The Gift of Giving Life

I loved sharing this experience of Shari and the adoption of her son.

I also love that she took this experience and created a children's book

to help adopted children better understand

their journey to their "forever family"

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

We spend a lot of time preparing for our births

and many of us create a birth plan.

Here are 10 things to think of incorporating 

into your Postpartum Plan!

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

Robyn had successfully navigated trials before, 

but after her 5th baby, she struggled with finding any joy.

She shares a game that helped her to climb out of the pit 

and learn to better manage 

"being in the trenches" of motherhood. 

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

The Fourth Trimester concept is:

there is another three months of gestating

AFTER we give birth. 

It often gets overlooked because we focus so much on the birth,

but the real test comes AFTER the baby arrives.

Here are 10 tips to help you survive!

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

Heather shares - 

This Easter thoughts about “the womb” and “the tomb” have been on my mind. 

Maranda Bower was a wonderful guest to interview for the podcast.

She is the CEO and founder of Postpartum University, supporting both mothers and professionals in health and whole body healing.

She’s a renowned expert in top educator in the fields of functional nutrition and coaching in relation to postpartum, and is nicknamed The Womb Whisperer, named as a bestselling author, international speaker, and has appeared in over 50 publications.

Her latest book is Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness, and it’s a number one bestseller now available on Amazon.

And she also has a podcast that I’ve enjoyed listening to.

She shares 3 specific things we can do to prepare for the 4th Trimester (postpartum) and make our transition to mothering easier.

1. Create a Useful Support System
2. Harness the Power of Nutrition
3. Support your Nervous System Regulation

We also talk about different cultures and how they support postpartum women.

As well as how you and your baby are both on a journey!

[00:00:18] Meet Maranda

[00:01:53] What are some things we can do to prepare for the 4th Trimester?

[00:05:45] first have a support system in place

[00:07:48] Two - Harness the Power of Nutrition!

[00:11:42] 3 - Nervous System Regulation

[00:14:06] Understanding Intrusive Thoughts

[00:17:14] Malaysia’s System of Postpartum Support

[00:19:11] Meal Trains Can Be Helpful...... SOMETIMES

[00:20:22] You and Your baby are on a journey together

[00:22:14] Reclaiming Postpartum Wellness Book and where to find Maranda

Here is where you can find Maranda and her wonderful resources.

Those 2 moments of birth, when things really change for a woman.

When that mantle of motherhood comes upon her!

Heather shares some beautiful thoughts about these powerful moments 

and how God give us this mantle to support us as we transition to mothering our babies.

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

It was such a pleasure to talk with Katie and hear her insights and inspiration for many of her pregnancy/birth themed art.

From Eve

to Mary

to Heavenly Mother

to Jochebed

and more.  

What were her inspirations to do these paintings 

and how have the come to mean different things to different people. 

TOPICS COVERED

[00:00:26] Meet Katie Garner

[00:01:07] Adam and Eve Series of Paintings

[00:02:18] Why is Eve never pregnant in paintings??

[00:03:22] "God Blessed me."

[00:04:17] Adam and Eve are not "distant" relatives.

[00:05:43] That They Might Have Joy

[00:07:03] Painting Eve and Mary Together

[00:08:45] Two Women with the Most Pivotal Roles

[00:10:23] Mother to Mother

[00:14:02] The power of God using Katie as a tool.

[00:15:09] Mother's Embrace

[00:17:46] Surrender

[00:19:43] Katie's Experience with The Gift of Giving Life

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

"God is Love"

How can knowing this help us better understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

How can knowing this help us to better appreciate this Valentine's Season, 

even if we are not being "showered" with love from others?

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

I loved hearing the things that Kelly learned with each of her 8 births.

From a cesarean, to a traumatic VBAC to many healing births and some challenging ones too.  

Each one taught her something different.

Kelly is also a birth doula and childbirth educator and shares her knowledge with other expecting moms.

This was such a fun interview and I know you will learn a lot as Kelly shares her insights with us.

Jayne struggled with Hyperemesis Gravidarum through 4 of her pregnancies.

