This week, Merelise is joined by model and mom, Baskin Champion McFarland, who shares the miraculous story of her son’s birth via emergency C-section.

Baskin talks about the life-changing moment she decided to trust her intuition and go to the hospital when she felt like her baby had stopped moving in utero, the extremely fast decision to perform an emergency C-section (her husband almost didn’t make it!), and the miracle of her son’s birth.

They also discuss the dense cloud that is postpartum depression, intrusive thoughts, the healing power of Zoloft, the importance of a supportive community postpartum, choosing unique baby names, and so much more.

This is a beautiful, transparent conversation that you don't want to miss!

Resource Links:

• Follow Baskin on Instagram
• Moms On Call

Want to be a guest on Arrivals? Contact Merelise here!

Follow Arrivals on Instagram

Follow Merelise on Instagram

Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

Join Merelise and her guest, Meg, as they delve into Meg’s two vaginal birth experiences, with an extra special guest appearance from Aubrey, Meg’s 10 week old daughter!

Meg, who is a professional equestrian, did a lot of preparation for her first birth, from hiring a doula, to pelvic floor physical therapy, to yoga, in the hope of having an unmediated vaginal birth and being able to get back to riding as soon as possible postpartum. She details how she ended up getting an epidural during that birth and the struggle with connecting with her body, before ultimately giving birth to her son vaginally about 24 hours after arriving at the hospital.

Meg opens up about dealing with postpartum depression and wishing she’d addressed it sooner, and then getting pregnant with her daughter while she was still breastfeeding her son. The plot twist with her daughter’s pregnancy was that she was transverse or breech up until 38 weeks, so Meg explored different traditional and non-traditional ways to approach “breech release”. She talks about how her first birth experience left her a bit disappointed and disconnected from preparing for her second birth until the very end, when she received a few signs that it was time to tune back in with her body. Not long after, her daughter was born vaginally in a quick birth that didn’t leave time for an epidural, which felt scary at first, but ultimately became a beautiful, connected experience for Meg.

Both of Meg’s births are beautiful examples of creating a more “natural” environment in a hospital with the help of a doula as your birth advocate. If you know you want a hospital birth but see the appeal of a peaceful home birth, this episode has lots of tips for how to create that experience in a hospital!

Resource Links:

• Doulas of ATL
• Revelle Physical Therapy
• Moonlight Midwifery

Want to be a guest on Arrivals? Contact Merelise here!

Follow Arrivals on Instagram

Follow Merelise on Instagram

Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

This week, Merelise is joined by her friend, Davis, who shares the stories of her two sons' births. Her first son was born via unplanned C-section after Davis stopped dilating and actually started un-dilating at 3 cm. She talks about how she knew very little about C-sections before she had one and the complex feelings she had after hers, including some guilt. When she got pregnant the second time, she decided to have a scheduled C-section and she talks about reclaiming the narrative around C-sections, embracing the positive aspects of a scheduled C-section, and helping other women navigate C-section prep and recovery (links are included below!).

We also discuss the medical protocols when you birth a big baby, how to get your baby to pass a glucose test, and how important it is to find those moments of solitude postpartum, even if it’s 5 minutes alone in your car with Sour Punch Straws.

Davis’s Post C-Section Recovery Essentials:

• Belly Bandit Original Postpartum Belly Wrap
• Frida Mom C-Section Scar Patches
• Friday Mom Postpartum Underwear

Want to be a guest on Arrivals? Contact Merelise here!

Follow Arrivals on Instagram

Follow Merelise on Instagram

Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.