Between Contractions

Amsy Dees + Stephanie Dawson
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Parenting

Between Contractions is a real, honest space where we talk about the hard stuff—between the hard stuff. Hosted by Amsy Dees, a certified birth and postpartum doula and Stephanie Dawson, a board-certified lactation consultant, this podcast brings together expert insight and real-life experience. Each episode is filled with practical tips, thoughtful conversations, and authentic stories designed to empower families as they navigate pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey.

  1. 3d ago

    #44 - Bad Advice We’re Ghosting This Halloween Season

    It’s spooky season, and nothing is scarier than bad advice that spreads like wildfire through Facebook groups, family group chats, and well-meaning Instagram comments. Amsy and Stephanie are back together to call out the most common pieces of advice in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum world that need to be officially ghosted — and why. Bad advice on the chopping block: “Just wing it with birth prep” — Going into one of the most important days of your life without preparation, self-reflection, or conversations with your partner is not a flex. It’s a recipe for feeling blindsided. You don’t need a rigid plan — you need a prepared heart, mind, and body that can handle whatever comes.“You’re using your baby as a pacifier” — No. The nipple is the original pacifier. Pacifiers exist to replicate what we already are naturally. Secure attachment is the goal, not a problem to solve.“Sleep when the baby sleeps” — Not bad in theory. Largely impossible in practice. By the time you lay the baby down, transfer them without waking them, and close your eyes — they’re up again. If you can sleep, sleep. But don’t take it as a personal failure when you can’t.“If you’re breastfeeding you won’t get pregnant” — Lactational amenorrhea as birth control is relatively effective only when used perfectly: nursing around the clock, no stretches longer than 4–6 hours, no pumping substitutions. One longer sleep stretch and you’re no longer using it correctly. If getting pregnant again soon would be a serious problem — use a backup method. Especially important if you’re hoping for a VBAC, since the recommendation is 18 months between pregnancies.“Drink the pink drink or eat more oatmeal and your supply will come back” — Sometimes low supply has underlying hormonal or anatomical causes that oatmeal and a Starbucks order simply cannot fix. Eat the Chick-fil-A oatmeal cookie if you want one — but also go see a lactation consultant.“Don’t introduce a bottle until breastfeeding is well established” — Nuanced, not a hard rule. Waiting too long is one of the leading causes of bottle refusal, and heading back to work with a baby who won’t take a bottle is a crisis nobody needs.“You should feel full before a letdown” — Not always. And latch frequency is still part of the deal regardless.People pleasing — Not technically advice, but something we’re ghosting this season anyway. We did a whole episode on it. Go back and listen.Not asking for help / saying you’re fine when you’re not — Asking for help is chic. If your friend is posting “this coffee is the only thing keeping me going ha ha” — that is not a ha ha. Go check on that friend. Show up. Don’t wait to be asked.“Your body should bounce back after birth” — Your bones have permanently shifted. Your organs have moved. Your hips are wider because a baby had to fit through them. You may always have some softness in your abdomen and that is a sign of a life well-lived. Give yourself at least as long to recover as it took to grow the baby. Follow Our Socials  Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠   DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #44 - Bad Advice We’re Ghosting This Halloween Season

  2. Oct 22

    #43 - Abby's Story: Unexpected Pregnancy, HG, and Building a Village from Scratch

