Podcasts about woosah

Ever seem like the devil just sending folks to try you? Got you wanting to slap somebody or cuss 'em out real good? Don't! I need you to Woosah! Join in and listen. Oh, and just in case you haven't been tried yet, definitely, join in.[Scripture Reference: Matthew 10:22; 1 Samuel 25:1-39; 1 Samuel 18:11; 2 Samuel 16:5-13; Psalm 25:12]INVITATION FOR SALVATIONIf you haven't accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in order to receive eternal salvation but would like to, according to Romans 10:9, all you have to do is confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved.Want a little help with that, say this simple prayer: “Lord God, forgive me for my sins. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose again so that I may have eternal life in You. So, I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Amen”It's as simple as that. Now, you're a part of the family of God. Wherever you are, find a local church or a group of believers that can help and support you on your new journey in your new life in Christ Jesus. Many blessings to you as you walk in who God created you to be doing what He blessed and equipped you to do. You are God's Child.

This week, Big Hes came in telling us how he felt and it continued throughout the entire episode, so you can say it was a Check In, Vent, and Woosah of the Week episode. A lot of times, men don't have an outlet to vent without judgement but here at Wooisms, we change the narrative. Don't forget to catch us each and every Friday and Saturday night from 8pm-10pm on Contentville, Powered by NspireU on Air. Also, head over to www.wooisms.com for all the latest updates and merchandise.  As always peaux up, light the hookah, sit back and enjoy this thang known as Wooisms.

We talking our ish on this Tyson/Paul fight and looking at Netflix with a serious side eye. We look into Young Thug's deal and if this was fair and worth it. And it's time for Rosanne Bar to be add to the sick and shut in list. Become a Habitual Ish Talker and follow us on The App Formally Known As Twitter: twitter.com/TalkinIsh_Pod Join in on the conversation! E-Mail us at ⁠talkinishpod@gmail.com⁠Explore the podcast

Children can be as sweet as pie. They can be witty and extremely observant. They are quick learners and they are the best teachers as well. But just like us, they are still learning themselves: their likes and dislikes, wants and desires but most importantly, they are doing things to see how far they can go. And in order to do that, they have to test our boundaries. They have to push our limits. As a mom, this can be frustrating and extremely difficult to navigate, especially if you have multiple children. But in this episode, Kam pinpoints a few tactics that can help us mommies utilize these flustering moments as opportunities to strengthen the dynamic between you and your child instead of allowing it to create negative space! Press play and gain some amazing insight on just how! Tune into FC Network's podcasts Follow the host on Instagram: @kambamfam

Reunited and it feels so good!!! All three amigos are back in the studio together for the first time in a while for this latest installment of Wooisms. The homie, Trell, also joins the brothers this week to discuss Hes' mental revelation, the most recent Diddy news, and a host of other topics. There wasn't enough time for the Woosah moment and the fellas let Ceelo close things out with Closet Freak. Don't forget to catch us each and every Friday and Saturday night from 8pm-10pm on Contentville, Powered by NspireU on Air. Also, head over to www.wooisms.com for all the latest updates and merchandise. As always peaux up, light the hookah, sit back and enjoy this thang known as Wooisms. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/support --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/support --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/support

Sometimes you have to just STOP and breathe! And that is exactly what we're doing as we learn about and elevate our “woosah” with the power of meditation.    We'll end with YOU experiencing a quick meditation session. Starting with its roots to UNDERSTANDING what it is NOT, we're given your mental a break!  ✨Get your FREE Boundary Setting Affirmations: https://stan.store/readysetwellness/p/25-boundary-setting-affirmations ✨Work with me: https://www.readyset.world   ✨Shop the store: https://stan.store/readysetwellness      

It feels so good to be back!!! Did you miss us? This episode kicks off with Yaya and Monie checking in with one another before sharing a few Roses and Thorns of 2023. In Suite 223, Monie recites her new poem and shares her muse for this piece. Yaya and Monie then head to The Café to chat about burnout. 2023 was a heavy year for many people, so the LoveLoudd knows you'll appreciate this topic. What is burnout, and how can you manage or overcome that feeling? You'll have to tune in to find out. During the Dorm Story segment, Monie shares someone's personal burnout story, and the ladies discuss what resonates. We hope you'll enjoy this episode.  Grab your drank, meditate and enjoy!  Woosah bay beeee

This baby turned 3 years old! Blowing out candles and sharing lessons from these past, quick, few years of sharing and growing with this incredible community of authentic, unapologetic, unicorns! Inhale. Exhale. Woosah. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/breathegoflow/message

Endlich wieder Bärenkopf! In dieser Folge berichtet Woosah mit seinen Mitstreitern, wie es ihnen auf der OP Recon ergangen ist, an der sie im Sommer teilgenommen haben. Der Clou des Events: Hier kämpfen etliche Teams einen Tag lang gegeneinander um den Sieg. Wie wir uns wohl dabei geschlagen haben?

Tenjam is a relative newcomer to the pool furniture space but has already begun making waves in the industry with their Shayz lounge chairs. This upcoming pool season, they're back with two great new additions for your pool and outdoor living area. We had a chance to check out their latest offerings at the International Pool & Spa show in Las Vegas, and brought Mike Collins, President of Tenjam on the show to tell us all about their new Woosah chairs and Infinity - Freestanding Sun Shelf. Take a deeper dive with us and learn more about two hot new products you're sure to see more of this summer.AquaBlu Mosaics AquaBlu Mosaics is a leading provider of mosaic tile and custom mosaics for swimming pools and spas.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Woosahhhhh. In this episode, we are talking about stress relief! We discuss the causes of stress and how a stress relief plan can help you reframe your thinking about stress. --- About the Causenetic Podcast: The Causenetic podcast is focused on expanding the Y's mission to audiences and providing conversation, inspiration, and influence. Our hosts, Keith Vinson and Rodrigua Ross, are two YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas employees discussing community topics that are globally-minded and locally-focused. This podcast allows listeners to see a different perspective and connect to community issues. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ymcadallas.org/causenetic --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/causenetic/message

Zee Clarke received her Harvard MBA and spent over two decades leading teams at FORTUNE 500 companies and tech startups. But after instances of being racially-profiled, experiencing microaggressions at work and even being harassed by police, she realized how breathing exercises were so critical to her mental health – not only to survive, but to also thrive in a world that felt slow to change. Through her holistic training in India, Clarke felt a passionate desire to share these practices with others, particularly Blacks – since researchers have linked systemic racism with ailments related to high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and depression among communities of color. Join us as I SEE U's Eddie Robinson chats unguarded with Zee Clarke, author of the book, "Black People Breathe." The acclaimed writer shares breathing techniques and tips as well as illustrates some exercises for the host to try out. She also describes how to identity notions of family-inherited trauma and what tools could be useful to help end the cycle of suffering.

