Happy Homebirth

• 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 medical practice.     Episode Roundup Reject the naysayers.  Prepare fully for the birth you desire.  Don’t fall into the trap of fearing “failure” so much that you don’t commit to preparation.  Of course birth can go a million different ways, but when you do what you can on your end to prepare, you’ll be served and more ready for however it all unfolds.  Surrender your birth.  Once you’ve prepared, it’s time to surrender.  The beautiful gift of birth is that no matter what, it can be a teacher. It can provide you with the most valuable lessons.  It’s so much less about the specific events that happen to you and so much more about how you are able to process and integrate those events into your motherhood experience. And finally, I just want to emphasize something that happened to Lindsey.  In her most recent birth, she experienced a pivotal moment.  She realized that she was holding onto control in areas that she’d never noticed before.  Not only in birth, but in life.  This birth– this very moment in birth, gave her an opportunity to break down an entire stronghold in her life– it allowed her to rewire a part of her brain.  This, my friends is the beauty that is held in the birthing process.  This is what I mean when I say that yes, homebirth is great, but it’s not the whole story.  Homebirth is the car that can drive you to a destination of new revelation, just like it did with Lindsey. Links: Samaritan Ministries Happy Homebirth Academy Interview Application Youtube Link  

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• 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 our own choices and question why we’re making the decisions that we’re making?   This episode is such a delightful conversation for both mothers and midwives, and I know that you’re going to gain beautiful insight on what it’s like to walk a balanced path– whatever that looks like for you.     Episode Roundup: I love Carey’s well-rounded approach.  In the years that I’ve been involved in birth, I’ve certainly seen strong, dogmatic camps.  You HAVE to give birth in the hospital- it’s the only way!  You HAVE to have a nurse midwife, it’s the only way!  You HAVE to have a freebirth– it’s the only way!  My friends, let’s make space for nuance.  When we cling to  ideology instead of intuition, it’s easy to become confused and honestly, manipulated.   Next, the importance of care providers choosing to heal.  This is huge.  Midwives, are you processing your trauma?  Do you feel that you have the resources to do so?  Seek support.  Seek community.  Please do not isolate yourself– this work is heavy, but beautiful.  Finding healing can help you prevent burnout and allow you to care for your clients as fresh individuals without carrying in the baggage of previous experiences along with your midwifery bag into the birthing space. Finally, you’ve got to check out Carey’s drumming tracks.  They are so beautiful, so enjoyable, and so likely what I’ll be listening to the next time I give birth.   Rooted Birth Rhythms by Sacred Heart Beats: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1K898fhwDdVUj2oEqSouME?si=XJZSdO32T0iB2S0zCfaCFw   Links: Samaritan Ministries Happy Homebirth Academy Interview Application Youtube Link

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• 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’re going to love this story, I just know it.   Episode Roundup: So if you listened to my re-introduction story, you’ll notice that the exact same themes that I spoke about– About hearing God’s voice and leaning into what he’s saying even when it sounds, frankly, illogical– were present here in Jess’s story.  She and her husband Grant both felt and overwhelming peace and need to have their third child, despite their well-meaning community’s pleas for them to reconsider.  I find so much comfort in this ability to hear something clearly coming from somewhere outside of yourself, and to put your faith in what you are sensing.  This is so deeply connected to intuition.  Mothers KNOW what to do– whether that’s the intuitive knowledge that everything is okay and they’re doing exactly what they need to be doing even when the situation looks questionable, OR when things seem fine, but a mother knows something is not fine and needs more attention.  What a beautiful gift. Next, let’s talk about the healing power of birth– Birth can bring healing beyond just yourself or your spouse.  In this story, we hear how Jess’s third birth acted as a soothing balm to their oldest daughter, Willow, who had experienced such pain during the traumatic hospital stay and birth of her baby brother.   And that point brings me to my last point.  We were designed to heal.  We were designed to heal both physically, and emotionally.  How beautiful is it to hear this story– were Jess’s body, which was spoken over so negatively– that it wouldn’t be able to have a healthy pregnancy and birth again, that it was incapable of the pregnancy and labor processes— it healed and it experienced new life.  Along with physical healing, Jess and her entire family experienced emotional and spiritual healing.  How amazing that we have been designed with so many opportunities to grow, to rewire, to renew our thoughts.  This family did just that, and what a joy it was to listen to how it unfolded.    Links: Samaritan Ministries Happy Homebirth Academy Interview Application Youtube Link

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• 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, but it never got a chance to air because of my sense that it was immediately time to close the podcast.  BUT… this story is just so good, you have to hear it.  With the updates we’ve made to the podcast and our desire to focus more on one story per interview, this episode has been edited to focus on their most recent pregnancy and birth.    Episode Roundup:   I want to take a moment to emphasize just how difficult it must have felt for Caroline and Alex to so desperately want a midwife and a homebirth, and yet to not be able to find anyone to provide care.  The reality is that there are large pockets of area throughout the country and, gosh, certainly globally, where there is lack of maternal care.  You don’t have 1,000 options. You’ve barely got any options.  I love the way that this couple chose to face this situation with a sense of openness and trust.  Caroline sensed that the Lord was calling them into giving birth unattended, and she trusted.  And what’s more, the Lord worked it out to where Alex was able to be comfortable and confident, too.  This  I also appreciate how this was not taken lightly.  There was preparation, mentally, spiritually, and in Alex’s case, even physically.  He was able to receive hands on training from their former midwife! What a gift. I want to touch on pain and the desire to have a pain-free birth.  Listen, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that desire! I love it, and I know that it’s so possible!! But I also think there is so much beauty and strength that comes from having a birth that’s challenging.  That’s not pain-free.  That’s intense and animalistic.  Motherhood is intense.  Motherhood is challenging.  Motherhood causes you to be in it for the long haul, even when you’re exhausted.  Which brings me to my final little point– Caroline mentioned how Alex saying “it’s so cute” was like her little cup of water in the marathon- the bit of hydration she needed to make it to the finish line.  How special are those moments– those moments we make with our spouse or our birth team– those intimate little sayings, touches, glances, that give us the strength we need when we needed it.  What a blessing.  And what a blessing this story was.     Links Happy Homebirth Academy Youtube Link

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• 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 processes, and how both do not have to be viewed as scary, and in fact can be beautiful.  We’ll hear her incredible birth story with her first child, and then dive into what she’s learned in her time as a hospice nurse.   Episode roundup Let’s start by connecting with our educational tidbit: Not all first births are long!  If you’re experiencing the intensity that Mariah described, do not be afraid to reach out to your midwife.  Part of her job is checking on you, so don’t worry about “calling her too early.” If you’re worried, her support can be extremely helpful. Intuition is everything.  Mariah felt that she needed to give birth at home throughout her pregnancy, and with the quickness of her birth, the reality of that truth became very clear.  Listen to your intuition.  If you feel like you don’t have intuition or don’t know how to tap into it, pregnancy is the most perfect time to tap in.  Turn off your phone, turn off your screens, heck, turn off this podcast and focus inward.  You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn and feel. Finally, our bodies know how to be born, they know how to give birth, and they know how to die.  It’s really quite freeing to see the similarities in these experiences, and to trust that they were created this way with purpose.  If you’re looking for an amazing, grounding, life-altering perspective on dying, I cannot recommend the book Imagine Heaven enough.  Wow.  I read this book on Near Death Experiences last year, and the amount of peace and beauty that it brought to my life was just incredible and unexpected.  You are beautifully designed and deeply loved.   Links Samaritan Ministries Imagine Heaven Book Happy Homebirth Academy Youtube Link  

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