Happy Homebirth

Do you desire to involve your children in your pregnancy, birthing and immediate postpartum experience, but feel a bit uncertain as to how to prepare them?   This episode is full of wonderful, easily attainable ways to discuss birth and midwifery care with your children, no matter what age.  Kelly will be giving us such wonderful examples of how to involve your children and bolster their self-conf...

What if you had the know-how to help your newborn baby relax and release all of the tension accumulated from growing in utero and from his or her birth experience? What if YOU were able to help regulate your baby's nervous system? Wouldn't it be incredible?   Over the last year, I've heard more and more people discussing the Gillespie Approach and sharing how working with a trained practitioner tr...

Is it too much to ask for a change of expectations when you’re pregnant with your seventh baby?  I mean, is that even possible to shift the paradigm and take birth on from a new perspective?   This week we’re speaking with Becky Zale of Approaching Home.  Becky is a converted homebirther. It’s something she said she’d never do. But things have a way of changing and not only did she experience her...

When you have a child with special needs, does that mean you’re automatically risked out of homebirth care for your future pregnancies?   Today we’ll be speaking with  Bekah, a 30 years old mom of 3 living in upstate SC. Bekah is a licensed cosmetologist turned stay at home mom, whose oldest child was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome when she was 2.5.  This has played a huge part in she and her husban...

Have you heard horror stories about The Ring of Fire?   So what is "the ring of fire?" More accurately, it's the sensation of crowning: when the pressure of your baby's head, or crown, is applied fully to your perineum as his head begins to actually exit your body.    We will: Take a few minutes to work through concerns related to the ring of fire and Give you a few practical tips, and ready ourse...

How do we go about decision-making in pregnancy and parenthood?  Do we float along on the wave of current culture, or is there possibly another way?   This week we’re speaking with Caitlyn Doerksen, a wife of almost seven years, a mom of 3 kids, who is passionate about all things surrounding the home. Home schooling, home birth, and a dream to one day soon home stead. She has such a beautiful way...

When you’re unable to have a homebirth in your area, what happens?  Are you totally out of luck…. Or are there other ways to get creative? This week we’re speaking with my friend Shanies Pearcey- a stay at home mother to 8 children and minister’s wife in Northwest NJ. Shanise enjoys cooking, sewing, and spending time with her precious kids, and I can tell you right now you are going to gain SO MUC...

When you’re pregnant and not feeling well, what’s your first line of defense?  Have you ever felt the need to turn to pharmaceutical medications quickly, feeling like there aren’t any other good options? This week, we’re speaking with Jenna Dodge.  Jenna Dodge is a Mother of four children ages 3-11. She lives in Bozeman, Montana with her children, husband, and two dogs. She owns a homeopathy pract...

What's the most surprising birth location you can think of?   For many, the idea of giving birth at home is totally shocking and surprising. For Vicki, the most "normal" location that she gave birth was FINALLY in her own home on her own bed. Vicki's personality and her extremely unique birth stories made this discussion absolutely riveting. I can't wait for you to hear it.   Episode Roundup I fin...

I want to give birth physiologically and at home… but what if it’s painful?   Today we’re going to take a few minutes to discuss the very common, very understandable fear of pain when it comes to giving birth at home….without medication.   We'll be discussing this from several perspectives today/using several guiding questions: 1. What makes you think it will be painful? 2. What can we do to mitig...

When you describe your labor and birth, what words come to mind?  Difficult? Intense? Powerful?  What about…. Euphoric?  Today we’re going to be talking to my friend Rose, of Rose Uncharted – Rose is a wife and mother of 3 children born at home. She began cultivating an online presence on instagram by sharing her unconventional lifestyle choices and ideas, and by pushing back against the societal...

Midwives are great, but OB’s are definitely better when it comes to diagnostics and testing, right?   This week we’re speaking to Hannah White, a sweet, sentimental mama who switched to midwifery care later on in her second pregnancy.  And she was shocked to find out that her midwife was more thorough in keeping up with her health than even her obstetrician.   Episode Roundup: I just love the hist...

