Jillian and her partner Danny share the story of the birth of their fraternal twin boys. Jill recounts a pregnancy full of unexpected twists — from the surprising discovery of twins, to a sprained ankle, a short cervix scare at 28 weeks, and modified bedrest — while drawing support from local twin families in Astoria and other community resources. She describes going into spontaneous labor at 37 weeks and 5 days, delivering both boys vaginally in a remarkably swift 10-hour labor, including a mid-delivery move from the OR back to a labor and delivery suite where she could have a bit closer to the kind of birth she had hoped for. The episode also covers a brief but emotionally intense NICU stay for Owen, the logistical complexity of caring for one baby at home and one in the hospital, the couple's tandem breastfeeding journey with twins, the invaluable support of their postpartum doula, and Danny's candid reflections on being his partner's primary support person in the delivery room — including a very large 2-in-1-ish placenta that almost didn't fit in its container.

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In this episode, professional dancer and voiceover artist Elisa Toro Franky shares her transformative birth journey with a depth and poetic beauty that makes this conversation truly special. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Elisa brings her unique perspective as a performer to the birthing experience, drawing profound connections between dance and labor.

Elisa opens up about her conception journey, including navigating two early miscarriages with wisdom and grace, and how she reframed those experiences to move forward with hope rather than fear. She discusses the intersection of dance and pregnancy, how carrying Luna changed her movement practice, and the vital importance of listening to your body with the same attention dancers bring to their craft.

The heart of the episode explores Elisa's birth story—from declining induction twice while trusting her intuition, to her decision-making around accepting gentle interventions when she felt ready, to the powerful moment of a very quick pushing stage before meeting baby Luna. She shares candidly about finding her birth team at NYU Langone, working with doula Regina, and the great support of having her mother present from Colombia for over two months postpartum.

Throughout the conversation, Elisa weaves in themes of courage, intuition, surrender, and transformation. She speaks eloquently about "becoming the wave" during contractions, navigating the liminal space between her former and new identity, and the essential role of movement and cultural connection in her pregnancy and recovery journey.

This episode will resonate with anyone preparing for birth, especially those interested in the mind-body connection, the power of trusting your intuition, and the transformative nature of becoming a parent.

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In this episode, it's Karen Yi’s and Kristofer Rios's turn to share their story. As a public radio journalist and a producer of documentaries, they both crave education and information and it shows in their birth choices. They share all about challenges of infertility and advocating for better medical care, to the smart decision to hire a doula and the fast-paced reality of labor. They discuss the importance of building a supportive team, the unexpected moments that shaped their birth story, and the lessons they learned about surrender, resilience, self-compassion and patience with partner and baby.

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Our guest today is Rachael Rose, speech-language pathologist and owner of Creative Speech Therapy in Manhattan. We discuss the identification and treatment of tethered oral tissues (TOTs) in infants, more commonly known as tongue ties and lip ties, and their impact on feeding, speech, and overall development. Rachael explains the importance of early detection and intervention to prevent long-term issues, the importance of trusting parental intuition, the need for a supportive team approach, and the challenges parents face in getting proper diagnosis and treatment.

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Anastasiya and Eric share their candid journey to parenthood, from conceiving after long-term birth control and facing a surprise gestational diabetes diagnosis, to navigating a sudden job loss just days before their daughter’s early arrival. Their story unfolds with an unexpected start to labor in the Poconos, a fast and empowering unmedicated birth in Manhattan, and the vital role of partner support and childbirth education. They open up about the realities of postpartum life—addressing new parenthood’s emotional and practical challenges, breastfeeding struggles, and the process of finding themselves again.

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Jane & Sam, New Yorkers who met in San Francisco, share the story of their unmedicated, physiologic birth attended by midwives in a Manhattan hospital and supported by a doula. A year or so into being married, they decide to try to conceive with hopes of having a baby in the Year of the Dragon as Jane is Chinese-American. To their surprise, they get pregnant immediately after removing her IUD. Given Jane’s background having previously worked for a women’s healthcare tech company, she had learned enough about the maternal healthcare system to know she wanted to strategically position herself for a safe, unmedicated birth and to be well-supported by a doula. Jane also shares a bit about her breastfeeding journey and being well supported by two IBCLCs to be sure baby is thriving and to support her when she had some temporary initial nipple damage.

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Today’s birth story is shared by Aatreyi, a podcast listener who worked with a wonderful doula from East River Doula Collective. She shares her experience navigating pregnancy and birth in New York City (as is usually the case on this podcast). Aatreyi also talks about the pivotal role acupuncture played in starting her labor right before her due date, helping her avoid a medical induction. We discuss how the constant focus on percentiles and dilation numbers during her pregnancy and labor often added more stress than clarity, and how she learned to look beyond the numbers to trust her own experience. From switching care providers to finding support through her doula and community, this episode offers a candid look at the unexpected twists and turns pregnancy and labor can take as well as the importance of listening to your own instincts.

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In today's episode, we're joined by Priscilla and Micah, who share their deeply personal journey from miscarriage to a blissful home birth experience. They open up about the challenges of navigating their birthing location and provider and how they had their choice to plan a homebirth affirmed in several ways throughout pregnancy, including through their own research, doula, and birth class. They detail the spiritual, emotional and physical rollercoaster of pregnancy after loss as well as the importance of trusting one's body and instincts. Their story is a testament to resilience and the support of a loving community of women. Quick content warning: there is not only mention of 1st trimester pregnancy loss, but also a bit of a scary mention of blood loss after birth when they decide to transfer to the hospital after birth to be sure that the whole placenta was delivered due to its unusual shape (spoiler alert: it ends up being a false alarm, as you might have seen in this episode’s title).

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