The Birth Experience with Labor Nurse Mama

I'm joined by Dr. Brooke Kalisiak, a pelvic physical therapist and owner of Legacy Physical Therapy in St. Louis. We’re diving into one of the most overlooked - but incredibly important - parts of your birth and postpartum journey: your pelvic floor.
Dr. Brooke Kalisiak helps women prepare for birth, recover postpartum, and overcome pelvic health issues like pain and bladder leakage so they can feel strong and confident without relying on medications or surgery. She’s passionate about educating women on what’s normal, what’s not, and how to take control of their pelvic health.
In this episode, we talk about:
The biggest misconceptions about pushing during labor
Why your pelvic floor needs to relax - not tighten - for birth
Common postpartum symptoms women are told to “just live with”
What actually happens during a pelvic floor therapy appointment
How pelvic floor health impacts pregnancy, birth, postpartum recovery, and even menopause
Why bladder leakage is common, but not normal
Simple breathing techniques that support your core and pelvic floor
When to see a pelvic floor therapist (hint: it’s never too early or too late)

If you've ever worried about tearing, leaking, painful recovery, or wondered whether pelvic floor therapy is right for you, this conversation is packed with practical information and reassurance.
Remember, mama: just because something is common doesn't mean it's normal. You deserve answers, support, and a body that feels strong and supported through every stage of motherhood.
More from Dr. Brooke Kalisiak:
legacytherapystl.com
Find her @legacyphysicaltherapystl on Instagram, FaceBook, & YouTube
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Pelvic Health
06:28 Practice Pushing Positions
09:57 Bladder Leakage And Stigma
12:21 When To See Pelvic PT
16:02 Pregnancy Core Breathing
20:59 Postpartum Visits Explained
29:21 Why a Baseline Matters
32:11 Hidden Pelvic Symptoms
34:40 Where to Find Dr Brooke

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

You got your GBS results back and they're positive - and suddenly it feels like your entire birth plan just got ripped out of your hands. Does this mean induction? Antibiotics no matter what? Is an unmedicated birth even still on the table?
Before you spiral into a Google hole at midnight, Trish is here to set the record straight. As a 16-year high-risk L&D nurse who's been in the room with hundreds of GBS positive mamas, she's breaking down exactly what this diagnosis does - and doesn't - mean for your birth.
In this episode, Trish covers:
What GBS actually is (and why it's not about hygiene or "doing something wrong")
Myth #1: GBS positive means automatic induction - it doesn't
Myth #2: No membrane sweeps allowed - what the Strip G Study really found
Myth #3: You have to rush to the hospital the second contractions start - Trish's real timing rules for first-time and experienced moms
Myth #4: You can't have an unmedicated birth - how the antibiotics actually work with your birth plan
The real numbers behind antibiotic prophylaxis, and what happens if you decline
What other countries do differently - and why that matters for how you think about your options

The bottom line: GBS positive is a piece of information, not a life sentence for your birth plan. You deserve a provider who explains the "why," shows you the evidence, and lets you be part of the decision. This is still your birth.
Loved this episode? Share it with a pregnant friend who just got her GBS results, or post it in your birth group - these are the conversations that should be happening at every 36-week appointment. And if you want more of Trish's no-fear-mongering, straight-from-research approach, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.
More resources for GBS+ Pregnancy:
Read the blog: Here's What You Need to Know About GBS (Group B Strep) and Pregnancy
Listen to episode 196: Pregnancy Unpacked Week 36: Preparing For the Final Stretch
Listen to episode 189: Membrane Sweeps - What You Need to Know and How to Handle Them
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 GBS Positive Pregnancy
02:24 What GBS Really Is
04:25 Myth One
05:19 Myth Two
07:14 Myth Three
09:42 Myth Four
11:37 Antibiotics Risks And Rights
15:03 Other Countries Approach

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

If your sex life basically disappeared after baby, this one's for you, mama.
You're touched out, running on fumes, and the LAST thing on your mind is sex - but your partner keeps bringing it up, and now you're stuck in this exhausting cycle of guilt, resentment, and disconnection. Sound familiar?
This week I'm sitting down with Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy, a certified sex and couples therapist (and mama of two) who's spent 15 years helping couples navigate exactly this. We're getting real about why your desire disappears after baby, why "just fix the emotional connection and the sex will follow" is actually bad advice, and what's really going on when one partner pursues and the other withdraws.
We also dig into resentment, the mental load, reclaiming your body, and why accepting imperfect help from your partner might be the missing piece (pajama drama included 😂).
In this episode, we cover:
Why low libido after baby is so common - and it's not "just about sex"
The pursuer/withdrawer cycle and how to break it
How resentment and mental load quietly kill intimacy
Reclaiming your body after birth (even after trauma)
3 practical ways to reconnect with your partner, starting today