It was wonderful to talk with her about her experience and hear the blessings that came from it.

         "I found it didn't have to be a dark place if I was looking upward, and like reaching out to heaven and saying,

           What does this experience have to offer me? What is here for me to learn?"

She also wrote a children's book When Mommies are Sick as well as a journal for other moms experiencing Hypermesis Gravidarum.

Definitely a must listen to episode!

TOPICS COVERED

[00:00:42] Meet Jayne - Mother and Author

[00:02:13] When Pregnancy Doesn't Go as You Imagined

[00:04:13] Her Doctor Dismissed Her Concerns!

[00:06:45] Learning to Track Symptoms and Speaking Up For Herself

[00:07:42] Challenges Don't Have to Bring You to a Dark Place

[00:08:50] Delving into Understanding Consecration

[00:11:00] Having the Courage and Strength to Have More Babies

[00:14:31] Diving Help was Needed to Make it Through Last Pregnancy

[00:16:12] Writing the Books

[00:20:22] Have the Courage to Be Imperfect

[00:22:12] Where to find Jayne and her books!

LINKS

Find Jayne Here

It was such a joy to interview Katie and Amie about their powerful new book.

This book and journal, helps to lead you through documenting and processing your birth experience.

Leading towards healing and hope. 

HELPFUL LINKS

Frankincense is known as the king of oils.

Myrrh is known as the oil of Mother Earth.

When I learned about the spiritual powers 

these two oils posses, 

I was overcome with awe.

It gave new meaning to the gifts of frankincense and myrrh 

that the wise men brought to the baby Jesus 

as He left the premortal world 

and His Heavenly Parents

to walk among men during His earthly sojourn.

HELPFUL LINKS

I’ve always felt at least a little uncomfortable 

with the common modern renditions of the conditions of Christ’s birth: 

Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem, poor and alone. 

They reach the one inn in town, 

Mary obviously ready to pop, 

if not already in labor, 

only to find it crowded 

and run by a grumpy and inhospitable innkeeper 

who gruffly forces them to leave. 

In despair and urgency, 

they take refuge in a stable among the animals and filth. 

Alone and in the most squalid of circumstances imaginable, 

the Christ child is born and 

laid in the manger 

where the cows and goats continue to nibble the hay out from under his head.

This weeks episode, we dive into another way it could have gone!

HELPFUL LINKS

thegiftofgivinglife.com/mary-and-the-nativity-story

With Christmas approaching I have been 

pondering the concept of “humble birth.”

HELPFUL LINKS

There are many beautiful works of art depicting Mary riding a donkey as Joseph led them to Bethlehem. 

I never questioned whether or not Mary rode a donkey on her journey with Joseph. 

However, as I was researching the symbolism of Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem 

and Christ riding a donkey as he entered Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry, 

I realized that the scriptures don’t actually say that Mary did.

In todays episode I share what Robyn learned while doing this research.

HELPFUL LINKS

Morgan had a cesarean with her twin girls 

and then a cesarean with her son.

She used some tips from the Creating a Sacred Cesarean

and got some of the things she really wanted with her second birth experience.

She also shares the magical time of those first 2 weeks after a baby is born. 

HELPFUL LINKS

I can’t get over how different Isaac and Owen’s births were

—from delivering one spontaneously and picking him up within seconds of birth, 

to not holding the other for well over half an hour after birth.  

And yet, I don’t feel any different about them or their births.  

Both were right for the situation we were in

Enjoy this wonderful birth story!

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

I met Krysti on the Hypnobabies Yahoo Group.  

She was planning a natural birth, but her baby was persistently breech.  

It was interesting watching her journey as she had to make tough choices in regards to her babies birth.  

I was excited to read her birth story and see how in the end she had a positive birth despite not going to her original desires.

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

there are so many things that I love about this story. 

You can tell it made me emotional reading it 

just how she was treated with respect 

and they read her cesarean birth plan 

and did the things she wanted in it. 

I think this is why it is so important that everyone should be educated 

on where they're going to birth at and choose carefully the hospitals 

and care providers that you choose.

