minutes to under an hour and it has been an hour.” I am just calm, cool and collected like, “How many centimeters am I dilated?” I am prepped for an 8. She was like, “All right. So you're 10 centimeters dilated. The next step is to break your water and push the baby out.” So she tells me to go to the end of the hall to labor and delivery room and she was like, “I'm going to go get your husband because it is go time.” We get into the room and everything stopped. My contractions were nonexistent. My energy was different. I no longer felt in the zone. I felt edgy and amped up a little bit. I was totally experiencing fight or flight. And so they were like, “Okay.” We get my doula on the iPad. She is FaceTimed in now. I am excited and nervous, but my body has now totally stopped.That's where the doubt starts to creep and like, “I don't know if I can do this.” All of the literature about feeling not comfortable in your space and all of that, I am like, “I just don't know. I am out of my labor zone.” So they break my water and I feel the pressure of the baby bearing down. I just keep asking, “So when do I start pushing?” I am like, “There are not really any contractions.” This is a very different feeling now. They were like, “Oh, you will feel it. On your next contraction, if you feel the urge to push, you can absolutely bear down.”And so about an hour and a half into being at the hospital, I finally start having consistent contractions again. Because I am a VBAC, I have consistent fetal monitoring. The baby is not in distress and my heart rate is great, so we just carry on. My contractions now are existent but just noneffective. And so between every fourth contraction, my midwives and my doula were getting me into a different position to try to get this baby out. Within the first push they were like, “The baby is right there,” and I just wasn't able to push.I am pushing and my midwife is directing me, so now she is inside me pressing down like, “Push here.” She is like, “You are pushing really effectively,” and so it becomes a little bit of this puzzle. I am fully dilated. My waters are broken. I do have contractions and we are trying different positions, but this baby is just not coming.And so it's about two hours in. I am getting pretty tired because it's the middle of the night and feeling super defeated. The same narrative of, “You can't do this,” is echoed by a member of the care team. At this point, I am like, “Get this baby out of me.” Like, “We are going to need some medical intervention for this baby to arrive Earthside. I cannot do this anymore.”Meagan: Aww yeah. Just total doubt.Lindsay: Total doubt despite being very prepared and having such a strong voice. My husband was like, “Linds, you can do this. You have worked so hard for this.” He was like, “I can literally see the baby. You've got this. It's okay. You can do this.” And then there was a student midwife and a very new midwife– I think she had graduated a year or six months prior– and they were incredibly encouraging. They were like, “Lindsay, we are working with you. You've got this, girl. You've got this.” Every contraction cheering me on, so the energy was so positive, but it was just like, the combination of myself and another provider that lacked confidence that really took the scheme out of the labor.And so now it's 4:00 in the morning, four hours into pushing and they say, “We are going to bring an OB consult.” I am pretty distraught at this point. I have no medication. I am really leaned in to like, “I am going to do this naturally one way or another.” My husband is advocating for me and such a big support system. I have two relatively junior midwives who are like, “You are doing this.” We decide despite all that that we are going to call in an OB consult. By chance, it was one of my most favorite OBGYNs on call that night. She was there to do another emergency C-section.And so she walked in and we went over the chart. She was like, “Man.” She had done my consult for if I was a VBAC candidate, and so she was like, “Linds, you can do this.” She was like, “You are so close.” She said, “Here's the thing. I have another emergency C-section. You are not in distress. Your baby is not in distress. You're both doing well, so while I do this other C-section, your job is to lay on your side with the peanut ball, knees together for the 30-45 minutes it takes me to do my other C-section. I will come back and if you are not progressing and you are still struggling to push out this baby, then we will do a C-section.”And so I felt at that point, “If it goes to a C-section, I am okay with that. I feel like I have really done everything in my power.” Pushing for that long was physically exhausting and not rewarding. So I'm like, “That's cool. I'll lay on my side on the peanut ball as uncomfortable as it is. I will bear down and it's going to be what it's going to be.”And so she leaves the room. I am on my side and because my midwife had kept checking they were like, “The baby is not OP. It just keeps rotating from left to right.” It was my body. I just wasn't working in the right position to have the baby tuck under my pubic bone and out.When the OBGYN checked me she was like, “Absolutely. This baby just keeps rotating right to left, and so we just need to get it in the best birthing position. Let's have you lay on this side as a last ditch effort.” She walks out and comes back in 45 minutes later and she is like, “Oh my god. We're about to have this baby. Like right now, we are about to have this baby.” She is in full scrubs and walks back out of the delivery room. At this point, I am like, “Where is she going? I need her in here.”Meagan: You're like, “Wait, I thought you said we were going to have this baby.”Lindsay: Yeah. Yeah.Meagan: “And you leave?!”Lindsay: Yeah. I'm like, “Am I doing this solo? What's happening here?” My midwives laugh and they're like, “No, no. She just has to release the OR team because everyone is on standby to see if they are doing a section on me.” And so she walks in 30 seconds later and after about four pushes, my sweet little baby girl was born.Meagan: Aww. That is quite, I mean, gosh. That is quite the journey during the pushing stage. A lot of people would have totally been told like, “You have no option. You are going to a C-section,” after it had been just a couple of hours of pushing. They kept giving you more time and I just think it is awesome. I mean, it