Did you know that you could be so intimately aware of what's going on in your labor that you could be the one to reach down and catch your own baby? I sure didn't with my first daughter, and there's absolutely no way I would have been able to take the death grip off of my husband to do any such thing. But Emily... Emily planned and prepared for a mindful homebirth, and her goal was to catch her own baby (her first birth!). She was a founding member of Happy Homebirth Academy, and I'm so excited ...
May 11, 2020•57 min•Ep. 75
How do you picture your birth? I this weeks episode, we learn how Amy Lutz, a founding member of Happy Homebirth Academy prepared for her first homebirth. With a combination of books, positive stories, and Happy Homebirth Academy, Amy went into her birthing time feeling confident and at ease (even with her husband having a virus at the very same time)! If you are interested in having a mindful, peaceful homebirth, get ready for Happy Homebirth Academy-- The premier childbirth education program f...
May 04, 2020•29 min•Ep. 74
By your fourth birth, there’s no way you’re trying anything new, right? Hey there Happy Homebirthers, and welcome to episode 71 of the Happy Homebirth Podcast, where we’ll be speaking with Kerrie, who went from a string of 3 inducted hospital births to an intervention-free homebirth. Before we jump in, I’ve got news! Happy Homebirth Academy is set to launch in just a few short weeks! Tell all of your friends! And if you’re a birth worker interested in checking out the program, give me a holler a...
Apr 27, 2020•37 min•Ep. 73
Homebirth… on a school bus? If you think that’s the wildest part of this upcoming episode, buckle up, baby. My guest, Caroline Campbell is a homebirth mother of two, and both of her experiences were intense to say the least. I always like to be up front when episodes contain difficult topics, and this one contains quite an emergent situation during her first birth. Be prepared for that, but know that she and her midwife do an absolutely bangin’ job of handling the situation. It’s truly powerful....
Apr 20, 2020•54 min•Ep. 72
Oxytocin- it’s a powerful drug! In this episode, listen to hear how Bess, a mother of 3, experienced more and more oxytocin and bonding with each birth. From a medicated hospital birth, to an unmedicated hospital birth (where the baby was still whisked away quickly), to an intimate birth center setting… it becomes quite clear that the less we intervene with physiological birth, the more room we give to oxytocin. This allows mothers the ability to connect deeply with their babies from the beginni...
Apr 13, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 71
There's a first time for everything. Sometimes midwives miss births, sometimes they *almost* miss births, and sometimes.... Well, you'll have to listen in to hear the odd in-between! Important Updates: Happy Homebirth Academy is almost ready to launch! In the meantime, check out my free mini-course, and join the facebook pop-up group! myhappyhomebirth.com/essentials facebook.com/groups/happyhomebirthpopup Resources Mentioned in this episode: Coming Alongside A Friend Who Has Experienced Loss Sho...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 70
Pregnancy and postpartum. Many of us strive to maintain a healthy diet during these pivotal times, but what does a healthy diet look like? Should we stick to the guidelines? Enter Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE. Lily is an expert on all things nutrition pertaining to the pregnant mother. She is the author of two books: Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, and Real Food for Pregnancy. Lily sheds light on what it looks like to eat nutrient dense foods, how our food choices affect ourselves and our babies, ...
Mar 30, 2020•56 min•Ep. 69
Birth is an intertwining of souls, and the community a mother surrounds herself with can make all the difference. Show Notes: Mandy didn’t know about homebirth, but she did know that she wanted a doula. Her doula introduced her to the childbirth method. Mandy’s water broke dramatically in bed with her first child. Even after 10 hours, she was only about 2 cm. She went on Pitocin for about 2 hours. Contractions stopped after several hours because baby was posterior. They thought he flipped, but h...
Mar 09, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 68
Loss. A painful subject, but a subject so near to so many women. With statistics showing that 1 in 4 women experience miscarriage, I feel it’s incredibly important to process these types of events. I want to be completely transparent about the content of this episode, as I understand that even the mere mention of miscarriage and infant loss can bring a mother and father to their knees with a wave of grief. This episode goes into detail about Ashley’s experience with loss, how it affected her lif...
Mar 02, 2020•38 min•Ep. 67
Have you ever been on a drive and say 15 minutes in you think to yourself, “Woah, how did I get here? You realize you’ve lost your way and you need to turn it around and go back to the start. In this week’s episode, we’ll be taking a look at the past, the history of midwifery and women’s care as it pertains specifically to the United States, and delving into some of the reasons that compared to many other westernized countries, women and babies in the US have abysmal outcomes. We’ll be sharing j...
