Ep 287: Top Episodes of 2024!

Dr. Nicole (00:00): It is that time of year. I am recapping the top episodes of the podcast from 2024. Welcome to the All about Pregnancy and birth podcast. If you're having a baby in the hospital, you are giving birth in a system that too often takes away power from women over what happens in their own bodies. I'm Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins, a practicing board certified OBGYN, who's had the privilege of helping well over a thousand babies into this world. I've been a doctor for over 20 years, and I'm here to help you take back your power, advocate for yourself, have the beautiful pregnancy and birth that you deserve. This podcast is for educational purposes only, and it's not a substitute for medical advice. Check out the full disclaimer at drnicolerankins.com/disclaimer. Now, let's get to it. Hello there. Welcome to another episode of the podcast. This is episode number 287.

(00:58): It's the final episode of 2024. Whether it is your first time listening or you've been here before, I am so glad you're spending some time with me today. In this episode, I am going to tell you the most downloaded episodes of the podcast from 2024. Now, a little bit of a caveat, it's a bit of an unfair competition because the episodes in the beginning of the year have been out longer so they have a longer opportunity to have been downloaded. What happens a lot when people first come to the podcast is that they listen and then they go back and download lots of episodes. So the longer the episodes are out, the more opportunity they have to be downloaded. So just keep that little tidbit of information in your mind when you're here. The episodes it's not, the later ones aren't great. Also, it's just that the earlier ones have a little bit of an opportunity to get downloaded.

(01:52): Now, first, before we get into the specifics, and I'm going to share the top episodes from each of the categories. So solo episodes, first stories, interview episodes. You're going to learn all of those, the top four from each one. But first, let give you a big overview of the podcast in general. So in 2024, I released 77 episodes of the podcast. That's between the long episodes that I released on Tuesdays, and then the shorter episodes that I released sometimes on Thursdays. The podcast was downloaded over 435,000 times This year, that's over 1200 times a day. Thank you, thank you. Thank you for that. And our total downloads are up to 2.6 million. I just so appreciate each and every one of you who puts me in your ears and trust me to help you through your pregnancy and your birth experience. So for that, thank you.

(02:50): Thank you, thank you. Okay, so let's get into the top episodes for 2024, and I'm going to break it down again, solo episodes, interview episodes, birth story episodes, and then those short episodes that I do. Also, I forgot to say that in the beginning, and I'm just going to tell you a little bit about it. And then this serves as kind of a greatest hits or playlist. This is a great place for you to start if you're new to the podcast episodes for you to hop into that are just packed with information that you'll find helpful. And just as a quick reminder, you can get to any episode of the podcast by going to my website, dr nicole rankins.com/episode, and then the number. So for instance, we're going to start off with the solo episodes. In the first episode I'm going to talk about is episode 2 42 of the podcast, and you can get to episode 2 42 by dr nicole rankins.com/episode 2 4 2.

(03:46): And this episode is on the stages of labor. This was probably, I think, the most downloaded episode of the podcast in 2024. And in this episode, you learn all about the stages of labor. Now, of course, every labor is different, but there are some common generalities that are true most of the time. And from the first contractions to when it's time to push your baby out, you get walked through all of the steps so you know what to expect in this episode. So you learn what the three stages of labor are, what labor is actually like, how to know when you're in labor, how we assess cervical dilation, how long labor can last, what are the signals of active labor, what to do when your water breaks, how do you know when it's time it goes to? How do you know it's time to go to the hospital?

(04:35): So all of that is covered in this episode on the stages of labor. It's episode 2 42, dr nicole rankins.com/episode 2 4 2. So go check it out. Okay, next step is how to get through those first six weeks postpartum. This is episode number 2 48, and this episode is all about helping you during those first six weeks postpartum. The reality is that once you get discharged from the hospital, your doctor probably won't see you for six weeks. That's despite recommendations that there's some contact or that we should have some contact within the first three weeks postpartum. Unfortunately, that doesn't really happen like it should. It's not very common. So in this episode, you're going to get some information to help you during those first six weeks especially. So you'll learn about what are the physical transformations that are happening in your body after birth, how your body will be changed forever after you have a baby.

(05:29): That's not a bad thing, it's just the reality. You'll learn about things like the changes to your hair. When will your weight go back to normal? We don't believe in the snapback culture around here. We take our time to get back to that new normal after birth. You'll learn about items that you need to get started for the baby is not as much as you think. And then my top 10 tips for really helping you during those first six weeks. So great, great information in that episode two. That's episode 2 48. How to get through those first six weeks postpartum. Okay, next up is understanding your menstrual cycle. This is episode number 245, and I was a little bit surprised by this one, but also not surprised by this one because we really don't necessarily understand a lot about what happens during our menstrual cycle. It's not something that's really taught.

