Jessica was a career-driven woman who never thought she wanted children, until a dream job fell through and an experience at a spiritual retreat awakened her desire to become a mother.

After joyfully conceiving, she miscarried at twelve weeks, enduring not only heartbreak but also a traumatic experience with the medical care she received. Over the following year, Jessica focused on healing, and when she became pregnant again, she was amazed to discover her second baby shared the same due date as her first!

With no midwives available nearby, Jessica decided to take her care into her own hands. Supported only by her husband and a close friend, she prepared for birth by immersing herself in empowering birth stories. Her baby's arrival was a beautiful, transformative experience that left her in awe of her own strength.

Recorded just eight weeks postpartum, Jessica reflects on her journey through loss, healing, birth, and the early challenges of postpartum life and breastfeeding.

*Please note that this episode contains a graphic description of medical trauma at around the 22 minute mark. If you're not in the space to hear that, skip ahead five minutes. 

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Hannah grew up as the daughter of a doula and, as a child, had the unique experience of attending the births her mother supported. So when she became pregnant herself, she had a deep trust in the birth process and planned a freebirth.

Although there was nothing wrong with her or the baby, Hannah ultimately chose to transfer to the hospital during labor, where she had to strongly advocate for herself. She shares that, while the birth didn't unfold exactly as she had envisioned, it helped her find her voice and initiated her into the kind of mother her child needed.

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Norah's first birth experience was a medical induction that left both her and her husband traumatized. Despite this, she knew she wanted to have more children. The journey to her second baby, however, was long and difficult—marked by a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, secondary infertility, and eventually, IVF.

Norah ultimately conceived her second baby naturally and began preparing for another birth. As part of her preparation, she visualized the birth exactly how she wanted it to unfold, replaying the scene in her mind each night before falling asleep. But every time she did this, she would fall asleep before reaching the part where they arrived at the hospital to deliver.

In retrospect, Norah understands why—her baby had other plans!

follow Norah @thenorah

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Brittany describes herself as a "good country girl" when pregnant with her first child. Her wishes for her birth were to merely make it out alive with her baby, and she deferred to her private care obstetrician when it came to the birth experience.

In this part one, she shares her first two births within the Australian medical system, one with OB care, and the second time, with midwives.

These two stories set the stage for why she choose a completely different route with her third baby. Stay tuned next week for that story!

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:   Crushing by Reveille

 

After a pregnancy loss, and a history with an eating disorder, Kelly was not in a relationship of full trust in her body when she gave birth to her first baby. She agreed to be induced when her obstetrician pressured her into it, feeling that, her baby was safer outside of her body.

Kelly went on have her next two babies at home. Both experiences showed her how trustworthy, indeed, perfectly designed, her body was to give birth.

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:   Waiting by LNDO

In her former role as a newborn photographer, Laura had witnessed plenty of births before having her own. She intuitively felt that something about the experience, as it occurs for most women, was wrong.

When it came time for her to have her own first baby, she chose to have a wild pregnancy and free birth, deep in the Peruvian jungle with only her husband present.

Recorded at just four months postpartum, you will be be able to hear her joy and elation about her experience, as well as her huge passion for all things birth, babies, and motherhood.

You can follow Laura on Instagram @natural_lau

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:   Take me Back by Strength to Last

Have you, or someone you know, conceived a baby during a time in your cycle that didn't fall within the normal, ovulatory window?  As someone who listens to a lot of birth stories, I've heard it happen many times. I always attributed those occurrences to the inherently mysterious nature of pregnancy and birth.

But what if there is another explanation?

Medical astrology has been in development for thousands of years, greatly predating our modern understanding of medical science. And through years of study it's been discovered that women experience fertility during the phase of the moon under which they were born, that the sign the moon is in during the conception influences the sex of the baby, and that the placement of celestial bodies can impact the outcomes of a pregnancy and birth.

Whether you are currently trying to conceive a baby, or preventing conception, this episode contains truly mind blowing information that I believe is next-level body literacy.

Athena's website: https://www.wildwillingwisdom.com/

Athena's Substack & Podcast: https://wildwillingwisdom.substack.com/

Follow Athena on social media: @wildwillingwisdom

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:   Afterlight by Jessie Villa & Strength to Last

Milena, the daughter of a licensed German midwife, grew up around babies, pregnancy, discussions about birth, and even attended births with her mom.

