Girly Pop Birth Talks

In this episode, we sit down with Jamie Garrison—a birth and postpartum doula, homesteader, and mama of four—who shares her powerful journey from high-risk pregnancies to a full-circle homebirth.Jamie opens up about becoming a mom at 19 and navigating multiple medically complex pregnancies, including inductions for hypertension and preeclampsia, a premature birth at 34 weeks, and the heartbreak of miscarriage. Through each experience, her perspective on birth, motherhood, and support continued to evolve.We also dive into her NICU experience—what it felt like to have a baby in the NICU, the emotional highs and lows, navigating uncertainty, and how that season shaped the way she now shows up for families as a doula. She shares what support actually looks like in those moments, what she wishes more people understood, and how deeply those early days can impact a mother’s healing.A big part of this conversation centers around postpartum mental health—how it showed up for her, what it looked like behind the scenes, and the importance of being supported, seen, and cared for in the fourth trimester. We talk about the weight many moms carry silently, and how community and intentional support can change everything.We talk about:What it’s like to walk through repeated high-risk pregnanciesInductions and navigating medical decision-makingExperiencing preeclampsia and early deliveryThe emotional reality of having a baby in the NICUPostpartum mental health and navigating the fourth trimesterHolding space for loss while continuing to grow your familyHow her mindset around birth shifted over timeChoosing a homebirth after hospital experiencesHow her personal journey led her into birth and postpartum doula workWhat kind of support actually matters most to moms in vulnerable seasonsJamie’s story is honest, layered, and deeply grounding. This episode is for anyone who has experienced medical complexities, NICU time, postpartum struggles, loss, or is simply learning to trust themselves again🤍 You’re not behind. You’re becoming.🎧 Streaming on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, & Spotify

In this episode, Becca and Arielle sit down with Abi Dawson for a real, honest, and empowering conversation about choosing a free-standing birth center as a first-time mom—and how that decision shaped her entire birth experience.Abi shares her journey of: ✨ Navigating four pregnancies, including two early miscarriages ✨ Becoming a first-time mom and choosing a birth center for her first delivery ✨ Experiencing a breech baby that flipped, leading to an incredible, redemptive birth ✨ Now raising her 16-month-old while 35 weeks pregnant with baby #2Abi walks us through what it actually looked like to choose a birth center—the fears, the decision-making, the support, and why it ended up being such a powerful experience for her.Now, as Abi Dawson prepares for her second baby, she’s planning a home birth, bringing everything she learned from her first birth into this next chapter.This episode is such a beautiful reminder of: 💭 How to confidently choose the birth setting that aligns with you 💭 The strength it takes to walk through loss and still step into motherhood 💭 What a birth center experience really looks like 💭 How your first birth can shape your future birth decisionsAbi Dawson keeps it open, honest, and truly “nothing off limits”—and we know so many of you will feel seen in her story.💗 Whether you’re:A first-time mom exploring your birth optionsConsidering a birth center vs. hospital vs. home birthNavigating pregnancy after lossOr just love hearing real, relatable birth storiesThis episode is for you.🎧 Listen now on Girly Pop Birth Talks — streaming everywhere!

In this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Arielle and Becca sit down with Jenna Smith, a registered dietitian, mama of two, and currently expecting her third baby.Jenna shares the stories of her two positive hospital birth experiences and what it has been like preparing to welcome baby number three. From navigating pregnancy while raising little ones to trusting her body through each birth, Jenna reflects on the powerful and emotional journey of motherhood.While her first two pregnancies came quickly, this time around Jenna and her husband spent a year and a half trying to conceive before becoming pregnant with their third baby. She opens up about the emotional side of that wait and what it felt like to finally see that positive test again.Together, Arielle, Becca, and Jenna talk about the beauty of positive hospital birth experiences, the evolution of motherhood from baby one to baby three, and the strength women carry through every stage of growing their families.This episode is a reminder that birth can be empowering, supported, and deeply meaningful — and that every mother’s story deserves to be shared.In This Episode We Talk About• Jenna’s two positive hospital birth experiences• Preparing for baby #3• Parenting a 6-year-old and 3.5-year-old while pregnant• The emotional journey of trying to conceive• How birth experiences shape motherhood• Trusting your body through pregnancy and birth🎧 Listen to Girly Pop Birth Talks wherever you stream podcasts.New episodes drop every Thursday.

In this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, we sit down with Haley Palos, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who specializes in perinatal mental health, supporting first responders, high-profile individuals, and those navigating people-pleasing patterns.Haley shares the deeply personal birth story that ultimately reshaped her life and professional path.Her son’s birth in 2020 began with intense back labor from the very start, contractions coming quickly every two minutes while dilation lagged behind. After 20 hours of labor, an epidural, and her water being broken by her doctor, Haley’s baby—who was sunny side up needed to be delivered with vacuum assistance after experiencing heart rate decelerations.Following the birth, her baby required immediate care while Haley was stitched, and the postpartum experience continued with the discovery of a tongue tie, launching her into the complex and emotional realities of early motherhood.Through this journey paired with the isolation and limited resources many families experienced during the 2020 pandemic Haley’s perspective on birth, postpartum care, and maternal mental health shifted profoundly.Today, Haley uses both her professional expertise and lived experience to support families navigating the emotional layers of pregnancy, birth, miscarriage, and the postpartum transition.In this conversation we talk about:✨ The emotional reality of long and difficult labors✨ Sunny-side-up babies and back labor✨ Birth interventions and processing birth experiences✨ The mental health impact of early postpartum challenges✨ Navigating miscarriage conversations with compassion✨ Why perinatal mental health support matters now more than everHaley reminds us that birth stories don’t just shape babies they shape mothers too.Guest: Haley Palos, LMFTPerinatal Mental Health TherapistInstagram: @palospractice

In this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, we sit down with Kaleem Joy, LM, CPM the one and only, a legacy midwife whose wisdom, courage, and calling have touched generations of births.With decades devoted to mothers, babies, and families, Kaleem shares the defining moments that shaped her path into midwifery from early experiences in highly medicalized birth rooms to the profound transformation she experienced witnessing connected, family-centered births.We talk about what birth looked like decades ago, how the system has evolved, and what still needs reclaiming today. Kaleem reflects on the instinct that guides birth workers, the emotional realities of infertility and loss, and the importance of mentorship and legacy in this work.In this episode, we explore:✨ How one moment in a hospital room sparked a lifelong calling✨ What birth culture used to look like and why that history matters✨ The power of instinct, connection, and honoring the mother-baby bond✨ Kaleem’s personal journey through infertility, miscarriage, and motherhood✨ Why legacy birth workers matter and how their wisdom shapes the future🌿 Learn From KaleemIf you’re expecting, preparing for birth, or simply want education rooted in experience and intuition, Kaleem offers childbirth education through her program Natural Childbirth 101.Her courses support families through pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum with education designed to build confidence, empowerment, and connection.You can learn more at:www.naturalchildbirth101.comKaleem’s story reminds us that birth work isn’t just a profession — it’s a calling carried across generations.🎧 Tune in for a conversation about devotion, calling, and what it really means to live a life in birth.

In this honest and grounding episode, we sit down with Brittany Sallaberry, a perinatal mental health therapist, LCSW, and mom of two, whose personal birth journey reshaped the way she supports families today.Brittany shares her experience of an unmedicated hospital birth followed by a difficult postpartum season and prolapse diagnosis — a chapter that deeply impacted her physically, emotionally, and professionally. She also opens up about the grief of an early miscarriage, the long process of healing, and the redemptive power of her later home birth.Having worked in hospital settings, including Labor & Delivery, Brittany brings a rare perspective from both sides of the room — the clinician supporting families and the mother navigating her own story in real time.In this conversation, we explore: • How birth experiences influence maternal mental health • Navigating postpartum body changes and recovery • Pregnancy loss and honoring grief • What healing can look like after a hard start to motherhood • Why compassionate mental health support in the perinatal period matters so deeplyThis episode is thoughtful, validating, and full of insight for anyone walking through motherhood, healing, or the desire to rewrite their story.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @therapybybrittany

In this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, we sit with Kelci Mukisa mother of three, homebirth doula, photographer, homeschool mama and a woman who has learned to trust the quiet voice within her.Kelci has birthed three babies.One in a hospital room.Two in the sacred stillness of home.But this conversation isn’t about where she gave birth.It’s about who she became.She shares what early motherhood actually felt like the tenderness, the isolation, the stretching of identity. The way your world expands and narrows all at once. The quiet ache of wishing someone would say the things you were thinking but didn’t yet have language for.There was a kind of village she longed for.Honest. Grounded. Faith-filled.A space where women spoke gently but truthfully about motherhood not polished, not performative just real.And when she couldn’t find it…She began building it.We talk about:– How her three births shaped her confidence– The unseen emotional landscape of becoming a mother– Growing into her voice instead of shrinking it– Supporting women in birth while still learning herself– Raising babies while creating meaningful work– What it means to build community with intentionKelci carries motherhood with depth and softness.Her words feel like an exhale.This episode is for the woman who feels the becoming happening inside her.For the one quietly building something she once needed.Sometimes the calling isn’t loud.Sometimes it’s just a whisper that says,“Be what you were looking for.”And she did.

In this heartfelt and deeply honest episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca and Arielle sit down with special guest Ellen Silva to unpack her powerful journey through two very different hospital births.At just 29 years old, Ellen has already navigated pregnancy, motherhood, and unexpected challenges with incredible strength. As a middle school teacher, makeup artist, wife, and mom of two little ones, she opens up about what birth really looked like for her behind the highlight reel.We dive into:Her first hospital birth with an epidural that ended in a traumatic postpartum hemorrhageWhat it felt like to hear her own doctors label her experience as “traumatic”Processing fear and recovery in the early postpartum daysHer second pregnancy, complicated by preterm labor at just 32 weeksSpending six long weeks trying to “keep baby Henry in”The emotional rollercoaster of hospitalization, uncertainty, and resilienceMaking it all the way to 38 weeks after being told delivery could be imminentHow Ellen’s perspective on birth, support, and motherhood shifted the second time aroundHer doula experience and how it shaped both of her laborsAnd the story of how she “redeemed breastfeeding” after a difficult startThis conversation is real, relatable, and full of the kind of honesty we love on Girly Pop Birth Talks. Whether you’ve experienced birth trauma, preterm labor, or just want to feel seen in your own motherhood journey—this episode will wrap you in a big virtual hug.As always, we’re here to remind you: every birth story matters.

In this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca and Arielle sit down with Dr. Shanna Saenz, DC, chiropractor and mama of two, to share her two very different — and equally powerful — birth stories.Shanna walks us through her first birth at the California Birth Center, where her water broke unexpectedly while walking around Raley’s at 37+6. When labor didn’t begin on its own, she made the empowered decision to use castor oil, leading to an 8-hour labor and a calm, supported birth just days later.Her second birth, a planned home birth through CBC, was a completely different experience — fast, intense, and almost missed. With only two hours of active labor, a water birth in the middle of the day, and a midwife arriving at 2:53 PM with baby born at 3:10 PM, this birth became a powerful lesson in trusting the body and letting go of expectations (and the timeline 😅).Together, we talk about:Birth center vs. home birth experiencesFast labor and how it can surprise even experienced momsTrusting your body when labor doesn’t follow the “rules”How chiropractic care can support pregnancy & birthSurrender, intuition, and body wisdom in laborWhat second births teach us about control and confidenceThis episode is real, grounding, and empowering — a reminder that birth doesn’t have to look one way to be powerful and that your body is always worthy of trust.🎧 Perfect for mamas, birth workers, and anyone who loves honest birth stories that leave you feeling more confident in your body.

This week on Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca & Arielle sit down with Justine Williams, a mama of four whose motherhood journey has taken her through nearly every version of bringing a baby home.Justine shares her experience of seven pregnancies, including four births, three miscarriages, and one beautiful adoption, as well as giving birth in a hospital, birth center, and at home. Her story is layered with loss, trust, surrender, and the deep knowing that families are built in so many different ways.Now a stay-at-home and homeschool mama with children ranging from newborn to 9 years old, Justine reflects on navigating big age gaps, postpartum in midlife, and learning to release control while honoring her body and intuition.In this episode, we talk about:What it’s like to birth in every settingTrusting your body after pregnancy lossThe emotional journey of adoptionParenting across wide age gapsLetting go of the “perfect birth” storyRedefining what a family can look likeThis conversation is tender, grounding, and full of wisdom for anyone walking through pregnancy, postpartum, loss, or adoption.✨ Press play, grab a cozy drink, and come sit with us.

In this deeply moving episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca and Arielle sit down with Amanda Vonderheid to share a raw, honest, and incredibly vulnerable birth journey one that holds both profound loss and enduring strength.Amanda opens up about experiencing six pregnancies, including two living children, three chemical pregnancies, and one devastating stillbirth. She walks us through her three unplanned cesarean births, each one shaped by unique circumstances, medical complications, and emotional weight.We talk about:Planning a birth center birth that ended in a hospital transfer, Pitocin, and cesarean after PROM and positional challengesNavigating preeclampsia at 39 weeks, induction, and the unimaginable discovery that her baby had passed away, followed by a cesarean and postpartum preeclampsia rehospitalizationHoping for a VBAC after loss, only to face another cesarean due to cord complications and fetal intolerance of laborThe lasting impact of birth trauma and being treated poorly by medical providersWhat it means to grieve, heal, and mother after lossHow these experiences reshape trust, advocacy, and the way we hold future pregnancies and birthsThis episode is tender, heavy, and incredibly important. Amanda’s story is a reminder that birth is not linear, that outcomes do not define worth, and that women deserve compassion, autonomy, and respect—always.🤍 Content note: This episode includes discussion of pregnancy loss and stillbirth.🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube💗 If this episode resonates, please share it with someone who might feel less alone because of it.

