(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
Welcome to the birth prep podcast. I'm Taylor, your birth bestie, who's here to support you as you plan and prepare for the unmedicated birth of your dreams. If you're ready to ditch the fear, conquer the hospital hustle, support that bum and bod, and walk into the delivery room like the HGIC you were born to be, then buckle up, babe.
This is where it all goes down. Hello, hello, and welcome back to the birth prep podcast. I'm Taylor.
I'm so glad you're here hanging out with me today. First of all, can I just say congratulations? I am so excited for you. Bringing a baby into this world is literally, there's nothing like it.
I saw a post the other day, like maybe it was yesterday, I don't know. I was scrolling, you know, as one does. And I saw this girl, she named like her top five mornings of her life.
Like, you know, like Thanksgiving day morning with Macy's Day parade on, the cinnamon rolls baking. Like, first of all, yes, girl. Secondly, her number one was the day after birth.
And I loved that. And honestly, the best day, right? Because you wake up and you're like, my baby's here. And it's like, it sets in, you're like, oh my gosh.
They're here, finally. Thank you, Jesus. They're awesome.
We love them so much. Everything is over. They're out of your body.
Thank you, Lord, for that. And everything is just beautiful and wonderful in the world. And it's honestly the best.
So I'm super excited for you to have that soon. If we haven't connected yet on Instagram, and you'd like to, I would love to hear more about you. I'd love to hear how far along you are, what your birth plan looks like, what you're working on for your birth prep, whatever, right? Like anything you'd love to share, I would love to hear it.
And while my DMs are often behind, they are always open. So anyways, I have been thinking about you guys a lot lately. I have been, I've been like, do I want to share this on the podcast? Okay, my podcast girlies get to know I'm working on a blog for thebirthprepcoach.com. So I used to have a blog way back when, oh my gosh, he just turned seven when my second baby was a tiny little baby.
I started a little mommy blog. That's how I got started in all this like online business stuff. So that's how I started just like a little blog I posted about everything.
It wasn't even just mommy. It was just my life, right? Like it was like succulents and crafts and baby stuff and just all the things sippy cups and pregnancy and it was just, you know, it was just a little party of Taylor's life. And you can go on there and read all the things.
Anyways, that blog is long gone now. And I have been missing it a little bit. So I've been working on that a little bit behind the scenes.
It's there's no release date. There's no like it's not ready yet at all. There are some posts up if you do want to read them, but they're just like I'm repurposing podcast episodes for those and throwing them up.
So if you listen to the podcast on a regular basis, it's pretty much the same thing. Just format it so it's nice for Google, you know, all that fun stuff. But I have been looking at a lot of things that I don't normally look at, like baby registries and products and pregnancy apps and you know, even gosh, even baby names like there's just like so many different, you know, moving parts of having a baby and starting a family and adding to your family and all of that.
And I was just I was looking through everything. I'm like, gosh, like back when I was doing it for the first time eight years ago, I was so overwhelmed then and there is like overload of information now. I mean, it was bad back then too.
But like, it's so much worse now. It's like every there's like literally so many options and so many decisions and so many ways you can go about things and so many people's opinions and you guys are navigating literally more than any pregnant people in the past have ever had to navigate. Isn't that wild? Like you guys have access to more information than any other generation of pregnant women before us.
And well, that could be a blessing, right? Information is really important. And I have what is that product, the birth plan method. I talked about how information is queen and how we need to like always make sure we get information before making decisions.
I'm like, you guys know how I feel about information and making informed decisions. Okay, I'm not going to get on that friggin soapbox right now. But when you have so much information and so many people feeding it to you, it's like, what are you actually taking in? Like, how do you decide what to take in and what to leave and what's going to serve you and what's not going to.
And that is where I think this generation of pregnant women have a pretty big disadvantage. And it's not that I think it's impossible to navigate and figure out. It's just that I think it takes a lot more effort now and a lot more intentionality to create the experience that you want.
Not even just for the birth experience, but the experience that you actually have preparing for your birth experience. I'm like, I don't want to be stressed out my whole birth experience, my whole birth. Gosh, what am I trying to say? My whole pregnancy experience.
I don't want to feel like I'm drowning in information and I'm going to get it wrong every 10 seconds. It's like, I don't want to be so stressed out that I'm scared that like, okay, which car seat should I put on the registry? And what should we do about, you know, what if baby can't breastfeed? And what if this and what if that, and we're going to have preschools to handle, and we're going to have birth stuff to navigate, we're gonna have visitors, and we're gonna have a baby shower to plan. And like, there's just so many things, right? And plus you got to name the kid, like, there's just like a million things to worry about.