France gives an update on things he heard and he heard heard in regard to Finals Exam 2. Updates From people in the building to respected media members, voices from fans, managers & battlers in attendance & social media updates.(0:40) What happened with Ms Hustle vs Yunus?(2:30) What we heard about. Dice/Real Deal & Bandit/Ryda (6:10) Casey Jay strikes again vs Mazi (10:00) Woosah was exceptional vs a very Good Fonz, who showed why he's one of the best in the league. (13:30) Kapo passes his exam vs T-Top Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Woo and Big Hes open up and Check In and get their mental checks in. Afterwards they talk about local rappers and who put on the most. Before the break we talk about crazy things are spouses do that trips us out. After the break we talk about Football Classics and our experiences. We hit a Woosah of the Moment and then let Rich Boy with various artists close us out with the remix to Throw Some D's Remix. Don't forget to catch us each and every Friday and Saturday night from 8pm-10pm on Contentville, Powered by NspireU on Air. Also, head over to www.wooisms.com for all the latest updates and merchandise.  As always peaux up, light the hookah, sit back and enjoy this thang known as Wooisms. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wooisms/support

LTBR senior staff writer Q moody sits down with Battle Rap Doc (manager of Yunus & Mazi) to talk about the up-and-coming Finals Exam 2 card on URL and talk about Season 3 of The Crucible. Also, they discuss the new top six of this crucible class.(3:00) Breaking down Mazi's style(14:00) Yunus battling Ms.Hustle on Finals Exam & his sky-high ceiling(25:00) Woosah on being a complete battler & battling Fonz(34:00) Interesting fact about Dice New Top 6 of Season 3 of The CrucibleKapo BravadoYunusDiceMaziWooosahBandit Montana Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Take a deep breath. Woosah. This is a heavy episode that needed to be made. Hazing affects all teams, all organizations, and can be innocuous in nature or super damaging. Either way, it's a challenge to navigate. We do our best in this episode to bring light to questions we need to be asking as educators, how to talk to teams about it, and really just unpacking the latest news in athletics hazing as compared to other organizations. All that and more on this episode of ECC! Follow us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastogi_aseem Check us out on YouTube: youtube.com/@essentialcoaching As always, visit our website at www.essential-coaching.net Shoot us an email at admin@essential-coaching.net DM's are always open for your feedback! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/essential-coaching/support

Woosah...Week 5 all but confirmed where the issues with this LSU team lies; on the defense. We breakdown the performance by the defense with the help of Blake Ruffino from Are You Serious Sports. We will then move on to some of the other games from this weekend. All this and much more.

Everything Remade episode 161. Thanks so much to Matt for taking the time to chat with me. Intro/Outro track "Pause" by Coma Regalia Featured tracks: "Asan Song", "Rowan Warber Was Killed by Big Pharma" and "Woosah" by Norfair. hear more: honeysucklerecords.bandcamp.com/album/norfair If you are enjoying what you hear and would like to support the podcast, please consider joining me at patreon.com/humanmachine or pick up some records middlemanrecords.storenvy.com

Too much kumbaya, I needed to let some the evil out.This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. 15% off HOPLARK beverages @ whatisTWS.com/hops20% off Merch @ whatisTWS.com/store coupon code "Algorithm"15% off Blissbury Jewelry @ whatisTWS.com/blissbury

Zee Clarke received her Harvard MBA and spent over two decades leading teams at FORTUNE 500 companies and tech startups. But after instances of being racially-profiled, experiencing microaggressions at work and even being harassed by police, she realized how breathing exercises were so critical to her mental health – not only to survive, but to also thrive in a world that felt slow to change. Through her holistic training in India, Clarke felt a passionate desire to share these practices with others, particularly Blacks – since researchers have linked systemic racism with ailments related to high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety and depression among communities of color. Join us as I SEE U's Eddie Robinson chats unguarded with Zee Clarke, author of the book, “Black People Breathe.” The acclaimed writer shares breathing techniques and tips as well as illustrates some exercises for the host to try out. She also describes how to identity notions of family-inherited trauma and what tools could be useful to help end the cycle of suffering.

This episode almost didn't happen, that's for sure. But, I'm back sharing, caring, and cheering you on to think on it. What if the best things in your life never happened to you? Well, uncool, right? Ok, then let's ride that thought into action towards our best things we're working on, imagining, being all "little fear" afraid of success or failure of, and messy with now. Excited to back with you! Woosah! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/breathegoflow/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/breathegoflow/support

This week we review some of our vices, WE MEAN HOBBIES. Join us and see what we have been up to and how the world has changed our opinions... Or hasn't. Support the show ( https://www.patreon.com/user?u=15325671) or Buy Us A Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/PoddiMouths Visit https://www.poddimouths.com to listen to past episodes, shop the merch store, and so much more! Wanna start your own podcast? Get started with Riverside.fm by clicking https://riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=poddi --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/poddimouths/support

  I can surely Woosah, A sigh of relief that 2022 is in the rearview mirror   RIPower Shine, My gangsta sister's health crisis, all of us getting COVID and didn't die   Here's a look back to what a year…from Donkeys Donkeying to Dragons going Dracarus to Dragging the Cowboys and other side eye shade, here's to the best of 2022 on TNFro Is Reading and  here's to those most listened to segments.   It wasn't so long ago, like 6 months ago I was stuck at a measly 3k downloads...how ya like me now?   I see you in Panama, Italy, the Czech Republic, OH, NJ, GA, AZ!! Thank you for listening!! Check out  Dale's Angels Inc Blog for notes from this episode and other subjects.   Subscribe monthly on Anchor.fm  Patreon ,  Podbean or  Deezer! Now I am on Deezer.     Contact Us via LinkedIn: Dale's Angels Inc Twitter: @tvfoodwinegirl Instagram: @tnfroisreading YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FeliciaBaxter_TNFroIsReading Facebook: TNFroIsReading Bookclub You know your girl is on her hustle, support the show by navigating to: Online Bookstore: Far From Beale St. Books Dale's Angel's Store...For Merch Promo Code: tnfro Writer's Block Coffee Ship A Bag of Dicks Promo Code: tnfrogotjokes Don't forget to drop me a line at tnfroisreading@gmail.com comments on the show or suggestions for Far From Beale St additions.  Or you can leave a brief message at the following link https://anchor.fm/felicia-marie-baxter/message. Non-trolley messages will be read on the show! Subscribe and follow me on Spotify and Anchor.fm https://anchor.fm/felicia-marie-baxter @_realityrecords @blacksuccessgoal #podcasthost #podcastersunite #applepodcast #podcasting #podcast #spotifypodcast #podcasters #podbean #podcastshow #podcastersofinstagram #podcaster@_realityrecords @blacksuccessgoal #podcast  #tennessee #podcastersofinstagram #britonmedia #monday #blackownedbusiness #ukraine #blackexcellence #creative #1billionblackgirls #tnfroisreading #podbean #quarksbar    

Follow me on social media: FaceBook: Linda Pomerlee Instagram: Lady_Pomerlee Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: Linda Pomerlee To order my book “Hell Girl, You Are Favored” please send an email to lpomerlee88@gmail.com. Provide your name, address, and phone number. $10 + shipping & handling. Thank You & God Bless!

Woosah...After another great weekend of college football, we're back to discuss all of the craziness of college football. Comebacks, upsets, and more. We will also discuss the Brett Favre scandal, NFL scores, and Altar Calls.

we were previously operating in turbo mode, now shifting down into our typical cruising speed... --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/junkhead-pod/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/junkhead-pod/support

Come learn how to live in your feelings with out it drowning you in depression. Woosah

Follow me on social media: FaceBook: Linda Pomerlee Instagram: Lady_Pomerlee Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: Linda Pomerlee To order my book “Hell Girl, You Are Favored” please send an email to lpomerlee88@gmail.com. Provide your name, address, and phone number. $10 + shipping & handling. Thank You & God Bless!

It's just July, but that hasn't stopped fans from going full panic mode over football recruiting. The GOAT Mike Scarborough joins us to put things in perspective and discuss the latest in recruiting. That's just the beginning, the guys will also discuss the NBA free agency, WNBA accomplishment, and more.