If you live in Northern California, you’ve probably seen the billboards. Valary Jennings isn’t just our guest she’s the co-founder of Made 4 More Realty, the company behind those local billboards that are all over the Sacramento and Roseville area.In this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca and Arielle sit down with Valary — a 34-year-old mom of two (soon to be three), real estate pro, and woman with real stories about birth center birth and what it takes to trust your body again.Valary shares openly about:Birth center births what they’re really like beyond the highlight reelHer first birth at 40+4 and the healing that followedA second baby born mostly en caul on the due dateHow previous birth experiences shaped her confidence going into baby number threeThe emotional, physical, and spiritual prep for another baby while parenting little onesLetting go of perfection and embracing real birth experiencesThis conversation is grounded, honest, and full of heart perfect for anyone navigating birth expectations, healing after a challenging delivery, or preparing for another round.🎧 Episode 22 is live nowAvailable on YouTube • Apple Podcasts • SpotifyCome sit with us 💗— Becca & Arielle

Episode 21: Emergency Induction, Postpartum Hemorrhage & Finding Your Voice After Birthwith Morgan KuppenbenderIn this episode of Girly Pop Birth Talks, Becca and Arielle sit down with Morgan Kuppenbender, a mama sharing her first and only birth story—a vaginal birth that unfolded very differently than expected.At 31, married, and balancing life as both a wedding planner and tech sales professional, Morgan opens up about her pregnancy, emergency induction, and the moments during birth that forever changed her understanding of advocacy, trust, and postpartum healing.Together, Becca, Arielle, and Morgan explore:    •    Experiencing an emergency induction    •    Delivering a healthy baby boy    •    A retained amniotic sac and postpartum hemorrhage (850 mL blood loss)    •    The emotional and physical recovery that followed    •    Processing birth trauma while stepping into motherhood    •    How perspectives on control, surrender, and self-advocacy evolve after birthThis conversation is raw, grounded, and deeply validating—especially for parents whose births didn’t go according to plan but still resulted in profound growth and resilience.Nothing is off-limits in this episode. With Becca and Arielle holding space, Morgan’s story reminds us that birth can be both beautiful and hard—and that telling our stories helps other mothers feel seen, supported, and less alone.✨ If you’ve experienced an unexpected birth, medical intervention, or postpartum complications, this episode is for you.🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcastsYouTube • Apple Podcasts • Spotify

Grab a snack, get comfy, and come hang 😌 This week is a very unserious girly chat. Becca and Arielle talk careers, the most common things we see as a doula and lactation consultant, shared birth-world chaos, hot takes, and the stuff we text each other about but finally said out loud. Cozy, candid, and slightly unhinged (in the best way).🎧 Listen now onSpotify• Apple Podcasts• YouTube

Hi girly pops 💕This week, Becca and Arielle sit down with Kaleigh Burrage, an RRDS birth doula, as she shares her deeply personal journey through one hospital birth, two home births, and what it’s like to live and work inside the world of birth.Kaleigh opens up about how each of her births shaped her trust in her body, her intuition, and her understanding of informed choice. We talk about navigating the hospital system, choosing home birth, and the emotional and spiritual shift that happens when you move from birthing mother to birth worker.This episode is honest, reflective, and grounding — a beautiful conversation about sovereignty, support, and answering the call to serve families through birth.✨ In this episode, we cover:Kaleigh’s first hospital birthChoosing home birth for her second and third babiesHow birth led her into doula work with RRDSWhat it’s really like to hold space as a birth doulaTrusting your body and honoring intuition🎧 Streaming on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify New episodes drop every Thursday at 6pm.

This week, Becca and Arielle sit down with Caitlin Gillings, a 34-year-old mom of four whose birth stories span nearly every setting: two hospital vaginal deliveries, a birth center birth, and finally a deeply empowering home birth.Caitlin opens up about navigating six pregnancies, including two losses between her third and fourth babies, and how each chapter shaped the mother she is today. With children now ages 9, 7, 4, and 18 months, Caitlin reflects on how her confidence, intuition, and perspective evolved across her journeys from her early hospital experiences to finding autonomy and peace in her later births.As a stay-at-home mom, Caitlin brings a grounded, honest, and relatable voice to this conversation. Her story is a testament to growth, resilience, and the beauty of learning to trust your body over time.

