Pregnancy Podcast
473 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 24 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 878 ratingsA resource to support expecting moms (and partners, too!) with evidence-based information to navigate the awesome adventure of pregnancy, birth, and being a new parent. Vanessa Merten provides evidence based info that goes way beyond the typical “pregnancy instruction manual”. Every episode is designed to give you all of the evidence, research, pros, cons, risks, and benefits – all so you decide what the best option is for YOU and feel confident about your decisions during your pregnancy and beyond. The show covers everything from pregnancy to caring for a newborn. Topics include prenatal care, labor, natural birth, hospital birth, cesarean birth, preparing for your baby, breastfeeding, postpartum, and caring for a new baby. This is your evidence-based resource to help you make informed decisions about your pregnancy and your baby.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Flu Vaccine During Pregnancy (2020-2021 Flu Season)
October 04, 2020 07:30 - 41 minutes - 19.1 MBFlu is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus. In healthy adults, the flu typically isn't severe, and symptoms usually subside in about a week. When you are pregnant, the inflammatory response your body has to the flu during pregnancy puts you at a higher risk for some complications. The medical community recommends pregnant women get the flu vaccine during their pregnancy to protect them and give passive immunity to their baby. The COVID-19 pandemic is also bringing some additi...
Baby Shower Etiquette
September 27, 2020 07:30 - 27 minutes - 12.8 MBWhen baby showers first became popular over 50 years ago, we didn't have the internet or baby registries. Gender roles and rules have changed quite a bit, and the etiquette practiced by our mothers and grandmothers has evolved. Even though we are living in a different time, there is value in looking at the traditional etiquette rules for baby showers and how you can modify your baby shower to celebrate in a way that fits with your lifestyle and values. COVID-19 has undoubtedly created chal...
Bonding with Your Baby During Pregnancy
September 20, 2020 07:30 - 35 minutes - 16.4 MBThere is a lot of research that examines the relationship between newborns and parents. Most of the more recent research builds on the widely accepted concept that a parent’s emotional involvement with their baby influences their parenting. The question is whether you can bond with your baby during pregnancy and get a head start on building that connection early. Every parent experiences pregnancy differently and how you feel about your baby right now is okay and normal. This article examine...
Why You Need a Backup Plan
September 13, 2020 07:30 - 17 minutes - 8.2 MBThis podcast covers a lot about preparing for the birth experience you want. If you listen to this podcast, you are educated about labor and birth. You are learning what your options are, and you know what is evidence-based. You got this! The more you prepare, the better likelihood that you get the birth experience you want, or pretty close to it. I wish I could tell you that everything will go as planned, and it will be magical and perfect. I genuinely hope it does. There will always be unk...
Your Birth Room and Tips to Improve It
September 06, 2020 07:30 - 30 minutes - 13.8 MBIdeally, during your birth, nothing is inhibiting your oxytocin production and the fewer stress hormones that are released, the better your labor will be able to progress. The goal is to set up your birth room environment to be a calming, safe environment for you to be in during labor and birth. No matter where you are having your baby you can make adjustments to your surroundings to create the environment that works best for you. This episode dives into the evidence on how your environment ...
Preventing and Healing a Vaginal Tear or Episiotomy
August 30, 2020 07:30 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBWhen your skin is stretching during birth, it can tear. It is common for first-time mothers to have some tearing during vaginal birth, and there is also the possibility that you could have an episiotomy, which is a surgical incision. The good news is that there are some things you can do leading up to, and during, your labor and birth to prevent this. I know all of this can sound scary, but it shouldn't be. The benefits of a vaginal delivery far outweigh the downside of a tear or an episiot...
Skin to Skin Contact
August 23, 2020 07:30 - 25 minutes - 11.9 MBNo matter what type of birth you have, the most important thing after your baby is born is that you get skin to skin with your baby. Skin to skin means that your baby is not swaddled or clothed, and their bare skin is placed belly down against your bare chest. Being skin to skin stabilizes your baby's heart rate, breathing, and temperature, and reduces stress in both you and your baby. It also increases your interactions with your baby and increases the likelihood and length of breastfeeding...