When it came time for her to give birth the first time, she chose a midwife assisted home birth. But the second time she became pregnant, she was strongly drawn towards having a wild pregnancy and to freebirth.

In addition to hearing her two birth stories, we talk about why there's really no such thing as a "normal" labor pattern, and what it was like  for her to choose to free birth as the daughter of a midwife.

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:   Take Me Back by Strength to Last

Stephanie shares her two birth stories, both of which took place in a hospital staffed only by midwives, in rural Australia.

Her first birth experience cracked her intuition wide open, and she says that it initiated her into the person she was meant to be.

Her second birth was a different kind of initiation, which included a complication at the end. During both experiences, she felt very cared for and supported by the midwives.

We also discuss how much our relationships shift and change when we first become parents, and how the surrender that birth requires of us is the perfect initiation into the next phase of the unknown - parenthood!

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:   Together by Justhea

 

Nina was dropped by her midwives at the end of her first pregnancy due to high blood pressure, and had to give birth to that baby in the hospital.

The second time she became pregnant, she decided not to engage with the medical system at all. Her blood pressure remained elevated during this pregnancy, but rather than immediately pathologize it based on the numbers alone, she decided to tune into how she felt, and trust her body.

Her healthy, perfect baby was born after a whirlwind fast labor, in her home, with just her husband present. She says that this birth experience helped to heal the stories that she had carried from adolescence that her body was "broken" or "wrong."

She remembered that she is in fact, perfect.

(A friendly disclaimer that I am not a medical professional, and nothing that I share on this podcast should be taken as medical advice).

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Letting Go by Hotham

After becoming pregnant through the intensely medically managed experience of IVF, Kelli planned to step away from that model of care, and birth her baby at home.

But after five weeks of exhausting on and off labor, she felt like something was wrong, and agreed to transfer her care to the local hospital. It was there that they discovered the reason for her confusing labor pattern was a previous, commonly performed, medical procedure to her cervix.

Despite how traumatic this experience was, Kelli says that it helped to facilitate generational healing, going back to her trauma from her own birth.

This story is such a great example of how often birth gives us, not always the birth we want, but the medicine that we need as we are initiated into motherhood.

Kelli Moore is the CEO and Co-Founder of Soulfire Productions, Host of the top-rated podcast: The Naked Mama, and Co-Host of the beloved relationships podcast, OK, Babe.

Follow Kelli @kellitmoore

https://kellimoore.co/

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Chill Night by Amine Maxwell & MICHAL

 

With raw emotion and beautiful vulnerability, Mallory shares her three birth stories, and the life circumstances that shaped them. Her first two births took place in a hospital - one quite traumatic, and one not. Her third baby was born at home, with just her husband present.

She says that it was this birth that catalyzed her transformation from maiden to mother. And that she wants to share her powerful story not to fix the system or change anyone's mind, but in service to other mothers.

I want to share the verse below in full, which she references during our conversation, because it is so beautiful - and does remind me of birth!

Isaiah 43:2

When you pass through the waters,

    I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

    they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not set you ablaze.

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Oceanic by Aryll

Clancy spent three and a half years calling in her second child.

Swimming in sacred fertile waters, speaking desires into the ethers, dreaming, ritual, ceremony, creating altars, writing letters, journalling, setting intentions, kinesiology, acupuncture, medical intuitive session, not trying, psychics, therapy, family constellations, womb work, chi ne tsang massage, herbs, and vaginal steaming. You name it, she did it. Often with pure hopeful intentions, sometimes tinged with desperation and sometimes with an agenda "that maybe this will be the thing".

If you have been wanting to conceive a baby, and it's taking longer that you feel it should, this episode  is for you.

This is Clancy's second time on this podcast. If you would like to hear the first part of her story, here is a link to Season 1, episode 12 which first aired in March of 2020.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5eovKK5sbMLyPFpNwahnTD?si=e75daf521fa24c71

You can follow Clancy on Instagram @womancraftway

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Flow by Nomyn

As a first-time mom, Melanie arrived at the hospital ready to simply trust the experts to manage her birth experience. What transpired was twenty-three hours on Pitocin, and an only narrowly avoided cesarean. In the weeks that followed, Melanie suffered with postpartum depression, something that she now, in retrospect, partially attributes to the prolonged use of Pitocin. 

