The MamasteFit Podcast

On the MamasteFit Podcast, perinatal fitness trainer/doula Gina and certified nurse-midwife Roxanne interview Madalynne, a military mom, about her two births—especially her wildly fast second labor. With her first, she prepared intensely, went overdue with gestational diabetes, chose an induction (Foley bulb and Cytotec), labored with strong pushing urges before full dilation, delivered a 7 lb 14 oz baby, and recovered from a third-degree tear with helpful doula support (before her husband deployed 21 days postpartum). Pregnant again at eight months postpartum, she did pelvic floor therapy, felt great, and expected to go late—until dehydration and “not-labor” turned into five-hour labor at 37+4, ending with a roadside birth in downtown Savannah where her husband caught the baby with midwife guidance over the phone, paramedics arrived, and she had a barely second-degree tear plus newly christened “birthing stocks.” The episode wraps with car-birth prep tips (towels/blankets, a barrier for fluids, and calling L&D/911).

00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:20 Meet the Hosts
01:07 Madalynne Joins In
01:23 First Pregnancy Pivot
04:01 Birth Prep Deep Dive
06:21 Overdue and Induction
09:30 Labor Urge to Push
12:58 Birth and Recovery
14:16 Doula Support Postpartum
15:56 Second Pregnancy Reset
20:06 Early Labor Warning Signs
25:26 Contractions and Denial
29:59 Tub Labor and Go Time
34:14 Fifty Minute Reality Check
35:16 Rerouting to Closer Hospital
37:25 Water Breaks on Freeway
39:15 Ring of Fire Downtown
40:43 Baby Born in Yard
43:08 Ambulance and Cord Cut
46:38 ER Triage and Tear Repair
49:35 Processing the Wild Birth
52:25 Postpartum Life with Two
54:11 Car Cleanup and Neighbors
55:46 Advice for Fast Labor
57:53 Wrap Up and Car Birth Tips

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🎉 Grab Your Copy of Training for Two → https://amzn.to/3VOTdwH
Your go-to guide for prenatal fitness, birth prep, and postpartum recovery.

👇 Start Preparing for Birth Today
📥 Download our free Birth Prep Circuit Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-for-birth-circuit
📥 Grab our free Pelvic Floor Prep Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-your-pelvic-floor-for-labor/
Learn how to relax and lengthen your pelvic floor to support a smoother labor and pushing phase.

💻 Explore Our Online Programs:
Whether you're pregnant or postpartum—we’ve got you covered with expert-led fitness and education:
🏋🏻‍♀️ Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Programs
🎓 Childbirth + Postpartum Education Courses
→ https://mamastefit.com

🤱 Just Had a Baby?
📥 Grab our free Postpartum Core Workouts → https://mamastefit.kit.com/core
Start reconnecting with your core and feeling strong again—safely and confidently.

———

📲 Follow Us on Instagram for Daily Tips + BTS
https://instagram.com/mamastefit

———

✨ Shop Our Favorites:
⚡️ Electrolytes we love → https://drinklmnt.com/mamaste
🌿 Supplements we trust – 20% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://thisisneeded.com/ginaandroxanne
👖 Maternity clothing we actually wear – 10% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://rstr.co/lovesteady/3500
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This episode shares practical labor relaxation tips to help the pelvic floor soften so baby can navigate more easily, especially when contractions make it hard to drop into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode. It covers the jaw–pelvic floor connection (via fascia and the nervous system), using a soft jaw/open mouth, deep low vocalizations (instead of high “eee” tension), “horsey lips” and pursed-lip breathing, and a simple head-to-toe relaxation sequence partners can cue. It also highlights breathing options (box breathing or long exhales), comfort techniques that break the fear–tension–pain cycle (jiggling/massage, hip circles/shifts, hydrotherapy), and notes an epidural can sometimes help if tension won’t release. Finally, it explains why the toilet can be the “dilation station”—unless it makes contractions too intense to cope.

00:00 Pelvic Floor Relaxation
01:22 Four Key Tips
02:10 Jaw Pelvic Floor Link
03:48 Vocal Sounds Practice
05:41 Relaxation Sequence
09:00 Breathing For Softening
10:45 Fear Tension Pain Cycle
11:46 Jiggling Massage Movement
14:23 Hydrotherapy And Epidural
16:17 Toilet Dilation Station
19:03 Final Recap And Outro

————

🎉 Grab Your Copy of Training for Two → https://amzn.to/3VOTdwH
Your go-to guide for prenatal fitness, birth prep, and postpartum recovery.