    Abby would like to dedicate this episode to her dad, Tim Murray, who suddenly passed away just 5 days after this episode was recorded. He was an incredible father and a wonderful part of her support system during her pregnancy and postpartum journey. He showed up just an hour after she gave birth to meet her son, his firstborn grandchild, and expressed similar excitement to listen to this episode. He is deeply loved and missed.  In this episode, Amsy sits down with Abby Murray Smith — content creator, stay-at-home mom, law enforcement wife, and former social worker to talk about an unexpected pregnancy at 21, borderline HG, a birth she survived without a doula, and the postpartum isolation spiral that taught her everything she now knows about community and showing up for herself. Abby was three months into dating her now-husband when she found out she was pregnant. She let the test sit on the counter for three days. When she finally looked — he reacted like they’d been trying for years. But the pregnancy itself was brutal. Growing up in a conservative Christian environment meant getting pregnant out of wedlock came with a wave of shame she carried the entire time — alongside vomiting five to six times a day until 25 weeks. She genuinely hated being pregnant and believes a lot of what she experienced was tied directly to the emotional weight she was carrying. Postpartum hit differently. Husband on law enforcement hours, no established mom community, and the kind of loneliness that sneaks up before you realize what’s happening. She talked herself out of playdates, Bible studies, and mom groups for months — until she finally pushed through and realized her baby was actually better tempered out of the house. She came home feeling like herself again. The moment that changed everything: a woman she’d never met left a care package on her doorstep — homemade dinner, coloring pages, snacks — no fanfare, no asking. Just showing up. Abby cried. And then she changed how she shows up for other people. What Abby wants new moms to know: Leave your house. Even if it’s hard. Especially when it’s hardTell a friend: don’t let me isolate — come get me if you don’t hear from meSay yes to the group, the park, the playdate — even 20 minutes late, even if the baby’s fussyCommunity doesn’t spawn out of nowhere. You have to build it. And it’s worth it Check Out The Christian Hypno Birthing Class HERE!  Find Abby  Instagram: @absmurray    Follow Our Socials  Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠   DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #43 - Abby's Story: Unexpected Pregnancy, HG, and Building a Village from Scratch

  3. Oct 15

    #42 - Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

    This episode is a little different. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day — Amsy takes a quiet moment to honor the babies who were lost too soon, and the families who carry them.  1 in 4 people will experience pregnancy or infant loss in their lifetime. That includes early miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, ectopic pregnancy, and loss within the first year of life. It is extraordinarily common. And it is still extraordinarily hard to talk about.  This episode is for anyone who has experienced loss — whether you've shared it publicly or held it privately. Whether you are in the thick of it right now or years into your healing. It is not your fault. It was never your fault. And you don't have to carry that shame or guilt alone.  Resources mentioned:  Postpartum International — information and support for families experiencing loss  The TEARS Foundation — financial assistance for funeral costs  The Finley Project — free counseling and practical support including home cleaning for grieving families  Winter Haven Hospital — pregnancy and infant loss support group. Click HERE to check calendar for group meetings. AdventHealth for Women HEAL Program — local support for grieving families  The Bethany Center — free counseling for siblings and children processing loss  The Wave of Light: Every October 15th at 7pm local time, people around the world light a candle and keep it burning for one hour — creating a continuous wave of light across all time zones in honor of babies lost.  It's okay to grieve however you need to grieve. It's okay to share. It's okay not to. We see you. We love you. We grieve with you.  Follow Our Socials  Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠    DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #42 - Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

  4. Oct 8

    #41 - Maternal Mental Health: Seeing Moms Before The Crisis

    Amsy is joined by her good friend Nicoletta Whiteman or “Nico” — licensed professional counselor, complex trauma specialist, and maternal mental health advocate — for one of the most important conversations this show has had.  The timing is intentional. The Lindsay Clancy trial is in the news. People are talking about postpartum mental health in ways they rarely do — and Nico and Amsy want to keep that conversation going, not just when a tragedy forces it.  What got Nico into maternal mental health: She'll be the first to admit — before she had kids, moms weren't really on her radar. Then three weeks after her first baby, she walked into a Target holding her newborn and had this thought: why is not everyone congratulating me right now?Something clicked. She started noticing every mom in public. The DMs started coming. And she knew she had to take training in this area, because the need is enormous and largely unmet.  The case for therapy before you need it: Nico is Type A and proudly preventative. Her argument is simple: crisis is not the time to be Googling therapists, calling your insurance company, and filling out intake forms. You want someone who already knows you — your baseline, your marriage dynamic, your history — so that when things shift, they can see it. And things shifting in the postpartum period can be subtle, which is exactly why having an established relationship matters so much.  What postpartum mental health disorders actually look like: This conversation gets specific in ways that a lot of mental health content doesn't. They discuss:  The difference between baby blues (normal, resolves within two weeks) and postpartum depression and anxiety (clinical, requires support)  Postpartum OCD — one of the most misunderstood and underdiagnosed conditions, characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts that are deeply distressing to the person having them and almost never acted on. Having the thought is not the same as wanting it  Postpartum rage — often shows up before depression does, and is frequently missed because it doesn't look like what people expect sadness to look like  Postpartum psychosis — rare but serious, a medical emergency that requires immediate intervention  The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale — a validated screening tool that should be used, and used correctly, not just handed to a mom in the waiting room without follow-up  On the Lindsay Clancy case: Nico and Amsy handle this with the care it deserves. The point isn't to relitigate the trial — it's to name what it represents: a catastrophic failure of a system that didn't see a mom who was screaming for help. Multiple providers. Multiple visits. Nobody connected the dots. The conversation ends with a clear message: we have to have eyes on moms. Not just at six weeks. Not just when something goes wrong.  What to actually do:  Book a therapy appointment before the baby comes — even one session to establish a relationship  Know ahead of time who to call for medication support if needed  Identify your point person — the friend or family member who will ask how you are and actually wait for the real answer    Find Nicoletta Whiteman  Instagram:  @all.things.nico  More information about counseling e-mail nicolettawhiteman@gmail.com      Follow Our Socials  Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠   DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #41 - Maternal Mental Health: Seeing Moms Before The Crisis

