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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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