She had a long healing journey ahead, including the loss of two pregnancies before finally welcoming in another baby. This time, she turned to the mothers in her community, asking how, and with whom, they birthed. That's when she discovered that her town had a thriving home birth scene, and the idea of staying home to have her baby just felt right. 

Melanie had the healing, peaceful, birth of her dreams in just four and half a hours.

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Jodi is a postpartum registered nurse and lactation consultant who works at her local hospital. After two very medically managed, in-hospital births, one of her friends shared the concept of freebirth with her, and that there were women choosing a totally different way to walk through their pregnancies and birth their babies. At first, she thought this idea was crazy, but the seed was planted.

By the time Jodi was pregnant with her third, that seed had sprouted, due to the combination of what she was witnessing at work everyday, and listening to free birth and home birth podcasts (yay!). She chose a mostly wild pregnancy that allowed her to deepen her relationship with her intuition, be present with this baby, and cultivate peace.

She birthed that baby at home, completely in her power.

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Free by KV

Kristen is a former nurse of 14 years, who spent most of her career in the NICU. She once believed that home birth should be illegal, and that doctors always knew best.

But in 2015, with the birth of her first son, she began to see things differently.

She is also one of the co-founders of Canadian Frontline Nurses. In that role, she has been a powerful, public voice advocating for medical freedom and true informed consent.

Follow Kristen @Kristen_Nagle

www.kristennagle.ca

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Chill Night by Amine Maxwell & MICHAL

Neena's first baby was breech at term, so she was given no other option but a planned cesarean. When she conceived again, she knew she wanted a VBAC, but even at her local "VBAC-friendly" practice, she was coerced, gaslit, and shamed, at nearly every interaction with them.

Neena's story is an excellent example of how even a highly informed, confident, and, perhaps most importantly, perfectly healthy woman can end up with medical interventions and birth outcomes that are unnecessary and traumatic.

This is, though, ultimately, not a victim story, but a power story. There is power in how hard she fought. There is power in her healing journey. And so much power in the realizations she came to after this birth experience about herself.

This is part two of her story, be sure to listen to part one if you haven't already!

Follow Neena @greatnorthpostpartum

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:  Snowfall by Vendredi

Neena's first baby was breech at term, so she was given no other option but a planned cesarean. When she conceived again, she knew she wanted a VBAC, but even at her local "VBAC-friendly" practice, she was coerced, gaslit, and shamed, at nearly every interaction with them.

Neena's story an excellent example of how even a highly informed, confident, and, perhaps most importantly, perfectly healthy woman can end up with medical interventions and birth outcomes that are unnecessary and traumatic.

This is, though, ultimately, not a victim story, but a power story. There is power in how hard she fought. There is power in her healing journey. And so much power in the realizations she came to after this birth experience about herself.

This is part one of her story, tune in next week for part two!

Follow Neena @greatnorthpostpartum

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:  Free by KV

Ada's first baby was born at home, attended by a midwife. The birth was uncomplicated, but she realized in retrospect that the way her midwife handled the birth of the placenta was problematic, and could have caused serious complications.

She knew when she conceived again, it would be just herself and her partner at the birth. And that's exactly what happened - in an off grid home, with no electricity and no running water! A testament to what's really the most important thing to have while giving birth: someone there you can really trust.

She says that she feels this birth was a powerful initiation for him, too.

You can follow Ada on Instagram @wildridgeherbfarm

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:  My Way by Roa https://roa-music.com

After a hospital birth, then a midwife attended home birth, Brenna was ready the third time to follow the call she felt in her heart to choose freebirth.

She describes it as the longest and hardest birth, but without a doubt the most peaceful, redemptive and transformative.

Her daughter was born into the arms of her father, into a room full of sunshine, with the sounds of happy tears and rejoicing in the goodness of Yah.

She says, she will never be the same.

You can follow Brenna on instagram @brennaschwartzel

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

You can find our new e-book, "Did I Really Need a C-Section?" on our website at www.healingbirth.net/shop

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music:  Snow Fall by Vendredi

After a birth with many interventions, ending in a cesarean, Tamika's first baby spent a harrowing time in the NICU.

When enough time had passed for Tamika to process this experience and heal, she was able to release the heavy weight of guilt she carried.

With a deeper trust in her body, she chose to conceive again and gave birth to her second baby, at 43 weeks, in the comfort of her own home.