Follow me on social media: FaceBook: Linda Pomerlee Instagram: Lady_Pomerlee Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: Linda Pomerlee

This week the ladies discuss stress and ways to deal with it (and not so good ways they deal with it). https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2Fchannel%2FUCE96Q4JA4HLZZldjraICT4A%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3MDREkcZrNpxN0GOcQgVkFhwJxYGhtdZolBerv0x1UL8jfOUg3TrabT-s&h=AT27Q7UaAlxhWcXN-x6d_rUU3EHqcae-2Ysh3OvgZutgUzsuCOQQEv5H8X5wubBdd6pmVoFasMgJp3DurpeWxm4tIwqSg7tI2FqzFvldNo-St9ygkAJ32ZG5BmrR2RPxc0ELDj8FesT5NsBi7ns (Youtube): Definition of a Woman https://www.instagram.com/definitionofawoman/ (Instagram): DefinitionofaWoman https://www.facebook.com/Definition-of-a-Woman-Theres-Levels-to-This-103390612134520 (Facebook): Definition of a Woman: There's Level to this

The fellas wanted to come in a pay respect to those fallen on this Memorial Day Episode. After that, Woo starts Woosah-ing early. He has a lot to get off his chest. The fellas close the episode out with Kendrick Lamar's Crown. Don't forget each and every Saturday nights from 10pm-12 am the new episodes of Wooisms drops on Nspire U on Air and the replay on Fridays during the same time. Also, head over to www.wooisms.com for all the latest updates and merchandise. As always peaux up, light the hookah, sit back and enjoy this thang known as Wooisms. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wooisms/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wooisms/support

