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Preparing for Pregnancy with Endometriosis
Leanna began working with an OB-GYN specializing in endometriosis and PCOS care after suspecting she might have endometriosis. Surgery confirmed the diagnosis, and the experience prompted her and her husband, Ryan, to move up their timeline for starting a family.
Leanna became pregnant with her daughter on their very first cycle of trying. Although the pregnancy was relatively smooth overall, she experienced significant nausea, heartburn, back and hip pain, and anxiety surrounding the possibility of miscarriage.
An Unexpected Pregnancy Complication
During pregnancy, Leanna also dealt with unexpected thyroid and heart issues. Despite those additional concerns, she continued preparing for the birth of her daughter and planned a low-intervention hospital birth.
Her hope was to labor at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital. She wanted to keep her options open while approaching birth with a low-intervention mindset.
A Change in Baby’s Movements
At 39 weeks, Leanna noticed that her normally very active baby wasn’t moving as much as usual. She called her OB’s after-hours line and was advised to go to the hospital for evaluation.
Monitoring showed that her daughter wasn’t doing quite as well as hoped, and an induction was initially being planned. Before that became necessary, however, Leanna began having regular contractions on her own.
A Fast and Intense Labor
Labor progressed quickly and intensely. Leanna eventually chose an epidural for pain relief and continued to progress rapidly after receiving it.
When it was time to push, she only needed about six minutes before her daughter was born. Her baby was placed directly on her chest, giving Leanna the immediate skin-to-skin moment she had hoped for.
A Challenging Postpartum Beginning
The early postpartum period was much harder than Leanna had anticipated. Breastfeeding was difficult, her daughter experienced significant weight loss, and Leanna struggled with severe anxiety as she adjusted to motherhood.
A frightening choking episode added another layer of fear and uncertainty. Her daughter eventually received feeding therapy, a swallow study, physical therapy, and treatment for multiple oral ties as they worked to understand and address the feeding difficulties.
Finding Their Way to Breastfeeding
After a difficult first month, Leanna and her daughter were eventually able to establish breastfeeding. Her daughter has continued to make significant progress, and Leanna looks back on those early challenges as an important part of learning to accept help and let go of the expectation that postpartum would look exactly as she had imagined.
Her story offers an honest reminder that becoming a mother can be beautiful and difficult at the same time. Sometimes the most important part of postpartum recovery is recognizing when you need support and allowing others to help you find a path forward.
Leanna is a 30-year-old science teacher living in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with her husband, Ryan, their daughter, and their 12-year-old dog, Princess. She has been teaching in Florida for eight years, and she and Ryan met in college and have been together for nearly a decade.
Leanna loves spending time at the beach and playing board games with her family. She and Ryan welcomed their first daughter in January 2026.
- The Birth Hour — birth stories were what Leanna found helpful during her pregnancy and transition into motherhood.
- Know Your Options Birth Course — A birth education resource focused on helping families understand their choices and prepare for birth.
- The Preconception Podcast — A podcast focused on preparing for pregnancy and the preconception period.
- Nurture: A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood—and Trusting Yourself and Your Body by Erica Chidi Cohen — A guide to pregnancy, birth, early motherhood, and developing confidence in your body and choices.
- Lactation Loop — A lactation resource that supported Leanna during her challenging breastfeeding journey.
This episode of The Birth Hour is brought to you by eufy Baby and the eufy Breast Pump S2 Pro or on Amazon.
Leanna shares her journey through endometriosis surgery, a hospital birth with an epidural, postpartum anxiety, and feeding challenges after her baby was born. She also opens up about her experience with pumping and how finding a wearable pump that fit more easily into her day made a meaningful difference.
Leanna found the eufy Breast Pump S2 Pro comfortable, quiet, and easy to customize through the eufy app. She was able to get about the same overall output as her wall pump while feeling less tied down, helping pumping take up less physical and mental space in her day.
Listen to Leanna’s full birth story, followed by our conversation about her feeding and pumping journey and how the eufy Breast Pump S2 Pro helped make pumping feel a little more effortless.
Birth Hour listeners can use code TBHEUFY for an extra 15% off at Eufy.com.
Endometriosis can affect fertility for some people, which is why Leanna worked with an OB-GYN specializing in endometriosis and PCOS care before trying to conceive. After surgery confirmed her endometriosis, she became pregnant with her daughter during her first cycle of trying.
Leanna noticed that her normally active baby was moving less than usual at 39 weeks and called her OB’s after-hours line. She was advised to go to the hospital for monitoring, where her baby’s wellbeing was evaluated and the care team initially considered induction.
Yes, plans can change as labor progresses. Leanna initially expected to be induced after monitoring showed her baby wasn’t doing quite as well as hoped, but regular contractions began spontaneously before the induction was needed.
Leanna’s breastfeeding journey involved significant newborn weight loss and multiple feeding challenges. Her daughter ultimately received feeding therapy, a swallow study, physical therapy, and treatment for multiple oral ties before they were able to establish breastfeeding.
The Birth Hour is a birth story podcast hosted by Bryn Huntpalmer. With over 1,000 episodes and 27 million downloads, it is one of the longest-running pregnancy and birth podcasts in the world. New episodes publish every week — unmedicated, epidural, home birth, hospital birth, C-section, VBAC, and everything in between.
🎧 Listen: Search “The Birth Hour” on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
📚 Course: thebirthhour.com/course
💛 Patreon: patreon.com/birthhour
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