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: oceanic space by Aryll

Kaylee's first birth experience ended in a cesarean, after having been dropped by her midwives' care for going over 40 weeks. She partially credits the events of 2020 as being a huge awakening for her, so when she became pregnant again she knew she no longer wanted to engage with the medical system, and planned a free birth.

When she went into labor with that baby, what transpired was a six day long ordeal, with many twists and turns, reasons and opportunities to give up, but she never did.

This is officially the wildest story I've ever shared - and that's saying something!

Here is a link to Kaylee's YouTube channel and birth video!

https://youtu.be/rbKgHg9Dz8o

You can follow Kaylee on IG @kreativekay_wilson

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Chill Night by Amine Maxwell & MICHAL

After two hospital births, Danielle decided she wanted her third to be born at home. However, she happened to live in one of the five (now four) states which do not allow licensed midwives to attend VBAC births at home.

Listen to find out how she navigated this, and if she got her home birth!

Danielle is also a fellow podcaster. You can find her show @birthjourneyspodcast

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Cool Cats by Smith the Mister

After the unplanned, but not traumatic, cesarean birth of her first child, Danielle felt a sense of grief she didn't understand.

Despite having a successful VBAC in the hospital subsequently, that same feeling of grief and failure found her in her postpartum time. She eventually experienced post-partum depression severe enough to need medication.

Something inside her knew there was a better way.

This is part one of Danielle's story. Be sure to tune in next week for part two!

Danielle is also a follower podcaster! You can find her show @birthjourneyspodcast

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Oceanic Space by Aryll

As a young woman, Dana lost any blind trust she once had in the allopathic medical system after watching her father battle cancer within it. So when a popular TikToker introduced her to the concept of freebirth, it immediately resonated with her—a seed was sown.

Today, Dana opens up about the strength it took to trust her body and follow her intuition as she brought her first child into the world.

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

After a traumatic, unnecessary cesarean in an Australian hospital, Rebecca knew that she'd get pregnant again, and would not enter the medical system.

She had a completely wild, peaceful pregnancy, and free birth with just her family present.

(Be sure to check out our instagram page this week @healingbirth to see photos of this birth, and the "potato embryo"!)

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Free by KV

Rebecca's first experience with birth was a miscarriage, which, in her words, left her with the beautiful message that "we are mother nature." When she conceived again, she was hit with the firewalk of hyperemesis, an initiation all of its own.

She gave birth to that baby in an Australian hospital with midwives. Her story, sadly, is a perfect example of the ways that defensively practiced medicine, intervening in the natural process that is birth, is leaving so many of us with unnecessary surgery, trauma, and lifelong repercussions.

But this is only part one! Rebecca has a second child, and you'll hear the story of that pregnancy and birth next week. You do not want to miss how her journey unfolds!

(I am adding the disclaimer to this one that I am not a doctor and nothing that I say on this podcast should be taken as medical advice.)

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Transition music: Letting Go by Hotham

Leah shares her four birth stories with us. Her journey includes suffering a serious birth injury, a devastating second trimester loss, a hospital birth after that loss, and finally, a blissful home birth.

Of that homebirth Leah says, "I trusted my gut, my lived experiences, and the team that I had. I instantly felt this release of all of the trauma I had experienced. It was exactly the experience I needed."

Photo Credit: Courtnee Pirozzini, @courtneepphotos

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Audrey shares her three birth stories, all quite different, and all of which reflect her powerful nature.

You can connect with Audrey on instagram @ajoyfulbirth and at www.ajoyfulbirth.org

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

PLANNING FOR YOUR VBAC EVENT! On Sunday, April 30th, 2023 @5PM EST

Join Healing Birth and Dr. Sarah (@birthuprising) for a women-centered approach to planning for your VBAC!

Through the combined powers of modern research and the ancient wisdom of sisterly storytelling, we will cover:

• How to choose a provider & birth setting that aligns with your personal needs
• Utilizing the power of your mind-body connection
• The statistics & social evidence of VBAC
• Planning for your VBAC with Logic + Deep Intuitive Trust
• The hindsight wisdom of VBAC preparation, as told by women who have been there!