After a LONG break, The VBAC Link podcast is back again! We have missed hearing your stories and feeling inspired by your strength. We promise that you will smile, cry, and celebrate with Francis as she shares her beautiful heart with us today. While pregnant with her hopeful VBA2C baby, Francis created these birth goals:“I wish for a healthy mother and baby, both physically and emotionally. For my intuition to guide me and to be trusted by those around me. For labor to begin and continue as hands-off as possible and to feel heard, empowered, and respected.”She strived for an empowering birth experience no matter what the outcome was, which only made her successful VBA2C that much sweeter. We also discuss why you shouldn't be afraid to birth a big baby and how your intuition can be your greatest asset in the birth room.   Additional linksThe VBAC Link Blog: Get That Big Baby OutThe VBAC Link Shirt ShopThe VBAC Link on Apple PodcastsHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull transcriptNote: All transcripts are edited to correct grammar, false starts, and filler words.  Julie: Welcome to The VBAC Link podcast. We have Francis with us today. And my gosh! I did not sing. I was going to sing a song, “Guess who's back, back again?” Oh, yes. I was going to sing it. I was going to sing it, but I did not sing it. Meagan: Guess who's back? Julie: Back again. Meagan: Oh, I love it. Julie: Julie's back. And Meagan! Meagan: Yeah! Julie: Dang it. I sang it. Gosh. The only other time I have sang on the podcast was when I sang myself “Happy Birthday” for me in Korean on my birthday episode. That was fun. Do you remember that? Meagan: Yeah, that was forever ago. Julie: That was super fun. Julie: Oh my gosh. We are back! Meagan: We're back! Julie: It's been a while. Meagan: Yes it has. Julie: Holy cow. Meagan: We have had a lot going on, but it feels good. It feels really good. It feels a little weird and out of sync, but I am excited to be back. I'm sitting here. I'm so excited to have guests again. I'm excited to be with you. It's going to be great. Julie: Wow. So much has happened since we aired our last episode. Do you want to just kind of give a couple little things about what you have been up to and I'll do the same, and then we will get into our story? Meagan: Yeah. My life is always crazy with children. What have I been up to? Gymnastics meets, soccer games, working on children's mental health. COVID impacted my kids more than I ever even realized. And so, working with kids and their mental health, getting ready to move– a sporadic, spontaneous move. Yeah. Working with my husband, just letting him work, doing doula stuff for my doula business, hiring new doulas. It's been a lot but it's been great. Julie: Yeah. Holy cow. I know all that already and I am starting to feel a little bit overwhelmed for you. Kind of the same for me, keeping up with kids. My oldest has had some mental and physical health struggles as well, and so lots of things going on for him, and soccer, and gymnastics. My oldest two boys are doing bouldering classes, so learning how to climb big rocks. Meagan: That's awesome. Julie: I know. It's super fun. Super fun for them. And I actually have shifted in my role in the birth work field and I am a birth photographer now. So still a little bit of doula-ing, but birth photography mostly and that's been really fun. I really love it a lot. Meagan: And you're great. You're so great at it too. Julie: Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Yeah. It's been really fun. Really interesting, but it's also kind of like starting a whole new business while restarting everything with The VBAC Link so it's kind of been a lot. We have been up to a lot recently. So thanks everybody for hanging in there with us while we took a little bit of a break to catch up, and maintain, and restart some things in our busy lives. We appreciate everybody for supporting us while we were hanging out in the background for just a little bit, but we're back. Meagan: We're back. Julie: We're back. Review of the Week Alright, as always, we have to start the episode with a review of the week. Thank you so much, everybody, for leaving reviews. We love them so much and Meagan is going to share one with us right now. Meagan: Yes. We have a review from holmclaugh90 and the title is “I listen every single day.” It says, “After a traumatic cesarean with my first baby five years ago and multiple miscarriages in between, this is a breath of fresh air as I await my chance to have a VBAC this October with my second. Love every story I hear on this podcast and it makes me feel so much stronger in knowing that I can do this.” I love it. Julie: I love it too. I love it. Meagan: That was in July of last year, so she definitely has had a baby. So holmclaugh90, if you are still listening, email us at info@thevbaclink.com. We would love to know how your birth went. Julie: Yeah. Or tag us in your birth story on Instagram or Facebook and we can share it. Meagan: Yeah. Francis' Story Meagan: Alright. Julie: Alright. Meagan: I can't wait for this new story. Julie: I know. We are really excited. We are bringing it back with a classic story about– can you guess? Drumroll please. Big babies! Meagan: I was gonna say, VBAC with a big baby. Julie: VBAC with a big baby, and we are also going to sprinkle in some talk about maternal mental health, and the importance of trauma processing, and working through prior births, and some cholestasis there for a little bit of variety. But before we do that, I want to introduce our guest, Francis. Francis is a married mother of three from Raleigh, North Carolina. She balances motherhood with a full-time job in international business. Wow. Really need to hear more about that. She enjoys swimming, CrossFit, outdoor adventuring, and traveling. So Francis, welcome. Thank you so much for being with us. We cannot wait to hear more about your story. Why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit more? Francis: Sure. Well first of all, it's so good to be with you guys. I am so glad that you're back doing this. Julie: Thank you. Francis: It was just such a resource that I used in my pregnancy, and so I am so glad that there are more episodes for women to listen to, and hopefully be inspired by, and learn from. You guys are just amazing and congratulations on all that you guys have been up to. And Julie, I think that's awesome that you are doing birth photography. We had a birth photographer at all three of our births and it's just something that I hold so precious and dear to my heart. So I think it's incredible that you are doing that and giving that back to moms as well. Julie: Aw, thank you. Meagan: I would totally agree with you. It's actually one of my biggest regrets not having one at my birth. I wish so badly that I had someone there to take more pictures and videos so I could experience it from a different perspective too. Francis: Yeah. Meagan: Because when you are in the thick of it, it's hard to even comprehend what is happening. I wish I could have just seen, I don't know. I wish I could've seen it from a different angle. But yeah. She's awesome. Francis: Yeah. And you know, it's funny. I didn't even think about this as part of my birth story when I was thinking about it, but we did have a birth photographer with all three of my births and as you'll hear, my first two births did not go as planned, but I still have the photographs from that and it actually really did help in my healing when I had the courage to go through them to look back and see, you know what? Even though this didn't go as I thought it might, there is still a lot of beauty in my births. Meagan: Absolutely. Yeah. Francis: So I think it is for any woman. To have that moment captured is special, no matter how the birth turns out. You know? Julie: Yeah, I love that. Thank you. Francis: Yeah. Julie: Nice plug-in. Francis: Yeah I know, right? So speaking of– my first pregnancy was in 2012 and prior to getting pregnant, I had been introduced to homebirth by my sister who had a really beautiful homebirth for herself. Prior to her having a homebirth, I honestly didn't really know that that was a thing that people were doing. I just assumed everyone had hospital births and that was just the way it was. And so when I saw her experience and I educated myself on what a homebirth was, I decided I really wanted that for myself. So after I got pregnant, I looked into having a homebirth, but unfortunately in the state where I am at, it's not real easy for midwives to operate in a homebirth setting. So it wasn't in the cards for me, but I did find a freestanding birth center that was about 30 minutes from my home staffed by midwives and then backed up by physicians where I could give birth. I hired a really amazing doula and took a Birthing From Within class with her, and then I hired the birth photographer. We had everything lined up. My pregnancy was super easy and very normal up until I got to about 40 weeks and started stressing out, like a lot of moms do. I knew it was normal and natural to go past 40 weeks, but I don't know. I guess I just thought it would never happen to me. I don't know. But I started to get really stressed out. I hit 41 weeks and my provider wanted to do an ultrasound to check the fluid and check in on baby. Everything was healthy, but they did end up measuring my baby and they estimated that my baby was over 12 pounds. So as you can imagine, I really started to freak out. My provider was still supportive and supportive of me trying for a natural birth at the birth center if I could go into labor on my own, but I do know that it planted some seeds of doubt both with them and honestly within myself. But I do know that women birth big babies all the time and that ultrasounds can be wrong.  So we moved forward. I luckily ended up going into labor on my own right before I hit 42 weeks. I had a long labor, but it was steady. I was at the birth center and everything was normal, kind of until it wasn't. I didn't know this at the time, but I ended up basically stalling at 8 centimeters for a number of hours and then my labor basically stopped. And so we decided to go to the hospital which was really devastating to transfer, but I knew it was necessary at that point. So we transferred. I did get an epidural and some Pitocin to try to pick things back up. But at this point, it had been 36 hours and I was just kind of ready to be over it. There was this question mark of how big my baby was and maybe my baby really wasn't going to fit. So I consented to a Cesarean and my baby did end up being really big. He was a surprise gender. He was a boy and he was 11 lbs. 2 oz. So not quite 12, but still really big. Meagan: Wow. Julie: Really big baby. Meagan: Yeah. Julie: That's a big, chunky baby. Francis: Yeah, exactly. So my Cesarean was fine. You know, physically I was fine. My recovery wasn't bad. But I mentally struggled as I know a lot of Cesarean moms do. I was just really disappointed in the outcome. I went from really wanting a homebirth, to then being at the birth center, to then transferring to the hospital, and then having a Cesarean. I felt like a failure. And I know looking back now that I wasn't, but it felt that way at the time. I've been a physically active person my whole life, and so I think for the first time ever, I really felt like my body failed me. That was really hard. I had a hard time swallowing that. I also felt guilt. I felt like it was my fault, like maybe I ate too much pie and that's why I had an 11 pound baby. Or maybe I should have kept trying at the birth center and not gone to the hospital. But either way, you know, it worked out the way it did. We were healthy, and that, of course, is the most important thing. But I was really– I did struggle for a while with that birth and just processing everything that I went through. Fast forward a couple of years later, my husband and I decided that we were ready for another. I had regained some confidence in myself and in my body, and decided that I did want to go for a VBAC. I was able to go back to the birth center midwives from my prior pregnancy, but in my state, you can't do VBAC out of the hospital, so they have admitting privileges in the hospital. So I knew it meant an automatic hospital birth which was disappointing because again, I really didn't want to be in a hospital environment, but I didn't have much of a choice. But I found the midwives were really supportive and I was ready to go. We had the same doula and the same photographer, and everything was really great. And then at right about 40 weeks, I got cholestasis, which, I know you guys have covered on the podcast before, but it causes insane itching and it can be harmful to the baby. So at that point, we decided I really needed to be induced. That was, again, really devastating, I had hoped to be able to go into labor on my own and labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital, but having an induction that I knew in my heart was really medically necessary, I had to be at the hospital.  I am super grateful our midwife group– I didn't know a whole lot about VBAC protocol at the time with induction, but what I know now, I know that they really followed it to a T. We did a low and slow induction. We did a Foley and very gentle Pitocin. I was honestly kind of on and off Pitocin for about three days trying to get this baby to come out. At the end of the third day, I think I had gotten to 3 centimeters. I got a cervical check and they felt my baby‘s ear instead of the top of her head, so she was almost completely sideways. Julie: Oh wow. Francis: Yeah. So that was obviously quite unexpected. We spent a little bit of time with the doula and the midwife trying to sort of shimmy and shake and get her to move, but after some time, it just wasn't happening. I had already been there over three days. We had a toddler that was being shuffled around between family at home. I just knew in my heart at that point it was time to consent to another Cesarean. That was a super difficult decision, but honestly, I came to it really feeling genuinely supported and that I had been involved in the decision making every step of the way, so it wasn't a bad experience. Rght about that time, the concept of family-centered Cesareans was coming to the forefront, and so I was able to have a really gentle Cesarean. I did have a clear drape. I think I was the second person at this hospital to have a clear drape and it was fine.  