And I don't want you guys to get consumed in all that. So usually what typically happens is you found out you're pregnant, and you start researching, you start scrolling, you start asking around, and suddenly, you're buried under books and blogs and courses and TikToks and reels and forums and unsolicited advice from your neighbor's cousin's dog groomer. And now you're just more confused than when you started.
So in this episode, I'm going to show you how to cut through the chaos, get some clarity, and actually make some confident decisions that support the unmedicated birth that you're dreaming about without needing 14 tabs open, and a PhD in obstetrics. Okay, so let's get into it. First and foremost, why is birth so loud? Like, why is there so much stuff like constant ads and constant, you know, influencers and because birth is a billion dollar industry.
Okay, we're just going to say it out loud. We're going to name it here today. That means there's a lot of people who benefit from keeping you unsure and anxious and overwhelmed because the more confused you are, the easier it is for you to just go with the flow.
And that flow, as we know, often leads straight to interventions and outcomes that you didn't plan for. So overnight, you have all these questions. So you start looking for answers.
And suddenly it feels like every influencer has a different opinion. And every provider says, trust me, I've seen it all. And every Facebook group post has 97 conflicting comments.
And somehow your own voice gets completely drowned out. And that's not your fault. It's by design.
And if you don't know how to create a strategy to cut through it all and reclaim your peace and power, you could very well spend your entire pregnancy consumed in information and not actually make any progress. So I want to talk to you guys for a second about how to tell what information actually matters. Most of my students are just dealing with a lot of unsolicited advice from family members and friends and things like that, coworkers, etc.
Or dealing just with like social media overwhelm. So when somebody is like, oh, well, should I listen to this or not, or blah, blah, whatever. I just encourage them to filter everything that they get through two questions.
Does this align with the birth that I'm trying to pull off? And does this support my autonomy and understanding? Or does it confuse and pressure me? Like, is it actually bringing value to help me make a decision? Is it bringing clarity? Is it bringing, you know, basically putting it through the do I actually need this or do I not like ringer? And over the years, I'm like making content and stuff. Obviously, I've made so many videos. It's ridiculous.
I remember one specific video where I just was like, you know, and it's one video, right? It was one thought that I had. And I was just like, so heated about something. And I just went off about the birth industry and how they set you up for failure and blah, blah.
And I believe all that, right. But I went about it in a very like, not great way. Like, I am confusing them.
I'm pressuring them. I'm making I'm basically like fear mongering them and blah, blah, blah, like kind of like pressuring them to take action. And like, I am here to help you gain understanding, help you honor your autonomy, help you pursue your birth goals.
That's what I'm here for. I'm not here to confuse or pressure or, or create more fear or anything like that. So that information probably wasn't very well received.
But that's okay. TikTok lets you make as many as you want. Not everything out there is bad, but it might not be right for you.
You don't need 40 different options. You need a clear framework to help you figure out what works for you and your body and your baby and your birth and all the things. This is why I teach strategy, not just information.
I could absolutely give you my entire birth plan and tell you exactly how I did every single little thing and all the decisions that I made and all the conversations that I had and scripts for all this. Like I could give you all that. Okay.
I could, I could absolutely do that easy. But if you don't have a strategy, every new piece of information feels like another, what if you have to juggle and that's exhausting. So me doing that would not actually serve you.
Honestly, the main thing that I teach you guys inside the birth prep course is how to become the literal main character. It's just dressed up as birth prep and don't get me wrong. There's birth prep in there for sure.
We talk about the hormones and the labor phases and the different positions and pain management options, et cetera. But what you really need is to become the head girlie in charge. Here is a mindset, mindset shift.
Here's a mindset shift. I want you to try. You don't need more information.
You need some better direction. I don't know about you, but I, I like getting my hands on as much information as possible personally, but sometimes that screws me over. Honestly, sometimes I have to be honest with myself.
Like Taylor, you have everything you need right now to make a decision or Taylor, you are feeding yourself pointless information to avoid making said decision because the goal isn't to consume everything. The goal is to build confidence and confidence comes from understanding how birth actually works and what your options are and how to advocate for yourself and how to stay grounded when things get really loud. And that's why I created the birth prep course.
That's why I didn't give you the step-by-step birth plan experience of Taylor Minnaberry and blah, blah, blah. Like, no, it takes you from zero knowledge to doula level strategy in a way that's clear and empowering and focused. So you're not just learning all the things about birth.
