Happy Homebirth – Details, episodes & analysis

When things go unexpectedly during your first birth, how do you plan for a second birth with the hope and expectation that they'll go better?

This week, we are speaking with Michelle Varela. Michelle is one of those rare and amazing women who knew that she wanted to give birth at home from a very young age. So when her first birth took an unexpected turn, it was confusing and disappointing, and there were certainly questions as to how things would be handled next time.

Episode Roundup:

The importance of our care providers. They make a huge difference. How things unfold does depend greatly on that.

But the second thing that's on my mind is just how incredible the body is, how beautifully designed it was and is, how beautifully designed it is to heal itself. While Michelle struggled with a 4th degree tear during her 1st birthing experience, she did not let that come in her way in terms of her second birth experience, and thank goodness that she didn't even know that other people might say, oh, that's too dangerous. She just did what she knew was best for her body, and what ended up happening was a beautiful birth with zero tearing. 

Our bodies are so incredible. They're so incredible at healing. They're so resilient. So if you have found yourself in a place where you've given birth before and it didn't go the way that you wanted, desired, expected, or planned, Know this. Your body is resilient.

Your mind is resilient. Your heart is resilient, and next time it can be different just like it was for Michelle.

Last thing before I jump off, I did wanna share that Michelle's husband actually works with mothers postpartum. He helps with things like diastasis recti, pelvic floor dysfunction, and just overall achieving of physical goals.

Instagram: @codylanecollins 

We want a healthy baby and a healthy mama, right? But is it okay to ask for more than that? What if we have specific ideas and hopes and dreams for our birth? Is it okay to pray about that? Is it okay to ask the Lord for more?

This week, we are speaking to my friend Rachel Petersen. Now Rachel did just that. She had desires and she let the Lord know about them. So we're going to learn what that looked like and see how it unfolded for her in her birth experience.

Now, just a little bit more information on Rachel. She is certified through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and the Herbal Academy. She specializes in women's hormones, cycle sinking, fertility, the fertility awareness method and prenatal and postpartum nutrition. So she's somebody that you're going to want to check out. She's on Instagram @nourish.thegood

Episode Roundup:

The first one being that Rachel shows us how it's okay to make your requests known to God. In fact, he tells us to, specifically, make your requests known to God and he will answer. Now, does it always look like the answer that Rachel received?

No, not necessarily. However, he does work all things for good. So even when the outcomes don't look the way we had expected, even when they look completely different from how we expected them to look, we know that we have a loving father who does care for us and, like Rachel said, He is aware of us.

He sees us. So whether your birth turns out as spectacularly as Rachel's does, or whether it turns out differently than expected, let God be big in it. Look for Him, He's there. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, He is there. So let's look back and see, where was He? Where was He in my experience?

Exclusive Free Training:

How To Turn Your Passion For Birth Into A Full-time Career As A Doula – So you can feed your soul AND your Family… even if you don’t want to be on call 24/7! Register here: Myhappyhomebirth.com/birthworker 

I want to give birth physiologically and at home… but what if it’s painful?

Today we’re going to take a few minutes to discuss the very common, very understandable fear of pain when it comes to giving birth at home….without medication.

We'll be discussing this from several perspectives today/using several guiding questions:

1. What makes you think it will be painful?

2. What can we do to mitigate the potential for pain? 

3. So what?  What if it is painful?  

And throughout we'll include a number of tips for coping with discomfort during labor.

Resources

Happy Homebirth Academy

Essentials Homebirth Guide (free)

When you describe your labor and birth, what words come to mind?  Difficult? Intense? Powerful?  What about…. Euphoric? 

Today we’re going to be talking to my friend Rose, of Rose Uncharted– Rose is a wife and mother of 3 children born at home. She began cultivating an online presence on instagram by sharing her unconventional lifestyle choices and ideas, and by pushing back against the societal norms of how we should live and raise our babies in this modern age. Her signature message has been to encourage women to tune back into their simple innate God given intuition and to take their bodies and their health into their own hands.   She’ll be sharing her 3 homebirth stories, and I can pretty much guarantee that there will be chills or tears by the time we finish this episode, specifically around that very idea of a euphoric birth.  

