Happy Homebirth
The Happy Homebirth podcast shares positive natural childbirth stories and provides support, education, and encouragement for homebirth and motherhood. Host Katelyn Fusco, a former student midwife, interviews mothers and care providers about their authentic birthing experiences. The podcast covers topics from pre-conception to postpartum, focusing on the victories and challenges of birthing mothers worldwide.
Episodes
Ep 347: Birth is magnetic
I want to tell you about two births.
Same woman. Same husband. Same house, more or less. And afterward, two completely different marriages.
Not because one birth was easy and one was hard. That isn't what made the difference. I've thought about this for years and I want to tell you what I think it actually was.
Links
Free workshop, September 21st — Why You've Read Everything and Still Don't
Ep 346: A Homebirth Story About Learning How to Relax
Have you ever tried to relax on purpose– and realized you had no idea how? That you could feel the tension sitting in your body, but you couldn't figure out which part of you to let go of first?
In this episode, we're speaking with Sabrina Brooks. Sabrina is a wife to Sam, a youth pastor, and mama to Freeman and Whitley, who are four and one and a half and who were both born at home. She grew up
Ep 345: Preparing the whole woman: mind, body, heart, home, and marriage
Here's something I've watched happen more times than I can count.
A woman prepares beautifully for her birth. Really well. And she's still blindsided.
This doesn’t happen because she was lazy about it. It happens because she unknowingly prepared one part of herself extremely thoroughly and left the other four areas almost untouched, and she didn't know there were five.
That's what today is a
Ep 344: Homebirth at 42 Weeks After a GBS Positive Test
Have you ever felt like the Lord told you something about your birth… and then watched every circumstance line up to tell you it wasn't going to happen?
Gracie Gould is a wife to Jesse and a mama of four in Greenville, South Carolina, where they work with a local Christian theater and homeschool their crew. She came to homebirth by watching her own mother do it — and one of her midwives turned o
Ep 343: The Moment in Labor Nobody Warns You About
The moment in labor nobody warns you about
The one idea: the moment arrives for almost everyone, and everything depends on whether she was told it was coming.
The one action: take the Homebirth Readiness Check. And a free workshop is coming.
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset
Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth
Ep 342: Six Births, Zero Patterns: Rebecca's Story of Trust Over Formula
Have you ever looked at something in front of you and thought, "there's just no way"– no way that's going to fit, no way that's coming out, no way I can do this… and then watched it happen anyway?
In this episode, Rebecca walks us through six births, and not one of them looks the same. A 38-hour first labor that ended in a hospital transfer. An eight-hour second birth she almost didn't believe w
Ep 341: Why More Research isn't Making You Feel Ready
Why more research isn't making you feel ready
The one idea: you don't have a knowledge gap. You have an integration gap, and you've been treating one as the other. The one action: take the Homebirth Readiness Check.
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset
Emily's Episisode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-340-freebirth-story-what-changed-between-her-f
Ep 340: Freebirth Story: What Changed Between Her First Birth and Her Third
What if you could do all of it right– read every book, listen to every episode, interview the midwife, make the plan… and still walk into your birth completely unprepared?
Emily Swann is a wife to John, a mama of three, and the woman behind For the Love of Breastfeeding, where she teaches a bodywork course for babies and toddlers and runs a six-month program for mothers called Guided and Grounde
Ep 339: Cholestasis, Raw Spleen, and a Dream Homebirth: Angelica's Full Journey
Have you ever decided — fully, completely, no-turning-back decided — that you were done doing something a certain way? And then done everything in your power to make the changes necessary?
In this episode, Angelica walks us through the full arc — from a surprise first pregnancy that ended in an emergency C-section and a baby born blue, to a rogue homebirth with her third child that she knew, in th
Ep 338: A Midwife, the Yellow Pages, and Two Babies Born at Home
What if the most powerful birth preparation isn't a course, a class, or a stack of books at all, but a mother who's simply willing to go first, so everyone behind her can follow?
