Happy Homebirth

1. Sometimes the situations that unfold can impact us in ways that we were not expecting. After her first birth, Shelby ran into difficulties with bonding and breastfeeding, much of this due to harmful hospital policy. When these things happen, it can be difficult not to carry our concerns into our next experience.
2. Shelby experienced perinatal depression with her second baby, and I'm so glad that she was able to bring up the struggle and difficulty that it brought upon her pregnancy, because we see that once she felt comfortable bringing up what was going on, she was immediately validated, loved and understood by her husband and sister. When we can find the courage to speak up about what is troubling us, half of the work is done already. We are then able to have the people who love us support us through whatever it is that we need. There are plenty of counselors and therapists who support women through perinatal depression specifically, so if you find yourself in this position, I lovingly encourage you to seek that support.
3. Finally, sometimes the gift of our birth experience comes in a very unexpected package. Despite the fact that Shelby wasn't envisioning an unassisted car birth on the side of the road, this turned out to be a beautiful gift for herself and her son. They were able to bond and breastfeed immediately, and she was able to bathe in the beautiful connection that she wanted so desperately during her first experience.

1. LaDaiju walked into her second birth with the confidence and deep knowing that her body was made to do this. She had been thoughtful, prayerful and so considerate, and she knew this birth experience at home was exactly what she needed.
2. So much of this confidence came through education. Between her first and second birth, LaDaiju took education seriously. She knew she wanted something different, and she worked hard to make it happen. What an amazing experience. LaDaija, I'm so thrilled for your successful homebirth, and so glad you made it onto the podcast to share!

𝟯 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗨𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗺

Don’t be fooled into believing that birth and postpartum are two separate, disconnected events and experiences! The way we experience birth can embolden us in our postpartum experience and motherhood!

If you’re ready to prepare thoroughly for both, make sure you get your application in for The Homebirth Collective. This cohort runs from Oct 10-Dec 31st. Applications close Tuesday, 10/4!

Our birth is NOT something we just have to power through. It’s not something we must “endure” to meet our baby.

No, no. There is so much joy in the transformation into motherhood, and it begins NOW!

We can soak up every birth of nectar from this joyous preparation and experience.

If enjoying your pregnancy and homebirth and transformation into motherhood is your desire, make sure you apply for The Homebirth Collective today. Applications are open through next week, then we’ll be closing our cohort. Don’t miss out on the Oct- Dec cohort!

Is the goal of your Homebirth to have pretty images, or is it to seize the experience of motherhood and revel in all of its glory?

Depending on your goal, you’ll want to consider how you prepare.

If you merely want to “get through labor”, then a course focused on coping techniques may be just fine…

But if you’re looking to enjoy the full blueberry pie, not just the outer edge of the crust…

If you’re looking to experience childbirth as the honorable, noble right of passage that it was always meant to be…

A surface level approach to childbirth preparation isn’t going to cut it.

Inside of The Homebirth Collective, our focus is on the internal experience far more than the simple external sequence of events. Why?

Because you deserve more than to just “get through labor”. You deserve to see this event as the life-changing, sacred, rite of passage, mother-making, God-given experience that it is. That it was designed to be.

If you’re ready for more and you can already see The Homebirth Collective is the answer for you, I want you to fill out the application in my bio and send me a DM saying “ME!”

1. In regards to Tanya's first experience, her cervix moved so quickly from relatively closed to quite open, which explains why Tanya felt overwhelmed and opted for the epidural. We've got to remember that the cervix doesn't open on a specific timeline, and just because we're 3cm one minute doesn't mean we won't be complete and pushing just minutes later!
2.  With her second birth, Tanya was able to feel the transformation into motherhood in a far more active way. This experience, though it didn't take away her first birth, allowed her to integrate it and her second birth more fully into herself. She was able to re-enter motherhood feeling extremely proud and confident. A number of the mothers inside of The HBC join specifically for that reason. They were left feeling like something was missing from their previous birth or births, and they're ready to do all of the inner work with their current pregnancy to experience the transformation back into motherhood on a cellular level. In order to do that, we have to take radical responsibility and learn to dig into our own self-knowledge and trust. I love that Tanya is on the exact same page and is teaching this to her clients as well.

Question for you, dads:

If you knew you were preparing for something intense and life-changing… let’s say battle… how would you want to prepare?

Would you prefer to read a book or two and hope for the best?

Would you want to watch a general self-study course and try to implement on your own?

Or would you prefer 1:1 preparation with a skilled instructor who has actually experienced what you’re preparing for? Wouldn’t you want to have access to other peers who were preparing for the same event to work with, relate to, and lean upon?

And would you want this preparation to simply show you how to hold a sword, or would you want it to teach you to think like a warrior? Which would be more helpful.

Now let’s think about your wife and the life-changing experience she’s about to have: giving birth. Just like battle, she will leave this experience changed. Wouldn’t it be far more helpful if we were able to help her prepare for all of the aspects of birth and motherhood beforehand so that she walks into this event confidently and courageously?

Listen in to this discussion to learn the 5 questions you can ask your wife when she’s selecting a method of childbirth education. And remember that YOU can be her hero simply through your support!

What do we need to know about supporting and healing the pelvic floor?  Is it super complex?

1. So much of our fears stem from the unknown. Jordan didn't know what to expect with her first baby and birth, and at that time, it felt safer to just not know than to have to come to terms with what it could be. Obviously, this changed greatly for Jordan with time, but it really highlights just how stressful the idea of birth can be-- and if we don't even feel safe looking into what's happening, it's no wonder that we would want to consider an elective cesarean. Have someone else do it for me- I don't even want to know.
2. But on to my second point, what power did Jordan exhibit when she realized.... "wait a minute... I'm in control here!" She truly became a force to be reckoned with, and it was amazing to see that sense increase throughout her two subsequent births. Once you realize the smoke and mirrors of the idea that someone else has the power-- not you-- once you realize it's YOUR body and YOUR baby.... you can't unsee that. Jordan certainly never did.
3. I love that Jordan so openly has continued to grow, learn and change. When her midwife recommended some dietary changes that seemed pretty basic, she suddenly had insane improvements in her health-- how incredible is it to see that we sometimes DO have the ability to greatly increase our health with just a few simple changes. This was such an encouraging aspect of Jordan's journey to me.
4. And finally, how wonderful was it to hear all of the supportive people around Jordan. Her husband, her mother-in-law, her midwife, her sister in law-- all of them playing such integral parts in her experience, and she will never forget how these wonderful people treated her during such a special time. It just fills me with joy to hear when mothers are rallied around in such a beautiful way.