(06:23): It's not something that many of us really understand. So you're going to learn about your menstrual cycle in relation to ovulation, but just in general how it works because your cycle can influence many aspects of your life, your libido, your mood, your energy, appetite, skin, all of those things. So better understanding your periods can help you make informed decisions about your reproductive health, your health in general, your fertility, and just your overall wellbeing. So in this episode, you learn what is a regular menstrual cycle, the phases of the menstrual cycle, the hormones that are associated with it, and how that is affected when you get pregnant. You'll learn when ovulation occurs, how to track ovulation, how fertilization and implantation work if you get pregnant, how IUDs prevent pregnancy because this is something that gets talked about incorrectly a lot. So you learn about how IUDs prevent pregnancy, and then I'll answer the question of whether you can really have a period while you're pregnant. Spoiler alert, no, but I do explain what that bleeding is in that episode. So that's episode 2 45, understanding your menstrual Cycle.

(07:33): And then the final solo episode of the top four for 2024 was episode 2 57, and that's everything you need to know about the prenatal test that you'll get during pregnancy. So in that episode, I share all of the tests that are recommended during pregnancy. You get a breakdown of things by trimester, you'll learn why the tests are done, what the results of the test mean, and you can use the information in that episode to prepare for any upcoming tests or go back and ask questions about the tests that were done in the past so you are well-informed about everything that is going on during your pregnancy. Okay, so in this episode, again, you learn what tests are recommended, when they're done, why they're done, why is it really important? I think for you to register for access to your electronic medical records, you should have access to your records.

(08:32): What happens when you're RH negative? What does that mean? What conditions can be passed on from mom to baby? You learn about why we screen for several sexually transmitted infections, what we get from a urine sample, the genetic test, the anatomy scan, gestational diabetes, GBS, all of those things are covered in that episode. That's episode 57, understanding what you need to know about prenatal tests. And there's also a downloadable list or guide on my website. You can grab that too, that goes with that episode. Go to dr nicole rankins.com/prenatal, and you can grab that guide there. Okay, let's move into the guest episodes of the podcast. I always love having guests on who can provide you with information to help you have a great pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. I love to look for guests who kind of think outside of the box who add a little bit something different than what is typically out there.

(09:29): And I had some great guest on the podcast this year. So here are the top four most downloaded episodes from guest episodes of the podcast. First up, we have episode two 50. This is breastfeeding Advice from board certified Breastfeeding medicine specialist, Dr. Andrea Waley. So she is not only a board certified breastfeeding medicine specialist, but she's also a board certified pediatrician. In fact, she's one of only about a hundred physicians in the country who is board certified in breastfeeding medicine. So it's really important to seek out information from people who are authorities in the space like she is Now, the fact is that most doctors just are not experts in breastfeeding. So you're really going to seek out some assistance if you need, or you really need to seek out some assistance if you're having trouble, whether that's with the lactation consultant or it's with someone who is a doctor who may be certified in lactation consulting or even in breastfeeding medicine.

(10:35): Even if you can't connect with Dr. Wiley in person, she has a concierge type model for her practice. Then you can get some information from her online. Tons of information in the episode. So she talks about things like what factors can affect milk production, what to expect with breastfeeding in the first 24 hours, what is colostrum? How much is normal to produce, when to consider using formula. Formula is not necessarily a bad thing. It can have its uses and be very useful at times. The average time for milk to come in, why that proper latch is crucial, and then whether or not you should try hand expression for breast milk. I learned that that can be really important to help you get started. So that's episode two 50. Breastfeeding advice from board certified breastfeeding medicine specialist, Dr. Andrea Waley. Okay, next up is episode 2 44, how to have a Safer Childbirth with Attorney Gina Muy, muy.

(11:37): Yes. So yes, I had an attorney on the podcast. Sometimes doctors and attorneys don't necessarily have a great relationship because of malpractice things, but I thought it was important because she brings a unique perspective to this topic. Gina has specialized in childbirth cases, actually defending medical professionals for over 20 years, and during that time, she's learned a lot about the mistakes that can happen in the hospital, and she shares her insights in her book, A Parent's Guide to Safer Childbirth. It helps parents prevent errors and have a healthy baby. And in the episode, we just go through the 12 chapters that are covered in her book and just take a little bit from each one to give you a little bit of a sample. And of course you can go deeper in it by reading the book, but the things we talk about are learning about labor and delivery.

