About this episode
Maria Topper is a 23 year old mom of 2, blogger, and activist. She lives in Germany with her blended family. She uses her voice and social channels to talk about motherhood and its realities. At 19 years old she found out she was pregnant. She was living in a foreign country and a seemingly normal pregnancy turned into any mom to be worst scenario when doctors refused to listen to her and she developed eclampsia. She delivered a baby at 30 weeks via emergency C-section, and her baby girl spent 6 weeks in the NICU. Adjusting to life after the NICU wasn't easy and she suffered with PPD and PTSD. A few years later she wanted to extend her family and was met by the hard road that trying to conceive can be for some couples. After multiple miscarriages she was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome but was able to get pregnant and delivered a healthy term baby via VBAC. Maria urges moms-to-be to use their voice during pregnancy, to stand up for themselves if needed, and know that they their feelings and concerns are important. Want to eliminate stress before birth? Get your FREE 3rd Trimester Prep Pack to know everything is done and feel completely confident with your birth plan and hospital bag! Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver. And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum! Sponsor Juna is the companion app for your motherhood journey. Sarah, the founder of Juna, created the app to provide scientifically backed and up-to-date fitness and nutrition information, all in one place. When you download Juna you'll enter your baby's due date or your baby's birthday, and you'll be put directly into the appropriate week of your journey. There's a key nutrient every single week with recipe suggestions, a daily trimester-specific workout, and pregnancy and postpartum tips from Sarah and the team at Juna. There's really no other app like it out there! Sarah is giving a special offer to Mommy Labor Nurse listeners so right now you can get Juna for 25% off a yearly subscription by using the code LIESEL at subscribe.juna.co .