The Birth Experience with Labor Nurse Mama

What if tearing isn't inevitable? There is so much more you can do than "hope for the best," and it starts with a part of your body nobody ever taught you about: your pelvic floor.
My friend Sarah Almodovar is a mom of three, a prenatal yoga teacher, and a pelvic floor expert. She started by teaching yoga on a rooftop in NYC, and now she helps moms all over the world show up to birth prepared, confident, and far less afraid.
We're talking about the thing you've all told me you're most scared of - vaginal tearing - and how to take the fear out of it with practical tips to lessen your chance of tearing.
What We Cover:
Why vaginal tearing is such a hot topic (and why it's only a tiny part of your birth experience)
Why the pelvic floor's real job is to release and open, not tense and push
Sarah's 3 tips for moms worried about tearing
Why "one, two, three, push" doesn't make sense, and what the research says about spontaneous pushing
Why your birth team matters for your pelvic floor, too
Red flags your body may be sending you now, like leaking when you sneeze, painful sex, or tailbone pain
How learning to relax your pelvic floor can influence labor length, risk of tearing, and even C-section risk
Why seeing a pelvic floor specialist and a Webster-certified chiropractor during pregnancy is worth it

More from Sarah Almodovar
Birth-Ready Pelvic Floor Masterclass
First 6 Weeks - use coupon code ‘TRISH’
www.sarahjoalmo.com
Follow her on Instagram & YouTube: @sarahjoalmo

Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to: Vaginal Tearing during Birth: Real & Gritty
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Is Tearing Inevitable?
01:30 Sarah’s No Tear Story
03:38 Mindset Over Outcomes
08:22 Three Tips To Prevent Tearing
15:33 Pelvic Floor Basics Explained
17:56 Advocacy And Red Flags
23:49 Masterclass And Programs
28:00 Where To Find Sarah

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!
Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍
⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐
Connect w/ Trish:
On Instagram
On YouTube
For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

This episode is sponsored by Haakaa
Prodromal labor is one of the most frustrating things you can go through at the end of pregnancy, and hardly anyone prepares you for it. I'm walking you through what it is, what your body may be doing, how to tell it apart from active labor, and what to do when you're up night after night. You'll leave with a plan and a lot less panic.
In This Episode:
What prodromal labor is, and how it differs from Braxton Hicks
Why it can be your body's rehearsal for the real thing
How to tell prodromal contractions from real, active labor contractions
The Miles Circuit, a 90-minute positioning sequence to try
Whether an Epsom salt bath helps (honest answer inside)
Why rest is your best strategy, and why ignoring prodromal labor as long as you can is a skill

More from this episode:
Read the Blog: The Miles Circuit: Here's How To Induce Labor and Birth at the End of Pregnancy
Listen to this FREE Mini Audio Birth Class: Birth Insider
Thanks to our Sponsor Haakaa: Grab the Haakaa Petal Soft Silicone Milk Collector and use code ‘LOVELNM10’ for 10% off!
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Prodromal Labor
02:32 What Prodromal Labor Is
03:31 What Your Body Is Doing
04:23 Prodromal Vs Active Labor
06:26 Mile Circuit Positions
08:20 Baths Walking And Rest

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!
Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍
⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐
Connect w/ Trish:
On Instagram
On YouTube
For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

This episode is sponsored by Snugghug
Have you ever been told your iron levels are "fine" and still felt exhausted, anxious, and completely off during pregnancy? I'm sitting down with Samantha Chandler of Wellness & Womb, a women's wellness coach who has completely changed the way I think about iron, minerals, and what our blood work is actually - and isn't - telling us.
Samantha's own journey started with a simple question during her second pregnancy: why were so many women around her low in iron? What she uncovered led her down a path most OBs never talk about - the difference between low iron in the blood and iron that's dysregulated in the body. And as someone who has stood at the bedside for a lot of hemorrhages, this conversation hit close to home for me.
We're getting into:
Why "your iron is fine" doesn't tell the whole story - and what copper has to do with it
The symptoms doctors write off as "just pregnancy" that may actually point to a mineral imbalance
What the placenta can reveal about what was really happening in mom's body
Why prenatal vitamins might not be doing what you think they're doing
Practical, whole-food ways to support iron regulation - without supplements or infusions
The "five minute rule" that helped Samantha decline an unnecessary induction

Samantha has worked with hundreds of women (and even coaches health providers) on this exact topic, and the results she's seen - including drastically reduced blood loss at birth - are the reason I wanted her on the show.
This one might change how you look at your next lab work.
More from Samantha Chandler:
Visit wellnessandwomb.com
Connect on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @wellnessandwomb
Thanks to our Sponsor Snugghug: Grab the Snugghug Nursing Cover and Nursing Shirt and use code 'LNMAMA10' for 10% off!
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Low Iron in Pregnancy
02:19 Samantha’s Health Journey
04:44 Iron Dysregulation Explained
06:34 Pregnancy Labs Misread
10:13 Testing Beyond Basics
17:45 Prenatals and Whole Foods
20:38 Labor and Birth Support

