I’m so excited to share this heartfelt episode with you, where I sit down with Mackenzie DeClark, a labor and delivery nurse, future midwife, and mama of three behind the Mackenzie on Motherhood platform. Mackenzie opens up about her three unique birth stories, each one a beautiful mix of raw emotion, unexpected twists, and empowering choices.

What’s inside this episode:

• Her first birth: A medicated hospital birth with an epidural, a vaginal delivery shared with her mom, a 8 pound 6 oz baby, and a smooth postpartum experience.
• Her second birth: An unmedicated water birth with a dramatic shoulder dystocia, a 10-pound baby, and a challenging postpartum period, experiencing postpartum depression.
• Her third birth: A high-risk pregnancy with gestational diabetes, a nitrous oxide-supported unmedicated birth, and a joyful postpartum with her smallest baby at 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

Mackenzie’s stories are filled with honesty, humor, and wisdom from her years at the bedside and her own motherhood journey. We talk about trusting your intuition, navigating interventions like Pitocin and Foley balloons, and the messy, magical reality of birth and postpartum.

Whether you’re curious about epidurals, water births, or managing gestational diabetes, this episode is packed with insights and encouragement for wherever you are in your pregnancy or parenting journey.

Tune in for a cozy, real conversation that celebrates the many ways we bring our babies into the world.

Helpful Timestamps:

• 02:54 Mackenzie's First Birth Story
• 22:50 Postpartum Reflections
• 25:39 Mackenzie's Second Birth Story
• 38:52 Emergency Delivery: Shoulder Dystocia
• 40:29 Post-Birth Complications and NICU Experience
• 46:05 Postpartum Depression and Seeking Help
• 49:00 Transitioning from One to Two Children
• 51:16 Third Pregnancy Challenges and Gestational Diabetes
• 58:46 Induction and Labor with Third Child
• 01:11:45 Reflecting on Birth Experiences and Postpartum Joy
• 01:15:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

More from Mackenzie DeClark:

Find her sharing birth tips and motherhood moments on Instagram and TikTok at: @mackenzie.on.motherhood

About your host:

🩺🤰🏻Lo Mansfield, MSN, RNC-OB, CLC is a registered nurse, mama of 4, and a birth, baby, and motherhood enthusiast. She is both the host of the Lo & Behold podcast and the founder of The Labor Mama.

For more education, support and “me too” from Lo, please visit her website and check out her online courses and digital guides for birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum/newborns. You can also follow @thelabormama and @loandbehold_thepodcast on Instagram and join her email list here.

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