👇 Start Preparing for Birth Today
📥 Download our free Birth Prep Circuit Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-for-birth-circuit
📥 Grab our free Pelvic Floor Prep Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-your-pelvic-floor-for-labor/
Learn how to relax and lengthen your pelvic floor to support a smoother labor and pushing phase.

💻 Explore Our Online Programs:
Whether you're pregnant or postpartum—we’ve got you covered with expert-led fitness and education:
🏋🏻‍♀️ Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Programs
🎓 Childbirth + Postpartum Education Courses
→ https://mamastefit.com

🤱 Just Had a Baby?
📥 Grab our free Postpartum Core Workouts → https://mamastefit.kit.com/core
Start reconnecting with your core and feeling strong again—safely and confidently.

———

📲 Follow Us on Instagram for Daily Tips + BTS
https://instagram.com/mamastefit

———

✨ Shop Our Favorites:
⚡️ Electrolytes we love → https://drinklmnt.com/mamaste
🌿 Supplements we trust – 20% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://thisisneeded.com/ginaandroxanne
👖 Maternity clothing we actually wear – 10% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://rstr.co/lovesteady/3500
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Certified nurse midwife Roxanne explains what it means when your water breaks (rupture of membranes), what amniotic fluid does, and why for over 90% of people it’s not the first sign of labor. She reviews SROM (water breaks during labor after 37 weeks), PROM (water breaks before contractions after 37 weeks, occurring in about 6–9% of pregnancies), PPROM (before 37 weeks), and the rare en caul birth. Using the TACO/COAT acronym, she covers what to note: time, amount (gush vs trickle), color (clear/pink normal; green meconium; bright red concerning), and odor (distinct from urine; foul odor may signal infection). She explains provider tests (nitrazine, ferning, point-of-care tests, speculum/vaginal exam) and emphasizes limiting vaginal exams to reduce infection risk, especially after 24 hours; discusses monitoring, antibiotics, induction options, and Dilapan for PROM.

----------------------🎉 Grab Your Copy of Training for Two → https://amzn.to/3VOTdwHYour go-to guide for prenatal fitness, birth prep, and postpartum recovery.👇 Start Preparing for Birth Today📥 Download our free Birth Prep Circuit Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-for-birth-circuit📥 Grab our free Pelvic Floor Prep Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-your-pelvic-floor-for-labor/Learn how to relax and lengthen your pelvic floor to support a smoother labor and pushing phase.💻 Explore Our Online Programs:Whether you're pregnant or postpartum—we’ve got you covered with expert-led fitness and education:🏋🏻‍♀️ Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Programs🎓 Childbirth + Postpartum Education Courses→ https://mamastefit.com🤱 Just Had a Baby?📥 Grab our free Postpartum Core Workouts → https://mamastefit.kit.com/coreStart reconnecting with your core and feeling strong again—safely and confidently.———📲 Follow Us on Instagram for Daily Tips + BTShttps://instagram.com/mamastefit———✨ Shop Our Favorites:⚡️ Electrolytes we love → https://drinklmnt.com/mamaste🌿 Supplements we trust – 20% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://thisisneeded.com/ginaandroxanne👖 Maternity clothing we actually wear – 10% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://rstr.co/lovesteady/3500

On the MamasteFit Podcast, Gina (perinatal fitness trainer/birth doula) and Roxanne (certified nurse midwife) interview Kendra, an ICU nurse and mom of three, as she shares two epidural births and her third hospital birth—unmedicated—with doula support. She reflects on initially skipping childbirth prep, feeling disconnected while pushing with a strong epidural, and later attempting an unmedicated induction during COVID that ended in an epidural after she yelled the safe word (only to be fully dilated right after). Between babies, Kendra describes an early pregnancy loss with little support, then fertility testing and Clomid before conceiving baby #3. Kendra switched to a midwife-friendly hospital, used pelvic floor prep, a TENS unit, music “DJ” duties for her partner, minimal cervical checks, and achieved her goal of delivering without an epidural, followed by solid postpartum care and breastfeeding.

