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The Happy Homebirth podcast is your source for positive natural childbirth stories, and your community of support, education and encouragement in all things homebirth and motherhood.
Episodes
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Monday Nov 27, 2023
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Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
What does it look like to take charge of your birth experience after a previously disempowering one?
This week, we'll be speaking with McKenzie, a mother to two children and student from The Homebirth Collective--with two very different pregnancy and birth stories. We'll learn how McKenzie's first pregnancy and birth laid a groundwork for questioning herself, yet how that's absolutely not the end of her story-- and what she did to change her experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
Episode Roundup
The way that we feel about ourselves and our experience in pregnancy is extremely related to our birth experience, our postpartum and our motherhood journey. McKenzie's pregnancy with her daughter Cora involved care providers who left her feeling uncertain about herself, her decisions, her ability to give birth and mother her baby.... all of this dynamic was already in play before she even headed to the hospital to have her baby. When the nurse asked, "do you want to try to push?" Her mind immediately began to question, "Well, should I? Surely someone should tell me..." This type of care is so common, and I truly believe that it leads so many mothers to question themselves on all kinds of matters when the truth is that YOU KNOW. You know your body and baby more than anyone else ever could. You are not a small piece of this puzzle... you ARE the puzzle. When McKenzie switched to homebirth and midwife-attended care with her second child, she began to truly embody this reality, which led to starkly different choices, feelings, and experiences. She shared how because of where she is mentally and in her heart, she's able to navigate through the challenges of motherhood with more grace, ease and fluidity than ever before. It's amazing to hear such an undeniable change.
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Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Have you ever felt like you were seeing a revolving door of different doctors throughout your pregnancy? HOW can you feel confident and comfortable with the provider if it just. keeps. changing?
This week we're speaking with Shayna- a mother to two precious boys, one born in the hospital and one at home. We'll hear how Shayna dealt with switching doctors in her first pregnancy, and how a revolving door of doctors in her second pregnancy sent her seeking the continuity and CARE of a midwife.
As you prepare for YOUR homebirth, I want to remind you that my desire is to serve you as deeply as possible. While so many mothers gain so much from this podcast, a totally free resource, I know that many of you are seeking deeper preparation. That's exactly what we do inside of Happy Homebirth Academy and The Homebirth Collective. I give you a clear-cut framework for preparing for your homebirth, or preparing for your homebirth AND the transformation into motherhood. No wondering if you have what you need. No stone goes unturned.
Click the link in the show notes to join, and don't forget to apply the code PODCAST at checkout for 10% for being a listener of the show.
Episode Roundup
How amazing was that? As we head into this week's episode roundup, I want to ask you- how do you think it impacts our transition into motherhood to be supported continuously by the same person, or the same small group of people, as opposed to a massive conglomerate of doctors who may or may not know anything about you?
I think we can all agree that the sacredness of this transition into motherhood is deserving of respect and individualization. Without continuity of care, it's sure hard to truly receive either. If you're on the fence about how you want to give birth, keep this in mind as you consider your options and seek care.
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Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Did you know that you can use your birth to deeply unite your family unit?
Today we're speaking with Anna, a mother of three precious children with a bend towards all things holistic. Anna and her husband decided to use their third birth experience as a catalyst for the entire family-- truly restructuring the way that they experienced parenthood and the culture that they wanted to present to their family. I can't wait for you to hear how this played out.
Anna was a student inside of The Homebirth Collective, and it was so powerful to watch her grow and prepare for this birth experience. Now, being on the other side, I feel honored to have been able to support her into her newest, strongest version of motherhood. If this is what you're looking for in your life, I would LOVE to have you inside of The HBC. Click the link in the show notes to join today, and use the code PODCAST for 10% off at checkout.
Episode Roundup
- For many in the mainstream, it can be easy to be fooled into the belief that complexity is akin to safety. The hospital system- with its procedures, its protocols, its uniforms and medications- it can provide an, unfortunately, false sense of superiority to simplicity. To allowing our bodies to do exactly what they were designed to do- exactly how they were designed to do it. When we put our trust in a medical complex instead of our own brilliant innate physical intelligence, we almost always leave something beautiful on the table.
