Healing Birth

After her first pregnancy ended in a loss, Lisa quickly fell pregnant again. The story of her labor and the birth of her baby is the all too common one of a cascade of interventions, beginning with an induction, that ends in a cesarean. In the aftermath of the trauma of that experience, something beautiful blossomed. I hear this theme commonly from women who experience the utter failure of the mat...

"It was so boring" This is how my guest today described her birth, several times, during the course of our conversation. Of course, birth is not actually boring and certainly the journey that brought her to this birth is anything but - but that statement illustrates so perfectly the central theme of her story. That birth, when left alone, even in someone deemed high risk, even in someone who has o...

During her pregnancy, Roxanne was coerced into taking an injectable pharmaceutical product that injured her, greatly affecting her quality of life postpartum. Her son was later also injured by the same product.  This is their story of healing together.  #believemothers If you appreciate the show, please consider supporting us on Patron! www.patreon.com/healingbirth Visit our website, join the news...

Najma spent her early career in the pharmaceutical field, and trusted the medical system. During this time, she also had the sense many times that something wasn't right.  When it came time to have her own children, she chose to keep them pharmaceutical drug-free, until that choice  was taken away from her without her consent or knowledge. As a result, her child suffered a vaccine injury.  This is...

Mothers have always been at the forefront of the medical freedom movement - the fight for the freedom to decide what is or is not injected into their bodies and those of their children. We are a time in history where the fight for medical freedom has never been so crucial, and so heated.  This is part one of a three part series where mothers share their personal stories of why medical freedom matt...

Miranda was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome near the end of her first pregnancy, which led to an induced, traumatic birth experience.   As she began to heal herself, she also helped to heal her son. This is a story of healing, transformation, and spiritual growth. Follow Miranda on IG @rooteddaughter If you love the show, please consider supporting us on Patron! www.patron.com/heal...

Serendipiti Day is a radical feminist who has spent the last ten years of her life hitchhiking all over the world, mostly by herself. Her passion for women's work was influenced by her childhood, when she experienced firsthand what it meant to be exploited because of her sex. At the age of 12, she was taken out of a sexually abusive home and put into the foster care system, where she stayed until...

A bonus episode with some thoughts on homebirth for this day. 

Hannah shares her two birth stories, both at 35 weeks gestation. One, in a hospital with all the standard things that come with a pre-term birth, and the second, freebirthed at home. Her story is one of a journey to trust herself, her body, and her baby to be born at the right time. There are also some wild twists and turns! Follow Hannah @tovarhomestead www.hannahandbabes.com

Katie Sutherland is an energy medicine healer, teacher and holistic wellness practitioner who supports mothers to thrive and reclaim their empowerment and vibrancy while navigating the journey of motherhood and childbirth. Katie had a powerful initiatory experience through the birth of her daughter almost a decade ago. It was one of the most intensely challenging rites of passage in Katie's life,...

Bethany is a holistic womb-pelvic bodyworker, wild mama, and author of the book Pelvic Awakening . She guides women and mothers through deep-dive journeys into womb and pelvic healing, weaving together the physical and energetic and cultivating deep magical awareness, that makes big shifts. She believes that when a woman roots within her pelvic bowl, she finds the deep well of power and knowing th...

Arielle was induced at 41 weeks. During the induction process, it was discovered that her baby's cord had prolapsed, which led to an emergency cesarean birth. Arielle shares how she emotionally processed this experience, and the important role that healing plant allies played in her journey. Join us this Sunday, April 18th, for Healing the Heart, a collaborative webinar between Healing Birth + my...

Chaya shares her three birth stories which include a loss, a cesarean twin birth, two subsequent cesareans, and a fairly harrowing experience with post-partum birth control and PPD. Throughout her story is the theme of having to push through these difficult experiences in order to survive them. Mentioned in the episode: Nancy Wainer Cohen's Silent Knife and Jennifer Block's Everything Below the Wa...

I am often asked to define birth trauma. Or other times, new moms will ask me, how do I know if I was traumatized by my birth experience?  For some the answer is clear as day, but it's not a dumb question at all. For many of us, we emerge from the birth experience grateful to be alive and have a healthy baby, and yet can still be haunted by certain parts of the experience.  If you enjoy the show,...

During labor with her first baby, Gemma's midwives transferred her from home to the hospital due to her waters being opened "too long." This experienced ended as it so often does in a coerced, unnecessary surgical birth. Gemma got extremely clear during her second pregnancy on the kind of support she wanted, and found a radical birth keeper to support her autonomy. She gave birth to her posterior,...

I share some recent observations and thoughts I've had from listening to a LOT of VBAC stories these past few months. www.healingbirth.net/events for the upcoming webinars! 

Megan's first birth was a cesarean for breech presentation, which she describes as a giving of herself and her baby over to the system. Her strong faith in God helped her find the courage and conviction to trust herself, her baby, and the intelligent design of birth the second time. She birthed her second baby at home, in power. My apology that the audio quality is quite imperfect, we actually tri...

Ellie's first birth could be described as a classic cascade of interventions that ended in a cesarean, and left her devastated. She gave birth to her second baby at the Farm in Tennessee, after a series of divinely guided incidents and after having committed to trusting her own instincts. Recorded just six weeks postpartum from her second birth, this is a beautiful, raw, emotional story of courage...

Ellie's first birth could be described as a classic cascade of interventions that ended in a cesarean, and left her devastated. She gave birth to her second baby at the Farm in Tennessee, after a series of divinely guided incidents and after having committed to trusting her own instincts. Recorded just six weeks postpartum from her second birth, this is a beautiful, raw, emotional story of courage...

Kristyn was 37 weeks pregnant with her first baby when she developed acute appendicitis. in order to be treated for it, her baby needed to be delivered immediately, but due to delayed diagnosis and dismissive care at the hospital, she suffered a great deal of pain, delivered via cesarean under general anesthesia, and had her baby separated from her postpartum. Kristyn shares with us the long term...

Tarina is a certified FEMM Instructor and a student midwife. Her own struggle with high blood pressure, headaches, cramping, and spotting from an IUD led her to explore natural birth control options. She now guides women as they learn to confidently use this science-based, natural method of birth control. Fertility Freedom is available to everyone. Follow Tarina @fertilityfreedom www.fertilityfree...

Freya Kellet is a radical birth coach, and a regenerative farmer who works with women who are dreaming of a wild birth, at home, in power. Do you long to be witnessed by an authentic wise woman? Do you wonder if you've found her? I've heard too many stories of medically minded midwives sabotaging birth, abandoning women at the end of their pregnancies, or coercing them into unnecessary or unwanted...

Jasmine was 41 weeks pregnant, and about to give birth to her first child, when her brother suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. She tells us the story of what it was like to be induced and give birth while dealing with the whirlwind of stress, emotions, and grief.  Jasmine also shares the story of her second birth which was near a completely opposite experience, at home, and was (as so many sub...

BUCKLE UP for a powerful conversation with one of the wisest women I've had the pleasure of speaking to. Maha Al Musa is a Wise Birth Oracle, an award-winning international birth mentor, author and speaker as well as the founder and creator of EmbodyBirth™ School and BellydanceBirth. Maha gave birth to her 3rd child at home, a full water lotus birth when she was 46 years of age and has been featur...

Erica hired a "midwife," had a healthy uneventful pregnancy, and meticulously planned for an unmedicated vaginal birth. What transpired at the hospital when it was time to deliver was a cascade of dehumanizing and unnecessary interventions, culminating in Pitocin and finally, a cesarean. Erica is now 15 months postpartum, and shares how she's healing the PTSD from this experience. We talk about ho...