Healthy as a Mother, the podcast for becoming and being a mother, with your cohosts Dr. Leah Gordon and Dr. Morgan MacDermott, two naturopathic doctors who get it. Each week we teach you how to be the healthiest mother you can be - from fertility and preconception, to pregnancy and birth prep, through postpartum and throughout motherhood - empowering you with the natural health guidance and education you’re not getting elsewhere, so you can confidently navigate the broken system at large. The real, the raw, the un-talked about.
Healthy as a Mother, the podcast for becoming and being a mother, with your cohosts Dr. Leah Gordon and Dr. Morgan MacDermott, two naturopathic doctors who get it. Each week we teach you how to be the healthiest mother you can be - from fertility and preconception, to pregnancy and birth prep, through postpartum and throughout motherhood - empowering you with the natural health guidance and education you’re not getting elsewhere, so you can confidently navigate the broken system at large. The real, the raw, the un-talked about.
What does it really take to have a good birth in a hospital?
In this episode, I’m joined by Care Messer, Founder of the Birth Education Center in San Diego. She’s a certified hypnobirthing instructor, a DONA-certified doula, and a childbirth educator who also trains doulas. Care teaches engaging, partner-friendly online classes that have helped many families prepare for birth with more clarity and confidence.
We get into what it means to prepare early, why most women don’t realize how much choice they actually have, and what it looks like to create a safe, grounded birth experience inside a hospital system. From power dynamics with providers to the small, practical things that shift your sense of safety, this conversation breaks down what women and their partners need to know before walking through those hospital doors.
You’ll Learn:
Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction
[03:00] How preparation and safety shape the hospital birth experience
[09:22] Rethinking what safety really means in birth
[13:01] Choosing the right hospital, provider, and birth team
[20:20] The partner’s role in protecting space and shifting power dynamics
[36:37] Practical ways to protect labor hormones in a hospital birth
[50:15] Arming with education and optimizing the hospital environment for labor
Resources Mentioned:
Episode 65: All About VBAC pt.1: Perspectives from an OB, Midwife, and Doula with Care Messer | Spotify or Apple
Birth Education Center | Website
Bucky Eye Mask | Amazon
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. | Book or Audiobook
Men, Love & Birth by Mark Harris | Book or Audiobook
Labor Like A Goddess by Alexandria Moran and Lauren Mahana | Book
Birth Psychology | Website
Morgan’s First Birth | Video
Learn more about the Birth Education Care by visiting their website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.
Follow Care on Instagram, LinkedIn and listen to her Podcast on Apple or Spotify.
Find more from Leah:
Leah Gordon | Instagram
Leah Gordon | Website
Leah Gordon | Website
Find more from Morgan:
Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Morgan MacDermott | Website
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