In this Part 2 of their birth story, Nicky and Matt share about the end of their pregnancy, the birth and the postpartum period, along with what it was like to work with a (virtual) doula and an IBCLC.

In the 36th week of pregnancy Nicky was diagnosed with gestational hypertension that quickly progressed into pre-eclampsia. From an induction, to jaundice, to the NICU, to breastfeeding struggles, Nicky and Matt share the good, the bad, and everything in-between.

In addition, Nicky and Matt share where they are emotionally following the birth and Lucy’s diagnosis, how Lucy is doing now, and the joys and struggles of being new parents.

Once again, thank you to Nicky and Matt for sharing your story with the Having a Baby in China Podcast.

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In this Part 1 of their story, Nicky and Matt share their experience receiving a devastating diagnosis during the second trimester of their pregnancy. Their much-desired daughter, Lucy, has Trisomy-9, a chromosomal disorder that is often incompatible with life. Language barriers, Nicky’s rare blood type, and many other factors complicate their journey. We are so thankful to Nicky and Matt for sharing their story with our listeners.

While their story has a positive ending, in the interview we discuss the topics of miscarriage, the rhogram shot, abortion, and amniocentesis, as these are real issues and considerations they had to face along the way. If you find any of these topics emotionally triggering, we encourage you to put a pause on the episode and come back at another time. In addition, you may consider reaching out to a licensed counselor.

Listen to Part 1 of their story this week, then come back next week for Part 2! Featuring an induction, working with a doula and IBCLC, their breastfeeding/pumping journey, and an update on how their beautiful daughter Lucy is today!

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Looking for trisomy support?

https://trisomy.org

https://rarechromo.org/

***

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Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

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In this week's episode, Jacquelyn (IBCLC) & Ruth (CBD) discuss an important but often overlooked aspect of choosing the right birthing assistance for you: certification. Specifically, they discuss what it takes to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) like Jacquelyn, and what that certification means for the prospective breastfeeding parent. This is one highly informative episode you need to hear!

Plus, Jacquelyn reads a warm and encouraging review from one of our listeners!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

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Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

Comfort Measures During Birth | EP27

Jacquelyn & Ruth dive into the topic of comfort measures during the birthing process--what are they, how can they help, and what are some simple & easy items you can throw in your hospital bag for your next trip to Labor & Delivery. Download or print out the accompanying pdf here: HABIC Comfort Measures Packing List

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In this double birth story episode, Rebekah shares the similarities and differences between her two pregnancies, births, and breastfeeding experiences. In addition, she vulnerably addresses cultural issues that came up with her Chinese in-laws, the struggle she felt in bonding with her daughter, and what it was like to introduce her son to his big sister! This episode is packed full of laughs, unexpected turns, and insightful tips for navigating a cross cultural relationship.

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Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

Jacquelyn and Ruth share their experiences and the top 5 things which surprised them when they first visited and gave birth in Chinese hospitals. There's something for everyone here, whether you're going for a checkup, a major procedure, or giving birth!

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Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

In the first episode of Season 2 of the Having a Baby in China Podcast, Jacquelyn and Ruth report back on the last 6 months, including which of their "Time Tested Tips for Traveling with Tiny Tots" were most effective.

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Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

In this finale of the first season of the HABIC podcast, Jacquelyn and Ruth draw on their shared wisdom of experiences traveling internationally with children and offer some time-tested tips they've used to make the journey go smoother.

Enjoy this final episode of the first season of the Having a Baby in China Podcast, and we'll be back in the Fall with more great content, including interviews and lots of need-to-know information!

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Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

In this candid conversation, Louise, Jacquelyn and Ruth discuss why the AAP and NICE have differing recommendations regarding co-sleeping; the varied definitions of co-sleeping, bed sharing, and surface sharing; and how to minimize risks wherever and however you choose for your baby to sleep.

Trigger Warning:

As necessary for this discussion, we frequently talk about infant cot death and how to lower a baby’s risk of SUIDS. If at any point you find yourself triggered or bothered by the information, please stop and seek further support. We are available to answer your questions and concerns privately, you can find our contact by following the links below.

NICE Guidelines

Baby sleeping with knife campaign information

Further Resources: 

https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/

https://www.basisonline.org.uk/

https://llli.org/the-safe-sleep-seven/

https://llli.org/resources/sweet-sleep/

***

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Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

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Join Jacquelyn & Ruth as they answer YOUR listener submitted questions on topics ranging from what diagnostic tests are necessary during pregnancy to permitted practices surrounding alcohol and breastfeeding to how and when you should consider weaning. Get ready for some real talk from the Ladies of HABIC!

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Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of potentially triggering topics including mental health, depression, suicidal ideation, and infant mortality. Listener discretion is advised.

Join Jacquelyn & Ruth in their frank discussion with psychologist Mirian Bonomi, LP, MS, about perinatal depression and other mood disorders. Learn the difference between post-partum depression vs "baby blues", how to spot red flags that could indicate professional help is needed, and where to get help as an expat living in China.

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German-language film, "Das Fremde in Mir/The Stranger in Me"

If you or someone you know is seeking personal support in the area of mental health, please contact Community Center of Shanghai.