Inducing Labor Naturally
August 09, 2020 07:30 - 28 minutes - 13 MBThere are a lot of rumors about things you can do or food to eat to induce labor naturally. Some of these methods have science behind them. Others are old wives' tales that you can probably skip. This episode examines the evidence behind the methods thought to induce labor naturally. Methods included are exercise, baths, nipple stimulation, sex, acupuncture, acupressure, castor oil, evening primrose oil, red raspberry leaf, spicy foods, pineapple, basil, oregano, and dates. Hello, and ...
Inducing Labor
August 02, 2020 07:30 - 44 minutes - 20.3 MBIn a perfect world everything works like it is supposed to, your body is ready, your baby is fully mature and ready to make their entrance into the world, and you naturally go into labor. As you probably know, everything doesn’t always go the way we plan and many women end up getting an induction to jump start labor. The key is knowing when an induction may be medically necessary, and when it may be better to wait it out. There are many reasons your doctor or midwife may suggest an induct...
The Evidence on Eating and Drinking During Labor
July 26, 2020 07:30 - 26 minutes - 12 MBFor a long time, it has been a common rule in hospitals that you could not eat or drink during labor. The main reason women were initially discouraged from eating during labor is not as relevant now, and a lot of research does not support policies limiting food or drinks during labor. In the past few years, this rule has improved to allow drinking clear liquids, but not every doctor is on board with eating during labor. In contrast, women who give birth at a birth center or home are encourag...
Electronic Fetal Monitoring
July 19, 2020 07:30 - 28 minutes - 12.8 MBDuring your labor and birth, your doctor or midwife will be monitoring your baby's heart rate to assess their well-being during labor and birth. The goal of using electronic fetal monitoring is to recognize babies who are short on oxygen and identify what the underlying cause is to correct it. Monitoring heart rate can also alert a doctor or midwife in the event an emergency arises in which a baby needs to be born immediately via cesarean section or through an assisted birth. Electronic feta...
Herpes Simplex Virus & Pregnancy
July 12, 2020 07:30 - 22 minutes - 10.3 MBThere are over 100 herpesviruses, and of those 8 affect humans. The two that are most common are the herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2. HSV-1 and HSV-2 are common skin conditions. If you have HSV-1 or HSV-2, you should not be ashamed or embarrassed. The truth is that this virus affects a considerable portion of the population, and one in five women. Neonatal herpes is a serious condition that can have detrimental effects. The good news is that transmission rates during pregnancy and bir...
Prioritizing What is Important
July 05, 2020 07:30 - 23 minutes - 10.6 MBPrioritizing what is important is focusing your attention on the bigger things and spending less energy on the smaller things. Whether something is big or important is completely subjective. You have to decide what is important to you and your partner. Prioritizing what is important will keep you out of feeling overwhelmed. It is easy to burn yourself out trying to learn about every aspect of pregnancy, birth, and parenting. Learn how to decide what is important and get tips to keep from get...
Autonomy
June 28, 2020 07:30 - 32 minutes - 15.1 MBAutonomy may not be the first thing you think about when you think of pregnancy or birth. Taking agency and ownership of your body can have a profound impact on your confidence and your satisfaction with your pregnancy and birth experience. This episode explores autonomy as it relates to many aspects of your pregnancy and parenting journey. We cover working with your care provider and participating in the discussion. How autonomy can help you navigate current restrictive policies due to COVI...
Precipitous Labor and Birth
June 21, 2020 07:30 - 19 minutes - 8.93 MBYou have a vision of what you imagine your labor going like. There is always the possibility that your birth does not go as planned due to circumstances out of your control. It can cause anxiety for your birth to go another route you were not expecting. One possibility is precipitous labor and birth. This is when your baby is born within three hours of your labor starting. You can think of this episode as some emergency planning just in case you end up with very short and fast labor and birt...
Prodromal Labor
June 14, 2020 07:30 - 20 minutes - 9.38 MBYou spend nine months preparing for your labor and birth, and suddenly it is here, and you are having contractions. Are you sure this is it? It could be prodromal labor. It can be tricky to tell the difference between prodromal labor and actual labor because contractions can have a somewhat regular pattern. They can start and stop at about the same time each day, and this can last for days or weeks before your labor starts. Learn about prodromal labor, how you can cope with it, and how to kn...
