Lo & Behold | Pregnancy, Birth, Motherhood

Beth Gaskill, aka Miss Beth from Big City Readers, is back on the podcast, and this time she’s holding her baby girl! I’ve been so excited to hear this one. A routine 36-week appointment, after a seven-mile walk in 100-degree heat with no shower, turned into “you’re having a baby today” when Beth’s ultrasound showed low amniotic fluid. We talk through her induction from start to finish: a Cytotec and Foley balloon start, a rough night of cervical checks that went sideways, a partner who stepped up as her advocate, and a midwife who showed what real consent during an exam looks like. Then her body took over, with Pitocin, an epidural that needed a few adjustments, and a baby born in just two pushes. I also share my nurse perspective on why I don’t want us treating “risk” as “reality,” and why a first-degree tear is not a failure.
Join YBYB: www.thelabormama.com/birth & use the code PODCAST to save 20%
But Beth’s story didn’t end in the delivery room. After a perfect first night, her daughter was admitted to the NICU for breathing support and stayed 12 days. Beth opens up about how disorienting that was: being separated from her baby, fighting to protect breastfeeding, and how much the right nurses changed everything. We also talk about what providers, and the people who love you, can do better, like simply acknowledging that it feels unfair instead of jumping straight to “we just want baby to be safe.” If you’ve ever had a birth plan take a sharp turn, or a NICU stay you didn’t see coming, I think you’ll feel so seen in this one.
More from Beth Gaskill:
Follow her on Instagram @bigcityreaders
bigcityreaders.com
Make Reading Click, our first free learning to read workshop: https://my.demio.com/ref/NdBsEKF5wWoY4Tbs
Listen to the Play On Words Podcast & her episode with Lo: Third Trimester: What's Worth Doing... and What's Just Internet Noise with Lo Mansfield @TheLaborMama
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to episode 25: School Readiness and Kids Who Love to Read with Beth Gaskill of Big City Readers
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Beth Gaskill’s Birth Story
06:18 Trying For Baby
13:07 Low Fluid Surprise
24:26 Induction Begins
26:22 Painful Cervix Checks
30:05 Confronting Mistreatment
32:24 Midwife + Consent Done Right
34:44 Balloon Induction Pain
36:30 Pitocin and Epidural Hiccups
40:06 Lightning Fast Delivery
44:23 NICU Admission Shock
51:40 Making NICU More Humane

About your host:
Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.
For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.
For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!
A request: If this episode meant something to you, would you consider a 5 star rating and leaving us a review? Yes, we read them, and yes, they help keep L & B going! ♥️
Connect with Lo more on: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PINTEREST | FACEBOOK
Disclaimer
Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.
Additionally, we may make a small commission from some of the links shared with you. Please know, this comes at no additional cost to you, supports our small biz, and is a way for us to share brands and products with you that we genuinely love.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services
Mentioned in this episode:
YBYB 20% off ad link

I was so excited to speak with our guest today, Britta Bushnell, PhD. Britta is the author of Transformed by Birth, host of the Transformed by Birth podcast, a mother and grandmother, a mythologist, and a childbirth educator who has spent the last 25 years walking families through one of life’s biggest thresholds: birth and new parenthood. We talked about why birth is truly a rite of passage, and why that transformation doesn’t stop when your baby is born. Your identity shifts, your marriage shifts, even what you mean by “my family” shifts. And it happens again with every single baby. Britta also shares her “turning of the family wheel,” which is so helpful for anyone working through new dynamics with in-laws (or, like her, learning how to step into the grandparent chair!).
Join YBYB: www.thelabormama.com/birth & use the code PODCAST to save 20%
We also got real about control. As a type-A mom of four, I felt this one. Britta tells an unforgettable story about trekking the Himalayas that shows the difference between what we can prepare for and what we simply have to respond to in the moment. We talked about how to learn about birth without overstuffing ourselves with an overload of information, what to do if a doula isn’t in the budget, and how to take the next step even when you don’t feel confident. We ended on one of my favorite parts: how to speak to yourself with kindness through these transformations instead of judging the version of you who didn’t know then what you know now. You’re going to walk away with stories that stick, I promise.
More from Dr. Britta Bushnell:
BrittaBushnell.com
Grab her book: Transformed by Birth
Listen to her podcast: Transformed by Birth Podcast
Follow her on Instagram & FaceBook @brittabushnellphd
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to episode 24: Boundaries, Babies, You & Your Mother-in-Law with Dr. Tracy Dalgleish
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome Dr. Britta Bushnell
08:15 Redefining Family After Baby
17:05 Parenting Keeps Evolving
24:04 Each Baby Rocks the System
31:15 Do You Need a Doula?
43:21 Self Compassion After Birth