Today I'm speaking with Cynthia Cruz, known to some of you online as Mama RAC. Cynthia is a wife to her husband Ron of 36 years, a mother, a grandmother, and a woman who chose homebirth in California more than 30 years ag
Ep 337: "I Got Everything I Wanted": Carly's Two Very Different Homebirths
Have you ever worked so hard for something — prepared for it, prayed over it, given it everything you had — only to watch it unfold nothing like you pictured? And then found, on the other side, that it shaped you anyway?
Carly Hartwig is a wife and a mama of two little girls up in upstate New York, a former special education teacher who followed her own journey with fertility awareness all the w
Ep 336: You're Going to Meet Your Power: A Pain-Free Homebirth in Sweden
Have you ever sat in that strange, sacred in-between, when labor has whispered its beginning but hasn't fully arrived, and felt something rise up in you that you couldn't quite name? What if that feeling wasn't fear to push away, but power to say yes to?
Petronella is a mother, a wife, and a lover of nature, art, and creativity, joining us all the way from Sweden. She grew up with one of the rar
Ep 335: A Homebirth Story of Faith, Fear, and Trusting Harder
What happens when you're preparing for birth while carrying far more than the weight of pregnancy? When your family is spread across the country, your husband's health is in crisis, and every plan you've made seems to unravel?
This week, we're speaking with by Tricia Prado, a mother of seven whose journey into her seventh birth came during one of the most challenging seasons her family has ever
Ep 334: "I Did It Scared": An 11-Pound Unmedicated Home Birth
Have you ever felt called toward something… but been completely terrified to do it?
This week, we're joined by Ally Roberson, a wife, mother of two, homesteader, and creator documenting her family's journey toward a more intentional life in rural Georgia. When Ally became pregnant with her second baby, she found herself pulled toward homebirth. But there was one major obstacle standing in the way:
Ep 333: The Midwife Who Told Her She Didn't Need a Midwife
Have you ever been so certain about a decision that, even when everyone around you questioned it, you knew deep down it was the right path for you?
My friends, today’s conversation is a fascinating look at conviction, trust, and what it means to take full responsibility for your birth experience.
This week, we're speaking with Gabrielle Lacey, a wife, mother, welder-turned-farmer, and soon-to-be
Ep 332: 42 Weeks and Learning to Wait
Have you ever looked back on a past birth experience and realized…
“Wow, I didn’t actually know how powerful my body was”?
This week, we're speaking with Melissa Gurd, wife to her husband Jason and mother of six children living on a family homestead in Florida. Melissa shares the progression of her birth experiences over the last decade—from medically managed hospital births, to a frustrating ce
Ep 331: From Cesarean Grief to a Healing Homebirth
What happens when the birth you prayed for…doesn’t happen?
And how do you move forward when the thing you prepared for so carefully
ends in grief, disappointment, and questions you never expected to ask?
This week, we're speaking with Raylee, a homeschool mother of two from Texas who is passionate about Montessori education, physiological birth, and intentional motherhood. Raylee grew up in a la
Ep 330: Why This Labor Nurse Chose Homebirth
What happens when the person working inside the hospital system…
still chooses homebirth for herself?
And… what does it look like when years of witnessing birth—
the beauty of it, the interventions, the emergencies, the physiology—
leads someone not further from instinctive birth…
but deeper into trust?
This week, we're joined by Alehson Treadwell, a labor and delivery nurse, IBCLC, and mother of
Ep 329: This Story Does Not Belong to Fear: Lydia's Homebirth Story
Can hope return after something painful changes the way you experience motherhood?
This week, we're speaking with Lydia Ashford, a flower farmer, worship leader, wife, and mother of two daughters born at home on the Northern California coast. Lydia and her family live and work together on a flower farm with her parents and sisters, raising babies alongside one another in a deeply connected commu
Ep 328: One Contraction at a Time: Faith's 47 Hour Homebirth
Have you ever reached the point in labor—or honestly, in life—where you truly didn’t think you could keep going?
This week, we're speaking with Faith Robinson, a stay-at-home mom from Kansas City, wife to her husband of three years, and mother to baby Ezekiel. Faith grew up around birth through her mother’s work as a doula, but despite always wanting an unmedicated birth, she initially viewed bi
Ep 327: Rebuilding a Family Legacy Through Birth and Parenthood
What does it look like to re-build a family legacy?