Birth Changes for the Foreseeable Future
June 07, 2020 07:30 - 1 hour - 27.8 MBCOVID-19 has caused a lot of changes to birth plans over the past few months and we can expect many of these changes to last for the foreseeable future. In this episode, I talk with Heather Delaney, of Maryland State Doulas, about how you can prepare, and what to expect if you are pregnant now. Heather is a wealth of information about how hospitals, birth centers, and home birth midwives are navigating this new environment. Learn what questions you should be asking your doctor or midwife, wh...
Natural and Artificial Sweeteners
May 24, 2020 07:30 - 27 minutes - 12.6 MBPregnancy tends to be a time when you examine your diet and make healthy changes. For many expecting mothers, this means cutting back on sugar, which often means increasing the use of sugar substitutes. Throughout evolution, humans have learned to tie sweetness to calorie-rich foods. Now we have access to alternatives that taste very sweet but have zero nutritional value and no calories. Plus, in recent years concerns have been raised over the safety of artificial sweeteners, especially duri...
Sugar
May 17, 2020 07:30 - 27 minutes - 12.5 MBSugar is a broad term for a lot of different molecules that make foods and drinks sweet. Today, sugar is in just about every food and drink we consume. How your body processes different types of sugar varies. Plus, during pregnancy, there are changes to the way your body reacts to and processes glucose. This article explains walks you from understanding sugar and its effects on you and your baby to monitoring your sugar intake and keeping your consumption within recommended levels. You...
Prenatal Testing Basics
May 10, 2020 07:30 - 17 minutes - 8.15 MBYour pregnancy journey starts with a positive pregnancy test. That is the first of many tests offered throughout your prenatal care. Some tests diagnose conditions you may have during pregnancy. Others look for genetic abnormalities in your baby. Some tests, like a Group B Strep test, may impact your birth. Tests are useful tools, but they can also create anxiety and stress during your pregnancy. Learn the basics of testing, so you have a better idea of how to make an informed choice when op...
Gardening Safety & the Evidence on the Benefits of House Plants
May 03, 2020 07:30 - 28 minutes - 13 MBHumans have a long history and connection to nature and the outdoors. That has changed significantly over the years, and today we spend close to 90% of our time indoors. Gardening is an activity you can enjoy that gets your outside and in nature, right in your backyard. While gardening has many benefits, when you are pregnant, there are also a few risks. Learn how to mitigate the risks to you and your baby while gardening. If you don't have a garden or yard, you can still enjoy plants inside...
COVID-19 and Breastfeeding
April 26, 2020 07:30 - 20 minutes - 9.45 MBCOVID-19 can bring new challenges to breastfeeding. Don’t panic, plan. Get the evidence and guidelines on how COVID-19 can affect breastfeeding, and what precautions you should be taking to protect yourself and your baby. The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-evolving situation, and this episode is the most recent info and data available as of April 25, 2020. You can read the full article and resources that accompany this episode by clicking here. For more evidence-based information v...
Swelling & Edema
April 19, 2020 07:30 - 18 minutes - 8.54 MBThe technical term for swelling during pregnancy is edema. This happens in about 80% of all pregnancies. While swelling in your legs and feet is common and usually not an issue, it can also be a sign of a more serious condition, like preeclampsia. Learn why swelling happens, how to prevent and treat it, and when you should call your doctor or midwife. You can read the full article and resources that accompany this episode by clicking here. For more evidence-based information visi...
Trying to Conceive During the Coronavirus Pandemic
April 12, 2020 07:30 - 15 minutes - 7.32 MBIn this episode, we are talking about the coronavirus and trying to conceive. Of all the questions I have received on COVID-19, I get the most from people asking if this is not the ideal time to try and get pregnant. Deciding when to have a baby is a very personal decision with a lot of factors. This article includes some considerations when deciding if now is the right time to try and conceive. This is an ever-evolving situation, and this episode is the most recent info and data available a...
