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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.

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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.