  5. Oct 1

    #40 - What Actually Happens at a Lactation Consult

    Amsy and Stephanie have been saying it for 40 episodes: go see a lactation consultant. But what actually happens when you get there? In this episode they pull back the curtain — step by step, start to finish — so you know exactly what to expect and there's nothing left to be nervous about.  Who is a lactation consult actually for? Everyone who is feeding a baby. Not just people trying to exclusively breastfeed. Combination feeders, exclusive pumpers, formula feeders whose baby is struggling — all of them can benefit. If your baby is fussy, not gaining well, uncomfortable at the bottle, or you're experiencing pain, a lactation consult is for you. Even if you've breastfed five babies before. Even if you think things are going fine.  What happens, in order:  Weight check first — baby gets down to a clean diaper and gets weighed so Stephanie has a baseline and can track how feeding is going throughout the visit  Intake and goals — she goes over the intake form, asks clarifying questions, and most importantly asks what the family's goal is. Not everyone's goal is exclusive breastfeeding, and she's not going to assume  Partner involvement — partners are included in the conversation. A supportive partner is one of the biggest predictors of breastfeeding success, and she wants them to understand what's happening and how to help  Pediatrician coordination — if the pediatrician has given specific feeding guidance, she works with it rather than against it. Collaboration matters, and she's clear about what's within her scope of practice  Hands-off observation — before jumping in to help, she watches the parent feed the baby naturally. Not a test. Just information  Assessment — oral anatomy, latch mechanics, transfer, positioning, and any flags for tongue tie, body tension, or oral motor dysfunction. Two care plans come out of every visit: one for mom, one for baby  Follow up — exercises, referrals, weight rechecks, and a plan for what comes next  On insurance — another frustrating reality: Insurance companies classify lactation consults as "dyad care" — meaning two patients in one appointment — and often only reimburse for one. Which means Stephanie is assessing two people, writing two care plans, and coordinating care across multiple providers — and getting paid for one. Write a letter. Call your insurance company. This needs to change.  A practical tip: Book a prenatal lactation assessment before the baby comes so you already know where the office is, you've done the intake form, and you're not navigating new logistics while sleep deprived and holding a newborn. Stephanie also prioritizes postpartum scheduling for families she's already met prenatally. Also: there's a snack cart in the lobby, great parking, and excellent coffee nearby. It's genuinely a great first postpartum outing.  Book a lactation visit with Stephanie HERE!  Download Stephanie’s Free Survival Guide while you’re waiting for an appointment HERE!    Follow Our Socials  Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠   DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #40 - What Actually Happens at a Lactation Consult