- Next, this very same system... it so frequently minimizes the magnificence of birth. And how can it not? It's a routine. It's a job. The goal is to prevent disaster, not to allow for transformation and beauty. When this is the environment we're in, it can be easy to miss the absolute wonder of what you've just experienced. If you find yourself in a hospital, be sure to remember that even though this is a regular day for your OB or midwife, it's a day of life-change for you. Do not let them downplay the magnificence of what has just happened.
- And finally, let's end where we began. Birth is a family event. It can involve your little ones, and it can serve as a catalyst to a new way of being together. I always say that birth is magnetic-- may it pull you all together-- never to be separated.
Before we go, I wanted to mention that Anna has started a blog. To learn more from her beautiful wisdom, be sure to follow along at: PARA SIEMPRE
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Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Has your perception of an event ever changed after a period of time? If so, how did that impact your future decision-making?
And today we're speaking with Bree Darby. Bree is a mama of two girls, 4 years and 3 months, and a bonus mom of one boy, 11. She is a working/stay-at-home mom in the suburbs of Philadelphia who spends her time outside of work exercising, enjoying the outdoors, or spending time with her family. After a hospital birth filled with interventions, she was determined to have the un-disturbed, unmedicated birth she longed for with her first, and she knew that homebirth was the way to go. Throughout pregnancy, Bree overcame the struggle of harnessing her power to overcome the fear of homebirth through education and exercise.
As you prepare for YOUR homebirth, I want to remind you that my desire is to serve you as deeply as possible. While so many mothers gain so much from this podcast, a totally free resource, I know that many of you are seeking deeper preparation. That's exactly what we do inside of Happy Homebirth Academy and The Homebirth Collective. I give you a clear-cut framework for preparing for your homebirth, or preparing for your homebirth AND the transformation into motherhood. No wondering if you have what you need. No stone goes unturned. Click the link in the show notes to join, and don't forget to apply the code PODCAST at checkout for 10% for being a listener of the show.
Episode Roundup:
How cool was that? Hearing mothers gain education and make new choices never gets old to me! As we head into this week's episode roundup, one big thought is coming to my mind:
Sometimes our perception of an experience may change with time. When Bree had her first daughter, she didn't consider her care to be anything but normal. However, as time passed and she gained education, she realized that there were aspects of her care that she no longer appreciated. If this is you, I want to remind you that this is totally okay. AND... we have the option to gain new information, recognize that we would do things differently next time, and yet not condemn ourselves for previous decisions or think "wow, if only I had done xyz instead..." We are all learning and growing, and as we do that, our opinions and choices may change. Let's embrace that and move forward with confidence, just like Bree.
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Sunday Oct 22, 2023
Sunday Oct 22, 2023
What happens when becoming pregnant goes from being quick and easy to long, emotional and difficult?
This week, we're speaking with Shyla Brown, a mother of 4 babes- 3 of whom were born at home. We'll walk through Shyla's experiences of pregnancy, which range from fast and unexpected to long-awaited while she struggled with secondary infertility. Shyla will share what she learned from that experience and the pelvic therapy that made SUCH a massive difference for her. And for those of you who are interested, that information is in the show notes, so go check it out!
Shyla was a student of mine inside of The Homebirth Collective while she prepared for her fourth baby. While she'd already had 3 births under her belt, Shyla knew that she wanted to re-enter birth and motherhood differently-- more sacredly-- this time around. And that's where the HBC came in. If you're looking to prepare for both your homebirth and the deep foundations of your sacred motherhood experience, I hope you'll join me inside of The HBC. The link is in the show notes, and you can use the code PODCAST for 10% at checkout.
Episode Roundup
What an incredible journey Shyla has been on. As we head into this week's episode roundup, I want to focus on the hope and joy that came alongside the pain of Shyla's struggle with secondary infertility. She did not give up on her dream of more children, she continued to learn and search, and she found such an amazing resource. There was so much pain in the losses she experienced, both of babies and her father, but there was a rainbow, indeed. And even moreso, I love that Shyla, CONTINUED to focus on her emotional healing after her third birth. When she became unexpectedly pregnant with Ulysses, baby #4, she knew she needed to take her mental and emotional preparation seriously, and that's exactly what she did inside of The Homebirth Collective. She didn't have to bring the hurt and sadness of her previous experiences into her birth, and that made all the difference.
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Monday Oct 16, 2023
Monday Oct 16, 2023
How do we encourage optimal growth of our bodies and the bodies of our babies in pregnancy and birth? What are the foundational pieces to this?
This week we're speaking with Margaret Barry. After a history of restrictive dieting and over-exercising, Margaret decided to seek out a better understanding of physiology that goes beyond the unsustainable diets and quick fixes commonly promoted in the women’s health world.
After successfully resolving her digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, and healing her relationship with food and exercise, Margaret completed her Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner training in 2014 and immediately started working with clients.
Her Motherhood journey began with an intervention-heavy hospital birth of her daughter, after which she went on to have her second child- a son- at home, in a full-circle redemption of her own autonomy.
Over the years, she has continued to expand her knowledge base with a wide range of additional certifications, including HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis) functional blood chemistry, fascia fitness, perinatal corrective exercise, and lymphatic exercise.
She specializes in mineral balancing, women’s metabolic health, and fascia-focused exercise. Margaret is passionate about helping women feel strong, energetic, comfortable, and confident in their bodies. She works with clients via her group programs, courses, and classes.
Episode Roundup
How amazing is it to speak with someone who is so well-rounded in all of the systems that so deeply support our health in pregnancy, birth and motherhood? As we head into today's episode roundup, I really just want to take a moment of gratitude for the exposure of these concepts. When we learn this kind of information, it may be the default to think, "UGH! Why didn't I know this before... this could have helped xyz...." And I totally understand that, because I've certainly felt it. But even moreso... how exciting to know now. How exciting to learn about our minerals, our lymph, our fascia, our bodies... so that we CAN become more aware stewards, and that we can influence our children's lives, whether they've yet to be conceived or they're already 25. This information is powerful, and we can use it with excited optimism.
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Monday Oct 09, 2023
Monday Oct 09, 2023
How can we lean into the primal nature of birth and experience it as the full right of passage that it was designed to be?
Today we're speaking with Karey, a stay-at-home, soon to be homeschooling mom of three. In this episode, we'll uncover the work that Karey did, particularly between her second and third birth, that led to a deeper understanding of the transformative power that birth holds for those who seek.
Episode Roundup
- We talk about communication being extremely important, and Karey's story truly highlighted this. She and her husband Matthew truly spent time before their third birth working on communicating with one another about their hopes and desires of the event. This so clearly paid off in their experience together, and this birth was an extremely magnetizing event- pulling them even closer together.
- I love how Karey brought up this concept of the sanitization and sterilization of birth. You know, in the medical world, it seems as though the goal is to totally subdue the experience of birth. To pretend that #1, nothing can go wrong when in the hospital (which, of course we know isn't realtiy) but also to #2 prevent mothers from feeling...from EXPRESSING. Birth is meant to be expressive for goodness sake. But because of the way society has repressed this from mothers for so long, it often times takes deep exploration before birth to feel comfortable with this in the moment.
- And finally, there is so much power in our perspective. After her extremely in tense car birth at 70 miles per hour, Karey was left feeling uncertain about her experience. Between working with The Birth Story Doula and unpacking her feelings even further inside of the HBC, Karey is now able to look back on those events with a totally different perspective. And she was able to enter her third birth with an open mind and the feeling that this birth was going to be beautiful- and it sure was!
Tag @thebirthstorydoula
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Monday Oct 02, 2023
Monday Oct 02, 2023
When birth goes well in all of the physical ways, does that necessarily mean that it carried the emotional depth you desired?
This week we're speaking with Cortney Steffensmeier.
Cortney is the mother of 3 littles who ignited her passion for breastfeeding and maternal postpartum support. After working for nearly 10 years in western medicine, Cortney received a deeper calling to stay home with her babies while cultivating a network for her local moms. She is an IBCLC, postpartum doula, and CFT provider.
All three of her birth stories are quite different, with the common denominator being the Lord's goodness throughout each labor. She's here to shed light on how she came into her own and began to advocate for her dream birth over the years. Ultimately, we'll hear how she achieved the birth she wholeheartedly desired.
Episode Roundup
1. It’s common for the perception of birth that we had growing up to be counterproductive when it comes to preparing for our own birth. Cortney shared how she had never witnessed an unmedicated birth before having her second baby, and the only image she had of birth was from the video of her mother’s birth: a large epidural needle and a sterile-looking room did not provide excitement in Cortney’s mind for giving birth herself. If this is all that you have known of birth up until now, I’m so thrilled that you’re here gleaning a new perspective of what birth can be.