Drinks to Be Cautious About During Pregnancy
April 05, 2020 07:30 - 30 minutes - 14.1 MBYou know that your drink of choice during pregnancy should be water. Learn the importance of staying hydrated during your pregnancy, and how much water you should drink every day. In reality, you get the fluids you need from your diet and all the beverages you consume throughout the day. This episode dives deeper than merely telling you to avoid coffee and alcohol. Learn about the risks and safety of popular beverages, including soda, juice, tea, and kombucha. You can read the full art...
Coronavirus Update - Limiting Your Risks
March 29, 2020 07:30 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBMore research has been released in the last week about SARS-CoV-2 and pregnancy and birth. This article is focused on the new evidence that is out and how you can protect yourself and your baby. Get tips on how to stay healthy and support your immune system. Learn what the experts are saying about how to keep your home safe and what you should be doing when you get groceries or takeout. This is an ever-evolving situation and this episode is the most recent info and data available as of March...
Coronavirus Update - Changes to Your Prenatal Care & Birth Plan
March 22, 2020 07:30 - 31 minutes - 14.5 MBA lot has happened over the last week since we first discussed the coronavirus on the podcast. Hear the updates on how this pandemic can affect you during pregnancy, whether or not you get exposed to this virus. You will see changes to your access to prenatal care and changes in your birth plan as a result of this pandemic. This is an ever-evolving situation and this episode is the most recent info and data available as of March 22nd, 2020. You can read the full article and resources t...
Coronavirus and Pregnancy
March 15, 2020 07:30 - 45 minutes - 20.9 MBA big challenge of covering the topic of the coronavirus is to find a balance among taking precautions, getting accurate information, being safe and prepared, and not inducing hysteria and fear. That has been part of the reason I have waited to cover this in an episode. I am very cautious about my sources of information, as you should be. There is a lot of alarming information about the coronavirus and there are a lot of unknowns. This is my attempt to synthesize all of the data and informat...
Foods to be Cautious About During Pregnancy
March 08, 2020 08:30 - 31 minutes - 14.4 MBIt is easy to pull up a list online of foods to avoid during pregnancy. It may not be so easy to cut these items out of your diet. Especially if there is something on this list that you consume regularly, or really enjoy. It is not enough information for me to know I should avoid something. I want to know why I should avoid it. The truth is that during pregnancy you will eat something, likely more than once, on the do not eat list. I want to arm you with knowledge about the foods you are eat...
How Blue Light Affects Your Pregnancy
March 01, 2020 08:30 - 51 minutes - 23.7 MBAges ago our last daily exposure to blue light came with the sunset. After dark, the light we were exposed to was mainly from campfires that contain mostly red light. Today, we are constantly exposed to artificial light that contains blue light that impacts our sleep, circadian rhythms, and hormone production. There is a lot of evidence on how blue light can affect fertility in both men and women, how it can affect your sleep, your hormone production during pregnancy, and even your breastmil...
The Truth About Pooping During Labor
February 16, 2020 08:30 - 19 minutes - 8.82 MBWhatever you want to call it, everyone goes #2, poops, or has a bowel movement. Spoiler alert, yes, it is true that this could happen during labor. Let me spare you having to Google this and sift through message boards of expecting moms horrified at this thought. This is the truth about pooping during labor. This episode discusses the possibility of pooping during labor, if it happens to everyone, and whether you can avoid it. You can read the full article and resources that accompany ...
The Evidence on Vaginal Exams Before and During Labor
February 09, 2020 08:00 - 33 minutes - 15.4 MBIn the last month of your pregnancy, you will be seeing your doctor or midwife weekly. Vaginal exams take place during your pregnancy in the last few weeks leading up to your birth and during your labor. The question is, are they really necessary and will you benefit from the results? Vaginal exams have become a routine, but questions about what the results show, the risks involved, and the psychological effects of the results have some expecting moms questioning whether they want to opt int...
Choosing (or Changing) Your Doctor or Midwife
February 02, 2020 05:30 - 36 minutes - 16.6 MBYour care provider is the cornerstone of your prenatal care and birth experience. This is your expert resource that you will be working with throughout your pregnancy to make some very important decisions and you need to be comfortable with and trust your care provider. That is more important than their qualifications, where they went to school, and how many babies they have delivered. You need to see them as an integral member of your team, and most importantly you need to trust them and be...
