Arrivals: A Birth Story Podcast
Arrivals: A Birth Story Podcast celebrates the unique and powerful experience of childbirth. Host Merelise Wilson shares diverse birth stories that highlight the joy, strength, and humor of bringing new life into the world. The podcast aims to counter the often fear-based portrayal of birth by showcasing its many positive and empowering aspects. Each episode honors the individuality of every birth story, from natural to surgical, and everything in between.
Episodes
Replay: A successful VBAC, an Aussie birth perspective, obstructed labor & episiotomy complications
This week, Merelise is joined by her friend, fellow podcast host and Australian “twin”, Clare Hambridge. Clare shares the birth stories of her son and daughter and in particular, how her experience as an emergency nurse really colored her perspective on pregnancy and birth. During Clare’s first birth she experienced cervical swelling likely due to her baby being in a “stargazer” position. This swe
A midwife doula, a C-section, the UK midwifery model of care, and protecting birthing women
In this episode, Merelise is joined by Charmaine McNeil, a UK-trained midwife and doula, now practicing in the US.Charmaine shares her daughter’s C-section birth story before pivoting to insights on birth practices, healthcare systems, and the importance of informed choices in maternity care. She discusses her unique background, the differences between UK and US maternity care, and the critical ro
A birth center birth, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a retroverted uterus, and a bifurcated placenta
Trigger warning: this episode contains brief discussion of pregnancy loss. This week, Merelise is joined by her friend Dr. Charlie Watts, mom, doula and pelvic floor occupational therapist. They discuss Charlie’s winding path to birth work and how the experience of birthing her son has changed both her doula and occupational floor practice. Charlie talks Merelise through her difficult pregnancy, w
A great induction, becoming a mom at 40, polyhydramnios, and a 99th percentile baby
This week, Merelise is joined by mom, entrepreneur, writer, speaker and wellness expert, Chinae Alexander. Chinae walks Merelise through her planned induction at 36 weeks due to the size of her baby, and the breezy birth that followed. They also discuss the importance of not settling, becoming a mom at 40, the benefits of acupuncture, psychic predictions of twins, coming to terms with not enjoying
The Positive Birth Movement, a 10 pound baby born at home, water births, and the matriflux
Merelise is joined this week by Milli Hill, mother, author and founder of The Positive Birth Movement. Milli shares how her birth experiences were inextricably woven with her journey towards founding the Positive Birth Movement and becoming a celebrated author. She explains that after she was induced and her first child was born via forceps and with an episiotomy in hospital, she decided to have h
Two hospital births, welcoming the unknown, escaping the Woolsey fire postpartum, and accepting help
This week, Merelise is joined by her friend, photographer and director, Kathryn Brolin. Kathryn reflects on her experience giving birth to her two girls and all of the imperfect but beautiful moments of motherhood. Both of Kathryn’s girls were born in a hospital, one in LA and one in Atlanta. She highlights the amazing care she received from both of her OBGYNs and how during both of her labors, sh
Unmedicated hospital birth, grief during pregnancy, firing a doula, and the fetal ejection reflex
In this week’s episode, Merelise invites her husband, Chris Wilson, back into the spotlight to share their experiences surrounding the birth of their second son, Ford, who was born in a low-intervention hospital setting, with no epidural. The conversation unfolds with warmth, humor, and poignancy as they reflect on the unique journey of parenthood and the bittersweet aspect of new beginnings being
Positive breech vaginal hospital delivery, true surrender, bonding struggles, and the “midwife OB”
This week, Merelise is joined by Ellie, who shares the story of her successful breech, vaginal delivery in a hospital. Ellie walks Merelise through the shock of finding out her baby was breech at 36 weeks, her attempts to flip her - including an unsuccessful ECV - and ultimately, her decision to transfer to the only OBGYN in Atlanta who will deliver breech babies in a hospital. She shares the mome
A breech VBAC, autism, surrogacy, home birth, spirit babies, and a magical medium mama
Trigger Warning - this episode includes discussion on pregnancy loss. Buckle up, listeners, you’re in for a packed episode! In this episode, Merelise is joined by spiritual doula, surrogate, medium, and mom of six Devyn Goss. They cover all six of her birth experiences, which range from a hospital birth with an epidural, to a C-section, to a home birth VBAC. Devyn talks about raising three autist