Some hospitals are very cesarean friendly, 

meaning that they are friendly to mom and baby during cesareans, 

and others are a little bit more old school. 

Also, what I love is that she was able to have a positive healing cesarean birth, 

even though it wasn't what she was planning for. 

She was able to shift and then enjoy the birth experience she did.

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for sharing this story with us today

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

All births are spiritual, even cesareans. 

There are steps you can take to help it be a more positive experience.

I share 12 plus steps you can take as you prepare for your cesarean!

Show notes

 titles never can capture all the awesomeness of my interviews.

I love that a hymn helped Bronwyn to have courage to move forward through her fears.

After her preemie was born at 26 weeks via classical cesarean, having another baby was high risk and doing a VBAC even a higher risk.

I love the many different paths and guidance that God gave Bronwyn, to have not 1, but 2 babies after her preemie.

Her 5th baby she calls her Hallelujah baby, which I love.

Listen to find out why!

TOPICS

[00:00:56] One of the Original book owners!

[00:01:45] Wanted a homebirth for my first birth, but was talked out of it.

[00:03:09] Mis-date on 2nd pregnancy, almost ended up with disaster.

[00:04:05] Long Birth with a Beautiful Birth Pause

[00:05:16] Miscarriage - then preemie born same date as the miscarriage due date

[00:06:42] Cesarean at 26 weeks 4 days

[00:08:24] I knew there was more babies, and it terrified me.

[00:08:53] A Hymn 3 times in a row was an answer to her prayer

[00:10:46] Pregnant with Baby Number 4 - no homebirth options available

[00:13:01] A miscarriage, and sadness about wanting baby 5.

[00:14:22] My husband felt done, but I didn't.

[00:15:01] My Hallelujah Baby

[00:16:20] It was so powerful to sit with my Dad and my Son while they were Both Straddling the Veil

[00:17:47] I had a Great homebirth, but difficult recovery.

[00:19:16] Each birth had a special learning message

[00:21:06] Advice for new moms - create your own story

LINKS

We are doing a give away of 2 books - 1 book for each winner.  :)

1 copy of Swaddle Me Up: Baby Wrapping and Baby Wearing for Everyone 

and 1 copy of The Gift of Giving Life.

This was a wonderful interview with Liz, who shared 2 birth stories.

One where she felt angels singing as her baby was born.

Another where the understanding of her role as the veil helped carry her through challenging parts of her birth.

There are a lot of other wonderful gems in this interview.

Sit back and enjoy! 

TOPICS

[00:01:26] "I fell in love with the book"

[00:02:09] Such an incredible experience with second birth

[00:03:53] The Thinness of the Veil During Birth

[00:05:40] Mental Preparation Needed for being Patient

[00:09:04] Allowing Baby Time to Say Goodbye to Pre-Existence

[00:11:16] Live in the Moment

[00:13:15] Birth is a beautiful start to our parenting journey

[00:13:52] Birth as a Testimony of God the Creator

This weeks episode transcripts and links –

When Phoebe was 18 months old I realized that I still had her placenta in my freezer. 

I had just started to date (I was a single mom through most of my pregnancy), 

and a boyfriend found the placenta box and asked, “What’s this?” 

That’s when I realized it was time to do something with it.

I had always planned on burying it under a tree, 

but I wondered if there was some sort of ceremony I could perform.

Todays episode is the ceremony that Felice did with her placenta. 

If you want to do a ceremony - check out the show notes!

HELPFUL LINKS

I have moms ask about making noises while pushing

and thought this episode would be a great way

to demonstrate different sounds

as well as other ways we use our voice while birthing.

TOPICS COVERED

[00:00:37] Audio is better to demonstrate pushing

[00:01:03] It is normal to make or not make noises while pushing

[00:01:26] A Few Pushing Options

[00:02:19] Breathe Baby Out

[00:02:24] Grunting

[00:02:43] Roaring

[00:04:01] Swearing

[00:04:18] Calling on Heavenly Help

[00:05:29] Cavewomen Type Communication

[00:06:15] Noises Are Our Friends

[00:06:52] Lower Noises are Better

[00:07:51] Holding your Breath and Bearing Down

[00:09:07] Be Flexible

[00:09:28] Low is Open and Down

[00:09:35] I hope you enjoyed these real life examples

HELPFUL LINKS

I have been feeling discouraged in my motherhood lately, 

wondering if anything I am doing really matters. 