Sleeping Positions During Pregnancy
January 26, 2020 08:30 - 30 minutes - 13.9 MBYou will spend about one third of your life sleeping. Sleep is so vital to your health and the health of your baby. Especially early and later in your pregnancy when you are more prone to fatigue, you will be spending a lot of hours sleeping. The big question is whether there is an ideal position to be sleeping in. In recent years there have been studies making headlines that sleeping on your back is dangerous for you and your baby. This has led to many expecting mothers waking up on their b...
Perineal Massage to Prevent Tearing
January 19, 2020 08:30 - 17 minutes - 7.92 MBYour perineum is the area between your vaginal opening and your rectum. This area stretches during birth and it is possible to have a tear. If you have an episiotomy, this is the area that is cut during the birth of your baby. Perineal massage is an exercise done by you in the weeks leading up to birth to prevent tearing. The theory behind perineal massage is that by stretching this area leading up to your birth will allow it to stretch more easily, and without tearing when your baby is crow...
When to Announce Your Pregnancy
January 12, 2020 08:30 - 27 minutes - 12.5 MBThere are a lot of questions about when to announce your pregnancy. Some expecting parents are comfortable telling everyone as soon as they have a positive test. Others prefer to wait until they are further along in their pregnancy. Some of the factors that can influence this are how private you are with sharing information, the particulars of your pregnancy, and your specific work situation. Learn why some parents choose to wait for certain milestones and the pros and cons of announcing ear...
Self-Care
January 05, 2020 08:30 - 28 minutes - 12.8 MBSelf-care may seem like a random topic to be tackling but if there is any time during your life in which self-care is crucial, it is during your pregnancy. In the nine months, you are pregnant your body is going through more changes than it ever will in such a short time frame. Your life is changing in a major way. No one will make caring for you a priority like you can. This is the perfect time in your life to make self-care a priority for two main reasons. First, you have more free time no...
Timing of Skin-to-Skin Contact & Delayed Cord Clamping
December 22, 2019 08:30 - 18 minutes - 8.27 MBPicture the moment your baby is born. The umbilical cord is still connected on one end to your baby, and on the other end to your placenta, which is still attached to your uterine wall. Essentially, your baby is limited in how far they can go from your vagina because they are tethered by the umbilical cord. You want to delay clamping of the cord, but, you want to get skin-to-skin right away. This episode breaks down the logistics and timing of how immediate skin-to-skin contact and delayed c...
Traveling During Pregnancy
December 15, 2019 08:30 - 24 minutes - 11.1 MBTraveling can be a big part of our lives from taking a trip for work, visiting family, or taking vacations. With a few exceptions traveling during pregnancy is no different than traveling when you are not expecting. The key is planning ahead. Whether you are hopping in a car for a road trip, getting on a train, or flying to another country this episode goes through some tips to stay healthy and be as comfortable as possible while traveling when you are expecting. You can read the full ...
Will Eating Dates Help Your Labor?
December 08, 2019 08:30 - 18 minutes - 8.65 MBDates are the fruit of the date palm tree. They are a small oval fruit, about one to three inches long, or three to seven centimeters, and they have a pit in the middle of them. Dates are high in sugar and contain nutrients like fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, and vitamin B6. Dates are rumored to naturally induce labor and make for a shorter labor. Sounds pretty great right? Thankfully there are several studies available to examine these claims and evaluate the evidence for eating dates l...
When You and Your Partner Disagree
December 01, 2019 08:30 - 20 minutes - 9.5 MBThere is an infinite number of decisions you and your partner have to make. Some examples are what prenatal tests to take, how to decorate the nursery, what to name your baby, who should be at the birth, and what procedures are done to your baby after they are born. It is a never-ending list, and even after all of these decisions are made the two of you are going to constantly make decisions throughout your child’s life. Some decisions are more trivial than others, but even working on coming...
