As women, we have been conditioned – through media, medical influence and even through hearing disheartening birth stories – to believe that our entire motherhood journey is left to fate. Our culture has painted a bleak picture of pregnancy, insisting that it's a miserable experience that justifies eating donuts on the couch for 9 months, that labor is excruciating and necessitates anesthetics, postpartum depression is inevitable, and "as long as the baby is healthy" that's all that matters. However, a healthy baby should be the *bare minimum* expectation, and even that is not always guaranteed. Many second-time mothers seek to redeem their previous experience and avoid the same complications and trauma during their second pregnancy. While it's important to prioritize the health of your second child, it's equally important to remember that your first child deserves the same level of care and attention. It's time to break free from these societal norms and take back our power to take control of our motherhood experience. In this episode you’ll learn: Why the cultural norms you hear about surrounding pregnancy, birth and motherhood do not have to be YOUR story What you should expect of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences. What’s *actually* important to focus on when you’re preparing for your birth How you can approach your preconception period so you can enter into motherhood nourished and confident Related Resources: Download my FREE Preconception Checklist!⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Register for my FREE Masterclass Unlock Your Fertility: How to Transform Your Habits for Optimal Pregnancy Success!⁠⁠ Work with me in my signature online course and coaching, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Resilient Motherhood: A self-paced guide to preparing for conception and beyond⁠ Blog: Navigating your PCOS Journey: From Diagnosis to Hormone Vitality and Motherhood Blog: Can Morning Sickness Be Prevented? The Complete Guide To Freebirth Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth Innate Postpartum Care See full show notes here