Again, I did end up having another really big baby. This was also a surprise gender. It was a girl. She was 10 lbs. 10 oz. So at that point, I realized I just grow really giant babies. Again, processing the Cesarean was difficult, but probably not as difficult as the first time just because I had been so well supported by everybody. You know? So after that, life moved on. My husband and I weren't entirely sure that we were done having kids, but pretty sure we were done having kids, and so I just fell into life. You know, work, being a mom. I unfortunately had a couple of really difficult personal situations that came about during the couple of years after my daughter was born. The biggest one being my mother was diagnosed with cancer and then passed away. That was really difficult. Meagan: Yeah. That's heavy. Heavy, heavy. Francis: Yes. Yeah, very. Meagan: I'm sorry. Francis: Thank you. I decided I really needed to take some time to work on myself. You know? So I found an amazing counselor who I went and saw very frequently. We just spent a lot of time processing everything. Some of that, of course, was my births, and processing the trauma of my births, and just those feelings of failure, and disappointment, and guilt. And then, we just spent a lot of time processing everything else that life throws at you. Through that, one of the things, and probably the most important thing, that I learned was that I have really good instincts. I think that honestly, most of us do, especially mothers. We have really good instincts, but it takes some time, and some practice, and some patience to learn how to trust them and how to follow them. Going through all of the counseling really helped teach me how to lean in to my intuition and how to trust my gut. That was an experience that just has obviously helped me in every area of life. Julie: That's such a valuable thing to learn. Francis: Yeah. Julie: It's a hard way to learn it, but it's such a good skill to have and a good thing that came out of that. Francis: Yeah, exactly. Yep. So I was in a really good place and then 2020 happened, right? The pandemic and then in July 2020, I found myself surprised pregnant. Obviously, my husband and I had not closed the door on having children, but we weren't really planning on it. So when I found out I was pregnant, it was a bit of a shock. Honestly, it took us a little bit of time to really get excited about it. It was just such a surprise that we weren't really sure how to feel about it, but eventually, we did come to be very surprised. To be honest, I didn't know right away whether I wanted to try for a VBAC again. And honestly, I didn't know whether it was an option for me, like whether the hospital would allow me to or whether my personal circumstances were right for a VBAC. So I started doing a little bit of research and then seeking out some opinions and taking into consideration my personal circumstances. And I do have, like I've mentioned, I have a history of big babies. I had cholestasis in my last pregnancy. I had this “failed VBAC”. I was almost 40 years old and was just like, “I don't know. Is this a good idea for me to try for a VBAC? What happens if I fail again? What does that mean?” So I really spent some time thinking about it and I did briefly check out a different healthcare provider just to see if maybe a change in my provider would be helpful. Also, this one was a bit closer to my house. I'll never forget at that first appointment, I was just trying to feel out what my options would be and they said to me, verbatim, “No doctor at this hospital will ever support you in a VBAC.” I just remember thinking like– I didn't know a lot at that time about a VBAC after two Cesareans, but I knew that that didn't feel right. Meagan: Yeah. Francis: Yeah. That like, “Wait. I don't have a decision in what happens to my body?” I knew that didn't feel right. And so I decided. I was like, “Okay. I'm not going to stay with this practice. Let me do more research and let me seek out additional opinions.” So I ended up going back to the midwives with the birth center that I had been with before for my prior two pregnancies. And again, they only do VBAC in the hospital. I inquired with them whether they would take me on and they said, “Yes.” They did share some of the same concerns as me, but ultimately they did support me in being a part of the process and making a decision of what happens with me and my baby. So at that point, that's when I found you guys. Meagan: That's really how it should be, by the way. When you said that, it reminded me of my conversation with my old doctor. I went to go get my medical records and he said, “Good luck. No one is going to want you out there.” And it was like, “Okay.” And it wasn't even like, “Yeah. Let's talk about it,” or “Let me tell you why I don't feel comfortable with it.” You know? Francis: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Well, anyways. Yeah. I felt that someone shouldn't be making that choice for me. If I choose not to try for a VBAC, that's my choice. But for someone else to just say, “No. You must have major surgery.” It just didn't feel right and it didn't sit well with me. Meagan: Yeah. Yeah. Francis: But luckily, I was able to go back to my previous provider and find support. I know a lot of women don't find that, so I was really lucky in that regard. At that point, that's when I really, really start a diving deep into VBAC research and that's when I found you guys. I looked at all of the research you put out. I started listening to your podcasts and all of the other stories, and it really gave me strength and confidence.  One of, perhaps, I think the most important things is in listening to other women's stories, it opened my eyes to this possibility of this perfect “birth” that I had in my head before. It didn't have to be like that. I could accept a hospital birth or I could accept interventions and that could still be a beautiful birth. It doesn't have to be this like, I don't know, what you see in a movie or just that perfect, serene birth. I realized and I accepted that I could open up my mind. Things might turn out not precisely like I hope they do, but that could still be okay. You know? Julie: Yes. I love that. Francis: I really shifted my mindset and in this pregnancy, I didn't worry about all the things that sometimes people do. I really just focused on taking care of my mind and taking care of my body. I did do chiropractic care, and I also did– I don't know if you guys have heard of the Arvigo abdominal massage? I did that. Meagan: No. What is that? Francis: Oh. Yeah, so it's really interesting. It's a Mayan technique and it's an abdominal massage. It's actually really great after a Cesarean. It really helps with scar tissue. But even during pregnancy, it just– I actually don't know all of the benefits of it other than for one, it feels really great. I think it can help with the round ligaments and stuff. It just helps the positioning of your baby and I don't know. I found it really relaxing and comforting, so I did do that. I also did go to an acupuncturist and overall, just stayed active and well. But I did all those things not for some arbitrary reason, but because it made me feel good. So I really just focused on that. With this different approach to this pregnancy and accepting that things might turn out differently than what I had initially hoped, I shared all of this with my provider. I think that was super helpful because I think that they realized that I was in this mental space where I knew I could trust myself and I could trust my instincts and make the right decisions. In turn, they really trusted me. So it really helped in that and having support from them. One of the things, though, that did bring up some concern was that I did do a maternal fetal medicine consult about halfway through just to talk about my prior Cesareans and go over my operative history. One thing that came up that was a bit unexpected was in my second Cesarean, the surgeon had noted that I had really dense adhesions from my first Cesarean. He put almost a note in there to say, “A note to future surgeons, you might experience a prolonged surgery because of all of this dense scar tissue that was in there.” Julie: Interesting. Meagan: Well, and I actually wonder if the dense scar tissue extended– because you said you made it to 8, and you stalled, and you made it to 3. We just had a client that, same thing. She only made it to 3.5 and her body was in active labor. Her cervix just wasn't going and she had super dense adhesions. Francis: Yeah. I mean, for sure. I don't really know, obviously, all of the ways that it can affect you, but I am sure, it's not natural to have all of that scar tissue in your abdomen, right? It's there because you've had this major surgery. So the one thing, though, that they did mention and why it concerned them is they said that if I attempted and it ended up in an emergent situation, it might not turn out well for me because they wouldn't be able to get through all of that scar tissue super quickly either to save my baby or me, right? That was a little bit scary to hear, but my first thought was like, “Well, if I have got all of the scar tissue and it's going to be super hard to open me up, don't you guys just not want to have to open me up? Wouldn't the best case scenario be to just not have another surgery?” Julie: Right? Meagan: And avoid that completely? Yeah. Francis: Right. And add more scar tissue. I know when you have these adhesions, they can accidentally cut into your bladder or things like that. So I was like, “Well, isn't it best case scenario just to not have surgery?” And they were like, “Oh, yeah I guess so.” It was kind of funny, almost like they hadn't really thought of that option, but they wanted me to schedule a repeat Cesarean before I went into labor so they could do it on their own time so they wouldn't have to rush. Which on the one hand, I understand, but the other hand I was like, “Well, let's just try to not cut me open at all.” Right? The other thing too with that was again, I really trusted myself to be able to make the right decision and I trusted that if I were to attempt a VBAC and get to the point where a Cesarean was necessary, that I was capable of making the decision to head to the OR before it was an emergency. I had done that twice before, you know? The other thing too was I had done the research. I know you guys have talked about this before how rare uterine rupture really is and that's kind of like the big deal with VBAC's, right? Also, not only how rare it is, but then when there is rupture, how few of them are really catastrophic. You know? It seemed a little bit silly to go in for a Cesarean just because there was a one in 1000 chance that I might have a catastrophic rupture.  Julie: Yeah, exactly. Francis: Yeah. So ultimately, I respectfully appreciated their professional opinion, but decided I still wanted to go for a VBAC. So anyways, I went for it again. Basically, the rest of my pregnancy proceeded as normal. As far as I know, I did not get the cholestasis again. I did take some herbals that maybe played a role, but I didn't get itchy, so I was super happy about that. Although, I was in my head in it a lot about it. If you think about being itchy, you can find an itch on your body right now. You know? So it was hard not to be paranoid about it.  But ultimately, I avoided getting it which was great. So I didn't have to be induced, because I was worried about that. My pregnancy continued to progress and I did again go past 40 weeks. There were times when I was mentally struggling, but my husband, and my doula, and photographer were super supportive. I was able to lean in on them for support. I did start having a little bit of prodromal labor about 40 weeks and that was really exhausting, but it was reassuring that something was happening. I was taking the wins where I could find them. As I approached 41 weeks, I started to feel a little bit of pressure about how late I was going to go again. I did agree and scheduled an ultrasound to check on the fluid and check on the baby, but I made it very clear that I would not consent to them measuring my baby because I just thought, “What good does it do to talk about the size of my baby at this point? I know I grow big babies. It's got to come out one way or the other.” Julie: Yes! Francis: Let's just not even talk about it. Julie: Absolutely. Francis: There were a couple of the midwives that would make comments about it that rubbed me the wrong way, but I did my best to just brush it off. Because again, this baby is coming out, so what good does it to really think too much about how big it's gonna be? As luck would have it though, I didn't even get to that ultrasound. I didn't have to put my foot down, but I was prepared to, to not have them measure my baby. So I ended up going into labor on my own. It was about 41 weeks. I happened to have an appointment with my favorite midwife and she just put me into this really peaceful place. Sure enough, that night, I went into labor. It started overnight and was kind of slow. My husband was in the other room, so I was up by myself for a bit and about 5:30 in the morning, I realized I was struggling to cope on my own. So I woke him up and he came into the room with me. About an hour later, he ended up calling our doula. Actually this time, we were only allowed one support person in the hospital other than my husband, so our photographer who had been with us before was double dutying as my doula. Julie: Nice. That's called a doula-tog. A doula photographer. I do that sometimes. Francis: Yeah. She's been with us in all of our births and she's had birth experiences of her own that she can really relate to, so she was really great filling both rolls. She came over because my husband, and we laugh about this now, but he was like, “You were making noises that I was really scared of.” So he called her over to help me and my labor did slow down a bit, when things kind of picked up. Some people came over to pick up my other children. I think that's pretty normal.  But then once everyone left and my birth space was undisturbed, my labor really picked up really quickly. I was contracting about every 3 to 4 minutes I think. A solid minute contraction and after a little bit, I started throwing up. In my labor with my son, I started throwing up when I was pretty far along, so I was like, oh my gosh. Maybe this is really happening quickly. Like, we should go to the hospital. We headed over to the hospital which was about 30 minutes and not really a fun drive, but we made it. We got checked in and I knew I wanted to labor in the tub for a little bit. They just have hospital, small tubs but I was allowed to get in and they had the wireless monitors. I wanted to get checked just to know where I was starting from and I was only a 2. I was so defeated. Julie: Oh, that is so discouraging. Oh my gosh. Francis: Yeah. Yeah, I know. There's part of me that regrets finding out but it is what it is, right? But I knew at that point, I was like, “Okay. I am going to switch my mindset.” I already saw drugs in my future which I had decided I was totally okay with, but I wanted to see how much farther I could get. So I got in the tub and it really slowed down my labor, so my doula made me get out. I think I fussed and complained at her. I got out and I tried nitrous, but it did nothing for me. I'm honestly not even sure if that thing was actually working.  I decided at that point, I was like, “Just give me the epidural.” The other thing too is, maybe this is coming from a little bit of an athletic background, I was really having trouble holding tension in my pelvic floor and in my bum. I just couldn't release, and so I knew that the epidural would help with that. That's one of the things that I have learned on this podcast and listening to other women's stories is that sometimes you can use these interventions to your advantage. Getting an epidural doesn't mean that that's the end of it for you. You can use it as a tool in your tool kit. Julie: Absolutely. It's available if you need it. Francis: Exactly. I knew at that point I did need it. So I got the epidural. I was only 3 centimeters and that really scared me because I really wanted to be farther along, but I did it anyway. I labored for a bit and then I got checked again and I was– I probably had been at the hospital about 12 hours at this point. I'm still only 3 cm and I was like, “What am I doing? Like why am I doing this?” The midwife that happened to be on call was such a saint. I look back and I'm like, “I couldn't have landed with a better midwife for me.” She looked me in the eyes. She said, “I will not recommend anything that will put you and your baby in harms way, but I will do everything in my power to help you achieve a vaginal birth.” It was just so reassuring to really know that she had my back. We did start Pitocin at that point, which I know can be a little bit controversial in a VBAC or a VBAC after more than one Cesarean, but we did a really slow Pitocin and I could tell it was working. I did have an epidural, but I could feel it working. I continued to labor throughout the night into the early morning. I tried to catch some rest, but there were definitely times I was looking around and like, my husband was trying to sleep on the floor and our doula photographer was there with us this whole time and I was just like, “Gosh.” I felt almost guilty, like I was putting them through the ringer with me. I just kept having these feelings like, “Will I end up in another Cesarean? I'm doing all this for nothing.” But I tried to quiet those doubts as much as I could and at one point in the middle of the night, I felt a pop and a gush of fluid. I called the nurse and I was like, “Hey, either I've just peed myself or my water broke.” She came in and confirmed it was my waters, so that was exciting. Julie: Yay! Francis: I was like, “Okay. Something's happening, right?” And then, as I was laying there trying to catch some rest, I could feel that I was having some pressure in my bum and my sacrum, but I didn't want to get too excited, so I kept it to myself. It was probably about 3 o'clock in the morning. My midwife had been tending to a couple of other women and she was going to try to catch some rest, so she was like, “Well, let me just check you really