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Tag: homebirth

After Five Out of Hospital Births, Blythe Fike Decides it’s Time for an Epidural

Posted on December 8, 2017 - 4:00 am by

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Blythe Fike Shares Her Sixth Birth Story – The Epidural Birth

Y’all, I’m not gonna lie, this episode strays a bit from what you are typically hearing on The Birth Hour, but it was actually one of my favorite episodes to record. Blythe Fike is a mom of 6 and wife of 1 living in Southern California. After 5 unmedicated, out of hospital births, she went rogue for number 6 and headed to the hospital… on purpose. She loves talking all kinds of birth and you can find her sometimes doing that at thefikelife.com.

Blythe’s episode is pretty light hearted and will definitely make you laugh but I also think it’s so valuable in that she wasn’t afraid to trust her gut and go for the type of birth she wanted even though she had done things very differently the first FIVE times! I love how Blythe and her husband tease each other about how funny the hospital birth experience is after having so many homebirths. These two obviously really know each other on all sorts of levels and make an awesome birthing team.

Resource Links

The Bradley Method

Spiritual Midwifery – Ina May Gaskin

The Business of Being Born

Born Before Arrival Birth Story

Posted on May 26, 2016 - 4:00 am by

This episode of The Birth Hour features Nicolette Gawthrop who was on the podcast previously sharing her first birth story. You can listen to that birth story and read her bio here, you can connect with her on Instagram @ozarkmamadeer. Nicolette just had her third birth, another planned homebirth which was rather fast with baby Maribell arriving before Nico’s midwives arrived. They arrived shortly after and were there for the afterbirth care. In a lovely Instagram post after her birth, Nicolette talks a bit about how important midwifery care is and was to her even though in the actual moment of birth it was just her and her husband.

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

“I hope that in sharing the fact that my husband caught our baby in our bathtub before the midwives arrived doesn’t read as if that’s all there was to it. I saw a midwife and an advanced nurse midwife throughout my pregnancy. I had risk assessments and all of the blood pressure checks, urinalysis, glucose/iron testing, palpation and measuring that you get in the medical world along the way. This was my third home birth and I still took all the child birth classes and learned a lot.

unassisted birth

I did work with healers and yoga teachers that helped me get in a good headspace, and my baby to rotate into a good position when she was presenting posterior at 37 weeks. There was a lot of care and we definitely did not intend to be alone when the baby was born, although we were calm and I was never afraid or worried. All of this to say that I never want to misrepresent myself and perhaps using the term “unassisted” at any point was not the best word usage.

midwifery homebirth

We were alone when the baby came out but that’s not something I’d advocate for because I believe in the sacred practice of midwifery and the model of care, and I believe in birth workers and I believe in Mothers and Fathers being prepared and educated and being supported in welcoming their babes. I believe in undisturbed natural childbirth, but I just wanted to make clear that what you’ve seen here was very much assisted, overall. I’m definitely proud and grateful for how the birth of Maribell went- it was a truly magical experience but I know enough to know that we definitely needed everyone who was on their way!”ozarkmamadeer birth

This episode is sponsored by Earth Mama Angel Baby and at the end of the episode, Nicolette talks about some of her favorite EMAB products which include:

Earth Mama Stretch Oil

Earth Mama Bottom Balm

Earth Mama Bottom Spray

Earth Mama Lip Balms – coconut, lavender and mint

Angel Baby Natural Non-Scents Baby Lotion

Earth Mama Herbal Teas

ozark mama deer birth story

Joni Edelman’s Homebirth Transfer Birth Story

Posted on May 3, 2016 - 4:00 am by

Today’s guest is Joni Edelman who shares the story of her most recent birth which was a planned homebirth that ended in a hospital transfer. She talks not only about the labor and birth but about the emotions behind not having the birth that she had dreamed of. She recently wrote an article titled My Labor And Birth Didn’t Go As Planned — And No, I’m Not ‘Over’ It  and received quite a bit of backlash for it.

