My name is Care Messer, I'm an entrepreneur, childbirth educator birth and postpartum doula and the mom of two girls. Birth stories begin before your baby is even conceived and we're here to talk about it.
Join Ashley & I as we create discussions around connection, finding and using your voice and of course, birth stories! We will release an episode each week so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a second!
109: Brenda and Brenden's Preterm Baby: Lessons on Early Preparation
In today's show, Brenda and Brenden are here to tell their preterm natural birth story! Hypnobirthing is how we found each other but these two decided to have a baby before they got into class.
These parents had so many layers to becoming parents and also had an intentional journey preparing both their bodies and souls for their son to join them. Lot of juicy bits to their story.
As educators, we do a pre-series call with parents as soon as they sign up. Sometimes those calls are REALLY early in the pregnancy which are my favorite ones! It allows me to help families find personalized support people to help them have a better pregnancy and also way more time to understand and deal with the fears that accompany birth and postpartum.
Luckily, we had started our birth conversations ahead of when their little guy decided to arrive- at 32 weeks! They had a doula in place, the best provider and we had been in touch over books, podcasts and the meditations to work on mindset. This was a fun story to hear and record - I hope you pick up all the lessons and tips.
Books and Websites mentioned:
birthpsycholgy.com To start exploring what babies recall about their gestation and birth
Labor Like A Goddess One of the best birth prep books and one I ask all of my parents to read, to explore the mindset and spiritual aspects of birth and postpartum
Our Babies, Ourselves Learn more about epigenetics and the new biology of birth
Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode?
BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com
Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204
Join us on Socials:
Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter
TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter
YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter
FB: @BirthEducationCenter
LinkedIn: @CareMesser
Online Courses:
OMG I'm Pregnant
Induction 101
Mental Health
Newborn Procedures
Epidurals Explained
Meditations/Journal
For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization
2 Jul 2026
108: Owning Your Birth Choices: Joleen's "Keeping Her Peace" Birth Story
I am so excited to have Joleen in today's episode to share her birth story! Joleen took Hypnobirthing practice seriously and did the mental preparation for anything that could happen with her birth. Many times parents feel like the physical prep is the most important - it is NOT! Well rounded education and birth preparation begins with the mind. If your mind is not ready for the twists and turns of birth, your body won't be either.
I was so impressed by her level of advocacy and owning her choices around her birth. She and her partner both! When we think of Hollywood births - we think of water breaking first. Well - that's not as common as you think but it happened to be the case with Joleen. That set off not a cascade of interventions, but a cascade of care providers doing their best to push their agenda for her birth.
Joleen had done a lot of planning and research for her birth. She knew the risk numbers and science behind the choices she was making. Once admitted, she faced pressure, repeated questioning about refusing antibiotics during pregnancy, and a midwife using fear tactics with a graphic story while crying in front of her. A woman never forgets how she was made to feel at her birth. This story is a reminder that even though you are a care provider doing your best, the tactics and feelings involved will never leave the patient and family. A no is a no and sending in the chain of command to badger someone is never ok.
Joleen emphasizes that feeling informed and in control made the experience empowering, not traumatic, and advises others to get educated, trust their gut, and stay flexible when birth doesn't go as planned.
𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀!
#hypnobirthing #cesarean #hopsitalbirth #informedconsent #birthstory
25 Jun 2026
107: Sandra's Irish Twins Birth Stories
In today's episode I welcome Sandra! She and her husband shared a fertility journey with a lot of unique parts to it. I had never heard of two vasectomy reversals until now! But once they were on the road to parenthood, they quickly had Irish twins just 364 days apart!
Living in rural Julian, Sandra's biggest fear was being far from services and having a baby at home. I met Sandra via a phone call really early in her first pregnancy. As we talked we both came to the conclusion that her current OB was not going to support the kind of birth she imagined for her family. She found a better provider and she and her husband joined my class a few months later.
Her first birth began the night before Thanksgiving and she had an uncomplicated hospital delivery with a midwife. She made it to the hospital with plenty of time! While settled at home with her new baby - she soon found out that she was pregnant again!
Her next son was also coming at Thanksgiving and it was a deja vu birth with a twist!
Sandra reflects on surrendering expectations, postpartum community support, and how placenta capsules boosted her energy. She gives great advice to new moms about trusting their instincts and her advice about "shares" is something I will never forget and will be teaching in my classes from here on out!
Let's connect: Have questions or comments for this episode?
BirthEducationPodcast@gmail.com
Work with Care or Ashley: 858-251-4204
Join us on Socials:
Instagram: @BirthEducationCenter
TikTok: @BirthEducationCenter
YouTube: @BirthEducationCenter
FB: @BirthEducationCenter
LinkedIn: @CareMesser
Online Courses:
OMG I'm Pregnant
Induction 101
Mental Health
Newborn Procedures
Epidurals Explained
Meditations/Journal
For Doulas Only - Ebook and Visualization
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
425,630
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 84 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
86
Social presence
97
YouTube
86
Engagement
71
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