110: When You and Your Partner Disagree
November 30, 2019 17:00 - 18 minutes - 8.35 MBThere are an infinite number of decisions you and your partner have to make like prenatal testing, how to decorate the nursery, what to name your baby, who should be at the birth, and what procedures are done to your baby after they are born. It is a never-ending list, and even after all of these decisions are made the two of you are going to constantly making decisions throughout your child’s life. Some decisions are more trivial than others, but even working on coming to an agreement you a...
Centering Pregnancy & Group Prenatal Care
November 24, 2019 08:30 - 21 minutes - 10 MBThe traditional model of medical care faces increasing challenges. Factors like increasing health care costs, limitations of provider availability, issues like dissatisfaction with wait times, and the minimal opportunity for education and support associated with the individual care model have given rise to interest in alternative models of prenatal care. Centering started in the 90s when nurse-midwife Sharon Rising started bringing expecting mothers together for group prenatal appointments. ...
Using Your BRAIN – 5 Questions You Should Be Asking
November 17, 2019 08:30 - 18 minutes - 8.35 MBThis episode we are talking about using your brain. In this case we are talking about your brain as being an acronym for some good questions you can run through when deciding if any intervention or procedure is right for you during pregnancy, birth, or with your newborn. You will come across a lot of opportunities to opt-in or out of interventions during your pregnancy or birth, or even with your newborn baby. In a perfect world, every procedure comes along with informed consent and you have...
Health Insurance
November 10, 2019 08:30 - 30 minutes - 14.1 MBIn the United States, the average cost of a vaginal birth is over $9,000 and the average cost for a cesarean section is almost $13,000. Health insurance is important because it will help to cover some of these costs and minimize the amount you will need to spend on medical bills. The first step is to find the right insurance coverage for pregnancy and birth. This episode is going to get you off on the right foot to minimizing your costs and making sure you are covered. You should know how yo...
Q&A: Unsolicited Advice
October 27, 2019 07:30 - 15 minutes - 6.96 MBPeople give advice because they want to help. They think they have some information that you need to hear. It doesn't matter if they are educated about pregnancy or birth. Everyone has an opinion or advice and a lot of people feel compelled to share it with you. Even when you do not ask for it. People who give unsolicited advice are coming from a good place. It would be great if you could just speak your mind and tell people that you are not interested in their opinions. We also have relatio...
Ultrasounds
October 20, 2019 07:30 - 34 minutes - 15.8 MBYou can expect to have at least one, or likely multiple ultrasounds during your pregnancy. This technology does more than give you a sonogram picture for your baby book. The information from an ultrasound can confirm your baby is healthy and diagnose potential issues. While these exams can be helpful when medically indicated, many expecting mothers may be getting additional ultrasounds that are unnecessary. There are a lot of studies on ultrasounds and this episode breaks down the evidence o...
Colds & Flu During Pregnancy
October 13, 2019 07:30 - 30 minutes - 14 MBBeing sick is never fun, but especially not when you are pregnant. There are some additional challenges to the common cold during pregnancy. You are more susceptible to getting sick when you are pregnant because your immune system is lower. You may take longer to recover from being ill and to get over a cold. Pregnancy limits what types of medications you can safely take. It is so important to take care of your health when you are expecting. Unfortunately, even when you do take good care of ...
Flu Vaccine During Pregnancy
September 29, 2019 07:30 - 37 minutes - 17 MBFlu is short for influenza, which is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus. In healthy adults the flu normally isn’t serious and symptoms usually subside in about a week. When you are pregnant, the inflammatory response your body has to the flu during pregnancy puts you at a higher risk for some complications. It is recommended that pregnant women get the flu vaccine during their pregnancy to protect them and give passive immunity to their baby. There are many flu vaccines avai...
Alcohol During Pregnancy
September 22, 2019 07:30 - 27 minutes - 12.4 MBAlcohol is one of the very first things to go once you see that positive pregnancy test. Trying to figure out guidelines for alcohol and pregnancy can be so confusing. Can you drink any alcohol during your pregnancy? Does it affect your baby? How much is okay? These are questions you may have asked your doctor or midwife and you usually get one of two answers. You hear, absolutely no alcohol, in any quantity, or, it’s okay to enjoy a glass of wine from time to time with a meal. You already k...