Email: counseling@communitycenter.cn

WeChat: CCS-counseling

***

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and settle in with the Ladies of HABIC in this double-length episode where Jacquelyn & Ruth interview two-time mom and China birth veteran Jordyn on the importance of advocating for oneself in the lead-up to giving birth in a Chinese hospital, especially if your goal is "as natural as possible". You don't want to miss this one!

As mentioned in the show, Lisa, CD(DONA) is a long-time expat resident of Chengdu, providing doula services to the wider community there. Contact her on WeChat - ChengduDoula

More on doulas in China

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Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

Talking Everything YueSao | EP18

From common questions like "What is zuo yuezi?" and "Do I need a YueSao?" to the pros and cons of a YueSao Center, Jacquelyn and Ruth deep dive into this oft-requested cultural topic.

Further Reading from the National Library of Medicine: 

Influence of Cultural Beliefs on Infant Feeding, Postpartum and Childcare Practices among Chinese-American Mothers in New York City

Effect of postpartum practices of doing the month on Chinese women's physical and psychological health

Have a question? Submit it via Instagram or Facebook, and Jacquelyn & Ruth will answer it in a future HABIC Q&A Podcast!

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Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

Follow along with Jacquelyn & Ruth as they answer YOUR listener submitted questions.

Have a question? Submit it via Instagram or Facebook, and Jacquelyn & Ruth will answer it in the next HABIC Q&A Podcast!

***

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Find Having A Baby in China on Facebook

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

In this episode of the Having A Baby In China Podcast, Jacquelyn and Ruth discuss realistic expectations for a Chinese birth experience, and Ruth has a hot take on the traditional birthing liturgy.

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Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow @HavingABabyInChina on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

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Join Jacquelyn and Ruth for a frank discussion with Mandy on the power of childbirth education for all women, the importance of the birthing space to a woman's experience, and the proper way to integrate the birthing partner into the birthing space. 

Find Mandy Online:

We Are Making Mothers

Follow @makingmothers on Instagram

For Further Study

Read: Rhea Dempsey https://www.birthingwisdom.com.au

Listen: The Power Of Holding Space As A Birth Partner with Kurt Tropiano

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow Having a Baby in China on Instagram 

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

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"Birth Under Lockdown" w/ Dools & Jarred - China Birth Stories 03 | EP14

This week, Jacquelyn and Ruth interview Dools and Jarred about their birth experience near Shanghai under COVID lockdown restrictions. From navigating roadblocks and e-bikes to confronting the Myth of the Perfect Epidural, laugh along as this international couple's breezy storytelling style transforms what could have been a challenging birth experience into something hilarious and relatable. 

Note: This week's episode suffered from a few technical issues while recording, but we thought it was so great, we couldn't leave it on the shelf. We hope you are still able to enjoy it as much as we do!

Follow DOOLYDOOLS on Instagram

Follow Having a Baby in China on Instagram 

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

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In this episode of the Having A Baby in China Podcast, Jacquelyn (CBC) and Ruth (CD) opine on the fallacy of due dates and discuss some considerations for when or whether to induce. Ruth shares a bit of the story of her own induction, and many side topics are explored. Come join us!

More information on the Arrive Trial found here:

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/arrive/

Contact Ruth: ruth@havingababyinchina.com

Contact Jacquelyn: jacquelyn@havingababyinchina.com

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow Having a Baby in China on Instagram

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***

In this episode of the Having A Baby In China Podcast, Andrea, Childbirth Doula & Water Birth Practitioner, shares the story of her very first birthing experience, which took place in China 11 years ago. Determined to have her baby at the international hospital in Shanghai, Andrea and her husband set out from Ningbo on what should have been a two hour car ride but which turned in to so much more. Listen along with Jacquelyn (CBC) and Ruth (CD) to Andrea's fascinating and harrowing tale. You've never heard a China birth story like this!

If you would like to contact Andrea, you can reach out to her through email or via WeChat.

Andrea, Childbirth Doula & Water Birth Practitioner

Beyond Doula Services

Email: deyun-doula@hotmail.com

WeChat: 15067487694

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow Having a Baby in China on Instagram

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

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In this explosive and wide-ranging interview, we sit down with Dr. Leila to discuss the importance of the first 24 hours after birth, tips to prepare for breastfeeding, and what it's like being a pediatrician and an IBCLC in China. Dr. Leila gives it to us straight!

"[Formula] has this hugely sedative effect on the brain, and then the baby sleeps. Most people interpret that as, 'Oh, look, now my baby's full.' Actually, now your baby's drugged!" - Dr. Leila M. Sabet, MD, MPH, IBCLC

Learn more about the upcoming LLL Conference and sign up here:

“Breastfeeding: Restoring our Instincts” International Seminar

February 18-19, 2023

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/u_1j3FBp39WR1dJABtrPHw

Article about the affect of breastfeeding on maternal mortality:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36263395/

Visit the Having a Baby in China Website: https://www.havingababyinchina.com/

Follow Having a Baby in China on Instagram

Check out Having a Baby in China: The Course - A Video Course to learn about it all!

***Enjoying the Having A Baby In China Podcast? Leave us a rating or write a review in your favorite podcast app, share us with your friends, or contact us on Instagram!***