PCOS, false alarms, COVID babies, and three hospital births
Merelise is joined this week by her friend, Melanie Green, who shares her three birth stories. Melanie walks Merelise through her three births, which all took place in a hospital, and how ongoing back pain related to her epidural in her first birth led to her seeking a different birth experience in subsequent pregnancies. While she ended up getting an epidural during all three of her labors, she h
A home birth VBAC, a midwife mama, community birth, and opening a birth center
This week, Merelise is joined by mom, grandma, midwife, doula, lactation consultant, and co founder/owner of Kindred Space Birthing Center. A mom of six and an infinite well of birth wisdom, Kimberly walks Merelise through each of her birth stories, ranging from a C section (her first child) to a home birth VBAC. She explains how her first experience with birth led to her desire to have physiologi
Part II: A dreamy home birth, an AirBnB birth, Isoimmunization, and posterior baby challenges
In the conclusion of this two-part episode, Merelise is joined by mom, actress, podcast host and founder, Teresa Palmer, who shares her fourth and fifth birth stories. Teresa recounts her surprisingly difficult fourth birth at home and what she learned from it. They discuss Teresa's favorite labor coping mechanisms, including one unexpected but very effective tool. Teresa also shares that, due to
Part I: A home birth transfer, a 72 hour labor, breath work, and birthing with your sisterhood
In Part I of a two part series, Merelise Wilson sits down with mother, actress, podcast host and founder, Teresa Palmer, for a powerful conversation about birth, motherhood, and the lessons that come from trusting your intuition. Teresa shares the stories of her first three births, from her first challenging, three-day-long home birth transfer to the beautifully redemptive second and third birth c
Vaginal twin delivery, four under three, an unexpected C-section, and an OBGYN mom
Join Merelise as she interviews her friend Jessica O'Connor, an OB specializing in fertility, to explore her journey through a twin pregnancy, two subsequent singleton births, and balancing a medical career with motherhood. Jessica’s motherhood journey started out with a bang when she found out she was pregnant with twins during her reproductive endocrinology fellowship. She decided early on she w
Replay: An ideal vaginal birth with a singleton, followed by a C-section birth with twins
Join Merelise and her guest, Karen Robbins, who shares the birth stories of her three girls, one singleton and one set of twins. They discuss Karen’s first birth, a vaginal delivery and what she described as an ideal birth, and then her second birth, which was a planned C-section with her twins, and the difficult recovery that followed. They also chat about what it’s like having a spouse in the me
Positive birth, a fourth degree tear, epidural limbo, surprise genders, and advocating for your body
This week, Merelise is joined by her friend, Whitney Byerly, who shares her three beautiful birth stories. They also chat about drive through pregnancy appointments during COVID, placenta encapsulation, epidural limbo, and savoring those few, truly life changing moments we’re given. Whitney’s first birth was a vaginal delivery in a hospital with no epidural. And while she felt at the time that it
The dance of labor, separation trauma, hypnobirthing and the beauty of a postpartum doula
This week, Merelise is joined by mom, actress and postpartum doula, Sarah Morris Brower. Sarah opens up about postpartum healing, the vital role of postpartum doulas, and how birth trauma can linger even in seemingly healthy deliveries.Sarah’s first birth was unmedicated, in hospital, but her son ended up spending time in the NICU due to meconium aspiration. From the shock of an unexpected NICU st
Soft birth, prenatal depression, and revolutionizing maternal health care
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses pregnancy loss. In this week’s episode, Nicole Connell, mama and founder of Mère, shares her raw journey through challenging pregnancies, prenatal depression, pregnancy loss and unplanned pregnancy, all while building a revolutionary healthcare platform designed specifically for moms at every chapter of their motherhood story. They also discuss the intense t
11 pound babies, shoulder dystocia, cervical swelling, trusting your body, and joyful birth