Your $22 investment includes:

• Admittance to the Live Event with Q&A
• The event recording sent directly to your inbox
• A copy of Dr. Sarah's Birth Plan
• Our OVERCOMING THE TOP 10 VBAC OBSTACLES instant download, printable PDF

LINK TO REGISTER HERE

During her first pregnancy, Chaya was dropped from her midwife's care for the sin of going past 40 weeks. She gave birth to that baby in the hospital, an experience that left her feeling a lot of anger.

When she quickly conceived again, a series of life circumstances (and some slight denial), led her to have a wild pregnancy, and to freebirth her baby.

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

PLANNING FOR YOUR VBAC EVENT! On Sunday, April 30th, 2023 @5PM EST

Join Diana, Lynnea, and Dr. Sarah (@birthuprising) for a women-centered approach to planning for your VBAC!

Through the combined powers of modern research and the ancient wisdom of sisterly storytelling, we will cover:

• How to choose a provider & birth setting that aligns with your personal needs
• Utilizing the power of your mind-body connection
• The statistics & social evidence of VBAC
• Planning for your VBAC with Logic + Deep Intuitive Trust
• The hindsight wisdom of VBAC preparation, as told by women who have been there!

Your $22 investment includes:

• Admittance to the Live Event with Q&A
• The event recording sent directly to your inbox
• A copy of Dr. Sarah's Birth Plan
• Our OVERCOMING THE TOP 10 VBAC OBSTACLES instant download, printable PDF

LINK TO REGISTER HERE

www.healingbirth.net/events

Only in recent years has there finally been a recognition that birth trauma, affecting about one in three women in most Western countries (I would argue that number is much higher), has profoundly deleterious effects on a mother's mental health. But to my knowledge, there is no formal study or discussion about how traumatic births can affect our babies, who experience the birth right along with us.

My guest Amber shares the dots she connected between the traumatic birth of her second daughter, and the unique challenges that daughter has experienced, referencing the brilliant work of author and researcher Gabor Mate.

I learned so much from the conversation about how to support my own child, who experienced a very similar birth as Amber's.

Amber is a former English teacher with Teach For America and a founding staff member of an all-girls charter school in Saint Paul, MN. She left her career to pursue writing alongside caring for her children full-time. She has three daughters and loves to think and talk deeply about motherhood, womanhood, parenting, and personal growth.

Amber is on Instagram @radical.homemaker. She blogs at Alternativegrace.com, and is planning to start her own Substack soon.

Here is a link to Gabor Mate's Scattered, which we discuss in this episode.

Use the link below to purchase amazing CBD products from Puffs for the Public. They are offering 25% off your order when you use the coupon code "healingbirth" (all one word).

Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! Email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

Every now and then a story takes a twist I am not expecting during the interview - and it always makes for an even better story than the one I thought I would hear! This episode is a perfect example of that.

Rebecca shares two birth stories with us. First, a traumatic, unnecessarian (major kudos to whoever coined that term), and a redemptive, led by faith freebirth.

It is the extraordinary experiences around that second birth that gets us into talking about spiritual warfare, the spirit realm, and the truth that birth is designed to be a holy experience.

Check out Rebecca's instagram for many beautiful reels that show images of her births @theradiantmission

If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, I'd love to hear from you. Send me a note at the contact page at www.healingbirth.net!

You can support the podcast on Patreon! www.patreon.com/healingbirth

www.healingbirth.net

Nelia was assaulted during her first birth experience at her local hospital. Stories like hers are tough to hear, but unfortunately, common. 

What is uncommon is that she understood immediately what happened to her was wrong, and  sought legal counsel to get justice and to heal. The second time she gave birth, she took back her power in a massive way.   We mention @birthmonopoly as a great resource for anyone who has experienced obstetric violence. You can find the map of obstetric violence, read other survivor's stories, and other resources here:   https://birthmonopoly.com/obstetric-violence/   Follow Nelia @neliathedoula   www.neliathedoula.com   If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, I'd love to hear from you! Send me a note via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.   Be sure to follow us on IG! @healingbirth   If you love the show, please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon/healingbirth

Carla's planned home birth with her first baby ended in a hospital transfer.

Two years later, she conceived again. Armed now with more knowledge about the birth, she hoped and planned for a physiologic birth, without interventions, at home.

This is part two of her birth stories.

You can find Carla on instagram @carla.sage.birthwork

Her website is www.traditionalhealingbirthwork.com

Use the link below to purchase amazing CBD products from Puffs for the Public. They are offering 25% off your order when you use the coupon code "healingbirth" (all one word).

Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

If you love this show, please consider supporting us on Patreon! We have bonus episodes, video podcasts, and lots of other exclusive resources. www/patreon.com/healingbirth

 

Carla's mother passed away on her first baby's due date. A week later, still grieving, she went into labor. 

She had planned for and desired a home birth, but was transferred to the hospital. This is not, however, the traumatic story it could have been.

While there it was evident that her mother's spirit was present, protecting Carla and her baby. And this birth experience, in the miraculous way that birth can, allowed for deep healing of her matrilineal line.

This is a truly magical story.

And it's only part one! Tune into next week to hear Carla's other birth stories.

You can find Carla on instagram @traditional.healing

Her website is www.traditionalhealingbirthwork.com

Use the link below to purchase amazing CBD products from Puffs for the Public. They are offering 25% off your order when you use the coupon code "healingbirth" (all one word).

Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

If you love this show, please consider supporting us on Patreon! We have bonus episodes, video podcasts, and lots of other exclusive resources. www/patreon.com/healingbirth

Emily enjoyed a blissful wild pregnancy, completely outside the medical paradigm, and planned to freebirth her first baby. After several days of a marathon birth experience, her baby was finally born—perfectly healthy. Emily, however, immediately recognized that she needed medical support. She transferred herself to a local hospital, where she was treated for a retained placenta and postpartum hemorrhage.

Despite having received no medical care during her pregnancy and freebirthing her baby, the hospital staff were kind, respectful, and honored all her wishes. Emily feels she received the care she needed and left the experience without trauma.

We wrap up our conversation with Emily's thoughts on freebirth ideology, why black-and-white thinking has no place in birth, and the importance of seeking information from across the spectrum.

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Lynsi Eastburn is the world's established expert in the field of hypnosis to promote fertility. She began professionally using hypnosis to facilitate pregnancy before anyone else had actively considered or pursued its benefits.

Blending the scientific with the spiritual, she is also gifted with the intuitive capacity to sense spirit babies around their mothers.

In this fascinating conversation, we talk about:

• How spirit babies come through to her
• Do we all have spirit babies around us?
• How do they communicate with us?
• What could be the deeper spiritual reason for miscarriage?
• Who are the pink starlights, and the spiritual shift that is happening on the planet
• The 3 keys to conception

You can find Lynsi via her website www.hypnofertility.com

on Instagram @lynsi.eastburn

Link to her books

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast? I would love to hear from you! email me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

If you love this show, please consider supporting us on Patreon! We have bonus episodes, video podcasts, and lots of other exclusive resources. www/patreon.com/healingbirth

After the devastating loss of her first pregnancy, Sharna became acutely aware of the lack of professional support for, and understanding of, the uniquely painful experience of pregnancy loss.

Sharna is now a pregnancy loss life coach supporting women through miscarriage or pregnancy loss. She has also founded The Institute of Healing through Pregnancy loss, out of the need for there to be other perinatal and coaching professionals who know how to truly support women going through pregnancy loss.

This is deep, very important work, and a wonderful conversation especially for anyone who has experienced pregnancy loss. Sharna wants you to know that you can heal, and you are not alone.

Find Sharna at www.sharnasouthan.com

On Instagram @instituteofhealing_pl

Do you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast? I love to hear from you! contact me via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net

The power, mystery, love and rawness surrounding pregnancy and birth have intrigued Carla since childhood. In 1998 she became New Zealand's youngest graduate from the Direct Entry Midwifery program, and began work as a midwife. 

Her experience as a midwife was eye-opening, to say the least. She became aware that the power and mystery of birth had, for many it seemed, been flipped on its head, with medical minds, hands and machines seeking to control, categorize and sanitize the innately unique and unpredictable experience of birth.

Leaving midwifery behind, Carla has now stepped into the role of supporting the emotional needs of parents who are struggling to come to terms with a traumatic birth experience.

Carla is doing very important work! 

Her website: 
www.healingbirth.co.nz

Instagram: 
@healing.birth

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/healingbirthwithcarla

Book:
https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/mybook

Birth trauma survey report:
https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/_files/ugd/d9a2d7_e161fa673d704be386f2a83b5301927d.pdf

Podcast:
https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/TcDUwP4Atxb

If you have a birth story you'd like to share, please reach out! Contact me at www.healingbirth.net. 

