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Birth often feels like a test you can fail, even when you and your baby are healthy. We tackle the missing support layer that changes that feeling: prenatal coaching that builds a grounded mindset, clear communication, and a flexible plan you can trust when things get real.

We start by naming the gap most parents feel between medical safety and emotional steadiness. I walk through how prenatal coaching complements your OB, midwife, nurses, and doula by focusing on beliefs, boundaries, and language. Together, we surface the quiet stories—like “natural is the only good birth” or “if I plan hard enough, I can control everything”—and gently replace them with thoughts that match your values. You’ll hear how to craft a birth vision that guides decisions without boxing you in when clinical realities change.

From there, we practice power-sharing with providers so consent becomes a conversation. I share simple, high-impact questions that help you pause, understand risks and benefits, and consider options without escalating conflict. We dig into what reduces emotional birth trauma: asking for explanations when safe, naming your preferences, and learning grounding tools that work in triage or transition. I also clarify what a prenatal coach does and doesn’t do—I’m not diagnosing or changing meds; I’m your thinking partner before birth and a steady guide in the debrief after.

If you’ve felt anxious at appointments, stuck between induction and waiting, wondering about epidurals or VBAC, or carrying a hard first birth into a new pregnancy, this conversation offers a way forward. You’ll leave with language to advocate, a mindset that lowers shame, and a vision that helps you feel like the leader of your birth story. If you want the detailed notes with questions to ask, common beliefs to revisit, and prompts to start your birth vision, comment “notes” and I’ll send them your way. Like what you heard? Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Coaching offer

Kelly Hof: Labor Nurse + Birth Coach
Basically, I'm your birth bestie! With me as your coach, you will tell fear to take a hike!

Support the show

Connect with Kelly at kellyhof.com

Join the Bump & Beyond Online Community!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bumpnbeyond

Grab The Book of Hormones on Amazon!

Medical Disclaimer:
This podcast is intended as a safe space for women to share their birth experiences. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Each woman’s medical course of action is individual and may not appropriately transfer to another similar situation. Please speak to your medical provider before making any medical decisions. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that evidence based practice evolves as our knowledge of science improves. To the best of my ability I will attempt to present the most current ACOG and AWHONN recommendations at the time the podcast is recorded, but that may not necessarily reflect the best practices at the time the podcast is heard. Additionally, guests sharing their stories have the right to autonomy in their medical decisions, and may share their choice to go against current practice recommendations. I intend to hold space for people to share their decisions. I will attempt to share the current recommendations so that my audience is informed, but it is up to each individual to choose what is best for them.

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Your prenatal care should feel calm, respectful, and evidence-based—yet many of us hit a point where advice from a provider doesn’t match what we’ve learned or what our gut is telling us. That moment is disorienting. We break down why it feels so heavy, how to get grounded fast, and the practical steps to find alignment without burning bridges.

We start by naming the emotional waves that follow a shaken trust: fear that you’re missing something, grief for the relationship you thought you had, and the stress of choices you didn’t expect to make late in pregnancy. From there, we anchor to ACOG standards—the baseline for safe, evidence-based care—and highlight five clear red flags: recommendations that don’t align with guidance, dismissive responses to questions, a tone shift toward rigidity near your due date, inconsistent information inside a group practice, and that loud, unsettled intuition after appointments.

You’ll get simple, powerful scripts to slow things down in the room: ask for the medical reasoning, whether the advice is individualized or a policy, and whether there’s time to think before deciding. We talk through the “middle space” between staying and switching—how to sit with your feelings, confirm the guideline, and plan one focused follow-up conversation that can restore trust or confirm misalignment. If a switch becomes the right move, we share how parents successfully transition even late in pregnancy, how to transfer records smoothly, and how to reframe the change as moving toward the birth experience you want and deserve.

By the end, you’ll trust your intuition as data, know how to compare recommendations to ACOG guidance, and feel confident seeking a second opinion or a new provider when needed. If this helped, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review telling us which question you’ll bring to your next prenatal visit.

Coaching offer

Kelly Hof: Labor Nurse + Birth Coach
Basically, I'm your birth bestie! With me as your coach, you will tell fear to take a hike!

Support the show

Connect with Kelly at kellyhof.com

Join the Bump & Beyond Online Community!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bumpnbeyond

Grab The Book of Hormones on Amazon!

Medical Disclaimer:
This podcast is intended as a safe space for women to share their birth experiences. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Each woman’s medical course of action is individual and may not appropriately transfer to another similar situation. Please speak to your medical provider before making any medical decisions. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that evidence based practice evolves as our knowledge of science improves. To the best of my ability I will attempt to present the most current ACOG and AWHONN recommendations at the time the podcast is recorded, but that may not necessarily reflect the best practices at the time the podcast is heard. Additionally, guests sharing their stories have the right to autonomy in their medical decisions, and may share their choice to go against current practice recommendations. I intend to hold space for people to share their decisions. I will attempt to share the current recommendations so that my audience is informed, but it is up to each individual to choose what is best for them.

Send us a text

Birth feels different when the room feels safe. We dig into how to choose a doula by focusing on connection, clarity, and calm rather than running a rigid checklist. Instead of quizzing someone for the “right” answers, we map the questions that actually reveal fit: their vibe during intensity, their range across home and hospital births, and how they help you stay informed without pushing an agenda. If your goal is a steadier nervous system and a smoother decision path, this conversation gives you the language to get there.

We break down what to ask and why it matters: how they describe their style, the types of births they’ve supported, their comfort with inductions and c-sections, and how they collaborate with nurses and providers when decisions move quickly. You’ll hear how to screen for flexibility and respect for your choices, plus the cues that signal a red flag—like fighting the hospital rather than helping you navigate it. We also cover communication plans, on-call timing, when they typically join you in labor, and how they include partners so your support team works as one.

Backups and advocacy round it out. You’ll learn how to ask about backup doulas and why a quick intro can ease last-minute stress. Then we define real advocacy in the hospital: making space for your voice, slowing moments for consent, and protecting your presence without speaking over others. By the end, you’ll know which few questions to ask, what a good answer sounds like, and how to trust the feeling in your body when the fit is right. If you’re planning a hospital birth, exploring unmedicated options, or anywhere in between, this guide helps you choose support that aligns with your values.

If this helped you get clear, follow the show, share it with someone planning their birth, and leave a quick review so others can find it. And if you want my notes from this video, comment “notes” below.

Coaching offer

Kelly Hof: Labor Nurse + Birth Coach
Basically, I'm your birth bestie! With me as your coach, you will tell fear to take a hike!

Support the show

Connect with Kelly at kellyhof.com

Join the Bump & Beyond Online Community!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bumpnbeyond

Grab The Book of Hormones on Amazon!

Medical Disclaimer:
This podcast is intended as a safe space for women to share their birth experiences. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Each woman’s medical course of action is individual and may not appropriately transfer to another similar situation. Please speak to your medical provider before making any medical decisions. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that evidence based practice evolves as our knowledge of science improves. To the best of my ability I will attempt to present the most current ACOG and AWHONN recommendations at the time the podcast is recorded, but that may not necessarily reflect the best practices at the time the podcast is heard. Additionally, guests sharing their stories have the right to autonomy in their medical decisions, and may share their choice to go against current practice recommendations. I intend to hold space for people to share their decisions. I will attempt to share the current recommendations so that my audience is informed, but it is up to each individual to choose what is best for them.