Trigger warning: this episode discusses pregnancy loss. This week, Merelise is joined by mom, actress, podcast host, author and so much more, Sarah Wright Olsen. Sarah reflects on her four kids’ birth stories, the transformative power of birth, surrendering, delivering big babies, grieving while pregnant, mourning pregnancy loss, and so much more. They discuss the importance of addressing fears an
Two hospital births, a home birth, PROM, becoming a doula and the importance of choosing a care team
Merelise is joined this week by Ann Morris, a mama, doula and childbirth educator. Ann shares her three birth stories, which include two unmedicated hospital births and one home birth.Ann’s stories are all wildly different - between the three, she experienced an ambulance ride, a calm home birth, pre-rupturing of the membranes (PROM), a surprise gender mix up, an almost car-birth, and a last minut
Replay: An emergency C-section, a miraculous birth, maternal mental health, and naming babies
This week, Merelise is joined by model and mom, Baskin Champion McFarland, who shares the miraculous story of her son’s birth via emergency C-section.Baskin talks about the life-changing moment she decided to trust her intuition and go to the hospital when she felt like her baby had stopped moving in utero, the extremely fast decision to perform an emergency C-section (her husband almost didn’t ma
A breech baby, a crash C-section, fourth trimester guilt, and finding your village
Merelise is joined this week by Shannon Howell for a conversation on all "the things they don't tell you" about birth, seasons of life, fourth trimester guilt, and so much more. Shannon’s first birth story began unexpectedly when she went into labor at 35 weeks while staying at an Airbnb as her husband was out with friends. After the initial disbelief that her water had actually broken that early
Navigating deep grief with a newborn, a 52 hour induction, and finding love again after loss
This episode is a candid, deeply emotional look into the realities of motherhood, trauma, and hope. Listener discretion advised for sensitive content involving grief and loss of a spouse. In this episode of the Arrivals podcast, Merelise is joined by Julie Moran, aka Spilled Milk Mamma, who shares her perspective on the profound experiences of birth, motherhood and unthinkable loss. Julie tells Me
Two birth center births, precipitous labor, and optimizing your birth experience
This week, Merelise is joined by Kait Swafford, who shares her two amazing birth experiences at the Atlanta Birth Center. From the moment she became pregnant with her first, Kait knew she wanted a low intervention birth outside of a traditional hospital environment. When she heard about the option of the Atlanta Birth Center, she felt like it was the perfect “in between” solution for someone who w
A bicornuate uterus, uterine irritability, and navigating pregnancy after fetal loss
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of fetal loss and miscarriage. Merelise’s guest this week is Carolyn Donaldson, who shares her experience with a rare condition called a bicornuate uterus. In this heartbreaking but also hope-filled episode, Merelise and Carolyn dive deep into pregnancy trauma, loss, and PTSD, but also the incredible ability of a mother’s heart to heal and hold ont
A successful VBAC, an Aussie birth perspective, obstructed labor, and episiotomy complications
This week, Merelise is joined by her friend, fellow podcast host and Australian “twin”, Clare Hambridge. Clare shares the birth stories of her son and daughter and in particular, how her experience as an emergency nurse really colored her perspective on pregnancy and birth. During Clare’s first birth she experienced cervical swelling likely due to her baby being in a “stargazer” position. This swe
Finding purpose after tragedy and the fight to end the maternal mortality crisis
This week’s episode is a heavy one. But this podcast was created to be a space for every type of birth story: the miraculous, the devastating, and everything in between.Merelise is joined by the indelible Charles Johnson, dad of two and CEO of 4Kira4Moms. Charles shares with me the beautiful birth stories of his two sons, as well as the tragic story of how his late wife, Kira, lost her life after
Replay: Gestational diabetes, precipitous labor and the power of saying no
Join Merelise and her guest, Alexi, this week, as they discuss Alexi’s three vaginal births in the hospital. This episode has it all - one birth with an epidural and two without, two known genders and one surprise, two babies with gestational diabetes and one without…the list goes on and on for Alexi’s three very different births! They also discuss the choice to decline medical advice when you fee
NICU life with triplets, appreciating your scars, PTSD, and supporting friends in hard times