Episode Roundup

1. We’ve got to start asking midwives the right questions from the very beginning.  Every midwife deserves to operate her practice how she sees fit, just like every mother deserves to find a care provider who is comfortable with her desires.  Not every mother and midwife are going to make a perfect pair, and that’s not a bad thing.  Not every man and every woman make a perfect pair either– it’s all about having discernment, asking the right questions before signing any paperwork, and then working together as a team from there on out.  Yes I just compared midwifery and marriage and I’m just going to keep rolling.  Listen, like Rose said, we’ve got to find alignment.  If at all possible, we’ve got to find that midwife who you trust and who trusts you right back.  It makes a world of difference.  So many mothers ask me, “what questions do I need to ask?” And before giving out any specifics, I always like to say– you’ve got to figure out what you want first.  I may want very different things from my care provider than you do.  What do you want, what’s non-negotiable?  Figure it out for yourself before you even begin formulating a list of questions.  
2. Next, I loved Rose’s explanation of labor waves.  Sometimes you may find yourself riding the crest, and other times you’ve got to go limp in the undertow for a bit.  Relaxation is the way through, as Rose described having her husband Isaac hold her body weight as she went completely limp through the heavy surges.
3. And finally, labor can be euphoric.  Not just the moment that our baby enters the world, though that certainly is part of it– but the entire experience can be exactly what we’ve prayed for, just like it was for Rose.  It’s one of the reasons that we talk about envisioning your birth so much throughout happy homebirth academy– it’s so wonderful to spend our time thinking of good, beautiful things, and that is absolutely what our labor can be.  

Resources:

Happy Homebirth Academy

[free] Homebirth Essentials Resource

Rose's Website and Store

Kori Meloy

Full Monty Panel

Vitamin A for Increased Hemoglobin Meta-analysis

Midwives are great, but OB’s are definitely better when it comes to diagnostics and testing, right?

This week we’re speaking to Hannah White, a sweet, sentimental mama who switched to midwifery care later on in her second pregnancy.  And she was shocked to find out that her midwife was more thorough in keeping up with her health than even her obstetrician.

Episode Roundup:

1. I just love the historicity of Hannah’s story.  She was able to give birth on family land, in the home that she grew up in, and the same land where her Grandfather was born.  What a full-circle experience. 
2. Where we are and who we’re with during labor matters.  Just ask Hannah’s bag of waters— This little tidbit Hannah gave shows just how much our subconscious mind can impact labor.  Her body was quite literally holding on until her midwife arrived.  And as soon as her midwife got there, as soon as Hannah felt safe, she released and so did her waters.
3. Finally, let’s end at the beginning.  Midwives are great, but OB’s are definitely better when it comes to diagnostics and testing, right?  It comes as a surprise to many that midwives do indeed perform the same routine testing that one would receive with an OB… though sometimes even more effectively.  When her midwife put together that Hannah had PCOS, she realized that her blood sugar could be affected, so she had her check her blood sugar directly instead of relying on the GD glucola results alone.  And what a wonderful difference that made for Hannah’s health and pregnancy.

Resources

Free Homebirth Essentials Guide

Happy Homebirth Academy- Join Today!

Let’s say you’ve decided that you want a homebirth…but….you’re feeling some uncertainty. 

Maybe you’ve heard stories from other moms who wanted the very same, but then their births took another direction, and they didn’t end up with the intimate birth at home that they’d envisioned.  How do we come to terms with this possibility, yet not expect negative outcomes?  Several weeks ago, one of our community members, Danielle, shared her story of planning a homebirth, but having to make the difficult decision to transport to the hospital during labor, and eventually making the even more difficult decision to have a cesarean section.  After such a moving, emotional, and deeply connecting episode – one that truly seemed to touch something in the mothers who experienced similar stories, and the ones who have not alike….I wanted to continue exploring this idea of the hospital transport. I want to take a look at another side of transporting, in a way– another angle to view it from.  How can we hear a story like Danielle’s or any other mom who planned for homebirth and ended up needing or wanting to transport— how can we listen to that, but not fear our birth or fear the possibility of transport?  I love that we’re able to look at birth through so many contexts and lenses.  That we can take personal experiences, mindset exercises and pure old statistics and blend them into a comprehensive, comforting inspection of homebirth and the likelihood of transporting.

