This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my powerhouse of a mom-friend, Lindsy, who brings the kind of raw, beautiful honesty that this podcast is all about.

After a smooth pregnancy, things took a wild turn: her OB completely ghosted her, the backup Physician's Assistant dropped the ball, and on the morning of delivery, Lindsy found out her baby was breech (even though she’d been told for weeks he was head-down).

She opens up about the real emotions of an unexpected C-section, how it felt to be dismissed by medical staff, and the heartbreak and resilience that came with her baby’s hip dysplasia diagnosis. Oh! And did I mention, I was her doula?

This is a story about trusting your gut, fighting for your voice, and learning to bond with your baby even when birth doesn’t go the way you imagined.

• A positive, uneventful pregnancy (until it wasn’t)
• Getting ghosted by your OB + a careless backup PA
• A surprise breech diagnosis and C-section delivery
• Real talk on trauma, healing, and bonding with baby
• Encouragement for parents learning to advocate for themselves

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday

📱 Follow along @thelaborline

00:00 - Meet Lindsy

06:52 - A Smooth, Unplanned Pregnancy

11:34 - Doctor Red Flags

13:58 - A Breech Baby & Traumatic, Unexpected C-Section

24:36 - Careless Nurses & High Blood Pressure

30:16 - The Grief of Unmet Expectations

37:29 - Advocate For Yourself!!

46:32 - Bonding With Baby After Difficult Birth

49:43 - Finding Peace & Meaning

Welcome to the very first episode of The Labor Line! I’m your host, Emily — a non-mom who’s always been weirdly obsessed with birth. (Like… childhood Barbie birth scenarios obsessed.)

To kick things off, I’m joined by my dear friend Kylie, who may or may not have told her OB to shut up while pushing. From not being sure she even wanted kids, to navigating fertility struggles, Kylie takes us through all the twists, turns, and TUMS of pregnancy (hello, carpal tunnel and raging heartburn).

We talk about her labor and delivery — the real stuff, like what surprised her, what hurt, and what helped. And we dive into the postpartum fog, including her breastfeeding journey and how she found support when things got hard.

If you’re into real, vulnerable, laugh-through-the-tears kind of birth stories, you’re in the right place.

In this episode:

• Changing your mind about motherhood
• Carpal tunnel, heartburn, and other pregnancy joys 🙃
• The emotional weight of labor + delivery
• Real talk about breastfeeding and asking for help
• Words of love and encouragement for new moms

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday.

📱 Let’s hang out @thelaborline

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Practically Pain-Free Birth Course by the Mighty Mama Movement

Labor like a Goddess by Lauren Mahana

Motherlove More Milk Plus by Motherlove

Chapters

00:00 - Introducing: The Labor Line!!

05:49 - Meet Kylie

11:15 - A Winding Road to Pregnancy

20:31 - Pregnancy: Carpal Tunnel, Birthing Prep, & Peeling Wallpaper

32:48 - Labor: Pain Reality Check, Epidural Relief, & Squatted Pushing]

45:14 - Breastfeeding: A Tounge Tie Mystery

59:12 - To My Pre-Mom Self…