Join Merelise and triplet mom, Mindy Zeh, for Part II of their conversation. Make sure to listen to the end for a special guest (x3) appearance!Part I ended with the triplets being born via C-section after Mindy was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. In Part II, they pick up with Mindy describing the ins and outs of what daily life looked like with multiple babies in the NICU. Mindy talks about the un
Triplets, HELLP Syndrome, framily, and controlling the control-ables
Join Merelise and her dear friend and triplet mom, Mindy Zeh, for Part I of their conversation where they discuss navigating pregnancy with multiples and all the excitement, curiosity, and challenges that come with it. Mindy shares every step of her journey as a mom, from the shock of finding out she was pregnant, to the bigger shock of learning it was triplets, to delivering three healthy babies
Low intervention hospital birth, the power of pelvic floor PT & the importance of birth “prehab”
Merelise is joined this week by Dr. Amy Meehan, who is a mom, entrepreneur and physical therapist specializing in women’s health, with an emphasis on pelvic floor conditions and orthopedic care. Amy shares her three very different birth experiences and how each has taught her something unique. Her first birth and postpartum experience was marked by uncertainty and a lack of support. That experienc
A birth center transfer, epic back labor, epidural failure, boundaries, and trusting your gut
This week Merelise is joined by her friend and Clover by CLOVE + HALLOW founder and CEO, Sarah Biggers Stewart.Sarah really wanted a low intervention birth experience with her first, so she planned a birth center birth, but ultimately ended up with a transfer to hospital due to meconium being present in her waters. After hours and hours of extremely painful back labor, Sarah decided to get an epid
Two hospital births, a wonderful induction, and a healing birth experience
Trigger Warning: This episode discusses pregnancy loss. Merelise is joined this week by founder + owner of Sculpthouse fitness studio, Katherine Mason Beasley. In this episode, Katherine tells the stories of her two daughters’ pregnancies and births, and the unique health challenges that came with each. During her first pregnancy, Katherine admittedly didn’t want to know much about birth. After go
Three home births, painless birth, the mind-body connection, and chiropractic care in pregnancy
This week, Merelise is joined by chiropractor and mama, Dr. Rachel Stockwell, who shares the incredible stories of her three, beautiful water births at home.Rachel is a second generation chiropractor who grew up ingrained in the birth community and knew from a young age that she would always want to give birth to her own children at home. During her third home birth, Rachel experienced a rare occu
A due-date baby, raising good humans, working mom struggles, and the myth of having it all
This week, Merelise is joined by her friend and former colleague, Kiersten Saunders of rich and REGULAR. Kiersten shares the birth story of her son, Beau, one of the elite group of babies born on their due date! Beau’s birth started with Kiersten’s water breaking, after which they immediately went to the hospital just to hurry up and wait, when Kiersten’s contractions didn’t start for a while. Aft
An emergency C-section, a miraculous birth, maternal mental health, and naming babies
This week, Merelise is joined by model and mom, Baskin Champion McFarland, who shares the miraculous story of her son’s birth via emergency C-section. Baskin talks about the life-changing moment she decided to trust her intuition and go to the hospital when she felt like her baby had stopped moving in utero, the extremely fast decision to perform an emergency C-section (her husband almost didn’t m
A surprise unmedicated birth, breech release options, signs, and surrendering to the process
Join Merelise and her guest, Meg, as they delve into Meg’s two vaginal birth experiences, with an extra special guest appearance from Aubrey, Meg’s 10 week old daughter!Meg, who is a professional equestrian, did a lot of preparation for her first birth, from hiring a doula, to pelvic floor physical therapy, to yoga, in the hope of having an unmediated vaginal birth and being able to get back to ri
An unplanned C-section, C-section guilt, and celebrating the positives of a planned C-Section
This week, Merelise is joined by her friend, Davis, who shares the stories of her two sons' births. Her first son was born via unplanned C-section after Davis stopped dilating and actually started un-dilating at 3 cm. She talks about how she knew very little about C-sections before she had one and the complex feelings she had after hers, including some guilt. When she got pregnant the second time,
An unplanned, solo, home birth and finding the beauty in every type of birth experience
