Labor Horror Stories vs. Empowered Birth: What No One Tells You

EP:94

Let’s talk about the thing nobody warns you about—why some moms leave the hospital traumatized, while others walk out feeling strong, empowered, and proud.

Is it luck? Nope. The doctor you get? Not really. Pain tolerance? Definitely not.

In this episode, Stephanie breaks down the real reason behind labor horror stories—and how to flip the script so YOU feel in control, confident, and ready to rock your birth. You’ll learn the four most important ways to prepare for a positive, powerful labor—and why now is the time to start.

What You’ll Learn:

• The #1 difference between birth trauma and birth empowerment
• Why prenatal education is EVERYTHING (and backed by research)
• How knowing your rights protects your peace
• The truth about building a supportive birth team
• Why most birth plans don’t work—and how to make yours powerful

Resources & Links:
🔥 Grab the Bump To Bundle Blueprint childbirth course
🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for pregnancy + breastfeeding tips:
🎧 Listen to: 5 Red Flags Your Doctor Isn’t Supporting You 

Connect with Stephanie:
Website: birthprepacademy.com

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Transcript

0:05

Hi, I'm Stephanie Poole, founder and CEO of Birth Prep Academy. I'm on a mission to help pregnant moms prepare for their first hospital birth. I'm sharing revealing conversations about what it really takes to successfully transition into motherhood. So join me. Here to discover things like what to expect in childbirth, how to prepare for your birth. We'll also talk about breastfeeding and so much more. I'm so grateful to share it all with you right here on Oh Baby, the podcast created for pregnant moms preparing for their first hospital birth. Let's get started. Have you ever heard a birth story that made you feel terrified to give birth? I'm talking about you hear about someone's labor and suddenly you're thinking, oh my goodness, what did I get myself into? Or maybe on the flip side, you've heard a story that made you feel totally confident and now you're like, okay, I got this. I can do this. Well, in today's episode, you'll learn what the real difference is between a labor horror story and an empowered birth. Is it just luck? Is it the doctor you get? Or some magical pain tolerance? I'm here to tell you no, no and no. There's actually a big difference between the two. And today I'm gonna break it all down for you in case you're new here. My name is Stephanie Poole. I'm a doula and a clinically trained lactation consultant. So I've worked in labor and delivery and I've. Actually seen both sides of the coin. I've seen all kinds of moms after birth and it's crazy because there's always ones that leave the hospital looking and feeling traumatized. I'm talking, they look like birth just happened to him. Just hit him dead on like. A Mack truck, like boom. It just happened and there was no control, no preparation, just it happened those moms seem to feel helpless, scared, and even sometimes unheard. And meanwhile, I've helped women who walk away feeling like a total birth boss. I'm talking, they are confident. They're strong and they're proud of what they just did, proud of what their body just accomplished. So you might be asking, well, what's the difference? What happened? How could that be? Right? Well, it's not just about the pain. It's not just about whether or not you have a C-section or a vaginal birth, and it's not just about the luck of the draw with the hospital that you go to. in fact, the difference comes down to one thing, and that is preparation and not the pack your hospital bag and hope for the best type of preparation. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about something way more important, and by the way, If you want to avoid a birth horror story, I'm not gonna drag it out all the way through the video. I'm gonna tell you upfront, it's simply preparation. But not the kind of preparation that just tells you to write a birth plan and cross your fingers. No, ma'am. We are not doing that this year. Let me say that again. We're not doing that this year. This year, right now with this pregnancy and this birth, you're going to be prepared. I mean the kind of preparation that actually puts you Yes. You right there on the other side of this computer screen. You, my friend, it puts you in charge of your birth experience. So. I'm gonna give you a few key things that you can do to have what I would call a more empowered birth. Okay? So with that being said, go ahead and get your pen, get your paper, break out your phone app. If you need to hop into, um, the notes app is what I mean, so that you can really catch this and. Hit the ground running. I want you to pick this stuff up. and I want you to have an empowered birth. Okay? All right, so. The very first way or the very first thing that you can do to have an empowered birth is simply by getting educated. Now, let me say this again very plainly'cause I know it sounds real basic, but y'all education is everything. Everything. And we know this, not just because it's my opinion, because it is my opinion. Um, you know, I feel very strongly about this, which is why my area of focus has really shifted from the clinical aspect to the education aspect, That alone is enough for you to just trust me at this, but in case it's not, in case you want evidence, we know that research shows that women who get education prenatally before they give birth, those women are more likely to have a positive birth experience. Now I need to lean forward and hopefully kind of. Ring in your ears a little bit. Okay. Women who get education prenatally before birth are more likely to have a positive birth experience. That's what the data shows. So we know this and because we know that it's important to reiterate that education is absolutely everything. As a matter of fact, the moms who feel the most in control, well, they didn't just wing it. They learned what to expect. They learned what's normal in labor. They learned what's not normal and how to navigate the unexpected. So when you have that knowledge, you don't feel blindsided. You feel ready? All right. Okay. Moving on to step two of things that you can do to feel more empowered. All right. Step number two is to know your rights. And yes, you do have rights in the delivery room. You have options. You have a choice. And when you know the difference between what's medically necessary and what's just a hospital policy, you can make informed choices instead of feeling pressured into things that you don't really want All right. Moving on to the next thing that you can do to have a empowered birth. I keep saying that over and over again because these things are really important. The next thing is to build your birth team wisely. Build your birth team wisely. You've heard me say this in other videos, and I'm gonna reiterate it here because that's how important it is. This is absolutely huge. Listen, not every doctor or midwife is gonna support your birth goals. And if you've ever felt dismissed or rushed at an appointment, then that is a big red flag my friend. Pay attention. Your birth team should make you feel heard. They should make you feel respected and confident, not scared and not silenced. And if you missed my last video on the five red flags that your doctor isn't supporting your birth, then I'm gonna link it here so that you can go and watch that. Okay? It'll be your homework. Just check in the card section and also in the description box below. So yeah, be sure to check that out. Alright, the next thing that I wanna talk about, last, but not least as they say, is to have a solid birth plan. Now listen, this isn't just about writing out a list and handing it to your doctor, right? I told you we're not doing that this year. They get those all the time. But you, you mama, you're gonna be different. You're gonna write a good birth plan. A good birth plan is one that actually shows you how to navigate labor and not just something that you hope your provider follows. It's a tool for communication, and I teach you exactly how to create one of those inside of Bump Tob bundle blueprint. Now you might be wondering, okay, I get it. Preparation is key, but how do I actually prepare for my birth the right way? And that's exactly what I'm covering. In the next episode, I'm gonna go over, step by step a plan that you can use to prepare for your birth the right way so that you can go from, I don't know what the heck I'm doing to, oh, watch out.'cause I got this. Okay. It's in the next video. I am breaking it all down for you so that you can walk into your birth feeling confident and not scared. Just go ahead and click the next video and I'll see you there. Bye.