And how do birth, motherhood, healing, and even hardship become part of that restoration?
Gabrielle Manier is a wife, homeschool mother of four, homemaker, gardener, and passionate homebirth mother living in Michigan with her husband Dustin and their children. Since her first appearance on the podcast, their family has welcomed two more babies w
Ep 326: Trusting God with Her Baby's Life: Sarah's Micro Preemie Birth
We all know that life is unpredictable in many ways, but when you’re experiencing extreme unpredictability in the midst of your pregnancy, how do you imagine you’d feel? Would ‘peaceful’ be the first word that comes to mind?
This week, we’re speaking with Sarah, mother to two babies– Timothy and Lydia. We’ll hear Sarah’s extremely difficult experience during her most recent pregnancy and birth
Ep 325: From Infertility to Birth in her Own Home
Coincidences– How many of them can you experience before you stop thinking they’re coincidences and start realizing that they are a beautiful divine gift?
This week, we're speaking with Kaylee, a mother of 3 living in Athens, Georgia. Kaylee and her husband experienced struggles with infertility before becoming pregnant, and they are now in the process of raising the large family they always dr
Ep 324: From Monitoring to Trusting: A Nurse’s Birth Transformation
What happens when you know too much about birth… and you’re experiencing pregnancy and birth for yourself?
This week's episode, I’m joined by Emily—a labor and delivery nurse who found herself navigating pregnancy and birth as both a provider and a patient.
We talk about how working inside the hospital shaped her first birth…
what shifted in her mindset the second time around…
and how she ul
Ep 323: How One Mother Reclaimed Trust in Birth
What happens when your first experience of birth leaves you shaken…
and the providers you’re supposed to trust tell you not to try again? Where do you go from there?
Sarah Marie is the owner of Entering Motherhood, a wife and a mom of three who spends her days soaking up life with her little ones, whether that’s through slow mornings at home, time in the garden, or exploring a new coffee shop.
Ep 322: Scars Redeemed--Surrendering Fear and Embracing Trust through a Home Birth
When your body has experienced legitimate physical trauma during two back to back births, what do you do for your next experience? What would it look like to play it safe– would that be a planned cesarean? Or… What if you swing the other way and bring it home?
This week we’re speaking to Janie Hobbs, a stay-at-home wife and mom of three littles. She is happily married to her husband Sam, and
Ep 321: Rethinking Pelvic Floor Health for Pregnancy and Postpartum with Whitney Sippl
What if the discomforts we’ve been told are “just part of pregnancy” are actually signals that something needs support?
This week, we're speaking with Whitney Sippl, a pelvic physical therapist who works closely with women in pregnancy, postpartum and beyond.
In this episode, Whitney walks us through what pelvic physical therapy really is, why it matters in all stages of life, even before
Ep 320: A Mobile Birth: Twins Born Precipitously!
You’ve done it- you’ve decided to give birth at home, and NOTHING is going to stop you, right?
This week we’re speaking to Heather Whitehead, a mother to 5 living in East Tennessee. We’ll hear how Heather and her husband settled on homebirth for their most recent pregnancy, and how they navigated certain obstacles that arose after their decision. You know, like the realization that they were
Ep 319: What Are You Creating? A Birth and Motherhood Story
Pregnancy is the height of creativity– you are literally creating a brand new human… from scratch? But have you noticed that sometimes the creativity of pregnancy moves into other aspects of your life?
This week, we’e speaking with Khylir Patton, a mother of two and a homebirth mom based in Tampa Bay, Florida. After navigating an unexpected late-pregnancy loss of care and ultimately experienc
Ep 318: Pregnancy After Loss and Learning to Trust Again
Have you ever found yourself wanting something to happen so desperately, and at the same time realizing you have absolutely no control over its happening?
This week, we’re speaking with Erica: a wife, mother of two, one of nine siblings,
and a woman who entered marriage already having seen family members give birth beautifully at home.
Episode Roundup:
1. Generational Trust in birth is a GIFT
Ep 317: Choosing the Unmarked Path: Navigating Limited Options in Care
When you want to give birth at home, but the local midwives are overbooked and not taking new clients, what are your options?
