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, rep...
Aug 18, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 6Ep. 33
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 ti...
Aug 11, 2025•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 32
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 ...
Aug 04, 2025•40 min•Season 6Ep. 31
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...
Jul 28, 2025•46 min•Season 6Ep. 30
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 pro...
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 6Ep. 29
Emily, a home birth midwife, shares her personal birth story after years of supporting others through theirs. While her birth didn’t go as planned, she was able to advocate for herself and felt a strong sense of agency throughout the experience. We discuss a wide range of topics, including how a midwife can “midwife” herself during her own birth and how to navigate a hospital birth experience. We end on a hopeful note with Emily’s perspective that positive changes are underway in the world of me...
Jul 14, 2025•55 min•Season 6Ep. 28
After a transformative homebirth experience, Olivia was shocked to discover an astonishing gift: she could communicate with spirit babies—the souls of our children before they come to Earth. She now uses her mediumship skills to guide women who have experienced baby loss or infertility through conception, pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Today, she shares a beautiful message from the spirit babies, especially for anyone struggling with loss or a long preconception phase. Connect with Olivia on Inst...
Jul 07, 2025•58 min•Season 6Ep. 27
Megan’s first birth was a traumatic and violating hospital experience. Afterward, her baby developed a serious infection—something Megan suspects was caused by a novel procedure performed during the delivery. Though she deeply desired another child, she knew she had healing to do. A pivotal moment in that healing journey came when she attended a friend’s home birth as a doula. Witnessing a peaceful birth and the respectful, culturally rooted care provided by midwives who serve the local Indigeno...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 26
Joanna was deep in labor at home, attended by midwives, when she hit a breaking point and asked to transfer to the hospital. Nothing was medically wrong, but her labor was long, and she sensed the midwives were ready for it to be over. She gave birth shortly after arriving at the hospital and still got to experience the euphoric post-birth high she had hoped to feel at home. While her birth didn’t unfold exactly as she had envisioned, Joanna reflects that she was still born into motherhood—as we...
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 6Ep. 25
Christina’s first experience with pregnancy and birth was not what she had imagined, due to her son being diagnosed with a rare birth defect early in the pregnancy. You can (and should!) listen to that story in Part one of this series. When her first son was around 18 months old, Christina discovered she was pregnant again—and she knew immediately that this birth would be a redemptive, sovereign experience. France can be a challenging place to have a baby at home, and many people mistakenly beli...
Jun 16, 2025•52 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Christina was 25 and living abroad in France when she fell in love, and unexpectedly became pregnant. She had spent years before this pregnancy immersing herself in homebirth and freebirth stories, always dreaming of giving birth at home. But those dreams were abruptly upended at her 12-week ultrasound, when her baby was diagnosed with gastroschisis —a rare birth defect in which the intestines develop outside the abdomen through a hole in the abdominal wall. The diagnosis meant her baby would ne...
Jun 08, 2025•58 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Kayleigh’s first two births took place in a hospital, but her third—at a birth center with midwives—was a turning point. The contrast in care, both during pregnancy and birth, sparked a passion for natural childbirth and ultimately led her to become a childbirth educator. Six years later, when she became pregnant with her fourth baby, Kayleigh knew exactly what she wanted: a peaceful home birth, surrounded by her husband and older children. Find Kayleigh at www.kindacrunchykayleigh.com And on In...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 22
With six births across nearly every setting—from hospital to birth center, homebirth to freebirth—Sarah brings a rare depth of experience to this conversation. She shares her powerful stories and the hard-earned wisdom each birth offered, painting a grounded portrait of what it means to birth on your own terms. 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,...
May 26, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 6Ep. 21
Jackie had been planning a home birth for her first baby, but at 35 weeks, she received the shocking diagnosis of a placental abruption. This led to an emergency cesarean, a NICU stay, and years of processing why it had happened to her. (You can listen to Jackie’s full first birth story in her initial appearance on this podcast, here .) After enough time had passed, Jackie felt the desire for another child, found the courage to get pregnant again, and planned for another home birth. This time, s...
May 19, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Ceiba’s labor with her first child began after an orgasm (oxytocin, much?). The only midwife in her small Mexican town was called, but she happened to be away for the night. Feeling no fear, Ceiba birthed her baby—who arrived feet first—in under an hour, describing the experience as ecstatic. This birth left her in an expanded state of consciousness for a week. Follow Ceiba @uteroamor If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ! Follow me on Instagram ...
May 12, 2025•38 min•Season 6Ep. 19
It wasn’t until her early forties that Leslie finally found the true love of her life. On their first date, she received a message in spirit that a baby wanted to come through. And sure enough, as soon as they both felt a “yes,” she became pregnant. This time, Leslie didn’t hire a midwife—instead, she gave birth at home with only her partner for support. It was the birth experience she had always dreamed of. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts !...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 18
There were complications during Caroline’s first pregnancy and birth, which left her with the story that her body was broken. (You can listen to that full story from Caroline’s first appearance on the podcast here .) After a little over a year of deep healing work — including a life-changing plant medicine ceremony — Caroline consciously conceived her second baby, leaning into trust so fully that she never even took a pregnancy test. Although she considered freebirthing her second baby, Caroline...
