Birth Education Center Podcast

Care M Messer
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Kids & Family
  • Updated Weekly

My name is Care Messer, I'm an entrepreneur, childbirth educator birth and postpartum doula and the mom of two girls. Birth stories begin before your baby is even conceived and we're here to talk about it. Join Ashley & I as we create discussions around connection, finding and using your voice and of course, birth stories! We will release an episode each week so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a second!

  1. 3d ago

    106: Erica's Birth Story - the Power of the Right Team

    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 guarded hope during pregnancy. Erica then went on to find OB aligned with low-intervention preferences which is a step many new parents don't think about until much later in their pregnancy. Their birth story shows how an educated partner, knowing what you want is the best part of your birth team. Erica's doula, Heather, balanced out the information when the staff made suggestions and both parents were able to be informed and consent to what worked for them. A strong team is what we all need for support in one of the most vulnerable experiences of our lives. Erica also talks about the importance of preparation with a pelvic floor therapist, her chiropractor and planning for meals postpartum. One of the fascinating parts of their birth story is the fact that a nurse who had worked at the hospital for 15 years said this was the first natural birth she had seen!   It was so fun hearing from both of them today and I hope you can pick up all the tips! @doulaheathertaylor Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    1h 27m

  2. Jun 11

    105: Legacy Mentor Series: Passing the Torch with Gerri Ryan

    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 doula trainings four times a year.  Gerri shares her core "soapbox" message: if you don't have information, you don't have a choice. We discuss how being heard, respected, and centered during birth impacts parenting, postpartum wellbeing, and even trauma, and why families need information to make true informed choices.  We also cover mentorship, avoiding competition in the birth community, preventing burnout by not working harder than clients, and living with curiosity and humility. For all of the families that know Gerri and for the doulas that have been trained by her, this episode will remind you of how hard Gerri loves all of us. https://www.sandiegocountymidwives.com/     @sandiegocountymidwives Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    40 min

  3. Jun 4

    104: Nikki's Birth Story

    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 advocacy around birth were some big value decisions she brought with her. She also hired an awesome doula who helped her navigate the ups and downs of labor and postpartum. Going with the flow of what her birth presented included an induction which was not in her ideal birth plan. She handled the unexpected beautifully and you'll hear how she navigated what she could not control. Learning to surrender is a lesson every parent learns but sometimes we have to do it the hard way - like most of us. Her recap of breastfeeding and postpartum also have a lot of advice and good tidbits to file away for your own journey. Nikki is also an artist and features her little Corgi, Beignet, in some really adorable ways as well as floral watercolors, classes and so much more. I wanted to link her website and IG because they always make me smile- https://www.lavenderandsea.com/ @lavenderandsea  @lovinggracedoula Episode 70: Nikki's Fertility Journey https://www.birtheducationcenter.com/podcast/processing-fears-nikkis-fertility-journey/ https://www.birtheducationcenter.com/Induction-101-Course/ Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    1h 9m

  4. May 28

    From a Dad's Perspective, Our Birth Story

    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 banter in our Hypnobirthing class and that humor carried over to their birth. His wife was cracking jokes and keeping things light with the nurses and midwife even through the challenging parts of labor. He also valued what his doula brought in terms of advocacy and focus. Trevor shares that there were many ways to the finish line and he and his wife took some more natural techniques along the way, much to the eye rolling of the staff. But they were good sports about it and supported the wishes. After hearing about their labor, and the extended pushing time, you will understand why sometimes we find out the answer to that timeline once the baby shoots out!  Trevor highlights breath as his wife's "superpower" and expresses what a badass his amazing wife is and how grateful he was to be so intimately involved in the birth process from class to postpartum. @lovinggracedoula 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀! #Hypnobirthing #birth #birthstory #pregnancy #hospitalbirth

    55 min

  5. May 21

    Brittany's Home birth Story: You're Not Meant to Do Motherhood Alone

    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 trust that everything would work out as it should. Brittany shares her transition into motherhood and emphasizes that new moms aren't meant to feel lonely or unsupported after having a baby. There is an extreme need for being surrounded by help, support, and especially other women who have been through it or are going through it alongside you, describing that kind of community as uniquely powerful during this intense life change.  Brittany created a great postpartum series on Instagram and is focusing this new season on a postpartum meal delivery service for local parents while she spends time with her new baby. So many great highlights in this show! @doulaaab  @ninemoonbeams_midwifery   @seedandspinechiro Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    1h 1m

  6. May 14

    Legacy Mentor Series: Healing Our Own Birth Story with Jo Kilburn

    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 space by adapting to each family's home, boundaries, and energy. She taught me the trick to removing disruptive people in a birth room in a calm and intuitive way so that the mother could stay in her process. Jo also helped me with the art of referring clients to other doulas when I could see that I would not be the best fit.  Jo highlights her mentors like Ina May Gaskin, Suzanne Arms, and Anna Verwaal. Anna's message that birth workers often need to heal their own birth stories led into Jo's exploration of her own birth history and her advice to live joyfully and unapologetically. I am excited for you to get to know how Jo helped expand my heart and my ability to connect with birth in a vital way. Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    36 min

  7. May 7

    Gentle Transitions: Planning Ahead Calms The Storm

    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 are all feeling unprepared and need to be held accountable for getting our shit together - well it starts soon! I share today how my work has expanded from birth into death doula work and aging preparation. Birth and death are the same in so many ways: sacred, vulnerable, and deeply human—and we deserve to talk about them openly. I'm inviting you into the conversations most of us don't want to have: grief, loss, incapacity, and aging. Grief and avoiding the topic doesn't spare us—it just leaves us unprepared. I explain why planning ahead (even just a few key conversations and documents) can make everything 10x easier for the people we love. I also walk you through what I've partially put in place for my own family — POD accounts, trusts, HIPAA/POA/medical directives, passwords—and I share my own end-of-life wishes and the kind of joyful send-off I want. My hope is that we normalize preparation, stop procrastinating, and honor these transitions with more peace, clarity, and love.  Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    33 min

  8. Mar 26

    Andrea's Natural Birth Story: When Baby Has Their Own Plan

    I love when 2nd timer parents return to share yet another birth story! Andrea and Juan are back to share their little girls debut into the world and you get to hear the actual 911 call of her arrival! Andrea talks about staying grounded through pregnancy with simple routines like rereading, writing affirmations on the mirror ("your body knows what to do," "your baby knows how to be born"), and focusing on the outcome they wanted while setting fears aside. Andrea also shares how she'd talk to the baby for signs and felt reassured when the baby would move whenever fear came up. Juan believed that the first birth prepped him for whatever this birth had to offer - and he got to put that to the test. The episode reaffirms that your body knows what to do and so does your baby. We still birth with less fear when we go into it educated and well practiced as Andrea and Juan show us in this show. Thank you for coming on again! @lacimattson  @drjaywarren Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode? BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com   Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204   Join us on Socials: Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter FB: @BirthEducationCenter LinkedIn: @CareMesser   Online Courses: OMG I'm Pregnant Induction 101 Mental Health  Newborn Procedures Epidurals Explained Meditations/Journal   For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization

    48 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

My name is Care Messer, I'm an entrepreneur, childbirth educator birth and postpartum doula and the mom of two girls. Birth stories begin before your baby is even conceived and we're here to talk about it. Join Ashley & I as we create discussions around connection, finding and using your voice and of course, birth stories! We will release an episode each week so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a second!

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