109: Brenda and Brenden’s Preterm Baby: Lessons on Early Preparation
Release Date: 07/09/2026
109: Brenda and Brenden’s Preterm Baby: Lessons on Early Preparation
Birth Education Center
In today’s show, Brenda and Brenden are here to tell their preterm natural birth story! Hypnobirthing is how we found each other but these two decided to have a baby before they got into class. These parents had so many layers to becoming parents and also had an intentional journey preparing both their bodies and souls for their son to join them. Lot of juicy bits to their story. As educators, we do a pre-series call with parents as soon as they sign up. Sometimes those calls are REALLY early in the pregnancy which are my favorite ones! It allows me to help families find personalized support...
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108: Owning Your Birth Choices: Joleen’s “Keeping Her Peace” Birth Story
Birth Education Center
I am so excited to have Joleen in today’s episode to share her birth story! Joleen took Hypnobirthing practice seriously and did the mental preparation for anything that could happen with her birth. Many times parents feel like the physical prep is the most important - it is NOT! Well rounded education and birth preparation begins with the mind. If your mind is not ready for the twists and turns of birth, your body won’t be either. I was so impressed by her level of advocacy and owning her choices around her birth. She and her partner both! When we think of Hollywood births - we think of...
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107: Sandra’s Irish Twins Birth Stories
Birth Education Center
In today’s episode I welcome Sandra! She and her husband shared a fertility journey with a lot of unique parts to it. I had never heard of two vasectomy reversals until now! But once they were on the road to parenthood, they quickly had Irish twins just 364 days apart! Living in rural Julian, Sandra’s biggest fear was being far from services and having a baby at home. I met Sandra via a phone call really early in her first pregnancy. As we talked we both came to the conclusion that her current OB was not going to support the kind of birth she imagined for her family. She found a...
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106: Erica’s Birth Story - the Power of the Right Team
Birth Education Center
Today we hear a Hypnobirthing couple’s natural birth story. Erica and Brian birthed at a local hospital and went into their experience with a clear picture of who they were as a couple, and what values they wanted present in their daughter’s birth story. But before we dive into that, we get to hear about their fertility journey and how Erica’s intuition played a key role in knowing what was right for her. Something we don’t talk about a lot is how loss during your fertility journey, plays into the feelings you have once you’re pregnant. Erica describes her anxiety and...
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105: Legacy Mentor Series: Passing the Torch with Gerri Ryan
Birth Education Center
Today in my Legacy Mentor Series, I get to welcome midwife Gerri Ryan. I met Gerri in the fall of 2008 when I took my first Doula training. That weekend switched my new life into high gear and thankfully, Gerri became a lifelong mentor and friend. I had no idea what was about to unfold. Gerri has been in birthwork since her own births pointed her towards it. She was a doula before being a doula was a thing! Gerri has shaped San Diego’s birth community by being a doula, midwife, forming and running a non profit and then a midwifery school. She is a current doula trainer with DONA and runs...
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104: Nikki's Birth Story
Birth Education Center
Today I welcome back Nikki (from episode 70) to share what shifted after her fertility journey - like getting pregnant and having a baby! There is so much in this episode! While Nikki is sharing her birth story, she also shares the reality of what she faced postpartum. Nikki and her husband came into Hypnobirthing after she had switched doctors and started fresh with a new provider. Nikki describes fears shaped by the negative birth and postpartum stories that we all cannot seem to escape. She and I had explored the birth with her own mom before classes began and getting more education and...
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103: From a Dad’s Perspective, Our Birth Story
Birth Education Center
In today’s show, I got to talk with Trevor, getting his take on his son’s birth story. As a dad watching from the sidelines, he opens up about all his feels and observations through their experience. He also praises his doula Kim who had just come off of one birth and then went straight into theirs. Before we get into the birth story, Trevor opens up about his fears and worries leading up to the birth and postpartum time. He also shares some stellar advice one of his friends gave him off the cuff, that changed how he interacts with his new family. Trevor and I really enjoyed a lot of...
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102: Brittany’s Home birth Story: You’re Not Meant to Do Motherhood Alone
Birth Education Center
In today’s show, Brittany, a postpartum doula is here to share her home birth story. Brittany came into classes with a lot of “after birth experience and knowledge” due to supporting so many women over the years. But she and her husband were newbies in the birth space. She hired a midwife and a doula and planned for all things homebirth. Brittany developed a deep sense of trust in her baby and her body during pregnancy. Then a little hiccup arose and the trust was put to the test. I was impressed in her ability to pivot and stay present with what was happening so she could maintain the...
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101: Legacy Mentor Series: Healing Our Own Birth Story with Jo Kilburn
Birth Education Center
In this Mentor Legacy series episode, I am introducing you to Hypnobirthing educator and doula Jo Kilburn. Jo welcomed me in as a new educator. We later became President and Vice President of the San Diego Birth Network and loved serving our community together. Jo was one of my early education mentors, modeling non-competitive, hands-on, engaging education. She then went on to show me what “normal” birth looked like - not what has become “normalized” in the birth room of today. Jo shares her 1970s beginnings attending communal home births and explains how birth workers can hold sacred...
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100: Gentle Transitions: Planning Ahead Calms The Storm
Birth Education Center
Today marks our 100th episode (and yes—technology tried to take us out), Ashley couldn’t record with me, so I am reading her written intro for the episode.This show’s topic is one that we need to begin speaking about and normalizing in our everyday vernacular. While you may want to shy away from this episode, I invite you to lean in and if it’s uncomfortable, be curious as to why and see if you are ready to do something about it. In a few weeks my SKOOL classroom will open and “Work on it Wednesdays” begin. More to come in a few weeks but this will lead into our conversation. We...
info_outlineIn today’s show, Brenda and Brenden are here to tell their preterm natural birth story! Hypnobirthing is how we found each other but these two decided to have a baby before they got into class.
These parents had so many layers to becoming parents and also had an intentional journey preparing both their bodies and souls for their son to join them. Lot of juicy bits to their story.
As educators, we do a pre-series call with parents as soon as they sign up. Sometimes those calls are REALLY early in the pregnancy which are my favorite ones! It allows me to help families find personalized support people to help them have a better pregnancy and also way more time to understand and deal with the fears that accompany birth and postpartum.
Luckily, we had started our birth conversations ahead of when their little guy decided to arrive- at 32 weeks! They had a doula in place, the best provider and we had been in touch over books, podcasts and the meditations to work on mindset. This was a fun story to hear and record - I hope you pick up all the lessons and tips.
Books and Websites mentioned:
birthpsycholgy.com To start exploring what babies recall about their gestation and birth
Labor Like A Goddess One of the best birth prep books and one I ask all of my parents to read, to explore the mindset and spiritual aspects of birth and postpartum
Our Babies, Ourselves Learn more about epigenetics and the new biology of birth
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