  6. Sep 24

    #39 -Returning to Work: What Nobody Tells You Until It's Too Late

    Nobody really wants to go back to work after having a baby. But for most families, it's not optional. In this episode, Amsy and Stephanie tackle one of the most stressful transitions in new parenthood — with practical advice on childcare, feeding on the job, bottle introduction, pump breaks, and a few things that didn't make it onto anyone else's list.  Start with childcare — before the baby comes:  Waitlists in Lakeland are running 12 to 15 months. If you haven't gotten on one yet, do it now — while you're still pregnant. The daycare math is brutal: infant rooms have the strictest ratios, which means they're the most expensive and the hardest to get into. A lot of families do the math and realize they're working just to pay the daycare bill. There are no easy answers here, but knowing this early gives you more options.  Protecting your supply when you return:  Know your rights under the PUMP Act — any employer with 50 or more employees is required to provide reasonable break time and a private space (not a bathroom) to pump. Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees must apply for an exemption and prove extreme hardship to get out of it, which is a high bar.  Some states — California, New York, Illinois — have even stronger protections. Florida is not one of them, but the federal law is the floor, not the ceiling.  Remote workers have the same protections as in-office employees.  Transportation workers, certain airline crew, pilots, and specific railroad employees are partially or fully excluded — an unfortunate gap in the law.  Schedule a back-to-work lactation appointment:  This one deserves its own bullet. Before you go back, meet with an IBCLC to map out your pumping schedule, talk through your specific job situation, and make sure your supply is protected during the transition. Don't wait until things start to go sideways.  On bottle introduction:  Start earlier than you think — around 3 to 4 weeks is often a good window. Waiting too long is one of the most common reasons babies develop bottle refusal, which becomes a much harder problem to solve than just introducing it early. If you're already dealing with bottle refusal, Rachel O'Brien is a specialist who works virtually and is considered one of the best in this specific area.  Daycare and bottle logistics:  Check your daycare's bottle policy before you fall in love with a particular brand. Many daycares won't accept glass bottles — but a stainless steel alternative with the right collar and nipple combination can often be a workable solution. Work this out before your first day back, not during it.  On accidentally leaving a baby in a car:  This section of the episode is important. It happens to loving, well-meaning, sleep-deprived parents who are simply on autopilot. It is not a sign of bad parenting — it's a sign of a routine disruption during a period of extreme sleep deprivation. Build a system: a daycare app that sends drop-off notifications, putting your shoe or bag in the backseat, anything that forces a pause. Build the habit now, before you're running on four hours of sleep and a cold cup of coffee.  Check out the blog from Rachel O’Brien, an IBCLC that Stephanie recommends for trainings: https://www.rachelobrienibclc.com/blog/    Follow Our Socials Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠    DISCLAMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #39 -Returning to Work: What Nobody Tells You Until It's Too Late

  7. Sep 17

    #38 - Destiny's Story: A Birth Center Birth, a Hurricane, and Learning to Ask for Support 

    In this episode, Amsy and Stephanie sit down with their friend and fellow doula Destiny Perez for a conversation that covers nearly a decade of perspective — from a surprise pregnancy she wasn't ready for, to a birth center birth during a hurricane, to the postpartum season that changed the entire trajectory of her life.  Destiny is a birth doula, childbirth educator, and Lakeland local who knew from age 17 — after hearing a friend talk about midwifery care — that she wanted an out-of-hospital birth. When the time came with her daughter, now almost nine, she made it happen. Getting her husband on board was a slower process. The tour of the birth center helped. Watching The Business of Being Born sealed it.  The pregnancy: Destiny is refreshingly honest: she didn't enjoy being pregnant. She was sick for most of it, had back pain early on, and called her midwives constantly with questions she now laughs about. She also ate an alarming number of raw s'mores — graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, no heat source required. Penny still loves marshmallows and chocolate. The data checks out.  The birth: Destiny went into labor during a hurricane — which, as she points out, is not something most first-time moms think to plan for. The timing question alone was stressful: leave too early and you're sitting in a birth center while the storm builds; leave too late and you're driving through it. She reflects on how differently things might have gone in a hospital setting, where a 4am water break would likely have meant pitocin and a delivery by afternoon — versus the step-by-step, patient process she experienced with her midwifery team.  Labor itself was long, intense, and transformative. Destiny leaned into the support of her team, and came out the other side with a clarity about birth and about herself that led her directly into doula work.  Postpartum: Beautiful and hard in equal measure. She loved nursing — deeply, genuinely. And five weeks in, sitting on the couch with her husband, they made the decision she hadn't planned on: she wasn't going back to work. She stayed home with her daughter for as long as they could make it work. It was a sacrifice. She doesn't regret it.  What she wishes she'd had: Destiny's advice to first-time parents is simple and specific: invest in your support instead of your stuff. Prenatal lactation appointments. A doula — and she didn't know sliding scale was an option, so she never even looked into it. Therapy. Pelvic floor PT. All the things she now helps other families access, she didn't know to ask for herself. The nursery got used less than the couch. The crib collected dust. The support would have mattered.  Check out the Business Of Being Born Documentary HERE! Listen to our hurricane prep episode!  Spotify  Apple  Find Destiny Perez  Instagram: @destinyperezdoula  Follow Our Socials  Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast  Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast  Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠   DISCLAMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #38 - Destiny's Story: A Birth Center Birth, a Hurricane, and Learning to Ask for Support 

