The Expecting and Empowered Podcast

Birth can be a beautiful experience, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without fear and concerns. After hearing from our community, it’s evident that some women feel ready to go! While others feel excited to meet their baby but anxious about the labor and delivery process. We want you to know that ALL of those feelings are valid and so normal! Today’s podcast is going to be all about mentally preparing for labor and delivery. We’ll be going over some tips to help you feel more confident when it comes time to meet your baby! Our first major tip is to run towards your fears instead of away. Educating yourself with as many resources about your fear can help you feel empowered and prepared. Whether your fear is pain during birth, fear of needing a c-section, or fear you may not receive enough support from your partner, we will go over ways to approach these fears head on. Our second tip is to decide on the person who will be your continuous support person through the labor, delivery, and recovery process. Sometimes this is your partner, but for others that can be a person like your mom, sister, close friend, or doula. This support is not only huge for creating a positive experience, but it is backed by science to have improved outcomes for mom and baby! The final tip is to write a letter to yourself, express how you feel with your upcoming birth, and tell yourself how much you believe in yourself! We believe in you too! If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey! Links & Resources Save on our Labor & Delivery Course [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/shop/p/labor-and-delivery-course] with code PODCAST25 at checkout! Amy’s book recommendation: “The Birth Partner 5th Edition: A Complete Guide…” [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1558329102?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzxpectiny-20&creativeASIN=1558329102&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.QUKNOREYLI58&ref_=btn_assoc_p-instagram_o-2_srctok-a19b798b8f350020_ht-t_asin] E + E Podcast Episode 16: Preparing Your Mind and Body For Labor + Delivery [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/blog/2022/10/05/e-e-podcast-episode-16-preparing-your-mind-and-body-for-labor-delivery] Expecting and Empowered App [https://app.expectingandempowered.com/subscriptions/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=fostering-friendly-homecomings&utm_content=&utm_campaign=expecting-and-empowered] - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout  Expecting and Empowered Website [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/] Expecting and Empowered Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/expectingandempowered/] This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Our guest on today’s episode is mom of two, founder of Taylor Lee Yoga, and yoga trainer in the Expecting and Empowered app, Taylor Kaulius! So many mamas requested prenatal and postnatal yoga be included in our workout app, so we brought Taylor onto the team! We have loved her perspective on why including yoga during pregnancy and postpartum as not only a physical practice is so important, but that it’s also so great for feeling like yourself during your journey through motherhood. We also wanted to use this as an opportunity for you to get to know Taylor a little more and her motherhood journey; what she felt was the hardest, where she finds the most joy, and how the principles of her yoga practice spill outside the studio and into other aspects of her life for the better! We hope that this episode encourages you to incorporate yoga back into your daily moment routine or to try it out for the first time! If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @taylorleekaulius and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey! Follow Taylor Kaulius [https://www.instagram.com/taylorleekaulius/] and her virtual yoga studio [https://www.instagram.com/taylorleeyoga/] on Instagram Taylor’s Website [https://taylorlee.yoga/] Links & Resources Expecting and Empowered App [https://app.expectingandempowered.com/subscriptions/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=fostering-friendly-homecomings&utm_content=&utm_campaign=expecting-and-empowered] - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout  Expecting and Empowered Website [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/] Expecting and Empowered Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/expectingandempowered/] This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Urinary urgency and incontinence are topics that often don’t get enough attention in women’s health—which is exactly why we're diving into them in today’s episode. Join hosts Amy and Krystle as they share top tips for better bladder health! It’s common to be practicing unhealthy bladder habits without even knowing it, so we will cover what healthy habits should look like for you, your partner, and your kids! Urinary urgency is when you get the feeling that you have to rush to the bathroom, which can lead to incontinence. This is mainly caused by poor bladder habits. The good news is that you can retrain your bladder! We’ll share some great tips and strategies to help retrain your brain and bladder for a more functional, healthy bladder. Whether you’ve had babies or not, these tips are for you! If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey! Expecting and Empowered Blog Post - Regaining Control: Tips for Dealing with Urge Urinary Incontinence [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/blog/2019/4/6/urgency-incontience?rq=urge] Bladder Diary FREEBIE [https://expectingandempowered.myflodesk.com/b1h3kr0cr0?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=bladder&utm_content=&utm_campaign=episode-87]! Links & Resources Expecting and Empowered App [https://app.expectingandempowered.com/subscriptions/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=fostering-friendly-homecomings&utm_content=&utm_campaign=expecting-and-empowered] - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout Expecting and Empowered Website [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/] Expecting and Empowered Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/expectingandempowered/] This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

Today on the podcast, we are honored to have relationship expert Dr. Morgan Cutlip on to talk all about sharing the mental load as mothers and some tangible tips on how to do so. Transitioning from committed partners or a married couple to parents of young children can come with seemingly never ending to-do lists and a lot of emotions. Sharing the mental load of household tasks, schedules, expectations, and more by having open and honest conversations with our spouse can help prevent feelings of resentment and keep you feeling connected. Dr. Morgan shares with us that weekly family meetings foster closeness and can create positive shifts in your relationship, like increased intimacy and a more enjoyable time in the bedroom! We know that after having babies, some women feel uncomfortable in their new bodies. Dr. Morgan shares some encouraging words about how to shift the mindset to how powerful your body is after baby! If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @drmorgancutlip and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey! Follow Dr. Morgan Cutlip on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drmorgancutlip/] Dr. Morgan’s Website [https://drmorgancutlip.com/] Order Dr. Morgan’s new book, “A Better Share” [https://drmorgancutlip.com/bs-preorder/] Links & Resources Expecting and Empowered App [https://app.expectingandempowered.com/subscriptions/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=fostering-friendly-homecomings&utm_content=&utm_campaign=expecting-and-empowered] - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout Expecting and Empowered Website [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/] Expecting and Empowered Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/expectingandempowered/] This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.

One-third of babies in the United States are delivered via c-section. In honor of C-Section Awareness Month, we thought it would be a great opportunity to revisit one of our earliest episodes about everything you need to know during the first two weeks after a c-section. Here at Expecting and Empowered we celebrate all births whether they are vaginal births like Amy’s, or c-sections like Krystle’s. We will link Krystle’s c-section birth story about her breech baby, Brooke, down below! Our hope from this episode is to revisit important information that still holds true today to empower you and give you the information you need to start your healing process off on the right foot! If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey! Links & Resources Episode 10: Krystle Howald's First C-section With Breech Baby Brooke [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/blog/2022/7/13/e-e-podcast-episode-10-krystle-howalds-first-c-section-with-breech-baby-brooke] Expecting and Empowered App [https://www.expectingandempowered.com/app-free-trial?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=fourth-trimester-tips&utm_content=&utm_campaign=expecting-and-empowered] - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout  Expecting and Empowered Website [https://app.expectingandempowered.com/subscriptions/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_term=fostering-friendly-homecomings&utm_content=&utm_campaign=expecting-and-empowered] Expecting and Empowered Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/expectingandempowered/] This episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.