Labor Lessons Carly Verdi

Sonia is a former educator turned health coach. She developed preeclampsia suddenly at 34 weeks pregnant with her second child. This was during covid quarantine, and she was teaching from home while caring full-time for her toddler daughter. Sonia didn't have much time or energy to care for herself.

She also didn't have many in-person visits with her OB. Most of her appointments were virtual and she was responsible for taking her own blood pressure.

During one of her virtual appointments, Sonia's OB reminded her to take a blood pressure reading. It was high, and she was advised to go to the hospital, where she was told her blood pressure was dangerously high and she would have to stay and deliver her baby.

Extremely upset by this news, Sonia worried about leaving her daughter suddenly, as she thought she had a few more weeks to spend one-on-one with her. She was also upset as this was something that came out of nowhere. She didn't have a history of high blood pressure or preeclampsia.

Sonia attributes the sudden onset of preeclampsia to her lifestyle at that time: she was mostly sedentary, teaching from home. She didn't have the time, energy, or resources to make herself a priority during covid quarantine. 

After this scare, Sonia made some big changes in her life. She currently runs her own business helping other teacher moms make themselves a priority and meet their health goals. Listen in as she describes what it was like to develop preeclampsia unexpectedly, give birth during a pandemic, and take charge of her health in a way she hadn't before.

Weight Loss for Teacher Moms Podcast

Preeclampsia Foundation
Institute for Integrative Nutrition



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Natalie is a second-time mom and co-host of The Golden Hour podcast. Last year, I spoke with Liz, the other co-host of The Golden Hour podcast, about her postpartum anxiety. In this episode, Natalie shares her battles with prenatal and postpartum mood disorders. 

After Natalie's son was born, she had postpartum anxiety. That anxiety was never fully resolved before she got pregnant with her daughter, and it carried over into her pregnancy. Natalie struggled with prenatal anxiety and depression, calling her doctor's office often, asking them to check her daughter's heartbeat. She found herself crying often and overthinking everything. For someone who is usually very optimistic, this was out of character for her. 

After her daughter was born, Natalie began to have bouts of rage. It started with her daughter waking up in the middle of the night and not going back to sleep. The struggle continued when her daughter got frequent ear infections, and couldn't tolerate breastfeeding due to a dairy allergy. Natalie would find herself yelling and punching pillows, and needing to walk away from the situation to calm down. She describes it as an "out of body" experience. 

Listen as Natalie shares about her struggles with prenatal and postpartum mood disorders, what has worked for her, and the advice she would give to anyone dealing with the same thing. 

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Allison is an intuitive medium and owner of Souls of a Feather where she offers readings online. In this episode, she shares her experience with both prenatal and postpartum mood disorders.

Allison suffered from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), and tried for two years to get pregnant. She finally decided to take a break from trying to focus on her health. She asked her doctor for birth control and in the time it took to fill the prescription, she got pregnant.

Allison suffered from severe hyperemesis gravidarum which landed her in the hospital for a week. She had gestational diabetes which turned into hypoglycemia. Instead of being excited about her pregnancy, she felt anxious and paranoid.

Postpartum only seemed to be worse for Allison. After a traumatic birth, she felt anxious and couldn't sleep. She was in the hospital multiple times for severely high blood pressure, and it was brushed off as anxiety. She still couldn't sleep. She was shuffled back and forth between her OB and her primary care physician, even though she was asking for help. Allison finally ended up in the hospital and spent several weeks recovering at her mother's house, away from her baby.

Allison's story is a reminder of just how important it is to support mothers while pregnant and after giving birth. She says there aren't enough resources or education on mental health issues. How can we take care of the babies if we can't take care of the mothers?

Postpartum Support International- 1-800-944-4773



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One year ago today, Natalia's son Xavian was born. Just 12 hours later, he passed away. 

Natalia is originally from Russia, and currently lives in Brazil. She and her husband love to travel.  While in Egypt, she found out she was pregnant. They looked for a place to settle down and have their baby, and at six months pregnant decided on Brazil. She found a Russian midwife there and was excited to start a new chapter of her life in a new place. 

Natalia said she had a beautiful labor and birth at home; however, her son was not breathing when he was born. After transferring to the hospital, she and her husband learned that their son had passed. 

After a few weeks, Natalia realized that she wasn't dealing with the death of her son, and that she needed to focus on herself and her grief and healing. She decided to put herself and her comfort first, and began learning what that meant. 

In this episode, Natalia shares the story of how she began to cope with the loss of her son, what healing looks like for her, and how personal growth can come out of the  grief that we experience. 

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Maureen Farrell is a lactation counselor, doula, herbalist, and homebirth midwife practicing in rural West Virginia. She is also the co-host of the Milk Minute podcast, which provides evidence-based and entertaining breastfeeding information.

Maureen had her first child at home before she became a midwife. Preparing for her first birth, she read a lot of books and thought that she needed to be calm and relaxed during her labor. She progressed fairly quickly and then stalled.

She felt frustrated that her relaxation techniques weren't working, and eventually gave in to her intuition. Maureen used her anger to push through the final moments of her labor and deliver her baby. She learned that there is no "right way" to manage pain during labor.

Maureen struggled postpartum with breastfeeding and feeling isolated. It was nearly impossible to see a lactation consultant where she lived, and it was hard to travel to visit friends or family. She and her partner decided to wait a few years before thinking about having another baby.

Maureen started training to become a midwife, and had just opened her own practice when she unexpectedly found out that she was pregnant again! This time she was able to draw on her previous experience and let go of what she thought was the "right way" to labor.

Listen in as Maureen gives an entertaining account of her two different labors and how she uses her experience to help her birthing clients.

Check out Maureen's podcast! Milk Minute Podcast

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One of the most common things I hear when talking with women about their birth experiences is that they didn't know how to advocate for themselves going in. Whether they were overwhelmed by what they were feeling, or they were mistreated by the medical staff, they were unsure how to make themselves heard and respected. 

In this episode, 10 doulas share their best piece of advice for advocating for yourself during labor. Listen, check out their websites, and follow them on social media. You'll learn a lot!

Psalms Frye- Peace and Compassion Birth Services
Anna- Dovely Doula
Tessa Maloney- Nourished With Tess
Morgan Owens- Morgan Owens Doula
Emily Baldwin- Kindred Souls Doula
Maureen- Milk Minute Podcast
Patricia- PatriciaGrenseman
Jess- Birthing Babies and Beyond

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