This week we’re speaking to Regan, a mother to two kiddos in the Manitoba area of Canada who knew that she wanted to give birth at home, but had to think outside the box to make it happen for her.
Regan is a wife of 7 years and a stay at home mom to her two beautiful
Ep 316: Holding the Plan Loosely: Pamela’s Birth Story of Trust and Change
How do you feel about the specifics of your upcoming birth? Are you clinging to particular desires and feeling like things MUST happen a certain way for you to feel successful? Or do you feel the peace of flexibility?
This week, we're speaking with Pamela, a homeschooling mother of 3 precious kiddos, who decided to give birth at home with her third child. Throughout the end of her pregnancy and la
Ep 315: From Hyperemesis to Homebirth
Have you ever done everything right…and still watched things unfold in a way you never expected?
This week I’m joined by Daryl Hogan — a nurse, nursing professor, wife, and new mama — who navigated a laundry list of unexpected aspects of pregnancy that she certainly wouldn’t have excitedly chosen…. And yet her story doesn’t end in suffering, but in a powerful, physiologic homebirth that left her s
Ep 314: An 11 Pound Baby and the Importance of Trust
Have you ever wondered how much the environment and the people around you shape the way birth unfolds?
Hey there Happy Homebirthers, and welcome to episode 314 of the Happy Homebirth Podcast. I’m your host Katelyn Fusco and today, we’re speaking with Caroline Hendel, a mother from France whose story beautifully illustrates the difference between being managed through birth vs. being trusted in
Ep 313: Presence Over Perfection: Madeline Murray on Birth and Growth
Have you ever noticed how each birth teaches us something different—no matter how many times we’ve done this before?
Today, I’m welcoming back a dear friend of the show, Madeline Murray—midwife, mother of four, and someone whose story has unfolded alongside this podcast over the years.
Madeline has been here before to share her first and second homebirths, and today she’s bringing us into her th
Ep 312: Trusting the Process: Kaylee Matthews’ Mountain Homebirth
Which is more important when it comes to birth: preparation or intuition?
In this week’s episode, we’re hearing from Kaylee Matthews, a first-time mom from the mountains of Southern California whose story is a reminder that intuition and preparation can coexist beautifully with surrender.
Before she even met her husband, Kaylee was learning the fertility-awareness method, studying midwifery podcas
Ep 311: Midwifery Care Documentary: The Birthing Revolution Project
What if understanding midwifery care didn’t require convincing—but simply seeing?
This week on The Happy Homebirth Podcast, I’m joined by Caleb Phipps, filmmaker and father of four, and Midon Wingo, licensed midwife and passionate advocate for family-centered birth care.
Together, they’re creating a documentary called Birthing Revolution—a film designed to show what midwifery care actually looks l
Ep 310: When Strength Runs Out: Finding Grace in Birth with Jamie Krstev
Do you have any highly specific desires in regards to your upcoming birth?
Maybe that it will be at a certain time of day, or that you’ll labor for a specific amount of time…?
What happens when those desires are unfulfilled and you’re given a very different experience instead?
This week we’re speaking with Jamie, a first-time mom from Chicago who had some very beautiful ideas of what she wanted
Ep 309: Peace in the Presence: Paige Schwickerath’s Faith-Filled Home Birth
What does it look like to walk through birth with deep peace — even when things don’t go exactly as planned?
This week we’re speaking to Paige Schwickerath, a young mom from central Iowa whose life has been beautifully transformed through marriage, motherhood, and her first home birth. Paige and her husband welcomed their son, Boaz, at home in an experience that tested their faith, strengthened
Ep 308: First time Peaceful Homebirth as a First Time Foster Mom with Alexis Meisenholder
Change can be tough. How do we integrate the arrival of our new baby? Moreover, how do we integrate the arrival of our new baby mere weeks after the arrival of our foster child and a move into a new home?
This week, we're speaking to Alexis. A foster-turning adoptive mother to a 7-year-old daughter, and homebirth bio mom to a 1 year old baby boy at the time of this recording. Alexis and her fam
Ep 307: Surprise Pregnancy Brings Healing to Old Traumas with Amanda Lopez
When you found out you were pregnant, what emotions ran through your brain? Excitement? Thrill? Joy? Or did you experience fear, shame, or a resurgence of old traumas?
