Between Contractions is a real, honest space where we talk about the hard stuff—between the hard stuff. Hosted by Amsy Dees, a certified birth and postpartum doula and Stephanie Dawson, a board-certified lactation consultant, this podcast brings together expert insight and real-life experience. Each episode is filled with practical tips, thoughtful conversations, and authentic stories designed to empower families as they navigate pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey.
#44 - Bad Advice We’re Ghosting This Halloween Season
It’s spooky season, and nothing is scarier than bad advice that spreads like wildfire through Facebook groups, family group chats, and well-meaning Instagram comments. Amsy and Stephanie are back together to call out the most common pieces of advice in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum world that need to be officially ghosted — and why.
Bad advice on the chopping block:
“Just wing it with birth prep” — Going into one of the most important days of your life without preparation, self-reflection, or conversations with your partner is not a flex. It’s a recipe for feeling blindsided. You don’t need a rigid plan — you need a prepared heart, mind, and body that can handle whatever comes.
“You’re using your baby as a pacifier” — No. The nipple is the original pacifier. Pacifiers exist to replicate what we already are naturally. Secure attachment is the goal, not a problem to solve.
“Sleep when the baby sleeps” — Not bad in theory. Largely impossible in practice. By the time you lay the baby down, transfer them without waking them, and close your eyes — they’re up again. If you can sleep, sleep. But don’t take it as a personal failure when you can’t.
“If you’re breastfeeding you won’t get pregnant” — Lactational amenorrhea as birth control is relatively effective only when used perfectly: nursing around the clock, no stretches longer than 4–6 hours, no pumping substitutions. One longer sleep stretch and you’re no longer using it correctly. If getting pregnant again soon would be a serious problem — use a backup method. Especially important if you’re hoping for a VBAC, since the recommendation is 18 months between pregnancies.
“Drink the pink drink or eat more oatmeal and your supply will come back” — Sometimes low supply has underlying hormonal or anatomical causes that oatmeal and a Starbucks order simply cannot fix. Eat the Chick-fil-A oatmeal cookie if you want one — but also go see a lactation consultant.
“Don’t introduce a bottle until breastfeeding is well established” — Nuanced, not a hard rule. Waiting too long is one of the leading causes of bottle refusal, and heading back to work with a baby who won’t take a bottle is a crisis nobody needs.
“You should feel full before a letdown” — Not always. And latch frequency is still part of the deal regardless.
People pleasing — Not technically advice, but something we’re ghosting this season anyway. We did a whole episode on it. Go back and listen.
Not asking for help / saying you’re fine when you’re not — Asking for help is chic. If your friend is posting “this coffee is the only thing keeping me going ha ha” — that is not a ha ha. Go check on that friend. Show up. Don’t wait to be asked.
“Your body should bounce back after birth” — Your bones have permanently shifted. Your organs have moved. Your hips are wider because a baby had to fit through them. You may always have some softness in your abdomen and that is a sign of a life well-lived. Give yourself at least as long to recover as it took to grow the baby.
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Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593342634826)
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Find Amsy Dees
Website: amsydeesdoula.com (https://www.amsydeesdoula.com/)
Instagram: @amsydees.doula (https://www.instagram.com/amsydees.doula/)
Find Stephanie Dawson
Website: growlakeland.com (https://growlakeland.com/)
Instagram: @grow.lakeland (https://www.instagram.com/grow.lakeland/)
DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.
22 Oct 2026
#43 - Abby's Story: Unexpected Pregnancy, HG, and Building a Village from Scratch
Abby would like to dedicate this episode to her dad, Tim Murray, who suddenly passed away just 5 days after this episode was recorded. He was an incredible father and a wonderful part of her support system during her pregnancy and postpartum journey. He showed up just an hour after she gave birth to meet her son, his firstborn grandchild, and expressed similar excitement to listen to this episode. He is deeply loved and missed.
In this episode, Amsy sits down with Abby Murray Smith — content creator, stay-at-home mom, law enforcement wife, and former social worker to talk about an unexpected pregnancy at 21, borderline HG, a birth she survived without a doula, and the postpartum isolation spiral that taught her everything she now knows about community and showing up for herself.