Feb 24, 2020•56 min•Ep. 66
If you were a medical professional, do you think you’d be more comfortable giving birth in the hospital? Meagan and her husband, both medical professionals had their first baby outside of the hospital, and their second baby at home. Unlike many moms who decide to give birth outside of the hospital before or between hospitals, Meagan was actually introduced to the idea during her pregnancy—and it completely changed her trajectory! Listen in to this incredible episode to hear her journey. Show Not...
Feb 17, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 65
How did you know you were ready to become a parent? Desirea did not want children—until the moment she held her first baby in her arms. When she and her husband got married, she told him that she did not want children. He did not want children any time soon, but he did state that he always had seen himself as a dad. They decided they would wait 5 years and reevaluate. 5 years came quickly! She was still not ready. Years down the road, Desirea’s husband came to her and said, “I’m not trying to pr...
Feb 10, 2020•56 min•Ep. 64
How do you make strong, powerful decisions…and stand by them? Dr. Kayla and her husband Anthony, before even beginning to try to conceive, felt they had been called to have a freebirth or unassisted childbirth. Of course, this group is a tiny percent within the tiny percent of moms who give birth at home within the tiny percent of moms who give birth out of hospital. So… about as niche as you can get. Yet even though it was their first birth, they felt strongly about their decision and knew it w...
Feb 03, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 63
I’ve got a secret for you. Your uterus is unaware of the 5-1-1 rule. This week’s episode features the birth stories of Heather, who has given birth to both of her babies at home. Her first experience of labor was with a posterior baby, and posterior babies are notorious for funky labor patterns. Her second baby, though not posterior, also gave quite a different pattern. I love these stories because they show the reality of labor: It’s different for everyone, and it’s different for every birth. S...
Jan 27, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 62
Beautiful One Midwifery “But what if something goes wrong?” Perhaps the most often question asked when a homebirth mother reveals her plans to her loved ones. Sure, having a homebirth sounds like a good idea if everything goes right—but when it doesn’t? What then? Today’s episode is going to cover this topic and several more with two incredible midwives. Tiffany and Kelly are the midwifery partners behind Beautiful One Midwifery, and their perspective is so useful. I am so happy to offer this ep...
Jan 20, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 61
In a culture where we are taught to trust our doctors, what happens when that trust comes into question? Where do you turn, and what do you do? In this week’s episode, we’ll be hearing from Casey, a mother of 4. 8 years ago when she had her first baby, her faith was comfortable in the typical medical model. After a physically traumatic first birth and a highly encouraged scheduled c-section with her second, Casey began wondering if there was a better way. Join me as we hear the way that Casey, w...
Jan 13, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 60
When it comes to finding your way to your homebirth midwife, was this an easy or difficult path for you? After 2 hospital births, Krista knew she was ready to take birth home. The issue, however, was finding a care provider. In Western PA, midwives are publicly prosecuted for attending homebirths. CPMs and traditional midwives alike are underground. Krista mentions she felt like she was calling a “black market midwife.” In this episode, we discuss it all. From birth trauma to faulty legislation…...
Jan 06, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 59
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 58
Gather round, mama and papa bears. This week's episode is in celebration of our adorable, precocious 3-year-old, Janie. We'll be listening to Thomas's perspective of our pregnancy, birth and postpartum, and some of his favorite Janie-isms. Special thank you to Thomas for being willing to come back on the podcast. I love doing shows (and life in general) with you!
Dec 09, 2019•55 min•Ep. 57
For those of you who have had more than one birth, I’m curious to know…. How have you changed between experiences? Have you experienced small, subtle changes over time, or has your world view vastly pivoted? Today’s guest, Kameren Moore, also goes by The Woke RN. Kameren had her first baby 14 years ago, and at that time was very comfortable with the medical establishment and felt that she was in good hands. As the years have progressed, however, Kameren’s opinions on western medicine and traditi...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 56
Do you bring a beginner’s mind to your births? What do I even mean by that? I look forward to Amber’s stories today specifically for this reason. Even with 5 births, Amber learned that each baby will be born in his or her own unique way. Learning to let go of all of the assumptions of what birth is or is not is a great way to enter labor. Recognizing that this is a new birth, a new baby, a new experience can help us let go of expectations and become intuitive with what we need and want each time...