This is such an honest, validating conversation - whether you're the one who's touched out or the one who feels rejected, you'll walk away with real tools (and a lot less shame).
More from Dr. Rebecca Howard Eudy, PhD, LMHC:
Grab her book: Parents in Love: A Guide to Great Sex After Kids
rebeccaeudy.com
Follow her on Instagram: @RebeccaHowardEudy
Loved this episode? Leave a review and tell me - are you the pursuer or the withdrawer?
I read every single one. 💛
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Why Sex Drive Disappears Postpartum
02:43 Desire vs Connection After Baby
06:05 Pursuer Withdrawer Cycle
10:35 Birth Trauma and Triggers
15:15 When Sex Becomes a Chore
16:44 Resentment and Mental Load
23:49 Accepting Imperfect Help
28:09 Micro Moments Connection
30:26 What Holds Desire Back
33:14 Book And Where To Find

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

You've probably already made a decision about your epidural. The problem? You made it before anyone walked you through what actually happens.
In this episode, I'm breaking down the entire epidural process from the moment you say "I think I want it" to the moment we pull the catheter out after delivery - the timing, the placement, what it actually feels like, the side effects nobody mentions, and the questions I get asked most as a 16+ year L&D nurse. Whether you're planning to get one, planning to go unmedicated, or you're a "let's see how I feel" mama, this episode is for you. Because pain management is part of every birth map, and knowing what's coming means you make the decision from education - not fear.
No horror stories. No agenda. Just what really happens in the labor room.
In this episode:
When you can actually ask for an epidural (and why timing isn't as simple as "too early" or "too late")
What has to happen behind the scenes before the anesthesiologist walks in
The step-by-step placement process - and the one moment that actually hurts
Common epidural side effects and how your nurse manages them
What "recovery" looks like and why it's not the time for visitors
How to know you're progressing once your epidural is in

More from this episode:
Grab our free Third Trimester Birth Prep Bundle at labornursemama.com/third or comment "THIRD" on any Instagram post @labor.nurse.mama.
Listen to episode 245: Epidural or Unmedicated? How to Decide Without Regret
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Epidural Decision Reality
03:27 Why Preparation Matters
05:43 When To Request It
07:11 Hospital Prep Steps
08:58 Positioning And Placement
11:12 Recovery And Monitoring
12:44 Blood Pressure + Side Effects
14:58 What It Feels Like
16:53 Rest And Pushing Tips
18:08 Turning It Off And Removal

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

Your discharge is not a problem to Google in a panic - it's one of the most powerful fertility signals your body produces. And yet, most of us were never taught that. In this episode, Trish sits down with Sabrina Nowicki, CEO of Cyclisity - the official charting app of the landmark book Taking Charge of Your Fertility - for a conversation about body literacy, fertility awareness, and why understanding your cycle might be the most empowering thing you do for your reproductive health.
Sabrina brings an engineering and product design background to her role as CEO of Cyclisity, the official charting app of Taking Charge of Your Fertility (TCOYF). Cyclisity was co-founded alongside Toni Weschler, MPH, the author of Taking Charge of Your Fertility and Sabrina's aunt. Built from the ground up to align with the TCOYF knowledge base, Cyclisity is designed to make the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) as accessible as possible for women everywhere - without sacrificing the science or the agency that makes FAM so powerful.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
What the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) actually is
The three biomarkers FAM uses to identify your fertile window: cervical fluid, basal body temperature (BBT), and optional cervical positioning
What your cervical fluid is actually telling you - from dry to sticky to creamy to egg white - and why that progression matters
How BBT confirms ovulation and why that temperature shift is your body's built-in confirmation system
Why stress, illness, and lifestyle can delay ovulation
The problem with predictive cycle apps and why apps that just calculate averages from past cycles are not the same as tracking your actual body

More from Sabrina Nowicki, CEO of Cyclisity:
Cyclisity App - Available now on the Apple App Store (US & Canada); Android version coming soon
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH
Follow Cyclisity on Instagram: @Cyclisity & on TikTok: @Cyclisityapp
Follow Sabrina personally: @wanderingsabrina on all platforms
Visit Cyclisity.com

Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Discharge as Fertility Signal
02:21 Why Fertility Awareness
05:56 FAM Basics Explained
13:04 Stress Delays Ovulation
16:48 Cycle Syncing Myths
22:07 Why Build Cyclisity App
27:39 Why Predictive Apps Fail
39:01 Regulating After Birth Control
45:35 Where To Find Cyclisity

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