International birth educator, creator of EmbodyBirth™ and BellydanceBirth®, and mother of three Maha al Musa joins the podcast. She discusses motherhood and her work, including her intuitive movement program for pregnancy and her holistic childbirth trainings offered to birth workers worldwide. IP+ members have access to her work within our subscription library! Connect with Maha online: @embodybirthinternational and mahaalmusa.com Access Maha's content on Informed Pregnancy+ Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content HERE!  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychologist, program director of The Motherhood Space, mom to 2, and creator of Motherhood Feels Dr. Jill Garrett joins the podcast to discuss her work and perinatal mental health. Connect with Dr. Jill online: @motherhoodfeels and Motherhood Feels Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restauranteur and mother of two Stephanie Devlin talks about her challenging journey to parenthood including an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, an unplanned C-section, and finally a healing home birth. Connect with Stephanie online: @stephdevv Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, educator, mother, and grandmother Ina May Gaskin joins the podcast in celebration of our 400th episode! She single handedly resuscitated the practice of modern midwifery, founded and directed The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee, and retired only after 44 years of attending births. We are honored to have Ina May here in conversation. A special thank you goes to Sarah Culver on Ina May's team for her tireless assistance in helping us produce this episode! We appreciate you! Connect with Ina May Gaskin online: Ina May on Facebook Learn more about Ina May: National Women's Hall of Fame Reach Sarah here: @stead.at.home.mum Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

VBAC doula, childbirth educator, and host of The VBAC Link podcast Meagan Heaton shares her own personal birth stories and discusses the path to her work today. Connect with Meagan online: @thevbaclink Learn more about The VBAC Link podcast here: TheVBACLink.com Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Placenta encapsulation specialist and mother Valerie Rosas discusses everything you need to know about your placenta options including raw versus steamed, the process and the benefits, and how she got into the profession. Connect with Valerie online: @feelgoodplacenta Learn more about placenta encapsulation services by Valerie: The Feel Good Company Placenta Encapsulation Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Co-founder and CEO of NEXUS Rachel Gerrol returns to the podcast to talk about her new baby and giving birth for the first time at age 45.  NEXUS is a premier international community of young investors and social entrepreneurs who collaborate to use their wealth to accelerate social, political, and environmental justice and change. Connect with Rachel online: @rachelgerrol Learn more about NEXUS: nexusglobal.org Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out our new visual series Empowered Mama! Join host and mother of two Arista Ilona as she elicits inspiring and hopeful stories of pregnancy, birth and parenthood from everyday mothers through a lens of celebration and honor. Empowered Mama is available exclusively on Informed Pregnancy Plus. Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's an unbelievable personal story about the long path to parenthood. Recognized for her dynamic work in innovative philanthropy with a global impact, co-founder and CEO of NEXUS Rachel Gerrol joins the podcast to talk about her years long IVF experience, her first pregnancy at 45 years old, and how she's preparing for birth.  NEXUS is a premier international community of young investors and social entrepreneurs who collaborate to use their wealth to accelerate social, political, and environmental justice and change. Connect with Rachel online: @rachelgerrol Learn more about NEXUS: nexusglobal.org Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out this raw, beautiful film about infertility and modern families on Informed Pregnancy Plus: One More Shot "Infertility has never been revealed in a film like this before. Shot first person and told from the participants themselves, this is an unflinching look at the hope, loss, and humor that come from trying to start a family when you can’t do it the old fashioned way." Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doula and entrepreneur Dawn Thompson discusses her path to becoming a birth worker and advocate, the creation of her perinatal support platform Birthify, and life as a mother of 6. Connect with Dawn online: @birthify_ and birthify.net  Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out this raw, beautiful film about infertility and modern families on Informed Pregnancy Plus: One More Shot "Infertility has never been revealed in a film like this before. Shot first person and told from the participants themselves, this is an unflinching look at the hope, loss, and humor that come from trying to start a family when you can’t do it the old fashioned way." Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Alexis Jones had a challenging road to parenthood. She joins the podcast to chat about learning to let go of control and Joy Hunter, a raw memoir about her experience with love, loss, and discovery. Connect with Alexis online: @alexisjones and alexisjones.com  Get Alexis' book Joy Hunter: Messy Faceplants, Radical Love, and the Journey That Changed Everything Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out this raw, beautiful film about infertility and modern families on Informed Pregnancy Plus: One More Shot "Infertility has never been revealed in a film like this before. Shot first person and told from the participants themselves, this is an unflinching look at the hope, loss, and humor that come from trying to start a family when you can’t do it the old fashioned way." Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer and director Rylee Ebsen shares her pregnancy and birth story filled with call sheets, unconventional choices, and the challenge of blending a demanding career and the transformative path of parenthood. Connect with Rylee online:  @directorrylee and ryleejeanebsen.com Want more pregnancy + parenting? Check out this raw, beautiful film about infertility and modern families on Informed Pregnancy Plus: One More Shot "Infertility has never been revealed in a film like this before. Shot first person and told from the participants themselves, this is an unflinching look at the hope, loss, and humor that come from trying to start a family when you can’t do it the old fashioned way." Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doula, childbirth educator, and host of the Birthful podcast Adriana Lozada is passionate about childbirth. She discusses her work in the perinatal wellness space, the shortcomings of the modern hospital birth care system, and the path she took after her own daughter was born. Connect with Adriana online: @birthfulpodcast and www.birthful.com Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Informed Pregnancy Media Spotlight: watch The Business of Being Born on IP+ now! Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Missouri mother of 3 Joyce Wheeler joins the podcast for a conversation on surrogacy. As a case manager for gestational surrogacy and an experienced surrogate herself, Joyce shares her wealth of knowledge gathered over the years including how she got into the field and her personal surrogacy experiences. Connect with Joyce online: @fairfaxsurrogacy and www.fairfaxsurrogacy.com Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Informed Pregnancy Media Spotlight: watch The Business of Being Born on IP+ now! Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Nathan Riley, an OBGYN specializing in low intervention home births and palliative care, joins us to discuss how he got into birth work, his approach to prenatal lifestyle counseling, and life as a dad of two. Connect with Dr. Riley online: @nathanrileyobgyn and bornfreemethod.com Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Birth Film Spotlight: watch The Business of Being Born on IP+ now! Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brand strategist and SoCal native Kara Sutton returns to tell us about the ups and downs of the birth of her third baby. She shares all the exciting details about labor and delivery including the outcome of her desired VBAC. Connect with Kara online: https://www.instagram.com/ikaraboutyou Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy Plus (IP+) and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Birth Film Spotlight: watch The Business of Being Born on IP+ now! Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Award winning brand strategist and southern California native Kara Sutton shares about her first two births while preparing for her third baby. After an amazing show of strength and resilience, including a traumatic loss, Kara is hoping for a successful first VBAC. Connect with Kara online: https://www.instagram.com/ikaraboutyou Start your FREE TRIAL of Informed Pregnancy+ and get access to all our curated pregnancy and parenting content: https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/  Birth Film Spotlight: watch The Business of Being Born on IP+ now! Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a special holiday hello, Dr. Berlin would like to wish everyone a peaceful season and send a grateful 'thank you' to IPP listeners for all the support. He shares about Informed Pregnancy Plus and replays a fan favorite episode: Ricki Lake joins in conversation about life and film on the 10th anniversary of her trailblazing film The Business of Being Born. Connect with Ricki online: https://www.instagram.com/rickilake/ Watch The Business of Being Born here! Informed Pregnancy Plus is our all new streaming platform focused on pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting where you can find iconic content like Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born, Baby by Simone prenatal workouts, and educational offerings like Dr. Alyssa's The AfterBirth Plan. Start your free trial of IP+ today and start watching NOW: informedpregnancy.tv Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UK-based pregnancy and postnatal yoga teacher, Informed Pregnancy Plus contributor, and certified nutritional therapist Tara Lee talks about how her own birth journeys shaped her yoga practice.  Connect with Tara online: https://www.instagram.com/taraleeyoga/  and https://www.taraleeyoga.com/ Start your FREE Informed Pregnancy+ subscription and try a virtual yoga class with Tara:  https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/videos/prenatal-yoga-with-tara-lee Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holistic nutritionist and co-founder of Needed Ryan Woodbury shares her own pregnancy and birth journey, how she found holistic medicine, and tips on choosing a supplement. Needed is a nutrition-powered company created by two mothers and trained nutritionists with the mission of finding a better way to deliver mothers and families life-long health.  Connect with Ryan online: https://www.instagram.com/ryrywoodbury/ Learn more about Needed: https://thisisneeded.com/ Start your FREE Informed Pregnancy+ subscription and check out our blog here: https://informedpregnancy.com/single-post/cultivating-connection-pregnant-partner-yoga/ Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Documentary filmmaker and Charlotte Howden struggled with severe hyperemesis during pregnancy and turned her story into a film. Sick - The Battle Against HG is the untold story of women experiencing Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a severe sickness affecting 3 million pregnant women which has led to thousands of abortions of wanted children and 9 months of hell. HG campaigner Charlotte challenges the medical profession and explores women's politics, secrets, and loss, and reveals new scientific breakthroughs in HG research. Watch Charlotte's film Sick for FREE on Informed Pregnancy+ from now until January 31, 2024! https://www.informedpregnancy.tv/sick-the-battle-against-hg Connect with Charlotte online: https://www.instagram.com/the_sick_film/ Learn more about Charlotte's films: https://bio.link/brushedofffilms/ Keep up with Dr. Berlin and the Informed Pregnancy Project online! www.informedpregnancy.com www.instagram.com/doctorberlin/ www.facebook.com/InformedPregnancy www.twitter.com/doctorberlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices