Alexa’s first birth was attended by a medically minded midwife at home, who rushed her through the third stage of labor. What happened during this part of the birth experience left her traumatized and affected the critical bonding period between Alexa and her baby. In the aftermath, she experienced post-partum anxiety (you will hear us discuss the connection between Pitocin and post-natal mood disorders). Alexa says that “Birth trauma affects the motherhood journey so much.” Five months...

Olivia shares the story of the conception and family birth of her fourth child, whose labor was just seven minutes long! You can listen to Olivia’s first appearance on this podcast, from season one, here. Follow Olivia on Instagram @discovermother 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...

Heather’s first baby was born via a traumatic cesarean after a grueling, two-day induction. She was told by the surgeon that her anatomy was such that she could never birth vaginally. That, plus the trauma of the induction experience, led her to choose an elective cesarean for her second baby, which at least offered her a degree of control. Serendipitously, one day at work, Heather found birth podcasts (like this one!) where other women shared their stories of free birthing - taking back...

Mindy was a social worker, working in the labor and delivery ward of a hospital, when she became pregnant with her first child. She planned a home birth with a midwife with that first baby, but at 40 weeks and 4 days her midwife abandoned her care, leaving her with no other choice than to deliver at the hospital where she worked. Because she knew the nurses and staff so well, she was able to navigate that birth experience without trauma - but the betrayal and grief of her midwife abandoning...

Brandy was raised on a farm, and witnessed plenty of animal births. But despite seeing first hand that mammalian birth works best when left undisturbed, when she was pregnant herself, she handed over all decision making and authority to an obstetrician, who ultimately convinced her to have an induction, which ended in a c-section.  She returned to that system again with her second baby and did achieve a VBAC in the hospital, but also experienced medical rape.  By the time she was pregnant...

Kawena, an indigenous Brazilian, was traveling the world nomadically when she fell in love, and became pregnant. She knew that she would return home to her ancestral land to birth freely on her family’s farm. This is an especially radical act of reclamation in Brazil, where birth has been completely taken over by the medical industrial complex. Not only does Brazil have one of the highest c-section rates in the world, it is illegal there to birth alone. Kawena roared her baby out at 43...

During the delivery of her first child, Kayla’s care team believed that she experienced a shoulder dystocia, which led to violent, and rushed efforts to get her baby out as fast they could. This left Kayla with a fourth degree tear, a NICU stay for her baby, and lots of trauma to process in her postpartum time. It wasn’t until she was considering having a second baby and was interviewing home birth midwives, that she realized the diagnosis of a dystocia in her first birth was probably...

Julie shares the sweet and beautiful story of finding love, experiencing pregnancy with ease, and having her baby at home, at the age of 41. Follow Julie @eatingwithbabies 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 [email protected] Check out the website...

Tiffany, a former doula and fellow podcaster, shares the story of having her first baby at seventeen in a hospital, and her second birth experience, which ended in a home birth transfer. Because she remained pregnant to 42 weeks, her midwife intervened in several ways to help induce labor, and in this episode you will hear exactly how those seemingly “harmless” and common induction interventions directly compromised her safety in labor. Follow Tiffany @sacredwomb.birth Tiffany has her own...

Julia grew up with a fear of giving birth, due to what she knew of birth within the medical paradigm. But by the time she was ready to become pregnant, she had the awakening, mostly from listening to podcasts (!), that there was a better way, more aligned with her values: Freebirth. She spent her pregnancy traveling around the country with her husband in their RV, giving her fears to nature, and finally, settling in Montana in the dead of winter where she gave birth. Follow Julia...

Liz shares the story of her wild pregnancy, birth, and the loss, of her daughter Arati. Her experience is a deeply spiritual one where her daughter guided her toward all of the choices she made during her pregnancy. While  the outcome is one none of us would wish for, Liz says that she would still choose a wild pregnancy and still choose freebirth.  In honor of Aarti’s first birthday, Liz is offering a giveaway. She is offering an "Energetic attunement for the womb & Spirit baby...

Amalia planned a home birth with her first baby. When she went into labor, despite many of hours of intense contractions, her body never dilated. They decided to transfer to the hospital, where she received all the things the hospital has to offer, ending, as it so often does, in a cesarean birth. But this is not a story of defeat. Amalia mined this experience for gold, and in retrospect, she sees how much her birth experience taught her. We talk about how important it is that we really get...