Join Merelise and her guest, Alison, who shares her two VERY different birth experiences. In this moving episode, Alison details what happens when the best laid plans go out the window and mother nature takes over. Her first birth was a straightforward, vaginal birth with an epidural at 40+3 weeks and her second was a surprise, precipitous home birth at 38 weeks, while Alison was home alone. She d
Two C-sections in the eighties, the importance of a postpartum doula and changing birth trends
This week, postpartum doula, Penny Gilchrist, joins Merelise to not only tell her two birth stories, but to talk about the importance of the postpartum doula role, how birth and postpartum trends have changed in her 27 years as a doula, what she recommends all new moms do, and so much more. They reflect on their experiences with post-partum depression, why it’s hard for new moms to ask for help, a
A redemptive home birth after three hospital births, a surprise pregnancy, and taking back control
This week, Merelise is joined by Jessica, who shares her four birth experiences. Jessica’s first three birth experiences in a hospital left much to be desired, and so for her fourth, she decided to plan a home birth. Jessica talks about how she felt a lack of control for different reasons during each of her hospital births, whether it was an epidural that left her feeling unable to connect with he
Ectopic pregnancy, high-risk pregnancy characterized by preeclampsia, and a C-section preemie
In this episode, Merelise and her guest, Leah, dive deep into the world of preeclampsia and high risk pregnancy. Leah’s journey to motherhood was complex and scary at times, starting with an ectopic pregnancy in 2024, then a high-risk pregnancy later in the same year, during which she was ultimately diagnosed with preeclampsia and admitted to the hospital at 33 weeks. But Leah’s trials didn’t end
A successful induction, two very different labors, and an enema PSA
Just like during birth, all modesty is out the window in this episode! Join Merelise and her sister-in-law, Abby, as they reminisce on the birth of Abby’s two children, who are now fourteen and twelve. Abby had a successful induction with her first and then went into labor naturally with her second, and both were born vaginally in a hospital but were very different experiences. They talk about wat
Gestational diabetes, precipitous labor and the power of saying no
Join Merelise and her guest, Alexi, this week as they discuss Alexi’s three vaginal births in the hospital. This episode has it all - one birth with an epidural and two without, two known genders and one surprise, two babies with gestational diabetes and one without…the list goes on and on for Alexi’s three very different births! They also discuss the choice to decline medical advice when you feel
Low platelet count, preeclampsia, laboring down and advocating for your pain management
Join Merelise and her guest, Courtney, as they discuss Courtney's first birth, which started with a Foley bulb + Cytotec induction. Her birth story has quite a few twists and turns, chiefly driven by her low platelet count and late preeclampsia diagnosis, and culminating in her hemorrhaging post-birth. Even after not a few complications, Courtney considers her birth experience a positive one - tal
Three straightforward, vaginal births in hospital, surprise genders, and big baby fears
Join Merelise and her guest, Heather, who shares the birth stories of her three boys, all born vaginally in uncomplicated, peaceful, hospital births. If these two sound like old friends, it's because they are! They talk about their shared love of birth stories and keeping their babies' genders a surprise until birth, giving birth in the COVID era, big baby fears, prodromal labor, the perfect hint
An ideal vaginal birth with a singleton, followed by a C-section birth with twins
Join Merelise and her guest, Karen, who shares the birth stories of her three girls, one singleton and one set of twins. They discuss Karen’s first birth, a vaginal delivery and what she described as an ideal birth, and then her second birth, which was a planned C-section with her twins, and the difficult recovery that followed. They also chat about what it’s like having a spouse in the medical fi
Positive birth, a hospital birth without an epidural, and a doula husband
Join Merelise in the debut episode of Arrivals! She discusses her path to choosing an unmedicated hospital birth, going past her due date, induction fears, laboring without pain medication and ultimately welcoming her first son in the world. Special guest, Chris Wilson, joins the first episode to give his perspective as the partner of the birthing person.Want to be a guest on Arrivals? Contact Mer
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