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

joni edelman homebirth
I know from my own experiences as well as the hundreds of birth stories I’ve heard that there are many women who can relate to the sentiment of Joni’s article. Often women who are dealing with birth trauma are told that having a healthy baby is all that matters but research and antidotal evidence has shown that birth matters. It’s important for stories like Joni’s to be heard so women hear that it’s OK to mourn the loss of the birth they had hoped for while still being grateful for their healthy baby.joni-edelman-ravishly

Joni Edelman in a nutshell!

joni edelman

Body-positive intersectional feminist. BP Type II. Diet industry dropout. Wife. Mom of 5. Bibliophile. Cake aficionado. Editor In Chief @ Ravishly. Types 17 WPM. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Support the podcast by purchasing our first product – it’s an awesome high quality bag and comes filled with over $80 in fantastic products! Proceeds from each tote sold will also go towards supporting maternal health worldwide through a donation to Every Mother Counts. Christy Turlington Burns will be on the podcast on Thursday to talk about this organization that she founded.


Hypnobirthing and Homebirth

Posted on April 5, 2016 - 9:00 am by

Kayley Vise’s Birth Story

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

Kayley Vise is from the Central Florida area. She is 25 years old and helps people with taxes for a living. Her passion for all things birth started with her best friend, when she she had the opportunity to attend her homebirth about 2 1/2 years ago. Kayley feels that her real calling for life is to be active in the birthing world. She loved her pregnancy and birth and thinks of it often. She utilized hypnobirthing, and it worked wonderfully for her so she encourages women all around her to use it and to know they are powerful.

Kayley recommends Hypnobirthing, chiropractors, and Ina May Gaskin!

Hypnobirthing and Other Resources

Hypnobirthing

The Business of Being Born

Yoga Ball

Ina May Gaskin’s TEDxSacramento Talk

A Canadian Homebirth Birth Story

Posted on March 29, 2016 - 9:00 am by

Natasha Grey’s Birth Story

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

Canadian, Natasha has her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Psychology with an expertise in Child and Family Therapy. She has made the conscious decision, however, to transition her work from treatment of illness to prevention of illness. Natasha now focuses her time and energy on wellbeing and wholeness which includes the mind, body and spirit connection; everything from the foods we put into our bodies, to how we move our bodies to how connected we are to something greater than ourselves. Natasha is the author of the children’s book ‘Everyday Superheroes’ which is designed to inspire young children to recognize their inner hero.

She seeks everyday to learn something new; something that serves herself and the world at large. She has a passion for life and all that can become of it. She is a believer in the human potential and the uniqueness that we all have within us.

Natasha holds a deep belief that nature designed women to birth babies naturally and so with this belief, she trusted her body and baby to do what was natural so she gave birth to naturally and comfortably to a baby boy two years ago in their home in Canada. Natasha empowers, educates and inspires women everywhere to also take hold of their powerful abilities to birth the way they choose, which is a women’s natural ability!

You can find Natasha on her podcast website Casey + Natasha, and connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

Resource Links

Hypnobirthing

Positive Birth Groups

The Business of Being Born

Orgasmic Birth: The Best Kept Secret

Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience

“Jen Loves Kev” Shares Her Birth Stories

Posted on March 17, 2016 - 9:00 am by

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

The Mama Behind Jen Loves Kev

Today’s birth story guest is Jen Lula who is a mama to two girls and one newborn baby boy living in the Northeast where she runs a blog called Jen Loves Kev sharing everything that she’s passionate about; she’s an adventure seeking, art loving, fashion obsessed, stay at home mom. You can connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Rowan’s Birth Story

Jen’s first daughter, Rowan was born at a birth center within a hospital and came nine days after Jen’s due date. and was a wonderfully empowering experience. She arrived pretty quick for a first child and Jen felt empowered by the experience birthing with midwives.

Finley’s Birth Story

After such an amazing first birth experience, the only thing that Jen wanted to do differently was to birth at home so when she became pregnant with her second daughter, Finley, Jen and Kev planned a homebirth. When discussing this birth, Jen talks about the speed at which Finley came, leaving her feeling defeated and lacking that sense of empowerment that she experienced with her first birth. I love how open Jen is about this as many women assume that just because you have a fast birth you are thrilled. Sometimes having a fast birth just means that all of the work is crammed into a shorter period of time making it all the more intense. I actually had discussed the same thing in my birth story with my second baby.