quick.” When she was doing it, I knew that it was a do or die moment for me. If I hadn't progressed anymore at that point, I felt like that was going to be it. So I was really, really nervous. She went to check me. She didn't say a word and she had this poker face. She checked me. She went to the sink and washed up. My heart is pounding, right? Like, “Oh my gosh.” She walks over to my bedside and then she looks at me and she said, “Francis? You're more dilated than you've ever been in your life.” Julie: Yay! Francis: And I just– yeah. I let out this scream and everybody in the room was cheering. I think the nurse might have even shed a tear. That was the first moment where I was like, “Oh my god. This might actually happen.” So I did labor down a little bit longer and at one point, the nurse rushed in. She had me change positions and got me on my hands and knees and I knew. She wasn't saying anything, but I knew that that meant they were having some sort of concern about baby. I tried not to panic, but I was really scared. The midwife got called in. She gave me another check and she was like, “You're at 10 centimeters. Let's just get this baby out.” So I was like, “Let's do it.” Julie: “Let's do it.” I love it. Francis: So my doula was like, “Hey, do you want the squat bar?” I was like, “Yes. Give me the squat bar.” Coming from an athletic background, I was so excited to feel useful. I was like, “Alright. Let's go.” I had never pushed before, so I didn't know what that was like. I was being coached. I was using the squat bar, basically squatting on the bed using the bar and apparently, according to the midwife, was really doing a good job. After about 45 minutes, my baby was right there. She was like, “Come down. Touch your baby's head.” I touched his head, and then she had me lean back a little bit. We did some of those slow, panty pushes to do it pretty slowly. I felt my baby's head come out, and then she had me push again for the shoulders. I could tell when I did that that she had a little bit of trouble, but he ended up coming out really without a problem. I really wanted to catch my baby. My husband was amazing support throughout all of it, but he had zero interest in being part of that process. And so I was like, “Well, I want to catch my baby then.” So my midwife was like, “Well, reach down and catch your baby!” So I reached down and she helped me, and I brought him up to my chest. He was beautiful and perfect, and it was that moment that I know we all dream about. Our photographer caught that moment and I have shared it on your Facebook page before. It's a little bit graphic. Not too much so, but it was just– you can see it in my face. I was just in heaven. My baby was on my chest for all of the nurse checks and everything. I remember when he was laying there, I was like, “Oh, I think he's my smallest baby. He's so small.” And then finally, they came and took him to do the weight and the measurements, and he ended up being 10 lbs. 12 oz. and 22.5 inches. Julie: Wow! Francis: He was not my biggest baby, but my second biggest and I just couldn't believe it. You know? Like, “Oh my gosh. I pushed that baby out of my body!” Meagan: Yeah! Francis: I did have some tearing. It was a third-degree tear and my midwife said it was from his shoulders. She did say he didn't have dystocia, but she had to give some traction, I think, is what she said. But I was repaired right there in labor and delivery and honestly, I didn't care because I had my baby with me and I was just in euphoria. The recovery was not a walk in the park, but so much better than a Cesarean. I avoided major abdominal surgery.  One of the things in my birth plan– I had this long birth plan– but at the very beginning, I said that I had birth goals. These were my goals. This is where I'll get emotional. Sorry. I said, “I wish for a healthy mother and baby, both physically and emotionally. For my intuition to guide me and to be trusted by those around me. For labor to begin and continue as hands off as possible and to feel heard, empowered, and respected.”  At the end of the day, my birth checked all those boxes. I couldn't have asked for more. I have no doubt that your podcast played a huge role in my success. If me sharing my story can help just one other woman achieve her own birth goals, then I am just overjoyed. So thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to share my story. Julie: Aww. Meagan: Wow. I have tears in my eyes right now. Francis: Aww. You guys are so sweet. Meagan: I just felt that. When you were talking about when you reached down and grabbed your baby, it was like I was flashing back to my son‘s birth. I just remember that feeling and I was feeling it for you. It's such an incredible feeling to reach down there and feel the baby's head, and pull him out, and have that support, and what your midwife said too. I am so happy for you and so proud of you. Francis: Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Like I said, I really, truly feel like I could not have done it without you guys. I really mean that. I know you've heard that before, but it's the truth. Julie: Well, I just don't think– I can safely speak for Meagan when I say we probably won't ever get tired of hearing that. We love it! Meagan: I don't think we will because this is what we are here for. This is what we want to do. We want to help. We want to empower. We want to inspire. We want to guide. We want to educate. We want to create that community where it's not even just us, right? It's you guys helping others and feeling that support all around the world. You have people rooting for you and you don't even know where they are at. That's what we want. That's what we want. We want our mission here too be better and make birth after Cesarean better. Sometimes, that means a repeat Cesarean and that's okay. Listen to how healing it can be. Francis: Yeah. Meagan: Especially coming back for the first podcast after taking so much time, it's so refreshing to hear, “Hey, this is still what people love and this is what people want. They want to hear the stories. They want to see all the stories.” The emotion I just felt with you sharing your story, and I'm not even pregnant or having anymore kids and I'm feeling it. I'm just imagining being in that room with you guys and cheering as you're the furthest dilated that you've ever been. That's such a huge moment. Just so many fun things. I am so glad to be back. Julie: Yeah. I love it. I think it's so incredible. I just think back– I know Meagan, maybe you are doing the same thing, just all the births I have attended as a doula and now I get to do that as a birth photographer– of parents who have had these babies over 10 pounds. I feel like sometimes maybe the big ones come out a little bit easier because they have gravity working on their side, right? Gravity gets to pull on them a little bit easier. Francis: True. Julie: I am on call right now for a threepeat doula client, my third time being her doula. The babies that I was with for her last two, one was over 9 pounds and one was over 10. It's not a VBAC birth, but her babies– She's 5'1” by the way. She's 5'1” and very petite. She births these ginormous, sumo wrestler babies. It's just so fun to watch her labor and birth because she just doesn't hold still. She's constantly moving. There's a lot to say about giving the birthing person time, and freedom, and space, and ability to let their body do what it needs to do instead of jumping to conclusions about the babies size and the ability of whether it will or will not work. I think that that's really cool that your midwife supported you in that way. It's really just neat when you hear about providers wanting the type of birth you wanna just as much as you do and it really kind of felt like that's what happened there for you. So it's really cool. Francis: Yeah. It did. It's kind of funny because when I was seeking out opinions about whether I should go for a VBAC or not, and then of course just checking myself, honestly, the fact that I grow really big babies was almost not even brought up. It was all of the other things that were more concerning. Like the scar tissue, or my age, or potentially having cholestasis and maybe having to get induced or just go for a repeat Cesarean. So it was interesting to me. One of the things I think I was most fearful of when I was thinking about having a VBAC was whether my baby would be too big, but my provider almost didn't even care. Do you know? Julie: I love that. Francis: That surprised me. Five Tips for Birthing Big Babies Julie: I love that. I love it a lot. Alright well, we are going to wrap it up but before we do, we have a blog all about big babies and how we can have the best chance at gettingg that big baby out vaginally. We are going to link it for you in the show notes. I am going to go over five tips for you right now. The first one is knowing the facts about macrosomia, which just means “big baby”. Macrosomia– it's really interesting because different organizations define what makes a baby big differently. Some places define it as a baby that's larger than 8 lbs. 13 oz. and some places define it as bigger than 9 lbs. 4 oz. I mean, your babies checked both of those boxes. So that's okay. So either way, 8 lbs. 13 oz. or 9 lbs. 4 oz.  So sometimes, there is a little bit of flexibility about what really makes s baby big. And also know that estimated fetal weight– the only way to actually know the actual size of your baby is birthing the baby and getting the measurements after it's born. Ultrasound scans are notoriously inaccurate about measuring gestational weight. They can be off by a pound or two difference like yours. Your first was still really big, but about a pound different than what they measured it, right? Francis: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Julie: Yeah. The second thing you can do to help get a big baby out is hire a doula. Studies show that having a doula improves just about every single aspect of your birth and delivering a large baby is no exception about that. A skilled doula will help you communicate your needs and your perceptions to help realize your dream of having a healthy, positive birthing experience.  There are actually a lot of statistics that prove how doulas improve birth outcomes. They actually reduce your chances of having a C-section by 39% which is really cool for my data-junkie brain.  The third thing you can do is move as much as possible, even with an epidural. Moving, switching sides, even just moving your legs a little bit every few contractions is going to help keep your pelvis being flexible and help create that space for your baby to move down.  We say in our blog, “ditch the epidural”, but you don't actually have to to have an unmedicated birth in order to birth or to have a VBAC or to have any vaginal delivery. Go as long as you can without getting it, but it's okay if that's a lower number than you want. As we talked about earlier, an epidural is a great tool to have in your toolbox if you need it. Knowing how to use an epidural and how to move, and a doula is a great way to help you utilize this tool properly. As long as you are not laying down and staying still in one spot for too long, that's the biggest thing you need to take away from that. And the fifth one, we say, “believe in your body.” I know I'm probably going to get a lot of eye rolls for this. “Believe in your body. Woosah. You can't always manifest your baby your out.” Yes. That is very true. Sometimes things happen, and interventions are needed, and Cesareans are life-saving. We definitely believe that and we have seen it. But there is a lot to be said in believing in yourself, and believing in your baby, your body that knows that it can do this and that it is designed for the birth process, and having that confidence going into it and having the confidence in yourself, and your birth team, and your support environment. If you don't have that confidence, do whatever you need to do or change whatever you need to change in order to create that confidence and that belief in your environment because where doubt exists, that brings in the uncertainty that can shift your entire birth experience. I'm going to end that with a period and an exclamation point. Meagan, what would you add in there? I've been talking for a few minutes. Meagan: No, you're just fine. I mean, I feel like we have talked about the intuition and mama's gut the whole time. But I love that during your pregnancy and everything, you were able to hone in on that and not only learn what intuition necessarily is, but how to really tune into it because especially for birth and especially for a VBAC– I want to say it's for anyone. It really is, but with VBAC, there is so much coming at us with all the things. For instance, when you went to that different provider and they were like, “Yeah, no. Not one person in this hospital is going to touch you. Like, no.” A lot of people would be like, “Oh, okay. There's that many doctors that won't even see me. I better just have a C-section,” which is totally fine if that's what their intuition is how they feel.  But a lot of the time, I feel like it's hard to tune into that intuition and to be like, “Wait. I still feel like I should probably still get some other opinions.” Right? Versus just being told what I said to you. I think that if we can, in life in general, just learn how to tune in to that intuition and really how to follow it, I think it's going to help us in so many things in life in general. That's one of the highlights of your story that I got because I had to personally work through a lot of that during my pregnancy because I was told that I would rupture if VBAC'd and I didn't realize how much that impacted me, but it impacted me. But my intuition was telling me otherwise, right? Anyway. That was one of the biggest things I took away. One of the biggest takeaways from your story is learning how to hone in on your intuition, following it, and trusting it. Trusting your gut. Francis: Yeah, precisely. Hit it on the nose. Julie: Alight. Meagan: I– yeah. Julie: Oh, go ahead. Meagan: I was just going to say, I love it. I loved everything about your story. So thank you so much for kicking us off with such a great empowering story. Julie: Yes. It was the perfect story for our welcome back. Francis, it was such a joy to have you on and share your story today. But before we leave, we want to ask you– I think I might know what the answer is– but I am going to ask anyways. What is your best tip for somebody preparing for birth after Cesarean? Francis: Well first, I thought you were going to ask whether I was going to have more children. And I am like, “Hard no.” Julie: I'm right there with you. Francis: That door has been closed. Yeah. I think it is, it's what I think– Meagan, what you just talked about is learning, taking the time to focus on yourself and your mental health. I think ideally before you get pregnant, but you can obviously do that while you're pregnant if you're already pregnant. But taking the time to really focus on your mental health and learn how to trust yourself because we all have good instincts. We just have to know where to find them sometimes. Julie: Oh I love that. “We all have good instincts. We have to know where to find them sometimes.” I'm going to make a social media post about that. Just one second while I write it down. Francis: You guys are too sweet. I appreciate it. Julie: Maybe it will go on a shirt. I don't know. I need to start making shirts again. Meagan: I know. Francis: Do I need to trademark that real quick? Julie: Yes, you need to. Meagan: She's like, “Wait a second.” Yeah. Trademark that for sure. Julie: I will credit you. What's your social media? Should I tag you? Francis: No no, not necessary. Thank you though. Julie: Okay. Speaking of shirts, we do have a bunch of VBAC shirts available for you to purchase if you want to rock, and represent, and support the podcast. You can find them at thevbaclink.com/bonfire if you want to head over there and rock some swag from the VBAC shop.  So, Francis. You're amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today and everybody else, good luck on your journey. We are so excited to be back along for the ride with you.ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Head over to thevbaclink.com/share and submit your story. For 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