I yearn to change the world in big ways, 

and sometimes feel so limited by the walls of my home and the needs of my children. 

Yet, as I watched Elder Eyring speak about his mother 

I had a powerful realization that what I am doing as a mother 

is one of the most important things I will ever do, 

and that I am exactly where I need to be.

Amanda had 2 very inspirational stories to share with us on this weeks episode.  

- The Power of Prayer turned a nightmare into a miracle

- The timing of turning her will over to God, regarding having a 3rd baby, was indeed divine.

As well as some really great advice.

- Ask lots of questions

- Still do your normal things!

And more.  

TOPICS

HELPFUL LINKS

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

www.thegiftofgivinglife.com/

Jessica, mom of 1 year old Julia, had quite the journey getting her here to earth.    

I was inspired by her faith and the experiences that helped her, 

pre-conception as she suffered through a miscarriage, 

then struggled to get pregnant 

and then throughout her pregnancy and birth.  

Listen in as we talk.

Topics Covered

[00:00:12] Meet Jessica

[00:00:46] Jessica has Felt Spiritually Uplifted from Listening to the Gift of Giving Life Podcast

[00:02:28] Married at 26, got pregnant quickly, but then miscarried

[00:04:43] Willing to share and be open about her miscarriage, helped others

[00:06:26] Jessica attends her sisters homebirth, and is amazed.

[00:08:33] Jessica's Baby Conceived 2 weeks after watching her sister birth.

[00:08:52] A blessing while being set apart, brings reassurance.

[00:10:35] A second blessing at the hands of her family, helped ease worries

[00:13:27] Pregnancy was Easy and Birth Started Easily too.

[00:15:07] "My mom thought I was at 2 or 3 cm, based on how I was acting. I was actually at a 7!"

[00:15:25] Pushing the baby out did not go as expected.

[00:18:11] Jessica's sister helped clear a block, that helped her to push more effectively.

[00:19:15] 15 minutes later, her baby is born!

[00:20:07] This sweet baby girl has changed everything, so many unexpected blessings.

[00:21:16] 2 big take aways!

[00:22:27] Why it is so important to take natural childbirth classes!

[00:25:40] It is OK if things don't go according to plan, Gather Knowledge, make a plan, then relax.

Helpful Links

Find Jessica Here – in the Natural Birth LDS Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/430856127077281

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

5 days after Kayla's 6th birth, she had a very scary experience and it made her plead to God to not have any more babies.

God reassured her that it was OK and there was that baby girl still waiting for her.

She did go on to have a safe and successful hospital birth, 

Welcoming her last baby to the earth.

Topics Covered

[00:00:17] Kayla Introduction

[00:00:59] Strange Symptoms for Kayla - Lead to some Scary Moments 5 days after his birth

[00:04:00] Seeing God's Hand in the Timing

[00:05:38] Checking Kayla's Heart

[00:07:11] A blessing helps things to shift

[00:12:00] Begging Heavenly Father to Be Done Having Kids

[00:13:35] A positive pregnancy test! I cried all day.

[00:17:49] I finally felt that I was done having kids!

[00:18:17] Reflections - twists and turns and guidance along the way

[00:18:48] Kayla's advice for other moms

Helpful Links

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes –

Kayla knew from when she was a teenager she would have a boy and his name would be Jacob.

It took her quite a bit longer than she expected to have him!

He ended up being baby number 5!

In this part of the interview you will hear about her first 6 births.

Ranging from 3 medicated hospital births, to a birth at home where the midwife didn’t make it in time.

Topics Covered

[00:00:43] Spiritual Impressions About Children Starting as a Teenager

[00:01:17] First Baby - Kayla was planning an epidural

[00:03:22] 2nd Pregnancy - a boy - Is this Jacob?

