The Labor Line

This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my friend Maddie, whose birth stories are as powerful as they are different. From a long, exhausting hospital induction with polyhydramnios to a fast, redemptive unmedicated birth at a birth center—plus the emotional experience of miscarriage in between—Maddie shares it all with honesty, insight, and so much heart.In this episode:3 DAYS of hospital labor (48+ hours unmedicated!)Moving across the country with a newbornCoping with a miscarriageThe shock of a

This week, I’m joined by my friend from home, Annika, who is such a kind and resilient person.After wrestling with several chronic health issues in her early twenties, Annika shares her winding road to mom-hood, including her IUI journey, her positive pregnancy experience, an induction, an epidural, 30 HOURS of labor, and the emotional decision to pivot to a C-section. She also talks about utilizing accelerated resolution therapy (or ART) to process her birth experience.In this episode:Unanticipated

This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my college friend, Anahi, who’s a true girl’s girl and all-around gem.She shares what it was like emotionally adjusting to pregnancy, how she and her husband tackled labor as a team, and her empowering (mostly unmedicated!) birth story with an epidural at the 12-hour mark. We also dive into the raw postpartum haze, and the tough emotions that came with returning to work just three months after giving birth.Anahi’s story is full of love, honesty, and

This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my sister-friend Becca, the kind of mom who brings light, laughter, and a roll-with-the-punches attitude to everything life (and birth) throws at her.She walks us through her 10-year journey into motherhood, which BEGAN with a 10+ pound baby (yes, really) and has since included:Gestational diabetesJaundiceA rare genetic diagnosisThree C-sectionsFour cross-country movesOh yeah– and three graduate degrees between her and her husband in their "spare"

This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my powerhouse of a mom-friend, Lindsy, who brings the kind of raw, beautiful honesty that this podcast is all about.After a smooth pregnancy, things took a wild turn: her OB completely ghosted her, the backup Physician's Assistant dropped the ball, and on the morning of delivery, Lindsy found out her baby was breech (even though she’d been told for weeks he was head-down).She opens up about the real emotions of an unexpected C-section, how it felt to be

Welcome to the very first episode of The Labor Line! I’m your host, Emily — a non-mom who’s always been weirdly obsessed with birth. (Like… childhood Barbie birth scenarios obsessed.)To kick things off, I’m joined by my dear friend Kylie, who may or may not have told her OB to shut up while pushing. From not being sure she even wanted kids, to navigating fertility struggles, Kylie takes us through all the twists, turns, and TUMS of pregnancy (hello, carpal tunnel and raging heartburn).We talk about