Orion’s Birth Story

Jen’s most recent birth with her son, Orion was also a homebirth and she spent a lot of time preparing for it and setting up a beautiful birthing space in her home with lots of natural light and all of the things that make her feel comfortable. Orion came very quickly as well and his big sisters were waiting in the wings, making him cupcakes, ready to meet him as soon as he arrived.

The Instagram image from @foxmeetsbear that we talked about can be seen here.

Giving Birth at Home in Australia

Posted on February 23, 2016 - 10:00 am by 1

Planning a Homebirth in Australia

In this episode Cassandra Casillas-Smith tells the her birth story of having a homebirth in Australia. She describes the midwifery model of care and her experience as an expat in Australia of planning for and going into labor and ultimately giving birth at home. If you want to hear another set of birth stories that took place in Australia, listen to Shalome Doran’s episodes which also feature a homebirth in Australia and one of her experiences was even an orgasmic birth.

An Expat Preparing for Childbirth in Australia

Cassandra Casillas-Smith lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband Ben, baby girl Ruby and little pup Winston. She grew up in a small town outside Dallas, TX and went to college in Austin, TX. After college she joined the Peace Corps and received a placement in Mongolia. It was in Mongolia where she met her husband, Ben. He went to Mongolia with the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Programme and worked at the United Nations Development Programme.

After Mongolia they did some traveling and Cassandra returned to the Peace Corps to serve a 6 month placement in Suriname, South America. After Suriname she and Ben decided to move to Perth, Australia because that’s where the jobs were. They spent 2 lovely years in Western Australia before moving to Victoria so her husband could attend the Masters Programme at The University of Melbourne. Cassandra was 6 months pregnant when they packed up the car and their pup and drove across Australia from Perth to Melbourne in the heat of summer. Just to give you some perspective, that’s pretty much the equivalent of moving from California to Florida! They are now settled in Melbourne and Cassandra is officially an Australian Resident.

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

Birth Resources in Australia

Sarah Buckley – Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

Ten Moons Personal Midwifery Care
Prenatal Acupuncture

Hypnobirthing

http://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au
http://www.pathtobirth.com.au

The Big Stretch

Ina May’s Ted Talk

Hospital Birth, Homebirth, and Unassisted Birth turned C Section with Katie Vigos of Empowered Birth Project

Posted on February 18, 2016 - 3:11 pm by

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

Katie Vigos Birth Stories

Katie Vigos is a mom to three boys and wife to her husband of nine years. She shares her three birth stories: a hospital birth, homebirth, and her most recent birth which was a planned unassisted home birth that ended with an emergency c section.

Her first birth was in a hospital and was an unmedicated, vaginal birth without complications but she didn’t feel supported by the staff and felt pressured to get interventions she didn’t want. Determined to create a more positive and comfortable birth experience when she became pregnant again, she began researching homebirth options. After attending her sister’s homebirth witnessing firsthand the midwifery model of care, she knew it was the experience she needed.

In 2010, her second son was born into her arms at home. His birth was everything she hoped for – “a spiritual awakening, a sacred rite of passage, a rebirth as a stronger and more powerful woman.”

Empowered Birth Project

It was after his birth that Empowered Birth Project was born as the midwives left and her husband and newborn were asleep next to her. The oxytocin surged through her postpartum body, and she replayed the birth over and over in her mind. She immediately felt an overwhelming desire to share her birth experience with others, and wanted to help create a world where all women feel supported, empowered, and comfortable when giving birth.

The Unassisted Homebirth Plan

When she became pregnant with her third child in 2013, she planed an unassisted homebirth, meaning that she wouldn’t have the assistance of a trained medical professional. During her pregnancy, she and her husband immersed themselves deeply in preparation to give birth to their baby at home. She started sharing her journey on Instagram and making plans for a documentary film about the experience.

But things didn’t go as planned.

Katie’s due date came and went. As she approached 43 weeks, it was obvious that something was wrong. Her baby gave was in distress and in a dramatic turn of events, her son was born by emergency C section.