Nov 25, 2019•59 min•Ep. 55
Liberated birth. What a powerful phrase. What does it bring to mind to you? For me, I think of a woman who has decided to take full ownership of her birthing experience. A woman who is completely in—no matter where or how she’s decided to give birth. A woman who has taken the time to educate herself on the intricacies of birth. I’d love for you to ponder this idea of liberated birth as we speak to today’s guest, Ilka Bee, the founder and creator of Liberated Birth Movement. You’ll hear all about...
Nov 18, 2019•45 min•Ep. 54
Why? Do you feel clear on the reasons you've chosen the path of homebirth.... or natural childbirth in general? Join me today as we speak with Brooke Collier of Sister Birth and discuss her amazing guide "7 Mistakes Many Mamas Make When Planning Their Natural Birth...And How to Avoid Them". Show Notes: Brooke is a mother to 4 children, all of whom were born at home She has worn many hats over the last 10 years: photographer, birth photographer, student midwife, and doula. She's always been more ...
Nov 11, 2019•42 min•Ep. 53
Hey. You. You reading this. You pregnant mama. Guess who is charge of your birth. Go on, guess. If you answered with anything besides "me," I want you to rethink your answer. Today's episode with Juliana discusses so many important aspects of pregnancy, birth and postpartum. One of the biggest takeaways comes in the form of the discussion Juliana had with her midwife about what decisions she was comfortable with for her birth and postpartum. I know you're going to want to listen in for this amaz...
Nov 04, 2019•57 min•Ep. 52
Show Notes: Madeline Murray, CPM and wonderwoman behind Believe in Midwifery has put her heart and soul into her new course, Believe in Midwifery's Guide to Sustainable Practice. This episode discusses: how the course came about who the course is for what it entails what it isn't and more information on where you'll be seeing Madeline in the upcoming months Here is the link to go purchase your course today! For more podcasts with Madeline: Believe in Midwifery with Madeline Murray A Midwife's Lo...
Oct 30, 2019•33 min•Ep. 51
I want to start out with a phrase I hear from a lot of mothers. “Oh, I had a really long labor.” And in my experience, a “really long labor can be anything from 9-48 hours, depending on the mother.” I consider my first birth to have been obnoxiously long. I went into early labor on a Thursday night and didn’t have my daughter until 2am on Saturday morning. Whew. Long one. Madeline, however takes the cake when it comes to long labors, as you’ll hear in her birth story. Today’s guest is no strange...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 50
Episode 47: Elizabeth Wolfrey What do you do when you realize you’re unhappy with the care you’re receiving prenatally? Elizabeth found herself in this position, for the second time, during her second pregnancy. Fortunately, she had learned much since her first experience, and she was unwilling to stand by as the positive birth she desired slipped away. Elizabeth, like so many other courageous moms, made a change later in the game—but certainly in time. Before we dive into this episode, I have t...
Oct 21, 2019•49 min•Ep. 49
“I want to have a homebirth with my second, but I’d feel safer giving birth in the hospital with my first baby.” I hear this from so many moms. And I get it! With so much propaganda and misinformation regarding the safety of homebirth, I certainly see why so many moms feel this is the best option. And for many, it really is! They’ll feel more comfortable and just as empowered at the hospital. But for others, they expect that having a natural birth in the hospital will be easier than giving birth...
Oct 14, 2019•56 min•Ep. 48
Show Notes: Preparation for childbirth: Did you take it seriously? Now, don’t get me wrong. This certainly does not look the same for everyone. For many, it’s a formal class. For others, however, it can be as simple as a grounding mantra. “This is the birth that I wanted.” Alla remembers reciting these 7 words to herself each time she would feel any sense of nervousness over her upcoming homebirth. She knew she could do it—after all, she had given birth before in the hospital, and quickly at tha...
Oct 07, 2019•47 min•Ep. 47
Show Notes: Births are like snowflakes. Individual, unique, and often wet. But we’ll focus on the first two. Jessica’s 3 birth stories are hyper-unique and unexpected… and you’re going to love them! From a game time decision to have a homebirth with her first (seriously-she was in labor) to a shocking position of baby number two, to a much heavier baby #3… Jessica’s birth stories vary dramatically. And most beautifully, after all of these experiences, Jessica’s message to pregnant women everywhe...
Sep 30, 2019•50 min•Ep. 46
