Healing Birth

Two births in the Finnish medical system left Anahel angry and knowing, in her words, “something is not right here.” She planned to have her third baby at home. That whirlwind birth experience completely healed the pain of the past two. Anahel is a listener who reached out to me to share her beautiful story. If you have a story you’d like to share too, reach out! Send me a note at the contact page at www.healingbirth.net If you love the show, support us on patreon! www.patreon.com/healingbirth  

Alexandra’s story begins abroad in Italy, where she goes into labor around 25 weeks while pregnant with twins and delivers via emergency C-section. Devastatingly, one twin survives the ensuing NICU stay, while the other does not. Back in the United States later, Alexandra is thrilled to become pregnant again. She knows she wants a VBAC and achieves it in a hospital setting, although the experience includes both obstetric violence and unnecessary interventions. During her third pregnancy, Alexandra becomes determined to have a positive, trauma-free birth experience. She hires homebirth midwives and comes achingly close to delivering at home. However, she transfers to the hospital at the last minute out of fear and gives birth just an hour later. Her fourth birth, which took place only four and a half months before the time of this recording, was finally the healing experience she had dreamed of for so long. Today, Alexandra is a devoted mother of four who passionately thrives on all things related to birth and motherhood. She is a strong advocate and champion for well-informed pregnancies, holding a firm belief that every woman should feel fully empowered, secure, and supported throughout their pregnancy journey and childbirth experience. You can connect with Alexandra via her website and on Instagram @birthrightwellnesscollectivenc 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Sabine shares her five birth stories, each one marked by increasing autonomy—from a hospital birth with her first child to freebirthing her fifth. No matter where she gave birth, Sabine describes each experience as profound spiritual work that taught her what kind of mother each child needed her to be. This is a story that will help dispel fears,  and leave you feeling inspired and excited about giving birth! 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Emily’s first pregnancy was surprise twins! In some places, this would have severely limited her options for where and with whom she could give birth. Fortunately, Emily found a midwife who was willing to attend a twin birth at home.  After an uneventful pregnancy, she went into labor at home, but due to high blood pressure readings, the decision was made to transfer to the hospital. Once there, she was given no option other than a C-section, and the hospital staff was unsupportive and even unkind about her attempted home birth. Despite this first experience, Emily knew that home was where she felt safest giving birth. When she became pregnant again, she found a different midwife who helped her process the trauma of her first birth and supported her dream of having a home birth. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Ava shares the sweet and simple story of choosing to birth her first baby at home (even while living with her in-laws!). Her confidence in home birth was shaped largely by growing up with a mother who spoke positively about her own natural birth experiences. Her story is a beautiful reminder that a first birth is not just a trial run! 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

From a young age, Sophia felt a powerful calling to support babies entering the world. By the time she became pregnant with her first child, she was already deep into her midwifery training, and ready to welcome life, both professionally and personally. She gave birth at home, surrounded by care and familiarity, with a trusted colleague by her side. But soon after her son arrived, it became clear that something wasn’t right. He was quickly diagnosed with VACTERL, a rare and complex combination of birth defects. At just 36 hours old, he underwent his first surgery — the first of many. When Sophia became pregnant again, she hoped for a smoother path. But her second baby was breech, leading to a cesarean birth and more unexpected complications after delivery. Through both of these challenging journeys, Sophia learned to navigate the medical system with resilience and grace, finding her voice as a mother and an advocate, not just for her children, but for others walking a similar path. Sophia Henderson is a certified home birth midwife and host of the Born Wild Podcast. With over 16 years of experience, she blends traditional wisdom and evidence-based care to support families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Passionate about reproductive autonomy and the transformative power of birth, Sophia creates calm, connected spaces for families to welcome their babies in safety and love.  Find Sophia on Instagram @sophiabirth and @bornwildmidwifery  Born Wild Midwifery Born Wild Podcast 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Norah’s first birth experience was a medical induction that left both her and her husband traumatized. Despite this, she knew she wanted to have more children. The journey to her second baby, however, was long and difficult—marked by a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, secondary infertility, and eventually, IVF. Norah ultimately conceived her second baby naturally and began preparing for another birth. As part of her preparation, she visualized the birth exactly how she wanted it to unfold, replaying the scene in her mind each night before falling asleep. But every time she did this, she would fall asleep before reaching the part where they arrived at the hospital to deliver. In retrospect, Norah understands why—her baby had other plans! follow Norah @thenorah 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

As a first-time mom, Melanie arrived at the hospital ready to simply trust the experts to manage her birth experience. What transpired was twenty-three hours on Pitocin, and an only narrowly avoided cesarean. In the weeks that followed, Melanie suffered with postpartum depression, something that she now, in retrospect, partially attributes to the prolonged use of Pitocin.  She had a long healing journey ahead, including the loss of two pregnancies before finally welcoming in another baby. This time, she turned to the mothers in her community, asking how, and with whom, they birthed. That’s when she discovered that her town had a thriving home birth scene, and the idea of staying home to have her baby just felt right.  Melanie had the healing, peaceful, birth of her dreams in just four and half a hours. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