So with that in mind, today I want to go through some practical thoughts, tips and reminders regarding homebirth and hospital transport, and the relationship between the two.  As always, this is not medical advice, this show is an educational tool, so continue to make empowered decisions for yourself and your family.

We will:

Discuss the most common reasons for transport, and several ways to help discourage their necessity

Share some internal and external pain relief techniques

Discuss how we control the narrative and the perspective-- no matter where we give birth

Resources:

Join Happy Homebirth Academy

First births are always long and hard.  Period.  Right?  Or….

This week we’re speaking with Kelsea, a precious mama of two, who surprised herself and her birth team with her first labor.  We’ll dig into both of her beautiful experiences.

Episode Roundup

1. When Kelsea broke the news that she was having a homebirth to her OB, her OB said, “we always see unsuccessful homebirth attempts.”  Well, duh, doctor.  You certainly don’t see the successful ones… they’re…. Not at the hospital.  I just want to use this as a reminder to you.  If you’re receiving dual care, your OB likely doesn’t have any experience with successful homebirths.  He or she likely has no idea how many home births are happening successfully in their very own city all the time.  So be sure to take their perspective with a grain, of salt.
2. Kelsea’s explanation of Fetal Ejection Reflex with both of her births was just so perfect.  She recollects to how her body just forcefully pushed on it’s own.  She couldn’t stop the pushing.  Instead, she could focus on concentrating and on her breathing.  Remember this.  Your body knows how to push.  It’ll let you know when it’s time to do that.  You can focus on the breathing and let those amazingly powerful muscles do their thing.
3. And finally, remember that you may need to ask for help postpartum.  There’s absolutely zero shame in the struggle.  Whether it’s your first or fifth child, the transition and addition of a new member to the family, along with the recalibration of your hormones, may lead to some feelings of stress or depression.  Please reach out.  Share this with your family, share it with your midwife- make sure that you’re getting the love and care that you need.

Resources:

Happy Homebirth Academy

The Homebirth Collective- Waitlist

Free Homebirth Essentials Checklist

Let’s say you’re a birth expert- you’ve been working with pregnant mothers for years, and you’re finally having the homebirth of your dreams.  Is firm education enough, or will there possibly be unexpected tests in the emotional and mental aspects of birth?

This week we’re speaking with the marvelous Dr. Courtney Kahla.  Dr. Courtney is a nervous system centered chiropractor specializing in families. She is the owner of Our Well House: a multidisciplinary wellness center in Dallas, TX. Her mission is to encourage others to experience freedom in their physical, mental, and spiritual health. She is passionate about empowering others to take control of their health by living a lifestyle that honors their God-given innate ability to heal.

We’re going to spend part of this episode discussing chiropractic care, and then the rest diving deep into Dr. Courtney’s own homebirth journey.  And wow, you’re in for so much wisdom sprinkled throughout her story.

One theme we discuss in Dr. Kahla’s story is the need for emotional and mental preparation when it comes to homebirth, beyond the basics of childbirth education.  With that in mind, I want to invite you to join me as you prepare for your own empowering homebirth experience.  Let’s use the unbelievably transformative time of pregnancy as a catalyst into the most incredible motherhood journey.  How?  Join me inside of Happy Homebirth Academy, where preparing for your homebirth is both thorough and joyful.  Learn to comfortably step into your role as the responsible, intuitive mother that you are, and hone those lifelong skills while we educate you on all aspects of midwifery care, physiological birth, and preparing your heart and home.  We cover the physical, yes, but we also go deep into the importance of emotional and mental preparation, all while inviting your spouse to be deeply involved and connected from pregnancy, through labor and on into the blissful postpartum period.  You ready to transform?  Head to myhappyhomebirth.com/hha to get started today.

As always, please remember that the opinions of my guest may not necessarily reflect my own and vice versa, and this show is not medical advice, it’s an educational tool, so continue to take empowered responsibility for yourself and your family.