In the spirit of keeping up with preserving your mental health, this week we're getting into meditation and how it impacts your mental health. Checklist: Don't leave yet!! Subscribe and leave me a review on Apple Podcast. Connect with me on Instagram @notebooksncoffee, and on Facebook @ Notebooks-n-Coffee. Tell me what you want me to talk about on my website notebooksncoffee.com

Topics include the untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, Vince Neil, Pierce Bronson hating on James Bond, and oh yeah, the Oscars. And maybe a few minutes on Will Smith & Chris Rock. Slaps include Bloc Party, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Hornsby, Imagine Dragons, Latto, Kilo Kish, Miguel.

Woosah and release! Loneliness, we all live with it but it's really a societal problem at large. Journal prompts and some sharing explode in this episode. Can I encourage you to work past it and help you not feel so alone? That's definitely the goal, grab your journal, light a candle, and let's go! Resources: Find a Therapist Find a Psychiatrist Therapy for Black Girls Therapy for QPOC Connect with Kimberly: @AmIinthewrongroom Remember this podcast is not a substitute for therapy or a relationship with your own personal therapist. This podcast serves as a peer-to-peer connection. While mental health topics and conversations with the hosts' personal therapist are shared, no advice will top advice from a mental health professional who knows your personal situation. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aiitwr/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aiitwr/support