is really awesome that you guys had those providers in there to advocate for you.Overcoming DoubtBut I wanted to talk a little bit about that doubt that you talked about was creeping in. It doesn't always just creep in at the end. It can creep in during all periods of labor and even before labor begins. I think it's awesome that you had your team there. I mean, your husband obviously is amazing and was like, “You have worked so hard for this. You can do this.” He built you up, but what's a little piece of advice that you would give to our listeners? Because I think that is something that happens all the time. It happened for me. I mean, I think everyone who has heard my story– I think I shared it. I was throwing a fit in the driveway because my water broke and it triggered me. It was like, “No, it's not going to happen.” I just had this total doubt. What would you say really, really helped you? Do you think it was your team? What did you do physically and mentally to just be like, “Okay, yes,” and snap back into it, water splashed back into your face?Lindsay: It was a combination of having the toolbox and building my own toolbox. So doing the reading, and The VBAC Link was on every morning and every night. I consumed podcasts and good news stories like they were liquid gold. I read the books. If someone made a suggestion, I did it blindly, and so I felt like the toolbox of confidence and support was built and that was me. That wasn't anyone else. That was me wanting to know, wanting to be educated, and wanting to feel empowered and confident going into labor. And then that married with building the team that I knew would support me so that when I had a question and labor, when something came up, I was able to not only go into my toolbox, but also to my support team and know that they had my back.To your point, when that doubt creeped in it didn't creep in on its own. There was an external voice in the room that supported that. It was the moment of my husband saying, “You can do this.” But I was like, “Yeah. He is right. I can do this.” And also, “I don't have to listen to her.” I can listen to everyone else in the room that is validating me, supporting me, and believes in me. And so hat was my two-prong approach to building up my confidence and empowerment. If something doesn't feel right, just continue to ask and lean into that until it feels like you've been heard and it feels like you understand what's happening.Meagan: Yes. I love that. Such great tips because it does. It really does happen and yeah. Like you said, it didn't just happen. It was placed there, and then it got worse. So I love that so, so much. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I loved it. I am so proud of you and I'm so happy that you were able to have your doula there for a little while and all of that. These COVID births, man. They are all so interesting to hear how they went down. But we are so grateful that you had your team. Julie, is there anything you want to add or anything?Julie: Nope. I think that sounds great. It's a great story. I love all of the preparation that you did. I was kind of like that too with my first VBAC. I just did everything. Somebody told me about a resource, I sucked it all up. I went to all of the birthing groups. I soaked in of all of the stories, just all of it. I absolutely love that. I think it's so important.Meagan: Mhmm.Lindsay: My close network of moms that had C-sections either hadn't had a VBAC yet, weren't interested in doing a VBAC, or had just gone straight to a repeat section. So I felt like my personal network was really limited in terms of the resources and questions that I could ask and lean on. And so I just turned on to an online community. So The VBAC Link Community being such a good example. If I don't have someone to ask, where can I find that information from other real-life humans, not necessarily just a book right?So yeah. So that's kind of where I landed and it's so funny because I left the hospital fairly quickly. So I gave birth at 6:13 and I was home by two. And so it was partially due to Covid and partially due to the natural delivery, like let's get her back home and comfortable and that night, my Julie came over to check in and see how we were doing and meet our little baby and the first thing I said was, I can't wait to do it again. Do you know? Our family isn't complete yet and yeah, I can't wait to do it again. And so July 31, we are doing it again.Meagan: No! This year?Lindsay: Yeah. This year.Meagan: Oh my gosh. That's so awesome.Julie: Yay.Meagan: Oh, congratulations. That is so awesome. So, so awesome.Julie: Yeah.Lindsay: Yeah. It's a very similar approach, you know? I went in and went with the midwife team that supports me that I felt heard by and that I feel like the most comfortable with in our monthly appointments. I reached out to my doula right away and she typically doesn't take summer clients, but I snuck in there which was awesome. And yeah. We are just doing everything again that we can. We have the confidence of success, of course, in our back pocket, but it is the same approach. Control what you can control.Meagan: Mhmm. Yeah.Julie: Yeah.Meagan: Oh, I love it. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story and we really, really do appreciate you.Lindsay: Thank you.ClosingInterested in sharing your VBAC story on the podcast? Submit your story at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Julie and Meagan's bios, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Traditionally the definition of a Conscious Conception includes the physical aspects of preconception care and then adds in a spiritual dimension of preparation. It engages the, "feminine principle of receiving." It presupposes a spiritual realm from which a baby's spirit can be invited into the '"Earthside" life, and it is modified to suit spiritual belief of the mother and or parents. It spiritualizes sexuality, conception, pregnancy, and birth. It allows for a greater purpose and can thus relieve some burden from the woman as she TTC, helping her to feel like she is in co-creation rather than totally responsible for creation. It allows for practice, ritual, meaning that can also permit depth psychology work and meaningful practices that help to reduce stress and also reinvigorate sex life for couples. Join me to listen to what a Conscious Conception is and is not, no matter what your take is on religion.