2. Next, Cortney shared how her third birth experience was an experience that bonded herself to her husband even more than before. Those who witnessed the birth were able to see just how palpable their love was, and even more, they truly represented what it means to be a team together. There's no way that this hasn't carried over into their parenting together. We already know it led into their postpartum, which brings me to point number 3.
3. Cortney shared that they finally gave postpartum the attention it deserved this time around. My friends, if there's anything I can share with you, it's that more than likely, your expectations of rest for postpartum need to INCREASE. Cortney and her husband were willing to accept the help of their friends and family when it came to taking care of their little ones, dropping them off and picking them up-- really, receiving help in all of its forms. They recognized the importance of those first weeks together solidifying their connection. I pray that you'll take this to heart. This is such a critical practice... I know it isn't always easy, and it may come with its own set of difficulty--how do we prepare to make this even feasible? But please, begin to consider this as early as possible so that you can make it happen to the best of your ability for your family.
4. And finally, Cortney's openness and willingness to have friends and loved ones around her during her birth experience was such a gift to those who witnessed. Just like we mentioned at the beginning of the roundup, Cortney had never seen an unmedicated birth before, much less a homebirth... and now she's passing along the beauty of what birth can be to all those who were in attendance. Community birth. What a blessing.
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Monday Sep 25, 2023
Monday Sep 25, 2023
Surrendering to Physiological Birth and Motherhood with Jessica Livengood
What does it mean to surrender to your birth experience? To surrender to motherhood?
This week's episode, we'll be speaking to my friend and Homebirth Collective student Jessica about her experiences with surrender in birth and motherhood. This conversation is so deep and SO useful- I know you're going to gain amazing insight from it.
Before we jump in, I want to share how deeply this concept relates to what we learn inside of The Homebirth Collective. You may wonder-- what makes The HBC different from other childbirth education? And the answer is that it's not strictly childbirth education. Yes, it's that, but it's so much more. Inside of The HBC we're focusing on the preparation of birth-- physical birth, and the spiritual, mental, emotional birth into motherhood. We spend weeks tending to the primal mother and learning how to lean into what we already have and have been given. If you're looking to use your birth experience as a transformational catalyst into a grounded motherhood, I'd love to have you inside of The HBC. Click the link in the show notes to join, and don't forget to use the code PODCAST for 10% off at checkout.
Episode Roundup
Goodness, Jessica's story and her perspective of her birth are so beneficial to all of us. As we head into this episode roundup, she's given us so much to mull over.
- I'd like to start with the fact that Jessica has very clearly considered her birth and worked to integrate this experience into herself, her role as a mother and her life as a whole. My friends, this is critical. We talk about this inside of The HBC- the fact that truthfully, it matters less what the events ARE than it does how we INTEGRATE them. Jessica has considered her birth, noted how things unfolded, used her experiences to shape future decisions in motherhood and grown tremendously. This, in my opinion, is the definition of succes.
- I want to talk about a concept that I really love to flesh out inside of The HBC- this idea of instinct over instruction. When Jessica was shaking her belly and thighs through her waves... WOW. How powerful was this?! This was such a beautiful example of primal movement and intuitive knowing. Her body knew exactly what she needed to do to relax, and chances are it was even deeper than that- her body knew exactly how she needed to move to properly position and align her baby for birth. Our bodies aren't acting randomly. There is purpose to what they are inclined to do-- our biggest task? Get out of the freaking way. Get out of your thinking brain and let your feeling brain kick in. Jessica had to intentionally decide that she was going to continue to do what worked for her-- even in front of her birth team. THAT was the right decision. I love that she shared with this how she realized she was at a crossroads, and she made the decision that was most supportive of her labor, even if it felt awkward the first time she did it.
- And now- let's chat about what happens when instruction overrides our instinct. Jessica knew that the birthing process would be a time when her brain would be susceptible to outside opinions and instruction, and she learned firsthand how this could unfold. Despite her preparedness to listen to her body and follow her intuition when it came to all aspects of birth, particularly pushing and releasing the baby, she also felt a desire to go along with her midwife's instructions at the end. My friends, I am certainly not questioning the well-meaningness of this care provider, but I do have to remind you that NOBODY is in your body like you are. The reality is that many mothers are NOT as connected and intuitive during birth, because they haven't taken time to reconnect to the primal mother that they are-- but when you HAVE... oh my goodness. Your body knows what to do- your job is to surrender. Instinct over instruction.
- Talk about Surrender
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