This week, we're speaking to Amanda Lopez. A mama to 3 children, two of whom were born to her while Amanda was still a teenager. We'll be discussing Amanda's experiences as a teen mother, and how her most recent homebirth (at the
Ep 306: From Addiction and Homelessness to Hope and Homebirth with Gabrielle Manier
What was life like for you before you became pregnant? Were you pretty much the same person then as you are now, or have you changed drastically?
Today we'll be speaking with Gabrielle, and precious mother who has truly been pulled from death to life. From addiction to heavy narcotics and homelessness to being pulled out and called into life through Jesus. This story is unbelievably powerful, a
Ep 305: A Primal First Time Homebirth With Sara Middleton
First births: You don't know what's going on with your body, they're long, and mothers enter them feeling uncertain and needing reassurance.... right? This week we're speaking to Sara, who lives in Travelers Rest, South Carolina with her husband Rob, their first child and son, Charlie, and their two big all american mutts, Captain and Bucky. Sara and her husband Rob strive to live a gospel-centere
Ep 304: Cross-Country Homebirth
When you’re unable to have a homebirth in your area, what happens? Are you totally out of luck…. Or are there other ways to get creative?
This week we’re speaking with my friend Shanies Pearcey- a stay at home mother to 8 children at the time of this recording, but she’s since had a few more sweet babies, and a minister's wife in Northwest NJ. Shanise enjoys cooking, sewing, and spending time w
Ep 303: The Gillespie Approach: How Craniosacral Fascial Therapy Can Optimize Health For Your Infant
What if you had the know-how to help your newborn baby relax and release all of the tension accumulated from growing in utero, and from his or her birth experience? What if you were able to regulate your baby’s nervous system? Wouldn’t that be incredible?
Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with Kim Sherlock and Holly Steflik several years back, in 2022– Holly and Kim are the two trainers f
Ep 302: Teen Pregnancy, Threats From the Hospital, Home Miscarriage and a Rainbow Homebirth
How long did you wait to tell your friends and family about your pregnancy? No time? 8 weeks? 12 weeks? What about 6 months?
Today’s episode with Alissa covers an incredible array of stories, and she bears her soul with her experience. I feel so honored that she shared her stories, and I know you’ll feel the same when you hear them. I do of course like to mention when stories contain espec
Ep 301: Birth is Medicine: Courtney Valdez Steps into Sovereign Motherhood
What does it mean to fully embrace motherhood? To fully embrace the God-given responsibility of caring for your children?
This week, we're speaking to Courtney Valdez, a 26-year old mom of two beautiful girls + a business owner/hairstylist, with a love of homemaking and holistic wellness. Courtney's experience of pregnancy and birth has changed the way her family lives in every way for the bett
Ep 300: 🔥 Refinement Through Fire: Rachael Nalley’s Story of Faith and Redemption
What happens when God uses birth — and even loss — to refine your faith in ways you never imagined?
Welcome to Episode 300 of the Happy Homebirth. Wow, 300 episodes of real, raw homebirth stories, and you’re about to meet your match with this week’s guest.
This week, we’re speaking to Rachael Nalley, a home birth doula, micro-baker, and mother of four living in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. Rac
Ep 299: The Birth That Rewrote Her Story: Alicia’s VBAC at Home
What do you do when an OB refuses to support your VBAC, and then no other local OBs will take you on as a patient because they don’t accept transfers from other OBs? Where do you go?
This week we’re speaking to Alicia Downey, a military spouse who has lived in 4 states over the last 5 years, is a mother to two wonderful daughters, and a registered nurse. Alicia is currently staying at home with
Ep 298: Entering Motherhood with Homebirth and Storytelling
Hey there Happy Homebirthers, I’ve got a fun little treat for you for this week. Instead of our usual interview setup, I wanted to share a podcast that I was on recently. My friend Sarah at Entering Motherhood recently had me on her show to discuss homebirth and storytelling–particularly healing through storytelling. These are two of my favorite topics, so I wanted to give you a chance to liste
Ep 297: From Darkness to Sunrise: A Freebirthed First Baby
If you choose to have a freebirth, you must be some kind of fearless superwoman, right?