I love to hear from you!

Sarah's journey includes multiple losses, two cesareans, two VBACs, and births both in and out of the hospital. Her story encompasses so much richness, that I had to break it up into two parts.

In this part two, you'll hear about her third birth, a traumatic cesarean, and her fourth birth experience, a total reclamation of her power. Be sure to check our instagram page this week to see photos of this amazing birth and her perfectly huge baby! We are @healingbirth.

There are also a few resources we talked about during this conversation that I'd like to drop here:

Everything Below The Waist by Jennifer Block (a must read book if you have a female body)

Why Not home (a documentary about medical professionals who chose home birth)

Sarah is a listener who reached out to me to share her story. If you have a birth story you'd like to share, please reach out! Contact me at www.healingbirth.net.

I love to hear from you!

Thank you for supporting brands that help support the show! Treat yourself with Puffs for the Public. They make high quality, CBD & CBG products that I absolutely love.

As a listener of this show, you get 10% off at check out with code "healingbirth" (one word).

Here's a link to Soothe the Soul

Here's a link to Snooze Button

Use the link below to purchase! It lets them know you heard about them from me. Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

Sarah's birth journey includes multiple losses, two cesareans, two VBACs, and births both in and out of the hospital. Her story encompasses so much, that I had to break it up into two parts.

In this part one, you'll hear about her first birth, which ended in a cesarean after the classic cascade of interventions in the hospital.

Despite that experience, she still felt that people who gave birth at home were crazy, and planned to VBAC her second baby at a different hospital (spoiler alert: she will later join the ranks of us crazies. Do not miss part two!).

Sarah is a listener who reached out to me to share her story. If you have a birth story you'd like to share, please reach out! Contact me at www.healingbirth.net.

I love to hear from you!

Thank you for supporting brands that help support the show! Treat yourself with Puffs for the Public. They make high quality, CBD & CBG products that I absolutely love.

As a listener of this show, you get 10% off at check out with code "healingbirth" (one word).

Here's a link to Soothe & Soul

Here's a link to Snooze Button 

Use the link below to purchase! It lets them know you heard about them from me. Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

 

 

 

Corinne shares the story of giving birth in a birth center during the height of Covid. After the birth, her baby was transferred to the NICU where she spent her first  few days, seemingly unnecessarily.

Thank you for supporting brands that help support the show! Treat yourself with Puffs for the Public. They make high quality, CBD & CBG products that I absolutely love.

As a listener of this show, you get 10% off at check out with code "healingbirth" (one word).

Here's a link to Soothe the Soul

Here's a link to Snooze Button

Use the link below to purchase! It lets them know you heard about them from me. Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

Nelson and Alison were so inspired by the home birth of their first baby, that it lit a fire in them to share what they learned through this experience with others. They believe that conception, pregnancy, birth, motherhood and fatherhood are all sacred experiences and should be honored as such. 

Five minutes into speaking with them, I fell in love with their passion, their light, and infectious energy. It was also a real treat to get to hear, for the first time on this show, a male partner's perspective about what it was like to have a baby at home.

If you are in the Austin, TX area (or feel inspired to go there like I now am!), join them for the Sacred Birth Symposium March 11-12 at Casa De Luz.

You can find tickets, the speaker lineup, and all other relevant info here:

www.sacred-birth.com

Use code "HBSAVES15" for 15% off tickets!

You can find them on Instagram @sacredbirthsymposium

After a birth experience that left her feeling trapped and traumatized, Sian developed severe postpartum anxiety and depression. Realizing she needed help, she turned to the National Health Service (UK) for mental health support, but the therapy she was received was nearly useless to her (and, delivered over the phone no less).

Sian found her way out of the dark place from spiritual, rather than cognitive, solutions, and the joy she now feels from her new son.

We also talk about the importance of planning your postpartum period intentionally, accepting help when it's offered, and asking people to bring you food (SERIOUSLY. Trust us).

Speaking of accepting help…treat yourself with Puffs for the Public! They make high quality, CBD & CBG products that I absolutely love (in fact, I wish I knew about CBD when I was postpartum!).

As a listener of this show, you get 10% off at check out with code "healingbirth" (one word).