00:00 Podcast Introduction
01:42 Kendra Background Prep
04:30 First Birth Epidural
06:42 Reflecting Informed Consent
07:53 Second Birth Unmedicated Goal
11:57 Induction Tapping Out
15:03 Miscarriage Care Gaps
18:59 Fertility Workup Clomid
23:20 Pregnancy After Loss
25:34 Doula Course Prep
33:11 Switching To Midwives
35:40 Birth Plan Details
36:41 Pregnancy Ups and Downs
39:20 Early Labor at Home
45:11 Heading to the Hospital
46:45 Admitted and Settling In
50:22 Transition and Coping
56:01 Pushing and Surprise Girl
59:26 Golden Hour and Aftercare
01:01:48 Postpartum Recovery
01:05:11 Advice and Wrap Up

————

🎉 Grab Your Copy of Training for Two → https://amzn.to/3VOTdwH
Your go-to guide for prenatal fitness, birth prep, and postpartum recovery.

👇 Start Preparing for Birth Today
📥 Download our free Birth Prep Circuit Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-for-birth-circuit
📥 Grab our free Pelvic Floor Prep Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-your-pelvic-floor-for-labor/
Learn how to relax and lengthen your pelvic floor to support a smoother labor and pushing phase.

💻 Explore Our Online Programs:
Whether you're pregnant or postpartum—we’ve got you covered with expert-led fitness and education:
🏋🏻‍♀️ Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Programs
🎓 Childbirth + Postpartum Education Courses
→ https://mamastefit.com

🤱 Just Had a Baby?
📥 Grab our free Postpartum Core Workouts → https://mamastefit.kit.com/core
Start reconnecting with your core and feeling strong again—safely and confidently.

———

📲 Follow Us on Instagram for Daily Tips + BTS
https://instagram.com/mamastefit

———

✨ Shop Our Favorites:
⚡️ Electrolytes we love → https://drinklmnt.com/mamaste
🌿 Supplements we trust – 20% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://thisisneeded.com/ginaandroxanne
👖 Maternity clothing we actually wear – 10% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://rstr.co/lovesteady/3500
——

Certified nurse-midwife and labor nurse Roxanne explains what a TENS unit (transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation) is, how it may reduce pain via gate control theory and endogenous opioid release, and why starting it earlier in labor may help more. She reviews evidence showing TENS can substantially reduce reported labor pain, allow mobility, and may shorten labor compared with epidurals, while avoiding common IV pain medication side effects like nausea and drowsiness. She also covers use in pregnancy for musculoskeletal pain (avoid abdomen and neck), and postpartum use including on the belly for uterine cramps and for C-section recovery (pads above/below incision associated with lower pain scores, faster bowel function return, and improved recovery). The video demonstrates pad placement, intensity “boost” during contractions, water safety cautions, and what to look for when buying (battery power, adjustable intensity, four leads, one-hand control), comparing budget Amazon units with Babycare OB TENS, Elle TENS+, and Elle TENS 2 features.

BabyCare TENS: 10MAMASTEFIT For 10% off:
https://tensforlabor.com/mamastefit

🎉 Grab Your Copy of Training for Two → https://amzn.to/3VOTdwHYour go-to guide for prenatal fitness, birth prep, and postpartum recovery.👇 Start Preparing for Birth Today📥 Download our free Birth Prep Circuit Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-for-birth-circuit📥 Grab our free Pelvic Floor Prep Guide → https://mamastefit.com/freebies/prepare-your-pelvic-floor-for-labor/Learn how to relax and lengthen your pelvic floor to support a smoother labor and pushing phase.💻 Explore Our Online Programs:Whether you're pregnant or postpartum—we’ve got you covered with expert-led fitness and education:🏋🏻‍♀️ Prenatal & Postpartum Fitness Programs🎓 Childbirth + Postpartum Education Courses→ https://mamastefit.com🤱 Just Had a Baby?📥 Grab our free Postpartum Core Workouts → https://mamastefit.kit.com/coreStart reconnecting with your core and feeling strong again—safely and confidently.———📲 Follow Us on Instagram for Daily Tips + BTShttps://instagram.com/mamastefit———✨ Shop Our Favorites:⚡️ Electrolytes we love → https://drinklmnt.com/mamaste🌿 Supplements we trust – 20% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://thisisneeded.com/ginaandroxanne👖 Maternity clothing we actually wear – 10% off with code MAMASTEFIT → https://rstr.co/lovesteady/3500