Hannah returns to the podcast to share the story of the freebirth of her third baby, which was a surprise breech birth! All of Hannah’s birth experiences have included something that falls outside the scope of “normal.” Her stories are such a good example of why some women chose to freebirth. Had she been in the medical system, her birth outcomes would have looked very different. You can listen to Hannah’s first appearance on this show, where she shares the story of her first and second...

Both of Ana’s first two births were traumatic in different ways. Her first ended in an emergency cesarean, after a long labor. Her second was a VBAC birth, but during the birth, her baby’s cord ripped, causing blood loss, and injury to both Ana and her baby. Because of the intensity and trauma of her two previous births, when Ana became pregnant with her third, she chose to have an elective cesarean. Of all her births, this one was the most peaceful, and in it, she found healing. If you...

After a traumatic and disempowering hospital birth in 2020, which Ali compares to a prior sexual assault, Something deep shifted within her. She went from being a self-diagnosed hypochondriac who sought medical treatment for non-existing conditions, to a home-birthing, self-healing soul who has come to know the power of the mind and self-programming. Ali reconditioned her views on birth, pregnancy, and life, and manifested her dream birth with her second baby.  She believes that it is our...

Aimee, a labor and delivery nurse, shares the story of giving birth to her second child after one of the worst tragedies I can imagine: losing her husband in a  car accident. Aimee says she was given divine grace to have exactly the birth she needed with that baby. Aimee went on to remarry and give birth again, this third time, at home. In a surprise twist, that baby resented with a prolapsed cord, which was easily resolved! If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on  ...

Abby spontaneously went into labor at 24 weeks, and on the ride to hospital, her baby was born into her best friend’s hands. This is the truly miraculous story of how her baby, and Abby, survived. 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 [email protected] ...

Ashley’s first two babies were born in the hospital, and both experiences left her traumatized. By the time her third baby was conceived, Ashley had been through an awakening to many truths, among them, the truth about birth. That was a natural birth with a midwife, but still not without interventions that were harmful. Finally, after serving as a doula for free birthing women completely outside of the medical system for some time, she became pregnant with her fourth and knew this was her...

Maggie shares the story of having a natural birth in a birth center, after two unnecessary cesarean births.  The experience led her to become a local ICAN volunteer, and to create an online course for other women desiring to VBAC. You can find Maggie and her offerings on instagram @vbacroadmap In this episode you’ll hear us talk about how ICAN helped us both along our journeys to VBAC. You can find your local ICAN chapter here: https://www.ican-online.org/ If you love the show, I would...

Busy with graduate school, and pregnant with her first child, Christina carefully chose her birth team and planned a to have a home birth. But her birth experience took an unexpected turn when, deep into her labor, her midwife decided they needed to transfer. Her baby was born only fifteen minutes after arrival at the hospital, but not before the doctor, without consent and against her will, gave her an episiotomy. This incredible violation left her with PTSD for many months postpartum. ...

Emily shares the story of experiencing the rare event of a shoulder dystocia, while birthing her first baby at home, with a midwife. They were able to safely resolve the dystocia, and her baby was born, but as a precaution they visited the hospital after the birth. What followed was a series of events including encounters with good doctors, one very bad one, and CPS.  This experience initiated Emily into motherhood in an extremely powerful way. At times in the days immediately postpartum,...

After a traumatic first birth experience that ended in a cesarean, Amber knew she would never give birth in a hospital again. She quickly conceived again, found a midwife she loved, and had a completely different experience the second time.  In her words, this second birth not only showed her that she could do it, but that it was what she had always truly wanted.  Be sure to check out our instagram page this week, @healingbirth, to see photos of both births. I’ve never seen a better example...

A big story in a lot of little ways, the end of Sonja’s pregnancy was a rollercoaster of minor “complications” which led to her being induced at 42 weeks. The classic cascade of interventions ensued, ending in a very unwanted c-section. One of the hardest things for Sonja to cope with in processing this experience, is that there was no external villain in her story, but on a level, she let it happen.  We talk about how hard it is to come to terms with the role that we play in the traumas in...

Anisa shares her story of having a midwife-assisted homebirth with her first baby, and a freebirth with her second. She says that birth can just keep getting better when we take back more of our autonomy, and especially when intentional preconception preparations for mind, body, and spirit are made. Anisa Woodall is a holistically-minded Certified Nutritionist and natural mama of 2 adventurous boys living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Her life's purpose is to inspire and educate women...