This episode holds a deeply sacred story one that moves through four intentional home births, a miscarriage, and then an emergency twin C-section that resulted in the devastating loss of one twin at delivery.What began as a familiar, confident rhythm of physiological birth suddenly shifted into medical urgency, grief, and long-term caregiving for a medically complex child.In this conversation, we walk through:– Four planned home births– A miscarriage and its emotional impact– An emergency twin C-section– Losing one baby at delivery– Navigating grief while caring for a surviving newborn– Becoming the full-time caregiver to a child with trach, vent, and g-tube needsHer living children range from teenage years to toddlerhood, and this episode highlights what it looks like to mother across different developmental stages while holding grief, medical decisions, and everyday life.We explore:– The identity shift that comes when birth outcomes change drastically– How grief and joy coexist in motherhood– What resilience looks like beyond the romantic version of strength– The complexities of marriage, household demands, and caregiving– How life can redraw itself overnightThis episode gives voice to mothers navigating unexpected loss, medical complexity, and survival mode. It offers honesty without dramatizing, hope without glossing over pain, and visibility to stories often held quietly.

Episode 16: Our Thanksgiving Special with Dr. Zwerling 🦃💗This week, Becca and Arielle sit down with the incredible Dr. Zwerling to hear her journey into becoming an OB-GYN, what a day in her life really looks like, and how her philosophy of care has been shaped by her own first birth experience a prolonged induction (partially at home, partially in the hospital), four hours of pushing, a cesarean birth, and a postpartum hemorrhage.Dr. Zwerling is passionately dedicated to providing comprehensive sexual + reproductive healthcare for all patients, with specialized training in complex family planning and a deep commitment to serving LGBTQIA+ communities especially trans and gender-expansive folks.We also dive into her academic research on spirituality in medicine and medical education.This is a warm, grounded, heart-opening conversation you won’t want to miss.Listen now Episode 16 is live. 🫶🎙️

In today’s episode, we sit down with Natasha Pleis, a mama who always dreamed of having four kids in four years… and actually did it. She had 4 easy hospital births that she genuinely loved, but what came after is where her story really unfolds.This one is for every mom who’s thought: “Why is postpartum so much harder than birth?”We dive into:✨ Birth Stories: 4 Easy Hospital Births • How she intentionally planned for a big family quickly • Why each hospital birth felt smooth, supported, and empowering • What made her epidural experiences positive • Her tips for creating a beautiful, calm hospital birth✨ Postpartum: The Hardest Part • Her experience with postpartum rage • How rage can mask itself as irritability, overwhelm, or “snapping” • The shame spiral so many moms experience • How she learned to name her emotions and find support✨ Triple Feeding + Feeding Challenges • Surviving the exhausting nurse–pump–bottle cycle • The mental and physical toll it took • What she wishes she knew earlier • Giving herself permission to rest and pivot✨ Reconciling Easy Births + Hard Postpartum • Identity shifts with multiple babies close together • What changed with her fourth postpartum • How she rebuilt confidence, capacity, and connection💛 Big Takeaway You can have 4 easy births… and 4 really hard postpartums. You are not alone, and you are not failing.🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, & YouTube!

In Episode 14, Becca & Arielle sit down with Katie Noland, a mom of four whose birth stories span nearly every type of birth setting. From two hospital vaginal deliveries → to a birth center birth → to her final home birth, Katie opens up about how each experience shaped her confidence, her voice, and her motherhood.Katie walks us through:💛 Baby 1 — Mollie (2020)Induction at 40+2, a long hospital labor, vacuum delivery, tearing, and hours of pushing — ending with the unexpected discovery that Mollie was born with a lipoma (facial abnormality) in her cheek, something no one had caught prenatally. Katie shares the shock of that moment and how it shifted her entire postpartum experience and motherhood journey.💛 Baby 2 — Heidi (2022)Another induction, minimal epidural relief, one push, and a postpartum experience that left Katie vowing never to deliver in a hospital again — shaped heavily by feeling pressured around interventions and her family’s vaccine preferences.💛 Baby 3 — Harrison (2023)A spontaneous birth at California Birth Center at 41 weeks — fast, supported, and only 2.5 hours from start to finish. Katie calls this birth her “literal dream.”💛 Baby 4 — Georgia (2025)A 38+6 spontaneous home birth, six hours start to finish, and their first surprise gender. Big sister Mollie was determined to be in the room — and got to witness her baby sister being born.Katie also shares how her first baby’s facial abnormality shaped her early motherhood, her fears going into future pregnancies, and the healing she found in her later births.We explore:✨ Choosing different birth settings for different seasons of life✨ Rebuilding trust in your body after hard or unexpected birthsThis episode is raw, heartfelt, and full of insight for both new and seasoned moms.