Katie felt broken and defeated as her vision of empowerment through birth had failed. But, as she shared the process of postpartum recovery online, she began to heal from the trauma of her birth and realized that so many other women had been where she was and longed for support through their journey.

Powerful and Sacred Birth Stories with Elise Kirkpatrick

Posted on February 11, 2016 - 10:00 am by

Elise Kirkpatrick’s Two Birth Stories

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

Today’s birth stories feature Elise sharing her birth center and homebirth experiences. Her first birth at the birth center, although empowering, was not what she was expecting. With her son she carefully planned for and had what she describes as a sacred birth experience. She also shares her experience having a blessingway in lieu of a baby shower. You can read more about that in this post she wrote about the blessingway.

Gypsy mama Elise and her tiny tribe currently call the islands of Hawai’i home, although they are travel junkies most of the year. Elise whole heartedly believes in natural birth, gentle-playful parenting, and living life to the fullest!

Birth Story and Homebirth Video

She is passionate about sharing her experiences birthing her two babes, which she believes inspires the way she now lives her life. Everything in life comes back to the breath. You can find Elise on her blog, Salt Water Diary and watch Taj’s birth story film. You can connect with Elise on Instagram.

Resource Links

Hypnobirthing

Hypnobabies

Birthing from Within

Blessingway

Natural Birth Stories with Nicolette Gawthrop

Posted on January 12, 2016 - 10:00 am by 2

Today’s guest is Nicolette Gawthrop who has two home birth stories to tell with another baby on the way! This episode was so fun for me to record because Nico and I had the same midwife. We ended up talking so much that I’m only sharing her first home birth story in this episode and will be back to share the rest of her story later in the year.

Prenatal Care for Home Births

I especially love this episode because Nico shares all of the specifics of prenatal care with a midwife when you are planning for a home birth. I know that many people often view homebirths as this rogue decision that’s entirely off the grid but in reality the prenatal and maternity care that you receive for a home birth is pretty similar to the care you receive with an OBGYN except you don’t have to wait as long in the waiting room and you get a full hour with your care provider to go over all of your concerns, both physical and mental.

Nicolette Gawthrop is a 33 year old restaurant lifer having waitressed through high school and college and is now married to a chef/restauranteur. Together, they co-own two farm-to-fork restaurants, where Nico claims to have a ‘seat on the board’ as for the most part, she is a homemaker and is rarely involved in operation anymore.

In college, Nicolette majored in biology, but ultimately dropped out to pursue a certificate in licensed massage therapy. She has long been interested in medical science, but that interest transitioned to natural medicine, herbs, and healing modalities upon becoming a Massage Therapist; which in turn led to an intense fascination with the process of birth and breastfeeding upon becoming pregnant and then a mother.

Nicolette lives in the Ozark hills with her husband, Jerrmy.  They have two boys, Loukas (6) and Jasper (3) both born at home with a licensed midwife. They are currently expecting their third child, a girl, in the Spring and and are planning another home birth. She writes a personal blog and shares her adventures in mothering through lifestyle photography and wordy prose on her blog and Instagram using the handle, Ozark Mama Deer.

To listen to this episode, and the rest of The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter group here!

Birth and Motherhood Resources

La Leche League

Terra Tots Natural Parenting

March of Dimes

Tribe de Mama Podcast

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering – Sarah Buckley

Spiritual Midwifery – Ina May Gaskin

Infant Massage, A Handbook for Loving Parents – Vimala McClure

The Birth Partner – Penny Simkin

Our Home Birth Story

Posted on December 31, 2015 - 10:00 am by 1

Our First Home Birth Story (UNCUT)

Thanks for a great 2015 of The Birth Hour and Happy New Year! Today is my daughter’s birthday so last night my husband and I recorded her birth story in honor of her special day. For her birth we planned a homebirth attended by an amazing midwife and my husband and I reminisce about everything from finding out we were expected to how the birth affected our relationship as parents and as a couple. I hope you enjoy this episode and I look forward to bringing you more amazing birth stories in 2016!

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