  8. Sep 10

    #37 - What to Actually Pack in Your Hospital Bag

    Every doula gets asked the same question by every client: what do I actually need in my hospital bag? The online lists exist, but they leave everyone wondering what's missing, what's overkill, and what they'll actually use. So Amsy sat down to go through it — category by category — so you can send this episode to your pregnant friend instead of typing it all out again.  Documents & essentials: ID, insurance card, phone, extra long charger, and two printed copies of your birth plan. Pro tip: have your partner memorize the intake questions ahead of time. Nobody wants to answer the same questions four times while contracting. Labor comfort: Battery-operated candles, a TENS unit, spiky balls, an eye mask or sunglasses (bright lights are a hormone disrupter), earplugs, lip balm, hair ties with no metal, massage tools, essential oils, and your own pillows and blankets. Clothes: Skip the hospital gown — bring your own. Pack a robe, slippers, shower shoes, loose pajamas, nursing-friendly tops, and a going-home outfit. Bring more than you think you need. Snacks — their own category, as they should be: You are allowed to eat in labor. Pack granola bars, electrolyte packets, peanut butter pouches, honey sticks, and gum. Even if you don't touch anything during labor, you'll be glad you have snacks at 3am. Postpartum: Your own toiletries, your own nipple balm (skip the lanolin), and any medications including Tums — it takes forever for the hospital to bring them. For your partner: Layers, their own toiletries, charger, snacks, and their own pillow — they are not getting yours. Baby: Car seat installed, going-home outfit, your own baby soap. Less clothing than you think — newborns spend most of their time skin-to-skin or in just a diaper. Leave at home: A suitcase of baby clothes, multiple swaddles, your giant diaper box, and books. (Card game only if it's a long induction.) C-section bonus: High-waisted underwear, loose pants, slip-on shoes, and a pillow for the ride home. Final word: Have your partner pack the bag so they know where everything is. Leave the boppy and pump supplies in the car. And remember — it's not prison. You can have things delivered if you forget something. The most important things you'll bring are your support team and your flexibility. Download Stephanie's Breastfeeding Survival Guide HERE! Download the Labor & Delivery Admission Guide from Jen Hamilton at https://www.jenhamilton.co/resources  Follow Our Socials! ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ Find Amsy Dees  Website: ⁠amsydeesdoula.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@amsydees.doula⁠  Find Stephanie Dawson  Website: ⁠growlakeland.com⁠  Instagram: ⁠@grow.lakeland⁠   DISCLAMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.

    #37 - What to Actually Pack in Your Hospital Bag
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Between Contractions is a real, honest space where we talk about the hard stuff—between the hard stuff. Hosted by Amsy Dees, a certified birth and postpartum doula and Stephanie Dawson, a board-certified lactation consultant, this podcast brings together expert insight and real-life experience. Each episode is filled with practical tips, thoughtful conversations, and authentic stories designed to empower families as they navigate pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Amsy Dees + Stephanie Dawson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Amsy Dees + Stephanie Dawson
  • Show Website
    Between Contractions

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