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Military Birth Talk features birth stories from service members, spouses, veterans, and providers, all told through the unique lens of birthing in the military. Birth is a profound, unforgettable experience leaving a lifelong imprint on our hearts. For military families and service members, giving birth and parenting in our community presents its own unique, challenging, and empowering realities--giving birth alone or in a foreign country, navigating Tricare during miscarriage or infertility obstacles, or being on Active Duty without the option to birth outside of the hospital are just a few of the realities we may face. By sharing our stories, we hope to increase transparency and information for fellow military families, providers, and policy makers. Tune in each Thursday for a new episode.
Military Birth Talk is a project of the Military Birth Resource Network and Postpartum Coalition. To learn more, please visit www.MBRNPC.org.
Are you a military community member with a story to share? Fill out an interest form at https://www.militarybirthresourcenetwork.org/podcast
81 Episodes
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In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Zatha who was Active Duty in the Marine Corps for her first birth, and then got out before her second birth. Even though she was Active Duty her first birth took place at a birth center due to low staffing at the military hospital where they were stationed, and then her second birth was a free birth at their home in Italy, where her husband is stationed with the Navy. So she’ll share all about that progression from a more traditional birth within the syst...
In the season two premier of the Military Birth Talk podcast, we're hearing all about our host Anni's recent birth! Anni's husband Chris joins as a cohost for this episode, where they share some background from her previous birth, which was a planned c-section for breech, and a bit about their next pregnancy which culminated in a 19-week loss due to Trisomy 18. Then they dive into their most recent birth story, which took place only a few weeks ago. This birth was a planned induction turned s...
Today's episode is a provider interview with Michelle, an Army spouse, who is a doula working under Tricare’s Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration, and a student midwife. During our conversation she talks about becoming a doula while she and her family were stationed in Germany, and what the experience of supporting overseas families was like. She then talks about her return to the states and her transition into midwifery care. She shares some of the key things her training has ...
In today’s episode, we’ll be hearing from Rebecca who was Active Duty in the Air Force when she gave birth to her two sons. Her first was born at a military treatment facility via cesarean after 2 days of labor (3:16). During her second pregnancy (11:34) Rebecca and her husband learned that their child had Down Syndrome, and she discusses the experience of navigating her and her child’s healthcare through the diagnosis, while also executing PCS orders. She discusses the choices they had...
In today's episode we'll be hearing from Army reservist Tiffany. Tiffany begins (2:56) by discussing her experience with (and subsequent diagnosis of) vaginismus, a painful condition that impacted the way she and her husband tried to conceive. She talks about the traumatic experiences she had during the course of her diagnosis and how that led to her eventual mistrust and discomfort with hospital-based providers. She then shares her first pregnancy and birth story (10:30), which took place at...
Today's episode of Military Birth Talk features Marine Corps spouse, Natalie. Natalie shares the challenges she and her husband faced with getting pregnant while stationed overseas (3:06), followed by the birth stories of her two children (8:07), one of whom was born at their OCONUS duty station on base and one of whom was born stateside at a civilian hospital. She also shares about her experience with postpartum depression following her first child's birth and working with an MFLAC on base. ...
Today's episode of Military Birth Talk features Army Spouse Zarema. Zarema shares her first pregnancy and birth story (2:21), which was a hospital delivery ending with a traumatic manual removal of the placenta, requiring emergency surgery. She then shares her second birth story (11:22), which took place in a birth center and which she describes as "no drama, no trauma." She then shares her third birth story (27:30), which took place at home, after deciding to pay out of pocket for a home bir...
In the first episode of the Military Birth Talk podcast, we hear from Gaby Cavins, Navy veteran, and Executive Director of the Military Birth Resource Network and Postpartum coalition. Gaby shares her three birth stories, including a traumatic hospital birth, followed by a "freeing and healing" hospital birth, and concluding with a "silent, peaceful" homebirth. Gaby shares about the way in which her varied births, and her processing of each of these transformative experiences during the postp...
In this episode of “Military Birth Talk,” Anni welcomes back Zatha, a former Marine now living near Naples, Italy, to share her third birth story two months postpartum. She recaps her first two fast births—one at a birth center after a late referral and one unassisted soon after moving to Italy—then explains her approach to a largely non-medicalized third pregnancy focused on self-care, tracking health metrics, exercise, chiropractic care, and intensive study of birth physiology. Labor began ...