This week we’re speaking to Charissa Blair. Charissa is wife to Adam and mother to her freebirthed first baby, Leviticus, with a second baby on the way. In this week’s episode, we’ll hear why Charissa decided to give birth unassisted with her first baby, how the birth unfolded, and how it has impacted Cha
Ep 296:When Birth Becomes Unpredictable: A Beautiful Homebirth with Complications
Homebirth is great, but if you do happen to have an emergency at home, you’ll always wish you were at the hospital, right?
This week we’re speaking with Kennedy Voetberg. At 18, Kennedy became fascinated by the birthing process and underwent training to become a certified birth doula. Almost a decade later, Kennedy is married to her husband, Deter, and together they have 3 children with their fo
Ep 295: When Prayer and Mental Preparation Lead to a Dream Birth
How would it feel to be supported in your pregnancy and birth by the women of your family?
This week we are speaking to Miriam McCuiston, a stay at home mom to her daughter Zoe. She is married to her husband and best friend, Kyle. Miriam is learning all new things about being a homemaker and mama, and as we’ll hear in her story, she has women around her who are deeply encouraging her and che
Ep 294: The Root Cause of Your Painful Pregnancy Symptoms
Raise your hand if you’ve experienced a symptom or two in pregnancy that you wish you could get to the root of and heal. Food aversions? Morning sickness? Full on Hyperemisis Gravidarum?
This week we are speaking to Jes Reynolds, a holistic health practitioner and founder of The Wellness Element, where she guides mothers to protect the health and wellbeing of children by reclaiming their intu
Ep 293: What it Means to Be a Midwife- to Be With Woman- with Janelle Alier
The word Midwife means ‘with woman’-- what does it mean to be ‘with woman’? What does it look like, and how does it feel?
This week we are speaking with the incredible midwife, published author and poet, Janelle Alier, who in my opinion is the embodiment of genuine midwifery care. We’re going to hear how she became a midwife, or how midwifery happened to her, we’ll hear her journey through her
Ep 292: Husbands weigh in - supporting postpartum healing, nutrition & homebirth w/ Eric Stein of Restorative Roots
Husbands, what can you tangibly do to support your wife during postpartum, especially those first few critical weeks?
And today we’re having a GUEST interviewer! My very own hero of a husband, Thomas Fusco. Thomas will be taking over the interview reins as he sits down with a father-to-father chat with Eric Stein, CEO of Restorative Roots, and husband to Holly Stein, last week’s podcast guest
Ep 291: Postpartum Healing & Nutrition with Holly Stein of Restorative Roots
What do you think you’ll want your first meal to be after having your baby? And does it really matter how we’re fueling our bodies after the baby is born?
Holly, her husband Eric, and their 3 children live in Southern California, where they love homeschool, skateboard, and cook. They have built an incredible company, Restorative Roots, that delivers nutrient-dense postpartum meals to mothers
Ep 290: Unmedicated Birth, Unfiltered Business: Lisa’s “Loudmouth” Journey
We talk about trusting your instincts a decent amount around here– but what does it look like to LEARN how to lean into those instincts?
This week we’re speaking with Lisa, who found the confidence to trust her instincts during pregnancy, which has changed her trajectory both as a mother as well as an entrepreneur and coach. Lisa Villani is a rebellious doula, sassy sales coach, hip-hop dancer
Ep 289: Lessons in Surrender and an Unattended Homebirth
If you had an arduous labor due to your baby’s positioning once, it’s sure to happen similarly if your next baby takes the same position, right?
Ashley Atwood and her husband Sam have 3 active and lively boys. They are a homeschooling family and love adventure and being outdoors. Ashley is a self described birth nerd and loves educating herself about all things birth and pregnancy and discussing
Ep 288: How to Prepare for a VBAC Outside of the Hospital with Meagan Heaton
Vaginal births after cesarean- are they really safe? And what about vbacs at home, or outside of the hospital?
