169: HOME BIRTH STORY - When Your Water Breaks 3 Days Before Labor Starts with Jenna Lehr

What would you do if you really trusted yourself? This is a beautiful question that comes up in today’s episode, and I think everyone can take something from it and carry it into their lives. Mellisa Reeves of Motherbirth is sharing part of her journey with us. From some of the traumatic elements of her first hospital birth with her first son Aiden, a stillbirth in hospital at 41 weeks pregnant with her second son Rowan and two subsequent miscarriages, she brings us to the healing process and experience of her home birth with her daughter, Etney.  And along the way, Mellisa leaned into her passions and opportunities to help other women with loss. She started a podcast and online community called Motherbirth with her friend Laura, and has been coaching and providing resources for women and families. Links From The Episode: Mellisa’s website - www.motherbirth.co Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Sep 202345min

What do you do when it’s difficult to come to terms with how your birth unfolded? In today’s episode, Katie Suder shares her journey with us. From her unexpected and joyful pregnancy to currently 9 months postpartum and still processing a lot of her birth experience.  While waiting the few weeks before she could see an OBGYN for her first appointment, Katie had time to reflect and research her options. This led her and her fiance Andrew to a home birth midwife.  Fast forward to birth, baby Andrew Michael was 13 days past the guess date. After laboring for 30 hours at home, Katie and her team transferred to the hospital. Katie and the supportive staff did everything possible to facilitate a vaginal birth. The cesarean, though necessary, was traumatic. Katie is beautifully honest about how she’s felt over the months and we know her story will touch the community and have a ripple effect of healing. Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Aug 20231h

What do you do when you want a home birth, but life circumstances make it a bit challenging to create? Cami Harper is sharing her story with us and how she embraced her situation to make it beautiful, even though it wasn’t exactly what she wanted. Cami herself was born with the help of midwives, so she knew she eventually wanted a holistic and natural approach to birth.  She shares her process of both of her pregnancies with her sons James and Howie, along with the support of her husband Dustin. With moving in the middle of one of them, financial elements, challenges finding doctors and/or midwives and insurance changes, they decided on hospital births. With a powerful mindset, resources and support, Cami was able to create an empowering experience.  Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Aug 202333min

What’s it like giving birth outside of your native country? It’d be understandable to have fears and/or reservations around birthing in a different country. But what if it could be normal, uncomplicated, supported and without fear? Our guest today is Amy Brown. Amy traveled from Chicago, Illinois to Peru in 2011 to work as a teacher, and hasn’t left since. After meeting her now husband Marco, she has since set up life in Lima. And she has given birth to her two children: daughter, Leah and son, Christopher in a birthing center in the city.  Amy walks us through her journey of desiring natural births without intervention, to selecting the birthing center (run by a German doctor now living in Peru), working with a doula from England (yes, quite the international birth!) and preparing for the birth experience with Marco. We talk about some of the birthing options and trends in her area, where cesarean rates are particularly high.  Then we get to hear details from both of her births, which took place in the Casa Pakarii birth center: This story includes: international birth experience, husband being active participant in birth process, different birth options in Lima, Peru, placenta ceremony (el pago a la tierra), water birth Links From The Episode: Amy’s Blog: http://www.wawasinperu.com/ Casa Pakarii Birth Center: https://pakarii.com/ Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16 Aug 202355min