[00:05:29] Baby 3 - Try to go natural again - But Coughing Attacks Interfere

[00:06:30] Always right about intuition about gender - 4th baby never "revealed" herself on ultrasound, but Kayla knew she was a girl.

[00:08:23] Husband Plays a Role in Helping Kayla with Natural Birth for her 4th [00:09:50] Kayla decided she needed a break after baby #4, but Baby 5 came quickly

[00:10:22] Jacob's Spiritual Birth

[00:14:30] Baby 6 - a wild ride - SPD

[00:15:30] Wanted to be done having kids - but knew there was still a girl

[00:17:04] 6th birth starts

[00:19:22] Where's the Midwife??

[00:21:47] Reflections - twists and turns and guidance along the way

Helpful Links

McKenna shared her experience last week of losing her 11 month old baby girl.

Today we will hear her tips for surviving and healing through grief

as well as tips for those of us loving and supporting someone through grief.

Topics Covered

Feeling Supported Right After Loss

[00:05:30] Be OK that They are Not OK

[00:07:03] Transmute the sadness into a greater love

[00:10:12] Reach up instead of horizontally

Helpful Links

Find McKenna Here

Instagram @mothersofedennft

Twitter Mothersofeden

www.mothersofeden.com

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes -

McKenna shares 2 beautiful birth stories.

Claire was an unassisted birth which was lovely.  

Sadly she died in an accident at 11 months old. 

McKenna discovered she was pregnant a month after Claire died and after a pregnancy filled with grief, 

she had a healing birth of Eden, 

exactly a year after Claire's death.

Listen to this beautiful and tender story, have kleenexes ready. 

Segments

[00:01:27] Introducing McKenna

[00:02:42] Finding the Podcast

[00:03:33] Shifting from traditional care to midwifery

[00:06:25] Traveling in a RV while pregnant with her 3rd baby

[00:08:04] Impressed to birth Unassisted

[00:10:50] Questioning my Impression

[00:11:09] A Midwifes Comment Was Just What I Needed

[00:12:34] Claire's Unassisted Birth

[00:14:37] The Loss of Claire at 11 months, Grief and Healing

[00:15:37] Birth Experience was a preparation for understanding intuition and trusting myself.

[00:17:00] Found out she was Pregnant one month later

[00:17:56] A Questioning and Refining Time

[00:20:47] Eden's Birth

[00:23:47] Eden adjusting to life in her body

[00:25:00] So important to hear this story

Helpful Links

Find McKenna Here

Instagram @mothersofedennft

Twitter Mothersofeden

www.mothersofeden.com

This weeks episode transcripts and/or show notes - 

I was so happy to hear Orchid say, there is hope for my sneeze pee problems! 

Orchid is a prenatal and postpartum yoga instructor and has created an online class for moms with fix any ab separation and fix any pelvic floor dysfunction.

This is part 2 of my interview with her.

She shares 3 don'ts for postpartum exercising.

And she shares her inspiration for creating Reconnection Ab Lab.

Topics Covered

[00:02:02] postnatal recovery tips

[00:02:09] no sit ups!

[00:03:36] no frontal planks

[00:04:29] do not do double leg lifts

[00:05:00] true confessions - I still have sneeze pee, 16 years after my last birth, can it help me???

[00:08:14] What inspired you to create Ab Lab?

[00:09:52] Orchid couldn't walk after her

[00:11:01] fixing abs can fix a lot of problems

[00:12:52] doctors don't have the answers

[00:16:29] where to find Orchid

[00:17:32] conclusion

Helpful Links

Find Orchid Here

Orchid, a prenatal and postnatal yoga instructor shares 5 steps for good mental health after the baby is born.

1. Have I taken a shower?
2. Have I eaten?
3. Am I sleeping?
4. Am I exercising?
5. Have I called a friend?

She also shares other tips for new moms to help them adjust.

This is after sharing her own journey of taking a year to get pregnant with her 2nd child.