This week we’re speaking with Meagan Heaton, Host and founder of The VBAC Link. Meagan co-founded the VBAC Link in 2018. Although she always felt called to the baby world, she really found her love for birth in 2014 after her second C-Section. Through these two birth experiences, her l
Ep 287: Held By Heaven with Ivana Burbage
Is it possible to hold space for both joy and grief simultaneously?
This week we’re speaking with Ivana Burbage. Ivana is a mom, wife and photographer from San Diego but now lives in Hawaii with her husband Justin. She loves being creative, surfing,
spending time in the ocean and since having her babies is passionate about birth and motherhood.
And as Ivana’s story unfolds, you will certai
Ep 286: Birth Can Be Beautiful From the Beginning: Facing Fear and Surrendering to God’s Design
Does an empowering birth change you all at once? Or does it do so incrementally? Pulling back layers as time goes on, exposing truths– behaving more like a well-cultivated seed than an instant shift?
Abigail Pyle is wife to her husband Jeff, and a stay-at-home mom of five very energetic and delightful children ages 10-2 years. She is navigating homeschool and parenting on the Central Coast of
Ep 285: One Way or A Mother with Dr. Elliot Berlin
What’s the best way to enter birth? Is it with a completely blank slate- not allowing the stories of others to influence your own experience, or…. Is there benefit to listening to the raw stories of others: the gamut of experiences to know what’s possible?
This week we’re speaking with Dr. Elliot Berlin, who we last spoke to on episode 229 titled Have an Informed Pregnancy with Dr. Elliot Berli
Ep 284: How a Twin Breech Birth Led to a Thriving Home Birth Community
How do you discern the difference between fear mongering and true concern?
Scarlen is a home birth mom from Chattanooga, TN. She is a wife to Manny and together they have 5 boys. After a rough hospital birth with her first, she knew there had to be a different way to birth. When she became pregnant with her second boy, she decided she would birth at home and has not looked back since. Her love f
Ep 283: Homebirth Healed Her Pelvic Floor!
The pelvic floor: it can be wounded during childbirth– but– could it be healed during the process instead?
Victoria Hedrick is a wife to her wonderful husband Jonathan, and the mother of their almost three year old daughter, Josie. They live on a small piece of land in Virginia that they are slowly turning into a homestead. Victoria enjoys fishing, canoeing, baking sourdough, and all things babi
Ep 282: Experience Pelvic Floor Freedom!
The pelvic floor- can you truly heal it and restore function? Or is there a point where you’re beyond help?
This week we are speaking with Paris Latka. Paris has been involved in the practice of Bowspring since 2016, and this transformative movement system has deeply reshaped both her body and her life. Teaching for the past six years, she shares this work from a place of embodied passion and r
Ep 281: Long Labor Turned Surprise Breech Homebirth
Breech birth is supposed to be rare, right? How would you feel if you had more breech babies than head down babies?!
This week we’re speaking to Stephanie Kase, who has had twice as many breech babies as she’s had cephalic presentations! Stephanie is mama to 3 under 3, wife, and online business coach from Greenville, SC. She's married to her husband, Michael, of 7 years with 3 girls - twin tod
Ep 280: Embracing Your Intuition in Birth and Motherhood
If you had a pretty good experience in the hospital with your first baby, what’s the point of changing things up with subsequent births?
Today we’re speaking with Kylie, who is living the dream as a stay at home mom of 3. She is married to her husband of 10.5 years, Tim and they live in Franklin, TN. They are passionate about embracing the adventure of life wherever it takes them and celebrating
Ep 279: Holding Fast with an Open Hand
What is the balance when it comes to preparing for our birth, but also holding it all with an open hand, knowing that outside factors can contribute to our experience?
Sara West and her husband Andrew live on Florida's sunny Space Coast with their four children. Her passions include writing, singing, drawing, and crocheting, though she has a little less time for those things while starting her h
Ep 278: Intuition: When You Know Deeper Than Mere Logic
You’re either for something or you’re against it, right? Like, you either love ultrasounds or you don’t. Or you want testing done or you don’t….. Or… gasp, could there be more to it than right or wrong?