(12:36): The delivery team, the good doctors, is actually not what you think. Knowing your hospital, having a plan, having an advocate, knowing the types of fetal monitors, knowing what your baby's heart rate means, of course, not on a deeper level, but on a level that you can get some basic information about it. Understanding tests and interventions, common facts and issues in legal baby cases, safety and epidurals, and then understanding C-sections. Great information in this episode two. That's episode 2 44, how to Have a Safer Childbirth with Attorney Gina Mundy. Okay, so next guest was a psychiatrist. This is episode 2 41, managing Mental Health during Pregnancy and Postpartum with psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Waggle. We know that mental health concerns are more and more prevalent, and they're also undertreated. And pregnant women or pregnant people who need psychiatric medication are really underserved. There's a big knowledge gap and a lot of doctors don't feel comfortable treating it or prescribing mental health medications during pregnancy. Well, Dr. Wacko is here to dispel some myths and share some information on that. She's a psychiatrist who is certified in perinatal mental health, specifically advanced studies in perinatal psychopharmacology that is medication for pregnant women and people. She's one of the very few experts in her field who understands that.

(14:23): The big takeaway is that if you need medications, most likely you can do so safely, but we dive deep into it into the episodes. So we learn a lot about why prescribers, doctors, midwives, err on the side of a no medication approach, kind of the thought process behind that, not that that's right, but you understand where it comes from. It's not right or wrong, it's just sort of understanding where it comes from. You learn how it is to have a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. They kind of go together. You learn when it's baby blues and when it's more than that and it's time to seek help. She actually encourages pregnant women and people to participate in medical studies, and you'll learn why. You'll learn how therapy factors into treatment plans, how medications can interact with breastfeeding, when you can start your medication postpartum, or restart, I should say, your medication postpartum if you had stopped it during pregnancy.

(15:24): Tons of great information in this episode, episode 2 41, managing mental health during pregnancy and postpartum with psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Waggle. Okay, and the last guest episode of the Top four episodes, most downloaded episodes of the podcast in 2024. This is understanding the link between feeding and sleep with Hillary Sadler, a baby settler. So many parents feel like they have to choose between sleep and breastfeeding. And in this episode, the guest, Hillary Sadler says That's not the case. She knows what she's talking about. She's a registered nurse, she's an international board certified lactation consultant. She's a mom of four. She's an expert on balancing, feeding and sleep. So getting enough sleep for you is going to be vital for your mental health. I've said it hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times. The key to having a healthy baby is to have a healthy mama, have a healthy, healthy parent.

(16:22): So do future you a favor. Understand the link between feeding your baby and sleep before your baby comes home. In this episode, you'll learn how quality, effective and efficient feeds can impact sleep. What's the biological link between feeding and sleep? Why you should think about your sleep goals. You learn how to maximize your newborn's wake time. What makes for an effective feeding pattern with the five S's are when it comes to breastfeeding and why you should approach day feeding and night feeding differently. This is episode number 2 59, understanding the link between feeding and sleep with Hillary saddler of baby settler. Okay, and then we have the top four birth story episodes of 2024. I love the birth story episodes. I love hearing people share about their birth. I always learn so much from people sharing about their birth story experiences, and you're going to learn something too.

(17:21): In our top four episodes, we have episode two forty nine, Erin's Birth Story, A Beautiful and Joyful Hospital Birth. This was the first time I think I had a guest describe their birth as beautiful, joyful, and relaxing, like all of those three things together. She really wasn't expecting to be somebody who loved her birth story, but she absolutely does. And she came on to share her perspective that a birth was beautiful. Now here's the thing, I didn't realize it until we started talking, but Erin actually gave birth at the hospital where I work. Yes, yes, she did. I was not a part of her birth, but I know her doctor, I know her nurses, I know her midwife. And it was so nice to hear from a patient perspective that the place where I work provides a great experience. I know that we provide a great experience.

(18:15): This is one of the best hospitals that I've worked at for birth, and it really just validates that hospital birth can be a beautiful experience. So we learned about things like how she managed her blood pressure during pregnancy when she went to the hospital and then went back home from the hospital, how long she labored at home, the pain management options she chose, how she was able to stay calm throughout the pain of contractions, how long she pushed, and the parental support that she got from her job is something I have never heard in my life. It was amazing, and you got to hear it in the episode. That's episode two forty nine. Erin's birth story, a beautiful and joyful hospital birth. Okay, next step is Nicole's birth story. This is episode two sixty one. The line between pain and suffering. Sometimes a beautiful birth experience doesn't mean getting what you wanted or what you thought you wanted for your birth.

(19:17): It really means making the right decisions for yourself along the way. And Nicole was at five centimeters for a long time, for 12 hours, and she realized that it wasn't just pain, that she was experienced, she was actually suffering and no one should suffer during birth. I will give away that she did have a vaginal birth, but it was nothing like she had anticipated. So in this episode, you'll learn how she agreed to Pitocin, what happened and how she felt when the Pitocin was increased, how she came to the decision to get an epidural. I alluded to it a bit earlier about how to stop suffering because it was suffering in more than just pain, how she quickly progressed after she'd gotten epidural, how she had a lactation. It was very helpful for her in the postpartum period with breastfeeding. This is episode two sixty one, Nicole's birth story, the line between Pain and suffering.