In this episode of 'Military Birth Talk,' Anni interviews Major Ashley Owen Cunningham, an active-duty Air Force JAG, about her experiences with pregnancy and childbirth while serving in the military. Ashley shares her journey from struggling with infertility to eventually becoming a mother of two boys. She details how she managed her pregnancies and complex births, supported by the military healthcare system, amidst frequent relocations and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley emp...
In this episode of 'Military Birth Talk,' Anni reconnects with Klarissa, an active duty Air Force member, who shares her journey of motherhood since her last appearance on the podcast. Klarissa talks about her traumatic birth experience in England and the subsequent support she received from her leadership and community. She reflects on her role as a First Sergeant and how becoming a mother has made her more empathetic and effective in her job. Klarissa discusses the importance of community s...
In this episode of 'Military Birth Talk,' Anni interviews Jenna, a military spouse, who shares her diverse birthing experiences within the context of military life. Jenna details her journey from hospital births to home births across various states, and through multiple PCS cycles. She discusses challenges including miscarriage, anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and advocating for desired birthing experiences despite potential opposition from family. The episode highlights the evolving su...
In this episode of 'Military Birth Talk,' Anni interviews Allegra, a dietician, lactation consultant, and military spouse . Allegra shares her experiences of navigating pregnancies and births within the military healthcare system, highlighting the differences between military and civilian care, and emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy. She describes her journey with her second child's birth in a military hospital, and then her subsequent twin birth directly in the military healthcare f...
In this episode of Military Birth Talk, Anni welcomes back Ali, who previously appeared in Season 1. Ali, a Navy spouse currently living in Japan, shares her latest birth story. Her surprising third pregnancy began amidst a planned trip to the U.S., where she received most of her prenatal care at Walter Reed. Ali experienced significant sickness during this pregnancy, and had another induced labor due to a history of high blood pressure. Her delivery was marked by slow progress, which was emo...
In this episode of the podcast, Adriana shares her experiences as a mother and active-duty service member. She details her eight years of active service and transition to the reserves, while also parenting three young children and coping with her husband’s deployments. Adriana discusses the challenges she faced during each of her pregnancies, including dealing with unexpected complications and the support she received from her community. She also talks about her transition from active duty to...
In this episode of 'Military Birth Talk,' Anni interviews Becca, a Midwest native now living in Japan, who shares her challenging pregnancy journey marked by cholestasis. Becca discusses her husband's military background, her impeccable early pregnancy stages, and the onset of severe itching in her third trimester, leading to a diagnosis of cholestasis. She recounts the rigorous process of advocating for herself in the healthcare system to secure the right diagnosis and treatment. Her labor u...
In this episode of Military Birth Talk, Anni interviews Ally, a certified nurse midwife, women's health nurse practitioner, military veteran, and spouse, currently stationed in the Netherlands with her Air Force husband. Ally shares her traumatic experience of giving birth to twin girls in November 2024, detailing her challenges, including being in a remote foreign country with no nearby U.S. base support. She discusses her pregnancy journey, the unexpected discovery of twins, and the unique ...
In this episode of 'Military Birth Talk,' Anni interviews Anna, a Scottish musician connected and Air Force spouse. Anna shares her journey from meeting her husband on a cruise ship to navigating the challenges of giving birth within the military system. She recounts her diverse birth experiences in Ohio and Japan, emphasizing the significance of hypnobirthing and self-advocacy. Despite some hurdles, including transitioning from on-base to off-base care and dealing with restrictions in Japan,...
Season five of Military Birth Talk is here! We kick things off with Kimberly as she shares her two birth stories overseas in Japan. Kimberly gave birth both in Okinawa and Yokota, and highlights the differences in medical care, challenges with postpartum preeclampsia, and a gallbladder surgery. Adding another layer to her experience, she was also a GS employee during the time of her first birth and was required to return to work even before her Active Duty husband. Hear about all this and mor...
In today’s episode we’re hearing from Reyna, who is a Navy Spouse. Reyna shares the birth story of her second child, who was born at the very end of 2019. Reyna and her family PCS’ed overseas when she was 6 months pregnant, only to find out almost immediately that she’d be sent back to the states to give birth. Reyna had a planned c-section and then a few days later, she ended up at the ER with severe stomach pain which ended up being what the doctors called retained products of coneption. Af...
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