Cause honestly, what is that going to do for you? You wanted to make a decision about pain management options, and now you're buried in 300 saved videos of epidural versus no epidural birth and everybody's stories and this, that, and the other, and 15 different birth influencers on, on the internet and seven different birth workers that are trying to help you and like so many different things. And you, you're no closer than you were before. And again, information is important, but don't overload yourself that you bury yourself and you never actually get to making the decision.
Now, I don't know if you are having the same experience as me, but these 2024, 2025 days, but you go on a lot faster than those 2012, 2013 days. And, um, pregnancy is only 280 days. Like that's not a lot of time, babes.
Okay. Uh, I want to talk to you right now, very directly. You don't have the time to waste on this stuff.
And I'm not saying that to scare you. I am saying that to tell you that you need to put this stuff on the calendar. Even if it's an hour a week, you can get so much done in an hour, a week of focused time.
Okay. Seriously, so much done in an hour a week. Once you know the foundations of like how birth actually works and like your options really are and all that stuff.
Like if you had like an actually strategic way of preparing for things, it's so much easier and so much simpler than the typical, like, oh, well I have this real and I have this, this thing from my doctor and I have this article that my friends sent me. And I have the, like so many pieces of information to go through and they don't actually make any sense. There's no dots connected to them other than they're all about birth.
And I hear you. You're like, oh, Taylor, I want to do it strategically. And I want to do it the quote unquote right way.
There's no right way, but you know what I mean? Like the easiest, fastest, most efficient way. Fantastic. First of all, you should probably grab the unmedicated birth map and know not to just get your hands on some more information.
It's to get your hands on a strategy because inside that's what I give you inside. I, well, I compare preparing for your unmedicated birth to preparing for a road trip. And inside we talk about where you're headed, who's coming with you and how you're actually going to get there.
The benefits of a birth plan, like basically like some pretty strategic foundational things that can help give your information hunt some direction. So you can know what you need to actually start collecting. Before we wrap up for today, I wanted to get a little practical real quick.
You know, I like to get real practical. There's no action behind this information, babes. It's just information.
And we have enough of that. Remember? Anyways, I just wanted to chat with you really quick about what to do when you feel stuck in the scroll. I know that happens to me a lot, unfortunately.
Something I'm working hard on, but not as great as I want it to be quite yet. And it's really easy to do, especially when you get on there and you're like, oh, I'm going to look up those videos that I saved. And you open the app and you see a video and you scroll and you see another one and you scroll again and you see another one.
It's like, we know how it works, right? Like, oh, and then you're about to get off the app and you're like, oh my gosh, I never realized that I never looked at the videos. And now you got to go do something else. Or you actually look at the videos, but it doesn't last very long until you switch to a different app or you're doing something else.
Who knows, right? Maybe you didn't even remember. And you remember three days later and like, oh my gosh, I never did that. I suck.
I have to hurry up because I'm literally seven months pregnant. So this is for you. If you are currently drowning in information and you don't know what to believe or what's useful or what's not, what you need to get rid of, what to actually pursue, try this.
First, pick one to two trusted sources and mute the rest. Okay? If it's not clear, strategic and aligned with your birth goals, it's not helping right now. I talked about it earlier on in the episode of about like this, I was talking to somebody the other day, they have like following like seven different birth workers and they're like, well, you said this, but so-and-so said this and so-and-so said that.
And I'm like, holy cow, babes, you've got like, you invited the whole neighborhood to your birth, like a little potluck. Everybody bring your favorite side dish. And I get it.
I follow all birth workers. I love those ladies. They're awesome.
They're talking about wonderful, beautiful, amazing things, but me following 20 birth workers that are like my friends at this point versus you following them. It's a very different experience. So please find one or two trusted resources to learn about birth from.
And if I'm not one of them, I love you and I'll miss you, but goodbye. It's now time to block me. Now on top of childbirth educators, you also have like birth influencers and pregnancy influencers and things like that.
And your favorite influencer that you've followed for years and years might currently be pregnant, right? There's so many, there's a lot of pregnancy birth content out there, not just childbirth education. So that influencer that you just absolutely love her recipes and love to follow and see the things that she creates in her kitchen. Yeah.
She's talking a lot about her C-section lately. And she's saying things like I would have died if I didn't have a C-section and my body failed me and my baby could have died and I'm not built to birth. My body is broken.
