Catholic Birth Podcast

Most birth workers overlook how their advocacy reflects deep social justice principles rooted in faith—and the impact of emerging AI tech on this sacred work is profound! Delve into the history of Catholic social teaching, and discover how these principles—dignity, preferential option, solidarity, and subsidiarity—are directly relevant to supporting vulnerable mothers and families today. You'l...

Just an update on what Jenny has been doing the last few months....she is starting a new doula agency, Parish Doulas! Please pray for her and the doulas she has hired, and that they continue to keep Christ at the center of their work. In the meantime, Jenny has officially published the "Catholic Birth Preferences" Guide! You can get it at the link in her bio on her Instagram page: @Jenny...

Choosing your birth preferences and reminding the hospital of their mission statement can make your birth a reverent and sacred event, no matter how your birth unfolds: whether is natural or medicated, surgical or vaginal, birth should be and can be sacred for all of us. In this episode, Jenny goes through what a "Catholic Birth Plan" would look like, but she prefers to use the words &qu...

In this episode, Jenny talks about Scientific Motherhood, which is the belief that women need the scientific advice of experts and physicians to birth and parent their children, instead of using their intuition and generational knowledge passed down over time. That Scientific Motherhood is just another form of Scientism, a belief system that purports that science should be applied to everyday aspe...

We all know birth is a very sacred moment; but in today's birth world, navigating faith and the birth system together can be difficult. In this episode, Jenny speaks to the contrast in birth environments - out of hospital birth vs hospital birth (not to pit them against each other!). The sacredness of birth is what is missing in our current day and age. Just like our marriage is a sacred moment, c...

Vaginal Birth After Cesareans (VBAC) are still not a common occurrence in the United States. Why? Cesareans are life saving, but overused and have many negative impacts on mothers, babies, families and society. In this podcast Jenny discusses the history of c sections, the challenges in discussing such a sensitive topic and having non-judgemental conversations. She speaks on why we should be conce...

This may ruffle some feathers. Tired of the secularization and "witch-ification" of birth, Jenny goes into the real history of how we ended up with our modern birth practices. Hint: It has nothing to do with "decolonization" and everything to do with early scientific thought - which she explains in this podcast. CORRECTION: The Age of Exploration/Colonialism has various dates. Roughly speaking it...

Why would I need to hire a doula if the Holy Family didn't have one? Isn't birth supposed to be held as sacred, between mother and father? Well, not everyone needs or wants a doula, but there are some pretty compelling reasons as to why you should consider getting one! Your doula is not a stranger. In fact, its the staff at the hospital you will barely know at all, and they may not even sh...

Why would a pro-life or Catholic family choose an out of hospital birth with a midwife? Isn't that unsafe and goes against everything we say about wanting to promote a culture of life? Jenny approaches this question in this episode. The short answer is, "yes, midwives are safe and pro-life, if you and baby are low risk AND you decide that this is right for you and your family." Jenny...

The term "Pro-Birth" has become a derogatory name to describe people who are pro-life but are only concerned with a live baby at birth, not what happens afterwards. Which couldn't be more further from the truth. In this podcast, we will explore what it truly means to be Pro-Birth: that Pro-Birth IS Pro-Life, and why birth truly does matter and cannot be forgotten in our mission to su...

Do I need to choose a Catholic provider (doctor or midwife) for your pregnancy and childbirth? How do I know who is the right person for my individualized care? What sorts of questions do I need to ask the doctor or midwife so I can make that choice? Using the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) and Mary Haseltine's book Made For This, we will discuss how to pick the care provider that ser...

In this episode we will discuss how the current scientific evidence on birth agrees in many ways with the USCCB's Ethical and Religious Directives. Using the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee Opinion #766 on limiting interventions in labor and birth, we will discuss how science and faith can create a system and a way to birth that not only honors mothers and...

Welcome to the Catholic Birth Podcast! In this episode we will discuss what in the world Catholic Birth actually is, and what the Catholic Church, more specifically the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) says about it in their Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs). Over time we will refer back to these and to other scientific research to help guide us and our families in our decision maki...

Welcome to the inaugural Catholic Birth Podcast! Before we get started, this is a quick primer about the podcast itself. I hope you listen in for more! Please email me at CatholicBirthPodcast@gmail.com with ideas and questions you may have about Catholic Birth.