Apr 28, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Hollis was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two, leading to a lifetime of doctor visits and deeply ingrained messages that her body was chronically broken. Because of this history and diagnosis, when she found out she was pregnant, her first response was tears—she knew she would be fighting an uphill battle for the natural birth she desired. Even though her condition was well managed, no midwife in town would take her as a client, leaving her with only two options: receive no care at...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Jesse shares the heroic story of her first birth experience—a three-day labor supported by a traditional midwife and her husband. We discuss how she stayed mentally strong throughout the intense journey, and reflect on how differently things might have unfolded had she been in a hospital setting. First-time mothers who choose trust over fear inspire me, and Jesse is no exception! If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ! Follow me on Instagram @heal...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Julia attempted a freebirth at home for her second baby, but came close to losing her son due to a rare birthing complication that no one could have predicted. In the aftermath, as she processed the trauma of the experience, she reached out to me to share her story and the new perspective she gained about the freebirth movement. 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 sha...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Alyssa is the oldest of six children and grew up with the unique privilege of witnessing her mother give birth at home to her five younger siblings. Naturally, choosing a home birth for her first baby seemed like the obvious decision. She selected a local birth center and midwife. However, like many first-time mothers, as Alyssa approached 42 weeks, the pressure to induce labor began to mount. During her 41st week, her midwife performed several interventions to induce labor, including breaking h...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Kyrie shares the heartbreaking yet ultimately courageous story of navigating her first pregnancy and the birth of her child while in an abusive marriage. She also endured hyperemesis so severe that she required hospitalization, as well as a shocking misdiagnosis that her child had a brain abnormality— via an ultrasound that was later found to be inaccurate. Kyrie explains that it was her overwhelming love for her newborn son that gave her the strength and courage to leave the abusive situation a...
Mar 24, 2025•51 min•Season 6Ep. 12
After two relatively routine hospital births, Shiloa’s third baby was discovered to be breech late in her pregnancy. Her care providers presented her with no option other than a c-section, which came as a huge shock. The surgical birth left her feeling traumatized. As a birth worker herself, Shiloa was also attending births during this time and had developed an unshakable trust in the birth process. She learned that some midwives were comfortable supporting breech births at home, viewing it as a...
Mar 17, 2025•42 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Gina’s first pregnancy was with twins, which limited her options for care to a hospital birth. During this labor, she faced immense pressure to receive an epidural, undergo various interventions, and was even made to give birth on the operating table in the operating room “just in case.” Despite all of this and the atmosphere of fear surrounding twin births, she managed to deliver both babies naturally in the hospital, on that cold operating room table. Her second pregnancy was with a singleton,...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 10
Robyn describes her first birth as a ‘weird, numb experience.’ She was in the hospital, on an epidural, and slept through most of it. However, a family car accident became a turning point for Robyn, prompting her to make holistic health changes for her family. As she began to explore ways to take charge of their healthcare more naturally, her perspective on birth shifted. By the time she was pregnant with her second child, she knew she would give birth at home, with a midwife. (In fact, the midw...
Mar 03, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Over the course of having six babies, Kelly’s beliefs about birth, pregnancy, and sovereignty changed drastically. She went from thinking that women who birthed outside the hospital were irresponsible and dangerous, to free birthing her last baby at 42, with only her husband by her side. Kelly shares her entire journey with us today in the hope of encouraging other women to recognize that they are perfectly designed for birth and motherhood. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a rev...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Chandani was a doula working within the system when she became pregnant with her first baby. Witnessing the trauma and high cesarean rate in the hospital, she knew she didn’t want to give birth there and decided on a home birth. Although she entered the pregnancy with extensive knowledge about birth and hired a midwife, her birth ultimately ended in a cesarean after her midwife transferred her during labor. In the immediate aftermath, Chandani struggled to accept that this was her birth experien...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Leisa Masters is a mother, an accomplished birthworker, and an experienced business manager. She has been supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and motherhood for over a decade. Her own experience birthing her daughter in the Australian medical system became a classic cascade of interventions, ultimately leading to an unnecessary cesarean. However, being deeply committed to personal growth, Leisa chose not to simply blame the system. Instead, she realized that at a deeper level, her own peo...
Feb 10, 2025•55 min•Season 6Ep. 6
India was 21, and dancing without a care in the world at a festival in Nepal when she suddenly felt her water break. That was the moment she realized she was pregnant—and about to have a baby! What followed, in one of the most incredible birth stories I have ever heard, was a four-day labor, supported by her Rainbow Gathering community, in a remote village in Nepal. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ! Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth Do yo...
Feb 03, 2025•59 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Returning guest Tiffany shares her powerful third birth story—a precipitous freebirth. Alone with just her partner, Tiffany navigated this intense and transformative experience following a wild pregnancy. Tiffany’s story also includes one of the coolest placenta births I’ve ever heard! You can hear her first two birth stories, on her first appearance on the podcast, here . If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ! Follow me on Instagram @healingbirt...
Jan 27, 2025•56 min•Season 6Ep. 4