Abby was three months into dating her now-husband when she found out she was pregnant. She let the test sit on the counter for three days. When she finally looked — he reacted like they’d been trying for years. But the pregnancy itself was brutal. Growing up in a conservative Christian environment meant getting pregnant out of wedlock came with a wave of shame she carried the entire time — alongside vomiting five to six times a day until 25 weeks. She genuinely hated being pregnant and believes a lot of what she experienced was tied directly to the emotional weight she was carrying.
Postpartum hit differently. Husband on law enforcement hours, no established mom community, and the kind of loneliness that sneaks up before you realize what’s happening. She talked herself out of playdates, Bible studies, and mom groups for months — until she finally pushed through and realized her baby was actually better tempered out of the house. She came home feeling like herself again.
The moment that changed everything: a woman she’d never met left a care package on her doorstep — homemade dinner, coloring pages, snacks — no fanfare, no asking. Just showing up. Abby cried. And then she changed how she shows up for other people.
What Abby wants new moms to know:
Leave your house. Even if it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard
Tell a friend: don’t let me isolate — come get me if you don’t hear from me
Say yes to the group, the park, the playdate — even 20 minutes late, even if the baby’s fussy
Community doesn’t spawn out of nowhere. You have to build it. And it’s worth it
Check Out The Christian Hypno Birthing Class HERE! (https://christianhypnobirthing.mykajabi.com/a/2147522467/mEDKMkQy)
Find Abby
Instagram: @absmurray
Follow Our Socials
Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593342634826)
Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast (https://www.instagram.com/betweencontractionspod/)
Find Amsy Dees
Website: amsydeesdoula.com (https://www.amsydeesdoula.com/)
Instagram: @amsydees.doula (https://www.instagram.com/amsydees.doula/)
Find Stephanie Dawson
Website: growlakeland.com (https://growlakeland.com/)
Instagram: @grow.lakeland (https://www.instagram.com/grow.lakeland/)
DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.
15 Oct 2026
#42 - Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day
This episode is a little different. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day — Amsy takes a quiet moment to honor the babies who were lost too soon, and the families who carry them.
1 in 4 people will experience pregnancy or infant loss in their lifetime. That includes early miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, ectopic pregnancy, and loss within the first year of life. It is extraordinarily common. And it is still extraordinarily hard to talk about.
This episode is for anyone who has experienced loss — whether you've shared it publicly or held it privately. Whether you are in the thick of it right now or years into your healing. It is not your fault. It was never your fault. And you don't have to carry that shame or guilt alone.
Resources mentioned:
Postpartum International (https://postpartum.net) — information and support for families experiencing loss
The TEARS Foundation (https://thetearsfoundation.org) — financial assistance for funeral costs
The Finley Project (https://www.thefinleyproject.org) — free counseling and practical support including home cleaning for grieving families
Winter Haven Hospital — pregnancy and infant loss support group. Click HERE (https://baycare.org/events#sort=relevancy&f:@eventz32xfacility=[Winter%20Haven%20Women) to check calendar for group meetings.
AdventHealth for Women HEAL Program (https://www.adventhealth.com/women/bereavement-support) — local support for grieving families
The Bethany Center (https://www.chaptershealth.org/locations/bethany-center-for-grieving-children-arneson-avenue/) — free counseling for siblings and children processing loss
The Wave of Light: Every October 15th at 7pm local time, people around the world light a candle and keep it burning for one hour — creating a continuous wave of light across all time zones in honor of babies lost.
It's okay to grieve however you need to grieve. It's okay to share. It's okay not to. We see you. We love you. We grieve with you.
Follow Our Socials
Facebook: Between Contractions Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593342634826)
Instagram: Between Contractions Podcast (https://www.instagram.com/betweencontractionspod/)
Find Amsy Dees
Website: amsydeesdoula.com (https://www.amsydeesdoula.com/)
Instagram: @amsydees.doula (https://www.instagram.com/amsydees.doula/)
Find Stephanie Dawson
Website: growlakeland.com (https://growlakeland.com/)
Instagram: @grow.lakeland (https://www.instagram.com/grow.lakeland/)
DISCLAIMER: The views shared on this podcast are our own and do not represent any specific organization. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for guidance specific to your care.
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