Let’s say you’ve decided that you want a homebirth…but….you’re feeling some uncertainty.  Maybe you’ve heard stories from other moms who wanted the very same, but then their births took another direction, and they didn’t end up with the intimate birth at home that they’d envisioned.  How do we come to terms with this possibility, yet not expect negative outcomes?  Several weeks ago, one of our com...

First births are always long and hard.  Period.  Right?  Or…. This week we’re speaking with Kelsea, a precious mama of two, who surprised herself and her birth team with her first labor.  We’ll dig into both of her beautiful experiences.   Episode Roundup When Kelsea broke the news that she was having a homebirth to her OB, her OB said, “we always see unsuccessful homebirth attempts.”  Well, duh,...

Let’s say you’re a birth expert- you’ve been working with pregnant mothers for years, and you’re finally having the homebirth of your dreams.  Is firm education enough, or will there possibly be unexpected tests in the emotional and mental aspects of birth? This week we’re speaking with the marvelous Dr. Courtney Kahla .  Dr. Courtney is a nervous system centered chiropractor specializing in famil...

How do we process birth when we don’t experience the outcome we intended?  How do we manage changing our plans and accepting what comes to us during the wild and uncontrollable ride that is birth?  This week we’re speaking with Danielle, accompanied by her doula Tracey.  Danielle was raised in a homebirth family, so naturally, she was planning her own.  We’ll listen to how her story unfolded and h...

What do you do when your mainstream care provider won’t listen to what it is that you need?  When you KNOW something isn’t right, but they totally blow you off?    This week we’re speaking to Michelle Rodas, who had to go to battle with her care providers in order to keep her baby safe.  We’ll hear how she advocated for her child in utero and what she did to avoid further disruptions later on in h...

What do you do when you’re sold on the idea of homebirth, but your area has either no midwives or no midwives that you like?   Resources Believe In Midwifery Episode (sustainable midwifery) https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/episode23/   Shared Decision Making (book) https://www.amazon.com/Shared-Decision-Making-Bring-Mothers/dp/B089M59Z35/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2TAOKXFRMHUYP&keywords=shared+decision+makin...

Once you’ve had 6 babies, 4 of which were at home— you pretty much know everything there is to know about birth, right?   This week we’re speaking with Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone to hear all about her most recent birth.  Lisa shares some of the new insights she gained during this pregnancy and labor preparation, and sheds tons of wisdom throughout her explanation of how she began having home...

How do we make sure that we’re on the same page with our midwife? Begin with open communication before you even hire your midwife Make sure that your preferences of how your midwife will operate and interact match with what she is willing to provide Be certain that YOU know what You want in a care provider Are the two parties in agreement? Feel comfortable asking questions as you come from a place...

When you picture homebirth mothers, what image comes to mind?  Do you imagine the totally crunchy, completely alternative health mom who’s making her own bone broth and sourdough?  Although I may be "that" mother, one thing I love about the homebirth community is that, although we often have much in common, this group is diverse and brings many viewpoints.  For example, today we’ll be speaking wit...

What do we do when our previous birth experience wasn’t so happy?  How do we overcome the trauma?   4 Tips to Begin Healing: 1. Reframe your birth with someone outside of the situation 2. Write down everything in stream-of-consciousness style 3. Emotional Freedom Technique - Tapping      Resource Mentioned: @LivingRootsWellness 4. Fascial Work- Craniosacral, craniofascial, myofascial, etc.     Bod...

Today I’m tackling perhaps the most elusive question about labor…. What does it actually feel like?     In this episode we discuss: Some of the ways my followers and those inside of the Happy Homebirth Podcast Community on Facebook described the sensations Some of the most commonly used words:  Intensity.  Pressure.  Power. My personal perceptions of feeling during my births How YOU can prepare fo...

In this episode we discuss how to keep your birth space sacred: Consider who you let in- take time prenatally to form deep connections Consider who you leave out- you may want your mom and mil and cousin, but is that a genuinely good idea? Consider how you set up- this might not matter to some, but may be more important to others Be on the same page with your spouse- this is sacred You’ve got to c...

What has more of an impact- the exact details of your labor, or the way you feel you were treated throughout?    This week we’re speaking with Katelynn Bolt, a mother whose births were both difficult, yet she was left feeling quite differently about herself and her experience based on her care providers and support. *I’ll be taking a little winter break from releasing episodes.  This will be the l...