This week we’re speaking to Taylor Shaffer: a wife, mother of two beautiful girls, holistic doula and online educator. She is passionate about nourishment, holistic living and taking radical res
Ep 277: An Unexpected Medical Diagnosis Mid-Pregnancy
A shocking medical diagnosis is never easy to grapple with– but what happens when it comes in the middle of your pregnancy?
This week we’re speaking to Chloe, a wife and mother to two precious little boys. Chloe’s story will have you on the edge of your seat, but it will also instill a level of beauty beyond my ability to express in this little intro, so let’s not waste any time and jump right
Ep 276: A New Perspective on Birth: Labor Through Dad's Eyes
Dads- how does the idea of your wife giving birth make you feel? Does the idea immediately excite you, or does it put a level of fear on you– do you wonder how you can protect her and your baby? Do you feel out of control?
This week, all the way to episode 276, we are doing something new. We are hearing a homebirth story completely from the perspective of the father. Today we’re speaking to
Ep 275: From Midwife to Motherhood
When a midwife gives birth to her first baby, she’ll know exactly what to expect, right?
This week we’re speaking with Leigha Fairchild, a midwife who serves mamas and families in the Kansas City area. She became a midwife while living in the Philippines and serving at a low resource birth center for two and half years. Yet her even greater role is that of wife to her husband Cody, and mother to
Ep 274: Birth Can Bring You Full Circle
Is it really safe to have hopes and desires for your birth? What if you plan but things don’t unfold the way you’d wanted?
This week we’re speaking to Lindsey Fuller, a homemaker and former registered nurse living in Tampa, Florida. She is married to her husband John and they have 3 wonderful kids. She loves spending her days devoted to raising her children and supporting her husband in his
Ep 273: Marching to the Beat of Your Own Drum: Nuance in Midwifery Care
Have you ever found yourself clinging so tightly to something- only to realize that it wasn’t serving you the way you once thought it would?
Today we’re speaking with Carey Glenn, a Certified Professional Midwife who is keenly aware of the traps of dogma in all areas of the birthing world. Often times we’re so able to see what’s “wrong” in the hospital system, but do we ever stop and look at ou
Ep 272: When Ultimate Surrender Leads to Ultimate Redemption
How would you feel if everyone around you, including the medical staff you’ve met with, says you shouldn’t have another baby– but you and your spouse suddenly feel very strongly that you’re being called to…. Have another baby? What would you do?
This week we’re speaking to Jess, a mother who had to make this difficult sounding decision. Should we grow our family in the face of adversity? You
Ep 271: Giving Birth in a Midwife Desert
Let’s say you want a midwife. You’re desperate to give birth at home, and you’re ready to throw your money at the woman willing to attend your birth. What happens when you can’t find anyone to come?
This week we’re speaking with Caroline and Alex, who are the parents of a beautiful family of 4 little ones (now growing #5). This episode was recorded in November or December of 2023, I believe
Ep 270: First Time Homebirther and Hospice Nurse Shares Paralles of Welcoming Life and Concluding It
We love talking about homebirth here, right? I mean, it’s kind of our thing. But what about the other end of the life spectrum. What about death?
This week, we are speaking with Mariah Lassiter, a a Hospice Registered Nurse who had her first baby at home.. As she has supported patients in her career, Mariah has begun to recognize how many similarities there are in the birthing and dying pr
Ep 269: A (Re)Introduction: My Story and What’s Next with Happy Homebirth
In this episode we'll discuss
My origin story
How Happy Homebirth was created
Why I stepped back from the podcast and business in Jan 24
Why we're back, and most importantly, where we are going!
Links
Jamie Winship 4 Part Series (Part 1): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jamie-donna-winship-podcast/id1845880674?i=1000741926271
Bob Hamp Freedom Series
Imagine Heaven Book
FREE Peace
Ep 268: Emotional and Physical Healing From a Hospital Transport, and a Healing Second Birth with Michelle Varela
When things go unexpectedly during your first birth, how do you plan for a second birth with the hope and expectation that they'll go better?
This week, we are speaking with Michelle Varela. Michelle is one of those rare and amazing women who knew that she wanted to give birth at home from a very young age. So when her first birth took an unexpected turn, it was confusing and disappointing, and