In today’s episode we’ve got the whole family on the line - Meggie and Steve Andrews join us, along with their baby William, or Liam as they refer to him. Meggie reached out to us during her pregnancy, thanking us for what we’re doing on the show and sharing how helpful it had been for her as she planned for the home birth of her first child with her husband Steve (we’ve copied her original email below). And interesting fact - they weren’t planning on having children. But, surprise! So they worked through some of the mental and emotional adjustments that come with this huge unexpected life change. Meggie happened to have a friend who birthed at home, so after speaking with her and watching Business of Being Born, they explored the midwifery model of care. And then one of the biggest things throughout the pregnancy - they decided to move from Virginia to Michigan. So that meant finding different midwives, who could collaborate with each other and support Meggie and Steve as much as possible in making the transition and keeping up with the best prenatal care and birth planning as possible. Another interesting fact - they had their home birth in the same house that Meggie grew up in! So listen in as we talk about some of the interesting questions and comments you get when you have a home birth like, “Is that witchcraft or something?” and advice for those home birth dads and birth partners. Added bonus of Liam’s presence in the interview. We love having newborn coos in the background!  Links From The Episode: https://www.amazon.com/Ina-Mays-Guide-Childbirth-Gaskin/dp/0553381156 http://gentlenaturalbirth.com/product/gentle-birth-gentle-mothering-2nd-ed-amazon-usa/ https://www.birthingfromwithin.com/products/birthing-from-within https://us.hypnobirthing.com/ Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Aug 202350min

Do you feel confident in your ability to birth? Today’s birth story features Naomi Jardine, sharing her journey to home birth. Naomi felt a loss of control with her first birth of her daughter Jasmine, followed by some traumatic stitches to repair her tearing. She was left feeling disappointed, not at peace. For her second birth, she wanted to do something different. So she prepared more this time - she read, listened to podcasts (like DIAH!) and joined local groups to connect with other mothers. It gave her the opportunity to get clear on what she wanted and what she didn’t want.  For her home birth of her daughter Summer, it was a peaceful, powerful, transformative experience with the confidence and satisfying feeling of “I did it!” Links From The Episode: Naomi’s blog: https://beingyourmummy.com/ Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Aug 202344min

Are you the type to research and look for evidence and information to support your decisions when it comes to your birth? In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Isis Rose, a PhD student, doula and mama to baby Xena. Isis shares her journey to home birth, which first entered her awareness during a doula training. She’s a PhD student studying birth and reproductive justice. Her husband Chris, a fellow academic, is a visiting professor at UIUC. So it makes sense that Isis took a very analytical approach to planning her birth. She searched for truth and wanted to make sure she was as informed as possible when it came to her options. We hear about her transition into home birth planning, finding midwives and working through the legality and costs associated with direct-entry midwifery being illegal in her state of Illinois. An African-American woman and survivor of emotional abuse, it was important for Isis to have the support she needed and to do things her way - like by keeping their plans to home birth private from friends and family. And there’s a twist in the immediate postpartum hours that gave Isis the opportunity to feel in control and release any unnecessary fear. Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Jul 20231h 5min

How do we cope with the parts of our birth that didn’t go the way we envisioned? In today’s episode we chat with Cadyn about her birth experience. She and her husband planned a home birth, because (in her words) of “how special we consider our home and surrounding space to be, and that this was where it seemed that magical portal of birth was meant to open.” After a long labor, Cadyn transferred to the hospital. It was frustrating and heart-breaking. But after a period of time, she was able to get hydrated and rest. The staff gave time and space and honored her choices. She felt supported. Her husband was even able to assist in “catching” the baby. Cadyn describes the birthing as “the best moment I’ve ever experienced.” More from Cadyn: “My hospital experience was thankfully quite positive, and one student member of our midwife team remained with my husband/best-birth-partner-ever and me through the birth. I know now that nobody, especially myself, is to be blamed— only thanked— for the way our daughter came into this world. There are of course reasons to be nervous about giving birth, but nothing to FEAR. I went through many phases of accepting my personal birth story, and listening to birth story podcasts like yours has sincerely helped me to process everything. I hear stories that share common ground with my own, and I hear stories that remind me that EVERY birth is unique. I hope I can share something with a listener who might need to hear it.” This birth story includes mention of: RhoGAM shot, Tay-Sachs disease, hospital transfer, epidural, pitocin. Links From The Episode: Immortalmountain.com Offers From Our Awesome Partners: Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order More From Doing It At Home: Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Jul 20231h 29min