DiscoverBirth With PowerEp 311: 11-Pound Baby, 3-Hour Labor: Leah’s Powerful Home Birth Story
Ep 311: 11-Pound Baby, 3-Hour Labor: Leah’s Powerful Home Birth Story

Ep 311: 11-Pound Baby, 3-Hour Labor: Leah’s Powerful Home Birth Story

Update: 2025-12-02
Share

Description

Today’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing a home birth story! Home birth can be safe, supported, and deeply empowering when planned well.

In this birth story, I’m joined by Leah, a writer, mom of two, and aspiring childbirth educator who planned a home birth after a positive but impersonal hospital birth with her first child. Despite navigating insurance barriers, and anticipating a large baby, Leah created the low-intervention experience she wanted, and welcomed her 11-pound daughter after just a three-and-a-half-hour labor. 

Her story is full of advocacy, intuition, humor (yes, she was poked in the eye mid-contraction), and practical insights you’ll walk away with.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What made Leah choose a planned home birth after a hospital birth
  • How she advocated for weight-inclusive prenatal care
  • The realities of insurance challenges for home birth families
  • How she prepared mentally and physically for a fast, intense labor
  • Why her postpartum experience at home was dramatically different — and better
  • What she wants every pregnant person to know about big babies and birth options


Resources Mentioned:


Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients



Our Sponsors:
* Check out Ritual at get 25% off: https://ritual.com/DRNICOLE
* Check out Uncommon Goods and get 15% off: https://uncommongoods.com/drnicole


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Ep 311: 11-Pound Baby, 3-Hour Labor: Leah’s Powerful Home Birth Story

Ep 311: 11-Pound Baby, 3-Hour Labor: Leah’s Powerful Home Birth Story

Dr. Nicole C. Rankins