About your host:
Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.
For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.
For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!
A request: If this episode meant something to you, would you consider a 5 star rating and leaving us a review? Yes, we read them, and yes, they help keep L & B going! ♥️
Connect with Lo more on: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PINTEREST | FACEBOOK
Disclaimer
Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.
Additionally, we may make a small commission from some of the links shared with you. Please know, this comes at no additional cost to you, supports our small biz, and is a way for us to share brands and products with you that we genuinely love.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services
Mentioned in this episode:
YBYB 20% off ad link

Today’s conversation is a heavier one, and I want to say that up front: if you’re not in a place to take it in, it’s okay to skip this one and come back when you’re ready. I’m joined by Kayleigh Summers, a licensed clinical social worker, perinatal trauma specialist, amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) survivor, and the voice behind The Birth Trauma Mama. She shares how her own experience shaped the work she does now, and we talk about what it looks like to prepare for birth with hope at the center while still making room for the “what ifs.” We get into what Kayleigh calls catastrophic birth planning: not as a way to plan for the worst, but as a way to have a say in situations where you might not be able to speak for yourself. We also talk about why that preparation matters for partners, who may end up making the big decisions, and we cover the gift of putting your wishes in a notes app and sharing it with someone you trust.
Join YBYB: www.thelabormama.com/birth & use the code PODCAST to save 20%
I also wanted this to be real and practical. AFE is incredibly rare, about 1 in 40,000 births, and Kayleigh and I both agree that “it won’t happen to you” isn’t a helpful thing to hear.
We talk about:
How to ask your provider what protocols and training they have in place
How to respond when a question gets brushed off
Why you don’t have to deliver at any particular type of hospital to be doing this “right”
Keeping your awareness on the shelf instead of letting it take over your feed
The reminder that surviving something hard doesn’t mean you owe the world anything

If you’re a provider, Kayleigh shares a free course through the AFE Foundation, and I’ll link it, along with her website, podcast, and social handles, in the show notes. Wherever you are in your own prep, I hope you walk away feeling a little more informed, a little less alone, and still free to get excited about the parts of your birth you’re hoping for.
Mentioned in this episode:
Course Name: AFE: A Practical Approach Course
The AFE Foundation Contact hotline is 1-307-363-2337 (or 1-307-END-AFES)
More from Kaleigh Summers, LCSW, PMH-C:
Visit thebirthtraumamama.com
Follow her on Instagram & TikTok: @thebirthtrauma_mama
Listen to her podcast: The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast
Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Kayleigh Summers
05:15 AFE and Emergency C-Section
11:41 Why She Started Sharing
16:45 Privilege and Access to Care
19:08 Catastrophic Birth Planning
29:14 Partner Decision Burden
33:20 Questions for Your OB
39:14 Preparedness Without Doomscrolling
41:10 Provider Resources and Hotline

About your host:
Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.
For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.
For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!
A request: If this episode meant something to you, would you consider a 5 star rating and leaving us a review? Yes, we read them, and yes, they help keep L & B going! ♥️
Connect with Lo more on: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PINTEREST | FACEBOOK
Disclaimer
Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.
Additionally, we may make a small commission from some of the links shared with you. Please know, this comes at no additional cost to you, supports our small biz, and is a way for us to share brands and products with you that we genuinely love.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services
Mentioned in this episode:
YBYB 20% off ad link

Friends, it's finally here: my fourth (and final) birth story. I'm sharing how Kelvin and I went from "we'll have three" to parenting our way into a fourth baby, and what it was like to get pregnant and receive maternity care as an expat in the Netherlands. As someone who loves this work, I got to see that midwifery model up close, and I'll be honest about the hard parts too, like language barriers and a fragmented system that left me biking home twice after a midwife couldn't find a heartbeat. Then we moved back to the U.S. halfway through the pregnancy and I felt amazing, but I was wrestling with a due date that landed right around my mom's heaven day, and with the question of when we grieve and when we celebrate.
Join YBYB: www.thelabormama.com/birth & use the code PODCAST to save 20%
Then we get to the birth itself: a sneaky Sunday morning, a very precipitous labor, and just 19 minutes in the hospital. I talk about laboring on hands and knees, experiencing the fetal ejection reflex for the first time, the baby girl who came out screaming, and why I was so sure I'd torn when I hadn't at all. I also talk about what it's like to process a birth this fast, when your brain needs time to catch up to what your body just did, and the gift Kelvin was as a birth partner who owned that room. This birth felt redemptive and normal in the best way, and it was bittersweet to close the book on this chapter. Grab a snack, because this one is full of joy and gratitude.
Listen to my other birth stories:
Labor Nurse's First Unmedicated Hospital Birth with Midwives | Episode 01
Labor Nurses's Second, Unmedicated, Fast Birth with D-MER and PPA During PostpartumEpisode 13
Labor Nurse's 3rd Fast, Unmedicated Hospital Birth with Midwives | Episode 40

Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 My Fourth Birth Story
07:33 Pregnant in the Netherlands
15:05 Due Date and Grief Milestones
16:25 Early Labor Signs Overnight
22:55 Active Labor Car Ride
30:49 Water Breaks On Floor
34:13 Afterbirth And No Tear
36:21 Processing The Fetal Ejection Reflex
37:26 Redemptive Final Birth

About your host:
Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.
For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.
For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!
A request: If this episode meant something to you, would you consider a 5 star rating and leaving us a review? Yes, we read them, and yes, they help keep L & B going! ♥️
Connect with Lo more on: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PINTEREST | FACEBOOK
Disclaimer
Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.
Additionally, we may make a small commission from some of the links shared with you. Please know, this comes at no additional cost to you, supports our small biz, and is a way for us to share brands and products with you that we genuinely love.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services
Mentioned in this episode:
YBYB 20% off ad link

I sat down with Stephanie Lauri, registered dietitian, also known as the Pregnancy Nutritionist, to talk about something almost all of us experience in some form: nausea, food aversions, and that first-trimester question of whether we'll ever feel like ourselves again. Stephanie started this work while pregnant with her second daughter, after realizing just how little nutrition guidance actually gets offered during prenatal care, and she's since helped thousands of moms-to-be manage their symptoms, feel more confident in their food choices, and head into delivery and postpartum recovery feeling supported. We talked through what's actually "normal" across that first trimester spectrum, why symptoms don't magically disappear at 12 weeks for most people, and how blood sugar balance, timing, and small additions (not restrictions) can make a real difference even when you can't control the hormones driving it all.
Join YBYB: www.thelabormama.com/birth & use the code PODCAST to save 20%
We also got into what to eat when nothing sounds good, how to build a more balanced version of the carby, bland foods you're already craving, the role of electrolytes and hydration, and when medication might genuinely be the right and non-guilty answer. Stephanie's whole philosophy is about addition over restriction: instead of a list of what to avoid, focusing on what you can add to support yourself and your baby, wherever you're starting from. If you've ever felt like "just survive it" was the only advice on offer for how you're feeling, this conversation is the permission slip to expect more and try a little more, too.
More from Stephanie Lauri, RD:
Follow her on Instagram @pregnancy_nutritionist
Check out her meal plans:
Pregnancy Symptom Management Meal Plan
2nd & 3rd Trimester Meal Plan
Postpartum Meal Plan

Helpful Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Stephanie, RD
06:19 Dietitian Vs Nutritionist
11:42 Common First Trimester Struggles
16:41 Blood Sugar & Nausea Fixes
22:49 Meal Ideas That Work
26:55 Meds, Ginger, Electrolytes
35:26 Bad Advice To Ignore
41:42 Where To Find Stephanie

About your host:
Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.
For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.
For more pregnancy, birth, postpartum and motherhood conversation each week, be sure to subscribe to The Lo & Behold podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you prefer to listen!
A request: If this episode meant something to you, would you consider a 5 star rating and leaving us a review? Yes, we read them, and yes, they help keep L & B going! ♥️
Connect with Lo more on: INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK | PINTEREST | FACEBOOK
Disclaimer
Opinions shared by guests of this show are their own, and do not always reflect those of The Labor Mama platform. Additionally, the information you hear on this podcast or that you receive via any linked resources should not be considered medical advice. Please see our full disclaimer here.
Additionally, we may make a small commission from some of the links shared with you. Please know, this comes at no additional cost to you, supports our small biz, and is a way for us to share brands and products with you that we genuinely love.
Produced and Edited by Vaden Podcast Services
Mentioned in this episode:
YBYB 20% off ad link