Episode Roundup:

1. I loved the way that Dr. Courtney approached the selection of her care provider.  Yes, there were a number of providers in her area that she liked and trusted, but she knew that she needed someone who was going to be comfortable with the informed decisions she was planning to make during her pregnancy and labor.  She knew the right questions to ask.  “What would cause me to risk out of care with you?  What procedures would you be uncomfortable with me declining?”  Knowing what you want in a care provider before you walk in for the interview makes this so much easier.  Make sure you check out episodes 157 and 159 if you’re looking for more specific help in this area.  I’ll link those below.
2. I really appreciate the discussion of how vulnerable we are to ideas in labor.  Dr. Kahla knew she wanted to fully listen to her body, but when her midwife gave her the very loving tip of giving a few pushes if she wanted— Dr. Courtney did, even though outside of labor she had adamantly wanted to experience Fetal Ejection Reflex on her own.  Listen, midwives are human and like Dr. Courtney said, this was totally well-intentioned.  But it does go to show us that nobody outside of your body can feel what’s going on inside of your body as well as you can— This is a great lesson for all of us to learn from.  If your midwife gives you advice, it can be really easy to just go along with it— of course—we trust them— but remember to trust yourself, too.  Listen to the advice, but then try to take a moment before you accept it just because you think that’s what you’re supposed to do.
3. And finally, wow.  Labor can be so, so mental.  Dr. Courtney, the mother that her midwife said she had ZERO worries about desiring to transfer because of her endurance and grit, got to a vulnerable place where she needed her team’s support and reminder that she could, in fact, do this thing.  And do it, she did. 

Resources:

Happy Homebirth Academy

Episode: Communicating With Your Birth Team About Expectations and Desires

Episode: When Your Midwife Choices are Limited

Free Homebirth Essentials Clickable List

Waitlist for The Homebirth Collective

Dr. Courtney's Instagram

Dr. Courtney's website

How do we process birth when we don’t experience the outcome we intended?  How do we manage changing our plans and accepting what comes to us during the wild and uncontrollable ride that is birth? 

This week we’re speaking with Danielle, accompanied by her doula Tracey.  Danielle was raised in a homebirth family, so naturally, she was planning her own.  We’ll listen to how her story unfolded and how she’s processing through it all now on the other side.  I always like to give a heads up when the content of an episode may be especially difficult.  This is certainly an episode where things go awry, and if you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy and feel that this isn’t the right time to listen, please take that into consideration.  However, these are, of course, real examples of birth, and gosh, birth is sacred no matter how it happens.  I’m grateful that Danielle is willing to share her experience with us today. 

Episode Roundup

1. Danielle’s midwife wasn’t her savior, and yours isn’t yours, either.  Hopefully your midwife will support you in the way that you want to be supported, but even so, birth is still ultimately your responsibility.  Danielle had to decide what she wanted in regards to her birth— did she want to stay home and continue to attempt labor there, or did she want to transport?  Ultimately, she made the decision that she was most comfortable with, knowing that no one else could make it for her.
2. The events that occurred throughout her birth experience were unfavorable to her desires, to put it lightly.  But because of the way that she has chosen to perceive her experience, Danielle has been able to integrate her story into her motherhood journey in a way that brings positivity and success.  Remember, it’s impossible for us to control every outcome.  What’s totally possible, though, is how we perceive the experience and how we choose to integrate it.  That doesn’t mean that it’s easy, and you absolutely may need help, and grief over not experiencing what you desired is a very normal reaction.  But long term suffering over something that’s done— remaining in the victim state— it isn’t going to easily build joy.  I love the way that Danielle has approached her story and the way that she’s choosing to heal.  Because it is, in fact, an active choice.
3. Finally, I want you to know that if your story is like Danielle’s.  If you planned and prepared for a homebirth, yet your experience led you to a different outcome, this community is still for you and here for you.  You are loved and you are still an integral part of the Happy Homebirth and Homebirth in general, community.  Thank you for sharing with us. 

Resources

Happy Homebirth Academy

Waitlist for The Homebirth Collective