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 California with lots of prayers for wisdom, grace and humility! Through her five unique homebirths, she has become very passionate about sharing with women about what a gift birth was meant to me!

Today we’ll get to hear how Abigail’s experiences have unfolded over time, and the beautiful growth that she has undergone.

Episode Roundup:

1. And really harkening back to the question I asked at the beginning of this episode– Abigail shares how her birth experience did not overhaul who she was in one instant. I’m sure that it did, actually in many ways, but in connection with her perspective, her spiritual life, and beliefs about herself— Abigail’s first birth was a seed planted. Over time and through very different births, that seed was watered, cultivated, and grown to fruit. We see this fruition in her most recent birth where, one week after her due date, she is so ready to meet her baby that she has completely relinquished all fear of how her baby will be born. Back labor again? Who cares. She was fearless and ready to surrender to the process of birth.
2. And that leads me to this second point– surrender and submission. Abigail said something so beautiful that had me thinking about this idea. The more we are able to surrender to our Creator, the more HE will work and do. Here we are circling around the concept she brought up about laboring to rest. We labor, yes, but we MUST rest. We must submit. We must surrender so that he can bring about the bounty that he desires to bring about. If we continually labor whether physically or metaphorically in our own strength, there will be so much less of a harvest. But the more we submit, the more we trust, the more we open our hands to the experience that HE has for us… the more we get to enjoy his great abundance.
3. And finally, Abigail touched on something that I think is such a tangible reminder: You don’t have to experience the negative birth before you plan for the positive homebirth. This is your permission slip. Give it a try, let the Lord bless you however your birth unfolds. Let the seeds be planted.

Links:

Happy Homebirth Academy | happyhomebirth.thrivecart.com/happy-homebirth-academy-checkout/

Notify for HHA Pre Sale! | interviewwithkatelyn.my.canva.site/notifypresalelink

Youtube | https://youtu.be/ahv7--6Yfms

Blueshield | blushield.com/homebirth (use code HOMEBIRTH for 18% off of your order today!)

Restorative Roots | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)

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 Berlin. For those of you who have not yet heard of this champion of birth education, let me introduce him. Dr. Berlin is an award-winning prenatal chiropractor, childbirth educator, labor support bodyworker, filmmaker, co-founder of Berlin Wellness Group in Los Angeles, California and the host of the Informed Pregnancy Podcast. Dr. Berlin graduated Summa Cum Laude from Life University of Chiropractic in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Atlanta School of Massage.

Dr. Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy® Project aims to utilize multiple forms of media (podcasts, YouTube series, documentaries, and online workshops) to compile and deliver unbiased information about pregnancy and childbirth to empower new and expectant parents to make informed choices regarding their pregnancy and parenting journey.

Dr. Berlin lives in Los Angeles with his wife, perinatal psychologist Dr. Alyssa Berlin, and their four fantastic kids.

Episode Roundup:

1. The mainstream birth narrative is so outdated, and the fact that so many people are making fear-based decisions BECAUSE of what they’ve seen in the media is heartbreaking. To have resources like those that Dr. Berlin has created is such a blessing to so many. It’s restoring the truth of what birth is, for those who are curious and want to make informed decisions.
2. I love the rawness aspect of the content that Dr. Berlin is creating. He’s not trying to paint a false picture of birth, not trying to make it scarier than it is, and also not trying to make it more idyllic than it is. His goal is to give an honest view of how this process unfolds, and the many different ways that that can look and feel.
3. Finally, I want to share with you a very special opportunity that Dr. Berlin has provided. He’s giving a free month of “informed pregnancy plus”, his streaming platform, to our listeners. There’s a link below in the show notes. This will expire on October 1st of 2025, so be sure to hop on this opportunity while you have it!

Links:

Notify for HHA Pre Sale! | interviewwithkatelyn.my.canva.site/notifypresalelink

Interview Application | interviewwithkatelyn.my.canva.site/direct-to-landing-page

Youtube | https://youtu.be/uSDL1pxrvhw

Restorative Roots | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)

Previous Interview: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/episode-229

Link to Informed Pregnancy Plus: informedpregnancy.tv

Discount Code: HHB725 for 1 month free on a monthly membership (new users only)

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 for birth and postpartum has led her to create a thriving home birth group in Chattanooga, TN called Chattanooga Home Birth Community. The group includes over 400 home birth advocates who are mothers and birth workers local to Chattanooga. This group has successfully connected mothers (in all stages of pregnancy) to doulas, midwives, and other home birth moms.

Episode Roundup:

1. The way we are treated in birth MATTERS when it comes to bonding. Scarlen shared how different she felt after giving birth to her first baby compared to her subsequent homebirths. She felt angry and disconnected because of the way that she had been treated– this interfered with the cascade of hormones of birth, and took away from the euphoric experience that is common after childbirth, especially with an unmedicated birth. With her homebirths, Scarlen was able to experience the fullness of labor and birth, and to feel present as her babies entered her arms. She felt the joy and love well up, just as she had always wanted to. This matters. Wherever you give birth, it matters how you are treated. Being in a hospital does not excuse providers for being inhuman. If you were mistreated during your birth, if you feel capable of doing it now, please complain. Please let these people know that what they are doing is wrong. This system has to change, and it’s going to take our voices to change it.
2. Next, the BOLDNESS. WOW! Scarlen and Manny were not going to be coerced– you can see this with Scarlen in her work situation when she had to fight for her right to avoid an experimental shot, and again when she and Manny asked questions of their care providers that made them uncomfortable during their twin birth. They were so clearly walking in their faith and were unafraid. There’s nothing more powerful than living fearlessly, and that’s what I see in Scarlen’s story.
3. And finally, when you are changed, you can’t help but share. Scarlen’s life was transformed on multiple levels, but her birth experience, especially after her twin birth, gave her a desire to help others. She is providing fellowship, information, and choices to her local community within the facebook group she’s created, and her desire to create a system where she can help support families who need financial assistance have the birth of their dreams– it truly shows her beautiful heart to serve.

Links:

Samaritan Ministries | samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Happy Homebirth Academy | happyhomebirth.thrivecart.com/happy-homebirth-academy-checkout/

Interview Application | interviewwithkatelyn.my.canva.site/direct-to-landing-page

Youtube | youtu.be/meiKqqu_OPE

Blueshield | blushield.com/homebirth (use code HOMEBIRTH for 18% off of your order today!)

Restorative Roots | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)