Insert whatever, you know, postpartum ramblings. She's just been sharing raw and authentically in her stories. There's nothing wrong with her thoughts and feelings.
Those things are not bad. She's allowed to share those things, but you consuming those things might be where the issue lies because now when you're sitting down to plan for your unmedicated hospital birth, you're thinking, oh my God, what if it ends in a C-section? What if my body fails me? What if my body's broken? What if I wasn't built to birth? What if I, what if my baby dies? What if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if, what if I love you and I need to give you the permission right now to unfollow that person? Put a reminder in your phone after your due date for a month postpartum and make a little list of all the people that you had to unfollow during this season because you're protecting your mindset and your preparation journey and your peace, et cetera. So you make a little list and you tuck it away in your little notes app and you literally set a date on your calendar to go back to those pages and see if you want to follow them again.
Now, do I believe you need to go crazy and unfollow anybody that talks about birthing their baby? No, absolutely not. But just do a quick audit of what's coming in and maybe you will see, oh wow, that makes sense why I'm so confused and overwhelmed and so stuck and so lost and so stressed. So next time you scroll, just take a peek at who you're following and what voices you're letting into your head in this season.
Number two, I need you to get out of consumption mode and into preparation mode. Information is only helpful if you actually know what to do with it. And it goes back to that thing I always tell you guys, information without action is kind of freaking pointless.
I have been recently cleaning up my eating and trying to get away from refined sugars. That's like my goal right now, current personal goal. And I've been saving a lot of recipes for little sweet treats.
Your girl loves a good little sweet treat, okay? That's just who I am. And instead of saying, I'm not going to ever have those ever, never, ever, ever taste anything sweet ever again in my life, I say, oh, okay, let me see if I can find a healthier version of that. So we go onto the Instagram and we search for the things as we do, right? And I save a bunch of recipes.
Great, fantastic. That's awesome. Now I have all this information.
But if I don't actually get out of consuming the information and actually go into taking action on the information, I have changed absolutely nothing, correct? Right? Like me saving that video in my little saved reels folder that I honestly don't even know how to get to on my Instagram. That did not make the grocery list for me and go to the grocery store and get the ingredients and pay for them and put them on the counter and set it all up and start the oven and do all the things. Like me doing that did not do those actions.
Okay. So at some point I'm going to have to step out of consumption mode and into preparation mode and actually do something because information alone will not get you to the results that you're looking for. Like for real, after years and years, my entire life of being an overweight girl and growing up with Weight Watchers and Herbalife, intermittent fasting and macros and calories and frigging keto and all the things, like if information could do it, I would have a teeny tiny bikini body right now, but I don't.
Use the Unmedicated Birth Map to help you get into preparation mode. It tells you all the things that you need to actually do, the action steps to get to the result that you're looking for. Okay? Number three, I want you to schedule your prep like it's a priority.
Okay? You don't need hours a day, just intentional time every week to move the needle. I'm telling you an hour a week, you would blow your mind at how much you can actually accomplish. If you schedule it and it's intentional and it's focused and it's a priority and you know what you're working on and you have a direction you're going in, you would be blown away by how much you can do in just a couple of weeks.
But remember, focus on those needle mover tasks. So number one, pick one or two trusted sources and mute the rest. Drop anybody, at least temporarily, that is not currently serving you.
All right? And we'll give you a little side one about the influencers and stuff that wasn't actually the number one, but you know what I mean. Number two, get out of consumption mode and into preparation mode. Intentionally take a step into it and do it.
Number three, schedule your prep like it's a priority and then actually follow through. Okay? And remember, it's okay to not know everything, but it's not okay to let confusion keep you passive because babes, confusion is a choice. This is your body, your baby, your birth, and that means you deserve clarity.
It's a lot better. It's a lot better with clarity. I promise.
So here's what I want you to take from today. You don't need to be an expert on everything. You need to become the expert on your own experience.
And that starts by turning down the volume on the noise and tuning into strategy and support. If you are ready to ditch the overwhelm and actually prep with purpose and get that strategy and support, check out the birth prep course. It's got both.
And if that's not for you or you're not ready for it yet, or you want to just check out a little something, something first, grab that unmedicated birth map. It's free. You literally have nothing to lose, but don't just grab it and let it sit in your information graveyard.
Do something about it, put it on the calendar and take action. If this episode helped you breathe a little deeper and see your birth prep more clearly, share this with a friend, leave a review or DM me on Instagram. I love hearing how this podcast is supporting your journeys.
And remember your birth is worth the prep. You've got this until next time.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