As we open up the Holiday season I wanted to share a few ways to stay in your peace during this time, honey! Yes, you can have peace during the holidays ;) Hope your Holidayz are full of #healthlovesoul! If you or someone you know is struggling with substances and/ or mental health issues, please call: Si usted o algun conocido sufre con problemas de drogas y/o su salud mental, por favor llame: SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information. La Línea Nacional de Ayuda de SAMHSA, 1-800-662-4357 (también conocida como el Servicio de Remisión a Tratamiento) o TTY: 1-800-487-4889, es un servicio confidencial, gratuito, disponible las 24 horas del día, los 365 días del año, en inglés y español, para individuos y familiares que enfrentan trastornos mentales o de uso de sustancias. Este servicio lo conecta con centros de tratamiento locales, grupos de apoyo y organizaciones comunitarias. Las personas que llamen también pueden solicitar información gratuita. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/yovanna-rocks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yovanna-rocks/support

Who else needs to woosah this Holiday season?! (points at myself!) On the next episode, I'll share with you some self-care ideas and how you can remain in your calm over the next few weeks... TTYS! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/yovanna-rocks/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/yovanna-rocks/support

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when we talk about you? If it's not obvious, we're hanging out with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence this week, as we thoroughly dissect their action buddy cop franchise, #Bad Boys and #BadBoysForLife. Complete with Michael Bay explosions, helicopter tracking shots, slow motion circular establishing character shots and of course, guns! Lots of guns. For this third week of Subtember, we're down one member of 'The History of Bad Ideas' podcast, but decided to move forward as a power trio with Mike, Pat and Joel. If you like your comedy, action and popular music all combined into one giant birthday cake of mayhem, then this week's show is going to be your jam! Join us for the 'Bad Boys' show! Woosah! If you'd like to add a question for our 400th show click HERE to go to the form! Loading… Join our Discord channel HERE!   You can donate to the show at our Ko-Fi Page!

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when we talk about you?   If it's not obvious, we're hanging out with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence this week, as we thoroughly dissect their action buddy cop franchise, #Bad Boys and #BadBoysForLife. Complete with Michael Bay explosions, helicopter tracking shots, slow motion circular establishing character shots and of course, guns! Lots of guns.   For this third week of Subtember, we're down one member of 'The History of Bad Ideas' podcast, but decided to move forward as a power trio with Mike, Pat and Joel.   If you like your comedy, action and popular music all combined into one giant birthday cake of mayhem, then this week's show is going to be your jam! Join us for the 'Bad Boys' show! Woosah! If you'd like to add a question for our 400th show click HERE to go to the form! Loading… Join our Discord channel HERE! You can donate to the show at our Ko-Fi Page!

Pastor Vince Diaz 3405 N Front Street, Philadelphia PA 19140. https://www.lfcphila.com Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/bKRv68kdVFg Watch on Facebook: https://fb.watch/7QZB07MtQt/ Donate: https://www.lfcphila.com/donate Contact Us: https://tinyurl.com/hellolfc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lfcphila Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lfcphila

Pastor Vince Diaz 3405 N Front Street, Philadelphia PA 19140. https://www.lfcphila.com Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/bKRv68kdVFg Watch on Facebook: https://fb.watch/7QZB07MtQt/ Donate: https://www.lfcphila.com/donate Contact Us: https://tinyurl.com/hellolfc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lfcphila Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lfcphila

Sandy & Monica talk about anger issues. Send us questions: heymorningchat@gmail.com Follow us: www.instagram.com/heymorningchat

What does protecting your peace look like? Let's dive into triggers, responses, how to read the room, and how all of this ties into growing in your womanhood

Life can be incredibly frustrating at times. Sometimes it's the little things that get under our skin. What if instead of wallowing in frustration we prayed sooner, trusted quicker, and rested faster? God gave us one job and that was to pray and walk away. Woosah and praise God!

MANA BOMB: Darling, escaping/avoiding is addicting. Face your shit and handle your business! Nothing was run by people who run. FOCUS: What is the root issue in myself? Can I think back to when it all started? ENGAGEMENT: How has avoiding/escaping (work/integrity/my own boundaries) NOT working for you and when has it worked? Why is the addiction unhealthy? - - WOOSAH! This is an interesting one. Kulani takes a moment to look deep into what this really means and Kanoelani shares her experience and loss based on going through this. Be sure to listen to the end, Kulani goes through a space of Ho'a Mana with Kanoe and is given a task to help dive deep into this subject of escape/avoidance. You too can try it out and see if it works. - - Don't forget to visit their YOUTUBE Channel @manabombspodcast to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE. Be sure to get your DAILY MANA BOMBS on Instagram @pomahinadesigns and @manabombsllc for events and updates, as well as @kulanz.manabombz. Or subscribe to our YOUTUBE channel MANA BOMB PODCAST - - We are FREE and do this with aloha, if you are enjoying our MANA Bombs please feel free to help keep us going and alive by subscribing to our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/manabombs with as little as $5. Get the perks too!! - - As with all of our podcasts, please be aware that we share our stories and experiences, being vulnerable and free to speak we share matters of the heart, body, mind, and soul that may open up triggers. It is never our intention to open wounds, but we hope that our experiences help you heal. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/manabombs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/manabombs/support

In this second part of “Miscellaneous Mischief” Petra, Jay, Lyric , and Rod continue the conversation and the laughs keep coming! This weeks featured artist is Frio with his song “Woosah” (18:12)

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and what better way to acknowledge it, than to talk about it with clinical social worker/therapist Aaron Muller! We'll touch on life's struggles during these unprecedented times, and the importance of Woosah and Chillin'.

What is the greatest gift that a human being can experience aside from love? We'll give you a hint if you listen to this episode. WOOSAH. 

Woosah, In this weeks episode the guys take a deep dive on mental health. Coping mechanisms both good and bad, therapy sessions and much more. Peter [@ptraye7] Ken [@A_lil_kennykenken] Big Mike [@Da80sBaby305] Dan [@wizvrdkelly__]