What are shadow people? Are they good? Are they evil? Are they neither? Are they both? And why do they appear to some people and not to others? Today, we speak with a woman who has been seeing shadows running past her for almost her entire life. Sometimes they bring a sense of comfort, sometimes they are terrifying. When you listen to her stories, you may be able to figure out for yourself what these strange entities really are. Today, on Homespun Haints.For full show notes, please visit https://homespunhaints.comTo follow our guest, Joelle Velez, please visit her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/diosalunamagick/ and check out her store on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DiosaLunaMagickPurchasing spooky enamel pins and socks? Use code HAINTS for 10% off at ectogasm.netFor your goth clothing needs, check out wickedcatclothing.com and use code HHPODCAST35 for 35% off your entire order.
In today's solo episode, Sarah gets vulnerable and shares her motherhood journey. She provides raw honesty about many of the challenges new parents face but are often too afraid to talk about. Sarah describes what it felt like being thrown into the fire of solo-parenting, the physical toll breastfeeding and lack of sleep have taken, and how she manages everything on top of running a business. If you have been around for a while, you know that Sarah is never one to only share the pain points of life though, so in this episode she also speaks to the beauty and growth becoming a mother has added to her world and how her priorities in life have shifted since Emersyn arrived Earthside and her life is better because of it. Whether you are a new parent, expecting, or dreaming of being one in the future, this episode will leave you feeling held, seen and deeply understood.In this episode of The Uncensored Empath:The physical experience of being pregnant as an empathHow co-sleeping became a game changer for SarahHow to find the balance between motherhood and entrepreneurshipThe practical and emotional struggles of solo-parenting Follow Sarah:Instagram: @theuncensoredempathWebsite: www.theuncensoredempath.com Click here to submit your review for The Uncensored Empath, and receive access to Sarah's secret Spotify playlist! This show is produced by Soulfire Productions
April Dawn shares with Michelle the benefits of bodywork: massage, reflexology, acupressure, healing touch for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Their conversation explores the ways that our body stores memory and emotion within our very cells and how trauma can be released through bodywork. April also shares the powerful stories that brought her to birthwork. Together they discuss the selfless gift that adoption brings to families. {This episode originally aired as episode 15}“That experience [of giving birth for the first time] left me feeling like I never want another human being to experience this level of terror, this level of pain. Because bringing a baby earthside should be a beautiful thing. It should be an act of love.”—April DawnAbout April Dawn:April has been attending pregnant, laboring, and newly born families for over 30 years. Having attended her first birth while still in high school, she felt ignited by the calling to support families as they bring their babies Earthside. In this spirit, she has dedicated her life to the study of all things health —nutrition, healing-touch modalities, and the human microbiome — working actively in the naturopathic, chiropractic, and nutritional health arenas. She is a Licensed Massage Therapist, a Food-Healing Instructor, and Master of Culinary Arts. April is a true birth guardian, having worked as both a midwifery birth Assistant, as well as a doula in the home, hospital, and birthing center setting. Connect with April Dawn:Website: https://www.themotheredmomma.comFacebook: The Mothered MommaInstagram: @themotheredmomma Connect with Michelle Smith: Virtual Classes or Sessions with Michelle: birtheaseservices.com/birth-ease-childbirth-education, birtheasehypnobirth.com/hypnobirthing-classes-orlando-michelleWebsite: BirthEaseServices.comFacebook: Birth Ease, The Birth Ease PodcastInstagram:@ birtheasemichellesmithYoutube: Birth Ease Thank you for listening.
Having two living children and a lifelong struggle with a chronic illness, Martha experiences two miscarriages between 13-16 weeks of pregnancy. She shares her journey through loss and healing in hopes to help others feel less alone. Join our email list HERE Check out virtual one-on-one support HERE Download a free worksheet HERE Follow TMD on Instagram: @themiscarriagedoula --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/arden-cartrette/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/arden-cartrette/support
Today's guest left her comfortable job at Amazon to launch a sustainable tour booking platform that connects eco-minded travelers with ethical tour operators around the world. Hilary Matson founded Yugen Earthside in 2020, despite a global pandemic and no prior experience in the travel industry. In this episode, she shares her process for screening new tour operators, some of the unexpected challenges of running an OTA, and the social media platform that has been most effective in helping her grow her business. Hilary also opens up about experiencing self doubt as a female entrepreneur and her biggest piece of advice for other women considering a dramatic career change.
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