(20:22): Okay, and now we have Erica's birth story. This is episode two sixty three, and it's loving every moment of birth. Erica experienced two miscarriages prior to the birth story that we hear in the episode and after over a year and a half of heartbreaking loss, her pregnancy was completely normal. No nausea, no sickness, no pain, unanticipated that things were going to be so normal after having so many challenges. Now at 38 weeks, she had some symptoms that developed that caused her doctor to recommend induction in order for her and her baby to be safe. She wanted an unmedicated birth, and you're going to learn all about how she used movement for pain management. In this great episode. I was so inspired by her strength, and you will be too. So you're going to learn why her doctor recommended induction, how her induction unfolded, how she was initially unhappy with one doctor, where things got better when another doctor came on, how she had a travel nurse who was an angel. She happened to be trained as a doula as well, how she opted for a different birth position other than laying on her back. This is two sixty three Erica's birth story, loving every moment of birth.

(21:41): And then the final top birth story episode from the podcast is episode two 40. Kelsey's birth story, A quick and surprising VBAC VBAC is vaginal birth after cesarean. Kelsey had a cesarean for her first birth, and when she got pregnant with her second baby, VBAC wasn't necessarily on her radar, and after discussing it with her doctor, her hope was to either have a medicated vaginal birth or a C-section. But of course, neither of those actually happened because birth is unpredictable. And in this episode, her labor went so fast that even though she was screaming bloody murder, it was too late for her to get any pain medication. Now, a lot of people hope for a quick labor, and it does have its benefits, but it can also have drawbacks too. For Kelsey, she actually wished that it would've gone a little bit slower so that she could have been more present and remembered the experience.

(22:43): Instead, she came away feeling like it was all a bit of a blur. But even despite that, it's important to know that VBAC is possible, and if you want to try for it, you need to make sure you have the right support in place. So Kelsey shares how she had a C-section for her first birth, how she moved to another state alone while she was pregnant at 34 weeks, how she prepared for the C-section that she was expecting, how she drove herself to the hospital over 50 minutes while having contractions. I do not recommend that 10 out of 10 don't recommend that necessarily how dilated she was when she got to the hospital, how quickly things went during her birth. You really want to hear this episode. This is, oh, also how her recovery was different compared to her C-section. Okay, it was actually a little bit different than she anticipated there.

(23:37): So this is episode number two 40, Kelsey's birth story, A Quick and a Surprising Feedback. Okay, and then last up, I want to share the top four short episodes of the podcast. The short episodes are episodes that I do on Thursdays. I don't do them every Thursday. I kind of do them in batches, but short episodes that I do every Thursday where I talk about a topic for 10 to 15 minutes. And so it's a little bit more condensed version of the podcast or I answer listener questions. If you shoot me a question on Instagram, I will try and answer it in a short episode if I think it's an appropriate question for that. These again, are short episodes. They're only released on Thursdays. The only way for you to know about these episodes is to subscribe to the podcast because I don't share about them on email or social media or anything like that.

(24:29): So subscribing is the way to make sure you don't miss these great short episodes. And the top four short episodes of the podcast for 2024 are What's Up with Sleeping on Your Back During Pregnancy? So in that episode, I explained like, should you really sleep on your back? How bad is it to sleep on your back? What is the data about that? So you learn about that and that short episode. Next step is how much caffeine is safe in pregnancy? I am a coffee drinker. I drink two cups of coffee a day. Please don't chat with me until I've had some coffee in the morning. So in this episode, you learn how much caffeine is considered safe in pregnancy. In the third short episode that's most popular of the year, it's let's talk about sex during pregnancy. So what to do's acceptable, all of that good grace stuff in that episode.

(25:26): And then the final top episode, short episode of the podcast for 2024. It was all the things you don't have to do just because you're having a baby. So in that episode, I dispel some myths about the things that everybody says you have to do, but you really don't have to do just because you're having a baby. So that is it for the top episodes of 2024. Again, thank you so much for being with me and having me in your ears during this 2024 year. I am so grateful that you have trusted me to help you during your pregnancy and birth. All of the episodes are linked in the show notes. This is a great place for you to start. If you're looking for some episodes to go back and binge listen to for the podcast, I would love, love for you to check every single one of them out.

(26:21): Alright, so there you have it. That's it for this episode. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening to me right now, and be sure to leave me an honest review in Apple Podcast. I love to hear what you think about the show. If you can give me a five star review and you believe in the five stars, I was so, so appreciated. I love to hear what you think helps the show to grow. There are some changes coming to the podcast for 2025, so you want to be sure you're subscribed and you're listened. So you will be the first to know. And again, thank you. Thank you for being with me during 2024. So that's it for this episode to come on back next week and remember that you deserve a beautiful pregnancy and birth.