EBB 365 - Battling a Birth Injury with Leah Van Dale, Former WWE Wrestler and EBB Childbirth Class Graduate

Jul 16, 2025

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Leah Van Dale, former WWE superstar known as Carmella and founder of the women’s health platform Snatch, joins Dr. Rebecca Dekker to share her deeply personal story of postpartum recovery after a traumatic birth injury. Leah opens up about her journey through multiple pregnancy losses, the decision to hire a doula, and how the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class helped her prepare for her first birth. She shares the emotional and physical challenges of a long labor, including an undiagnosed nerve injury that left her unable to walk properly for months postpartum. Now pregnant again, Leah reflects on what she’s learned, how it shaped her career path, and why she’s passionate about building an honest, empowering community for women. (02:55) Leah’s Journey Through Loss and Into Pregnancy (05:20) Why She Chose to Hire a Doula (07:50) Taking the EBB Childbirth Class (09:39) Leah’s Long and Unexpected Birth Story (16:11) Postpartum Depletion and Early Red Flags (22:31) The Long Road to a Diagnosis (25:35) How the Injury Affected Her Career (28:30) Creating Snatch: A Space for Honest Conversations (32:54) Free Resources and Courses Through Snatch (35:08) Advice for Those Preparing for Birth To sign up for the EBB Summer Series, visit ebbirth.com/summer! Resources: Explore Snatch: snatch.co Follow Leah on Instagram: @theleahvandale Access our free guide on birthing positions: ebbirth.com/birthingpositions For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.