You’ve done it- you’ve decided to give birth at home, and NOTHING is going to stop you, right?

This week we’re speaking to Heather Whitehead, a mother to 5 living in East Tennessee. We’ll hear how Heather and her husband settled on homebirth for their most recent pregnancy, and how they navigated certain obstacles that arose after their decision. You know, like the realization that they were pregnant with twins, to start.

Episode Roundup:

1. First, I love that Heather chose to continue care with her midwife, even knowing that there could be a larger number of reasons for a transfer of care as her pregnancy went along. When she considered the whole situation thoroughly, she decided that BECAUSE she was pregnant with twins, she actually needed a midwife more: The individualized care, the preventative approach, and the loving support. Even if it meant paying for two providers, she and her husband decided midwifery care was worth the cost.
2. Next, Heather really has experienced the gamut when it comes to pregnancy and birthing experiences. From different types of inductions to gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, she’s seen some things– and I love that she allowed those experiences to inform her decisions in the future. Especially when combined with midwifery care, she was able to take hold of potential “high risk” issues preventatively this time around. The 2 mile post-dinner walk? I would LOVE to hear if you give that a try and what it does to your fasting blood sugar numbers!
3. And finally- this was so ordained, wasn’t it? As Heather said, there were so many potential issues that could have occurred as she gave birth to her preemie twins, but… her husband made it home. Heather took her time with a few last minute tasks that allowed her midwife to be there– quite divinely. Heather was able to avoid further intervention with her birth by having her babies before arriving to the hospital, and her midwife most assuredly impacted Baby B’s life by staying with Heather in the ambulance and providing the care that she and baby needed. What an amazing series of events.

Links:

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90

“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

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

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/presale (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Pregnancy is the height of creativity– you are literally creating a brand new human… from scratch? But have you noticed that sometimes the creativity of pregnancy moves into other aspects of your life?

This week, we’e speaking with Khylir Patton, a mother of two and a homebirth mom based in Tampa Bay, Florida. After navigating an unexpected late-pregnancy loss of care and ultimately experiencing a deeply empowering homebirth, she became passionate about helping mothers feel supported, informed, and less alone in their journeys. Khylir is the founder of IYA, a maternal care platform inspired by her own experiences navigating pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. At her core, she believes birth is intuitive, sacred, and a powerful initiation into motherhood.

Episode Roundup:

1. Moving into motherhood is not always a perfectly smooth transition. You are growing, regenerating, renewing as a human. Your responsibilities shift completely, and the entire focus of your life, both long term and day to day, must yield to this new experience. Khylir mentioned the struggle of her time no longer feeling like her own– She couldn’t sleep when she wanted to, work when she wanted to. She had to relinquish the grip she previously easily held on her schedule. But– while it’s not all easy, it is all an invitation to transform. How can you hold onto your identity, grow in your identity, and care for your baby, too? Sometimes the balance takes time to establish, but I love how Khylir was able to move through the experience and eventually come out on the other side capable of caring for her two little ones while also creating something she felt called to create.
2. Which leads me to my second point- isn’t it amazing how pregnancy truly is an incubator? For new life, of course, but also an incubator for ideas and creativity. I’ve had some of my very best ideas and revelations during the pregnancy and postpartum phases of my life.
3. And finally, I love hearing Khylir’s experience of– awakening to invitation. One day in postpartum, she heard “get up.” Such a small phase, but it changed everything about how she was interacting with her life. She accepted the invitation. She took small steps– taking a bit of time to wash her face and brush her teeth, then going on walks… suddenly, as she listened and responded, she was given more direction– take this dream you’ve had and turn into something new. Something that will impact others for years to come.

Links:

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90

“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

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

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/presale (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Have you ever found yourself wanting something to happen so desperately, and at the same time realizing you have absolutely no control over its happening?

This week, we’re speaking with Erica: a wife, mother of two, one of nine siblings,

and a woman who entered marriage already having seen family members give birth beautifully at home.

Episode Roundup:

Erica didn’t stumble into homebirth hoping it might work.

She had seen it.

She watched her mother birth. She watched her sister birth. She grew up witnessing women trust their bodies.

When birth isn’t something foreign and medicalized — when it’s something you’ve seen unfold in your actual living room —where you LIVE– it builds a different kind of confidence.

What are we modeling for our daughters? What are our sons witnessing about women’s strength?

Erica is now continuing that legacy. Absolutely amazing.

Two weeks of prodromal labor. Contractions that start… and stop. Hopes rising… and falling. Over and over again.

And that shower moment — head against the tile, sobbing, praying, “I trust You… but please let it be now.”

That is such an honest prayer. That’s a prayer of confession.

Surrender doesn’t mean we don’t have desires. It doesn’t mean we don’t long for relief. It means we bring those desires into God’s presence instead of trying to control the outcome.

And eventually… her body opened.

Not through force or fear, but because it. Was. time.

Erica pushed without cervical checks. She followed her body’s cues. She reached down and felt her baby descend.

That image — a mother with her own finger on her baby’s head, feeling him move down and through her body — is one of the most instinctive, embodied images I can imagine.

She didn’t need someone to tell her where she was, because she felt it.

And then… she caught him herself.

Born fully en caul. Waters intact. Her hands the first to lift him from the water.

What a picture of partnership between body, baby, and Creator.

Links:

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90

“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

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

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/presale (use code PODCAST for 10% off)