Join us for this entertaining episode (Orchid is a comedian and keeps us laughing throughout!)

Topics Covered

Helpful Links

Find Orchid Here

I loved interviewing Melissa and hearing her experiences and wisdom.  

As a mom of 8 and birth worker, she had amazing things to share.

I especially loved her experiences with angels at her VBA3C.

Topics and Time Stamps

[00:00:12] Book Review

[00:00:58] Meet Melissa - Mom of 8 and a Birth Worker

[00:01:51] One of Our First Readers!

[00:02:42] Reading The Gift of Giving Life Increased Her Spirituality

[00:04:07] Turning To God, Pleading for Chance to Have a VBA3C

[00:07:18] Angels at the Birth Tub

[00:10:45] I Have to Do This Myself!

[00:12:10] Advice to Other Moms - Trust Your Instincts!

[00:14:45] VBAC Support and Information

[00:19:02] How to Find Melissa

Helpful Links from todays podcast

Meleah found herself unexpectedly pregnant with her 5th baby and it was a struggle to accept. Especially because it seemed like the Lord went silent.

This is the 2nd half of my interview with Meleah, where she shares how she started seeing the Lord in her life again.

How life is even sweeter with Miles in it.

She shares how a part of the Gift of Giving Life, that she thought SHOULDN’T be in the book, she now appreciates that it is there. This experience has brought her greater understanding.

She also shares how she sees God’s hand as she has started being a doula again.

She shares about her new book about baby wrapping and wearing

and so much more!

It was such a pleasure to do this interview with Meleah about her unexpected pregnancy of her 5th baby.

She was so honest and vulnerable as she shared her and her husbands experience and emotions as they faced this situation, during the already tulmultuous time of being in lockdown during Covid.

This is part 1, where she shares her struggles and how it felt like The Lord was silent throughout the pregnancy.

Our next episode will be part 2 and she shares how everything turned out.

HELPFUL LINKS

It was so great to be able to talk to Meggan in this interview.

Meggan is a mom of 8 children.

She had an amazing experience with her 4th baby, where she was prepared by God to have an unassisted birth. Also her friend who was there at the birth, had a dream before hand, where she was tutored to know exactly what to do.

Take a few minutes to listen to this amazing interview.

HELPFUL LINKS

After Valerie had her 3rd baby, her doctor advised her to not have any more.

The Spirit reassured her it was ok to and also led her on a journey of healing.

She turned to natural healing methods and after years of healing, she got a second opinion of having more babies and got the OK

She went on to have 5 more babies!

I loved interviewing Valerie.

She was one of my Hypnobabies Student – 2 times, for baby number 7 and 8!

I also was her doula for those 2 births.

She had Toxemia (high blood pressure) during her 3rd birth and was told to have no more children.

However, that didn’t feel right to her and she had a spiritual experience to reassure her she would be safe having more children.

This led her on a path to alternative medicine. This allowed her to become strong enough to have more children. She got a second opinion and changed careproviders and went on to have 5 more children!

I was amazed at the story she shared about her friend who broke multiple bones and after a surgery was struggling with pain. Valerie felt inspired to lend her friend her Hypnobabies CDs and they made a huge difference.

Valerie also shares how Hypnobabies has helped her after having babies.

Of course, she shares her birth experiences and it will be especially interesting to moms who have had posterior babies, as all 8 of her babies presented that way.

HELPFUL LINKS

I have been thinking about the Atonement of Jesus Christ lately.

We talk a lot about it in church and we all sort of theoretically get that he descended below all and some way, which neither chemistry or physics can explain, took upon Himself all of our sins, suffering and pain.

I’ve used the Atonement many times in my life, for repentance, but mostly for the healing from sorrows and pain.

And it amazingly works.

But each time something new and painful or sorrowful comes up in my life I have to stop and think, is this something God understands and cares about?

And then, each time, I wonder: How do I do this? How do I access the Atonement?

I am writing this to remind myself and anyone reading that yes, this is something God cares about and he does get it.

Find the show notes at thegiftofgivinglife.com

And sign up for our newsletter to get access to our online class!