The Birth Experience with Labor Nurse Mama

Thanks to our Sponsor Haakaa
What if the most powerful postpartum tool you own isn’t a gadget at all, but a piece of fabric that keeps your baby close?
This week, Trish sits down with Skye Amundsen and Mallory Bransfield, the best friends and co-founders behind hope&plum. They’re the size-inclusive baby carrier brand that moms across Trish’s community can’t stop talking about, and Trish’s own team happens to be full of fangirls. In 2018, Skye and Mallory were two new moms who were fed up with carriers that didn’t fit every body and brands that turned babywearing into a race to “score the drop.” So they built something better.
Skye shares how a ring sling became her first “faith purchase” during IVF, and how babywearing helped her reclaim her motherhood during her daughter’s two-week NICU stay. Mallory opens up about how it kept her connected to her baby through a hard breastfeeding journey. Trish, a mom of seven who has watched babywearing go in and out of style for nearly three decades, brings the real talk. Moms have been sold a myth, she says, that keeping baby close holds them back. It actually gives them more freedom.
In this episode:
How a frustrating shopping experience turned into an eight-figure, size-inclusive brand
Skye’s NICU story and why babywearing felt like a way to take back control
Babywearing through breastfeeding struggles, triple feeds, and pumping
The research-backed benefits: co-regulation, less crying, support for nursing, and lower rates of postpartum depression
Why babywearing is a cultural practice, not a trend, and why education matters as much as the carrier
Safety, the legal bar that’s “entirely too low,” and brands chasing a money grab
Staying true to your mission as a founder (and a mom) when things get hard
Two pieces of advice for expecting mamas: find your community, and trust your intuition

More from Skye & Mallory:
Website: hopeandplum.co
Instagram: @hopeandplum
TikTok: @hopeandplum

Thanks to our Sponsor Haakaa: Grab the Haakaa Petal Soft Silicone Milk Collector and use code ‘LOVELNM10’ for 10% off!
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Hope and Plum
06:17 Skye’s NICU Babywearing Experience
08:27 Mallory’s Breastfeeding Struggles
14:45 Benefits of Babywearing
30:04 Business And Motherhood Never Pause
38:43 Where To Find Hope And Plum

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

At 28, with four little boys at home, no money for the trip, and a stomach virus she couldn’t shake, Trish boarded a plane to India alone to bring her daughter home. She didn’t know if she’d leave with her. She definitely didn’t know that September 11th would happen while she was there, and that every flight to America would be grounded.
This episode is deeply personal. Trish’s adoption story went viral as an Instagram carousel, but she’s telling the parts a carousel couldn’t hold. There’s the courtroom, the embassy, the stranding in Mumbai, and the homecoming that still chokes her up. It’s a story about being scared and going anyway, and about the people who show up to carry you when you can’t see the whole path.
In this episode, Trish shares:
Why she stopped waiting at home for a court date and decided she had to show up in person
The surprise buddy pass that made the trip possible, first class, y’all
Meeting her 15-month-old daughter, who screamed and ran the other way, and the lollipop that changed everything
Getting in trouble in an Indian courtroom for crossing her legs
A taxi door to the head, a very sick baby, and refusing to leave the American Embassy without her paperwork
Being stranded in Mumbai on 9/11 with no flights and no phone lines home, and the one person she met that saved them
Flying home with a plane full of military men passing her baby around, and the 50 people waiting in Chattanooga
The three lessons from that trip that shaped who she is today

What Trish carries with her:
You can make a meaningful decision without feeling confident about it.
You can stick with something important when it gets complicated.
You can take the next step without knowing the whole path, and let people come alongside you to help.

If there’s a decision in front of you right now, ask yourself: what’s one thing you can do with what you know today, and who can come alongside you? Then take the scary step.
If this story moved you, share it with a mama who’s facing her own leap of faith.
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Adoption Leap Begins
04:23 First Meeting Sithara
05:55 Courtroom Culture Shock
09:58 9/11 & Stranded in Mumbai
10:52 Help from Shikha
14:21 Homecoming
15:03 Three Lessons from This Trip

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 spend months preparing for birth, but what about the feeding journey that starts the moment baby arrives? Breastfeeding isn’t just a “from the chest up” experience. It’s a whole-body journey for both mama and baby.
This week, Trish sits down with Melissa Bradley, a pediatric occupational therapist, certified lactation counselor, and mom of four. Together they talk through how to prepare your mind, body, and home for breastfeeding before baby gets here. They cover the emotional prep no one talks about, the “mommy injuries” that come from poor positioning, why the hospital’s Breastfeeding 101 class is only the beginning, and the few supplies Melissa says you truly need.
In this episode:
Why breastfeeding is a whole-body experience for mom and baby
How to plan for emotional regulation and support before you come home
Setting boundaries around visitors without the guilt, and choosing your “village”
Mommy shoulder, mommy wrist, and mommy thumb: what they are and how to prevent them
Creating a comfortable, supportive feeding space
Why the medical system is reactive, and how to have support ready before problems start
Debunking breastfeeding myths from social media and even providers
Pumping vs. nursing, wearable pumps, and choosing what works for you
Melissa’s short list of must-have breastfeeding supplies

Connect with Melissa Bradley, OT, CLC:
mamababecharlotte.com
Follow her on Instagram @mamababecharlotte
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Preparing for Breastfeeding
04:45 Emotional Prep And Support
08:26 Setting Boundaries
12:13 Physical Setup And Injuries
17:07 Get Proactive Lactation Help
21:59 Personalized Goals And Myths
26:52 Minimal Must Have Supplies

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 Motif Medical
After 16 years as a high-risk labor and delivery nurse, Trish shares the five truths she wishes every mama heard before she puts on that hospital gown. Spoiler: you don't have to be the "good patient," and you don't have to prove a thing.
In this episode:
You don't lose your autonomy in a hospital gown. Trish explains why "they won't let you" thinking starts in your head, and how to ask questions calmly without becoming combative.
You don't need to prove anything in labor. There's no trophy for suffering. Unmedicated, epidural, or somewhere in between, it's your birth, and you're allowed to change your mind.
Your support person needs to know their assignment. Trish shares what your partner should know before labor starts, from counterpressure to knowing when you want quiet.
Labor doesn't look the same for everyone. Stalls, starts, long pushes, and short ones are all normal variations. Trish explains the difference between labor taking time and labor becoming unsafe.
A good birth isn't one where everything went to plan. Trish talks about preparing without trying to control your birth, and why you're allowed to grieve the parts that didn't go how you hoped.

"Birth preparation is not about controlling your birth. It is about helping you feel prepared enough to navigate birth." - Trish
Send this episode to the person who'll be in the delivery room with you, or to a pregnant bestie. You shouldn't be the only one preparing for this birth.💗
Thanks to our sponsor Motif Medical: Go to motifmedical.com and use code ‘TRISH15’ for 15% off!
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 5 Things Every Pregnant Mama Should Know
02:03 Autonomy
04:10 No Need To Prove Anything
06:33 Your Support Partner
09:47 Every Labor Looks Different
12:13 Redefining A Good Birth
14:52 The Right Birth Prep

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

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