As a young woman, Dana lost any blind trust she once had in the allopathic medical system after watching her father battle cancer within it. So when a popular TikToker introduced her to the concept of freebirth, it immediately resonated with her—a seed was sown. Today, Dana opens up about the strength it took to trust her body and follow her intuition as she brought her first child into the world. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Emily enjoyed a blissful wild pregnancy, completely outside the medical paradigm, and planned to freebirth her first baby. After several days of a marathon birth experience, her baby was finally born—perfectly healthy. Emily, however, immediately recognized that she needed medical support. She transferred herself to a local hospital, where she was treated for a retained placenta and postpartum hemorrhage. Despite having received no medical care during her pregnancy and freebirthing her baby, the hospital staff were kind, respectful, and honored all her wishes. Emily feels she received the care she needed and left the experience without trauma. We wrap up our conversation with Emily’s thoughts on freebirth ideology, why black-and-white thinking has no place in birth, and the importance of seeking information from across the spectrum. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Kelly is the oldest of three siblings. Her own birth was a hospital induction—an experience that led her mother to choose home birth for her subsequent children. The intergenerational thread of trauma from Kelly’s birth carried forward into her own experiences with childbirth. With her first two children, she faced intense postpartum periods, and separation from her babies. The birth of Kelly’s third child, however, was a transformative home birth. This healing experience not only helped her process the trauma of her previous births but also reached back a generation, bringing healing to her own birth story as well. Follow Kelly on Instagram @kelly.atxdoulas 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Emily, a home birth midwife, shares her personal birth story after years of supporting others through theirs. While her birth didn’t go as planned, she was able to advocate for herself and felt a strong sense of agency throughout the experience. We discuss a wide range of topics, including how a midwife can “midwife” herself during her own birth and how to navigate a hospital birth experience. We end on a hopeful note with Emily’s perspective that positive changes are underway in the world of medicalized birth. You can find Emily @expectingwithemily and at www.expectingwithemily.com. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

After a transformative homebirth experience, Olivia was shocked to discover an astonishing gift: she could communicate with spirit babies—the souls of our children before they come to Earth. She now uses her mediumship skills to guide women who have experienced baby loss or infertility through conception, pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Today, she shares a beautiful message from the spirit babies, especially for anyone struggling with loss or a long preconception phase. Connect with Olivia on Instagram @mystical_birthing 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Megan’s first birth was a traumatic and violating hospital experience. Afterward, her baby developed a serious infection—something Megan suspects was caused by a novel procedure performed during the delivery. Though she deeply desired another child, she knew she had healing to do. A pivotal moment in that healing journey came when she attended a friend’s home birth as a doula. Witnessing a peaceful birth and the respectful, culturally rooted care provided by midwives who serve the local Indigenous community was deeply moving. Not long after, Megan conceived her second baby and hired the same midwives to support her at home. She says this second birth helped rewrite the long-standing belief that something about her body was broken or flawed. It also, as birth so often does, revealed the depth of her own strength. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Joanna was deep in labor at home, attended by midwives, when she hit a breaking point and asked to transfer to the hospital. Nothing was medically wrong, but her labor was long, and she sensed the midwives were ready for it to be over. She gave birth shortly after arriving at the hospital and still got to experience the euphoric post-birth high she had hoped to feel at home. While her birth didn’t unfold exactly as she had envisioned, Joanna reflects that she was still born into motherhood—as we all are—and that the initiations came in ways beyond the birth itself. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Christina’s first experience with pregnancy and birth was not what she had imagined, due to her son being diagnosed with a rare birth defect early in the pregnancy. You can (and should!) listen to that story in Part one of this series. When her first son was around 18 months old, Christina discovered she was pregnant again—and she knew immediately that this birth would be a redemptive, sovereign experience. France can be a challenging place to have a baby at home, and many people mistakenly believe that home birth is illegal. But Christina connected with the right people and gained the knowledge she needed to navigate the French system, ensuring she wouldn’t face any obstacles to birthing at home. She welcomed her second son at home, with just her partner present, and experienced a blissful postpartum. Christina would like to be a resource for other mothers who have had a baby diagnosed with gastroschisis, or otherwise connect with her story. You can find her on Instagram @natureofbirth 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Christina was 25 and living abroad in France when she fell in love, and unexpectedly became pregnant. She had spent years before this pregnancy immersing herself in homebirth and freebirth stories, always dreaming of giving birth at home. But those dreams were abruptly upended at her 12-week ultrasound, when her baby was diagnosed with gastroschisis—a rare birth defect in which the intestines develop outside the abdomen through a hole in the abdominal wall. The diagnosis meant her baby would need surgery immediately after birth and that Christina’s pregnancy would be closely monitored by medical professionals. Despite all of this, Christina manages to hold on to the spiritual sanctity of the experience of pregnancy, and skillfully advocate for herself and her son.  This is only part one of her story. Tune in next week for part two! Find Christina on Instagram @natureofbirth 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Kayleigh’s first two births took place in a hospital, but her third—at a birth center with midwives—was a turning point. The contrast in care, both during pregnancy and birth, sparked a passion for natural childbirth and ultimately led her to become a childbirth educator. Six years later, when she became pregnant with her fourth baby, Kayleigh knew exactly what she wanted: a peaceful home birth, surrounded by her husband and older children. Find Kayleigh at www.kindacrunchykayleigh.com And on Instagram @kindacrunchykayleigh 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

With six births across nearly every setting—from hospital to birth center, homebirth to freebirth—Sarah brings a rare depth of experience to this conversation. She shares her powerful stories and the hard-earned wisdom each birth offered, painting a grounded portrait of what it means to birth on your own terms. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto

Jackie had been planning a home birth for her first baby, but at 35 weeks, she received the shocking diagnosis of a placental abruption. This led to an emergency cesarean, a NICU stay, and years of processing why it had happened to her. (You can listen to Jackie’s full first birth story in her initial appearance on this podcast, here.) After enough time had passed, Jackie felt the desire for another child, found the courage to get pregnant again, and planned for another home birth. This time, she got it. 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 contactus@healingbirth.net Check out the website for lots of other birth related offerings, and personalized support: www.healingbirth.net Intro / Outro music: Dreams by Markvard Podcast cover photo by Karina Jensen @karinajensenphoto