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!
Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍
⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐
Connect w/ Trish:
On Instagram
On YouTube
For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

Just found out you're pregnant and wondering "now what?" Trish is breaking down the first trimester essentials - the stuff nobody tells you until you're six weeks in and suddenly flattened by exhaustion. From what's really happening in your baby's development to the food rules, spotting fears, and when (or if) to tell people your news, this episode is the guide Trish wishes every mama had the moment she saw two pink lines.
In this episode:
Why folate (not folic acid) matters for your prenatal vitamin - and how the MTHFR gene variant plays a role
The truth about first trimester fatigue and how to actually cope with it
What to do if you experience spotting (and why it's more common than you think)
How prenatal care is shifting toward telehealth in 2026
Morning sickness vs. hyperemesis gravidarum - when to ask for help
What genetic screening (NIPT) can tell you, and when it's offered
Navigating the noise around pregnancy vaccines
Food safety musts: what to skip and what's actually fine
When to share your pregnancy news - and why it's nobody's call but yours
Trish's own experience with nine pregnancies, six live births, and three losses

Mentioned in this episode:
Grab our Free Third Trimester Prep Pack
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 First Trimester Tips
02:10 Prenatal Folate Basics
02:53 Fatigue
03:48 Spotting and When to Call
04:23 Appointments and Telehealth
05:45 Morning Sickness Help
06:25 Genetic Screening NIPT
06:59 Vaccines and Food Safety
08:07 Sharing Pregnancy News

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!
Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍
⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐
Connect w/ Trish:
On Instagram
On YouTube
For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services

This Episode is Sponsored by Snugghug
Did you know 80% of your immune system lives in your gut - and your baby gets theirs from you? Whether you had a vaginal birth or a C-section, breastfed or formula fed, this episode is going to change the way you think about your baby's health from day one.
Trish sits down with Cheryl Hoy, CEO and founder of Tiny Health, the first at-home microbiome testing company for moms and babies. Cheryl's journey started with her own breech C-section birth and a mission to understand what that meant for her daughter's long-term health. What she found led her to build a company backed by scientists from Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and UCSF - and to become one of the loudest voices reminding moms that their birth mode isn't the end of the story. Trish and Cheryl dig into the science of the vaginal, gut, and skin microbiomes, why laboring (even before a C-section) still matters, and how the first 1,000 days of life set the stage for your child's immune system for years to come. This one is equal parts science lesson and permission slip - you are not powerless, no matter how your baby arrived earthside.
What You'll Learn Inside This Episode:
Why babies born vaginally have a different gut microbiome than babies born via C-section - and how that connects to the "atopic march" (eczema → food allergies → asthma → hay fever)
Why laboring - even if it ends in a C-section - still seeds your baby's microbiome with beneficial bacteria
How vaginal exams during labor can introduce antibiotic-resistant hospital bacteria to your baby
Why dads contribute up to 20% of a baby's microbiome in the first year (and even more with a C-section birth )
What actually happens when you order a Tiny Health test, and how simple the process really is
Why "failure to progress" might have less to do with your body and more to do with how supported you felt in the room
How feeding mode (breast vs. formula) is the #1 most impactful lever for course-correcting gut health after a C-section
Why the first 1,000 days - conception through age 2-3 - is the critical window for immune training, and what you can actually do about it

More from Tiny Health:
Go to TinyHealth.com and use code LNM!
Follow on Instagram: @tiny.health
hello@tinyhealth.com

Thanks to our Sponsor Snugghug: Grab the Snugghug Nursing Cover and Nursing Shirt and use code 'LNMAMA10' for 10% off!
Mentioned in this episode:
The VBAC Lab - Trish's course for vaginal birth after C-section

Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Cheryl from Tiny Health
07:04 What Is The Microbiome
12:46 Course Correcting In Early Life
19:07 Results, Support, And Dad’s Role
20:26 Microbiome Roles at Birth
23:07 Fighting for Breech Birth
33:30 Tiny Health Mission and Testing
36:09 Research Results and Future Care
37:26 Where to Find Tiny Health

Join The Calm Labor Birth Bundle - everything you need from bump to baby! Use code POD50 for $50 off!
Over 15k mamas have used our classes to prepare for a birth that they love 🤍
⭐ Download immediately ⭐App available ⭐Life-time access⭐
Connect w/ Trish:
On Instagram
On YouTube
For more pregnancy & birth education, subscribe to The Birth Experience on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services