Here's a link to Soothe the Soul

Here's a link to Snooze Button

Use the link below to purchase! It lets them know you heard about them from me Thank you for helping to support the show!

LINK TO PURCHASE

 

 

After a long labor, and, feeling like she needed some relief, Emily transferred from her midwife-attended home birth to the hospital. The classic cascade of interventions ensued, beginning with an epidural, ending in a cesarean.

At several points during her labor experience there, surrounded by total strangers and overwhelmed by the sensations in her body, the staff failed to support her in the ways that she needed.

Emily connects the experience of being sexually violated at an early age, and that having been met with shame and indifference from adults who should have protected her, with this experience too. It is a pattern that has showed up in her life, and, it showed up in her labor.

In a postscript that I love, Emily had the strength to provide written and verbal feedback to the hospital where her birth occurred, which caused them to make changes to their policies around how homebirth transfers are handled.

What a wonderful gift to those who will come after her.

You can find Emily on Instagram @storiesandsongbirds

———————

Support Puffs for the Public! They make high quality, CBD & CBG products that I absolutely love!

As a listener of this show, you get 10% off at check out with code "healingbirth" (one word).

Here's a link to Soothe The Soul bath salts

Here's a link to Snooze Button

Use the link below to purchase! It lets them know you heard about them from me :)

LINK TO PURCHASE

 

 

 

Welcome to SEASON FOUR!

Christina is a coach, doula, and childbirth educator, who helps new parents with the transition when a new child is born.

Like so many of us who get into birth work, her passion for it comes from her own experiences giving birth, which she shares with us today. After two births in German hospitals, the second of which left her traumatized, she knew she wanted to birth her third baby at home. That birth was the powerful, healing experience that she knew she needed.

We also talk about the culture of birth in modern day Germany, and speculate as to why the C-section rate there is rising.

You can connect with Christina on Instagram, @theintuitivemamacoach

Christina is a listener who reached out to me to share her story. If YOU would like to share your birth story on the podcast, I want to hear from you! Send me a note via the contact page at www.healingbirth.net.

If you love the show, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There are bonus episodes, video podcasts, + other content there.
www.patreon.com/Healingbirth

Thank you for listening!

Kelly is the oldest of three siblings. Her own birth was a hospital induction—an experience that led her mother to choose home birth for her subsequent children. The intergenerational thread of trauma from Kelly's birth carried forward into her own experiences with childbirth. With her first two children, she faced intense postpartum periods, and separation from her babies.

The birth of Kelly's third child, however, was a transformative home birth. This healing experience not only helped her process the trauma of her previous births but also reached back a generation, bringing healing to her own birth story as well.

Follow Kelly on Instagram @kelly.atxdoulas

If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  Spotify or Apple Podcasts! 

Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

Do you have a birth story you'd like to share on the podcast, or would like to otherwise connect? I love to hear from you! Send me a note at contactus@healingbirth.net

Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net

Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard

Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

An end of year message from my heart to yours.

Thank you so much for listening! I love you!

Send me a note at www.healingbirth.net

We're on Instagram @healingbirth

Diana

Unhappy with her previous experience birthing within the medical system, Saphron decided to simply stay home and free birth her second baby.

Leading up to the birth, she had constant, vivid dreams with visual representations of transformation. Reflecting back on the two birth experiences, she's says that physiological birth is what helps us cross the transformational threshold, ushering us into our full power as a mother.

Having experienced both ways of birthing myself - I fully agree.

We wrap up our conversation talking about the of sacred role of the birthing woman's partner in birth.

If you love the show, please consider supporting us on Patron! www.patron.com/healingbirth.

I love to hear from you! If you would like to send me a note, please use the contact page at www.healingbirth.net. And if you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, reach out to me there as well!

Jackie shares the story of having her first baby via unplanned cesarean at 35 weeks.

After the NICU stay, and very tough first year, she found healing in getting answers from a spiritual perspective to the "what, why and how" of that birth experience. When she was ready, she and her daughter had a rebirthing ceremony that also helped to heal the trauma of the birth.

Be sure to check out our instagram page @healingbirth for a bunch of photos that accompany this episode!

Jackie is a listener who reached out to share her story. If you have a story you'd like to share on the podcast, please reach out! You can send me a note via the contact page on our website which is www.healingbirth.net

If you love the show, please consider supporting us on Patron! www.patron.com/healingbirth