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The Happy Homebirth podcast is your source for positive natural childbirth stories, and your community of support, education and encouragement in all things homebirth and motherhood.
Episodes
Monday Aug 26, 2019
Monday Aug 26, 2019
Show Notes:
For those of you who have experienced it—was postpartum anything like you thought it would be? In fact—did you even spend much time considering it before your first birth?
I’ll be the first to say that with my first child, I didn’t pay nearly enough attention to postpartum. Sure, I considered breastfeeding… but I expected this to be the one potentially difficult aspect of new motherhood. I didn’t expect the anxiety, and I certainly didn’t expect rage. But postpartum hormones can be…intense.
Chelsea shares this experience. As a mother who gave birth at home with her first, she felt she’d set herself up for success. And she had! However, that’s not the end of the work for any new mom (or at least, it shouldn’t be!). She discusses how after a gorgeous first birth, Chelsea struggled with deep postpartum anxiety and rage.
Having this experience pushed Chelsea to create Postpartum Together—an online coaching group dedicatied to the postpartum mother. She’s created a 5-month curriculum that helps mothers navigate postpartum… together.
This deep understanding of the postpartum experience certainly came in handy for Chelsea after her second daughter was born. At the 20-week ultrasound, Chelsea and her husband were informed that their daughter had a congenital heart defect. She was able to give birth naturally (and very quickly!) at the hospital, but her daughter had to undergo heart surgery at 5 months of age—another deep stress and anxiety.
Chelsea’s realness and positive outlook are an amazing encouragement for all of us, and she is doing a phenomenal job of bringing women together at such a transformative time.
Keep up with Chelsea!
www.instagram.com/chelsb.skaggs
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle:
https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Support through joining the Patreon community. Receive tons of exclusive offers as a show contributor!
Monday Aug 19, 2019
Monday Aug 19, 2019
Do you ever consider the similarities and differences of homebirth, and birth in general, around the globe? Episode 37 gives a glimpse into the maternity care of women in Ireland by following Emer’s journey from hospital to homebirth.
Emer is a fitness-loving mother of 3 located on the western coast of Ireland. She owns a women’s gym where she works with women in all stages of life, with a specific love of helping women pre and postnatally.
She and her business partner run an online blog called Food Fitness Fertility. They are dedicated to teaching women how to care for themselves, track their cycles, and learn about fertility options other than the traditional route of IVF.
Emer’s first two births took place in the hospital, but because of her uncomplicated pregnancies and the swiftness of her second labor, she decided to give birth at home with her third baby.
After a beautiful, uncomplicated pregnancy, life became hard at 34 weeks when her husband sustained a leg injury from a sports complication. The injury required surgery and 6 weeks in a brace at 90 degrees. Emer’s last bit of pregnancy was spent caring for her 2 young children and her husband. Though exhausted, she is grateful for all of the preparation she did beforehand.
Luckily, her baby waited to be born until her husband was out of the brace and available to help. Unfortunately, on the day that early labor began, her children were feverish and sick. Labor took place overnight, however, and her children slept through the main event (though one did wake soon after with a fever—and woke the second child up, too! Oh, parenthood.)
Emer’s last birth was quick and uncomplicated, and her baby came out both crying and peeing!
She discusses the importance of taking care of ourselves and understanding our cycles when it comes to pregnancy. Emer discusses how much emphasis is put on not getting pregnant when we are teens, but there is no information on HOW to get pregnant, which she finds just as important.
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle:
https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Support through joining the Patreon community. Receive tons of exclusive offers as a show contributor!
Monday Aug 12, 2019
Monday Aug 12, 2019
Did you decide to have a homebirth with your first baby, or did this decision take place later down the line? For mamas pregnant with your first, do you ever find yourself thinking, "Perhaps I'll have a homebirth... with my second..."?
As a doula, Alexa experienced a number of births before becoming pregnant. This experience pushed her towards the open arms of her homebirth midwives. She knew that she wanted to give birth naturally... and she felt certain that that goal would be more difficult to achieve in the hospital setting, where the type and attitude of whatever care providers happened to be working that day could truly color her birth experience.
And so... with the support of her husband, midwives and doula, Alexa had an amazing homebirth.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Believe in Midwifery Discount Code: HAPPY20
Keep Up With Alexa
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle:
https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Support through joining the Patreon community. Receive tons of exclusive offers as a show contributor!
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Is there anything more transformative than birth? Than being reborn as a mother for the first, second, or sixth time? For so many, birth is a catalyst into the next phase of life- not only on the maternal front, but also on the passion and career front.
This is exactly what happened to Stefanie. After experiencing her own birth with midwives, she was set on fire with a passion for women and babies. She became a Lamaze instructor, a midwife’s assistant, and a doula. How amazing! During today’s episode, we discuss this transformation and the birth stories that caused this shift.
Show Notes:
- Stefanie found out she was pregnant with her first child the same week she and her husband had moved from New York to Atlanta. She knew exactly where she would give birth in New York, but had to search for a care provider now that she was in a completely different location.
- Luckily, Stefanie found a supportive midwife group in one of the local hospitals. She enjoyed her experience with the midwives, and was grateful for their recommendation of hiring a doula for her labor.
- Stefanie’s first labor was arduous and full of back pain with a baby who was in the posterior position for most of labor. It was quite a long one, spanning 24 hours, so her doula came in handy.
- Stefanie dilated to 8cm…. and then remained there for 8 hours. She spent much of her time in the shower (accidentally flooding the room at one point!). She was quick to acknowledge that had she not been with the midwives, it’s very likely that she would have ended up with a c-section.
- Finally, even though baby was very high and she was at an 8, her midwives encouraged her to try pushing. They tried every position imaginable, and amazingly, after 2.5 hours, her baby was born!
- Stefanie did struggle with some postpartum anxiety after her first child.
- With her second pregnancy, she thought, “That went so well last time- why don’t we just do it at home?!”
- Between the two births, Stefanie had become a doula, a midwife’s assistant, and a Lamaze instructor. She knew exactly who she wanted to have attend her birth.
- With her second birth, she realized she was in early labor at about 6:20 one evening. She was grateful that her husband was almost home. He got home and began to take care of their toddler while Stefanie went to take a bath.
- Suddenly, her labor took quite an intense turn. She called her midwife to let her know that she was in early labor. Upon Stefanie’s call, her midwife said she was on her way over, though Stephanie felt certain she was still only in early labor.
- She was not. She decided to check herself…and only got about a knuckle deep before running into the baby’s head.
- Luckily, her midwife arrived quickly. She got out of the tub and onto the toilet, facing backwards. Suddenly her water broke, and her midwife told her she needed to turn around… neither Stefanie or her midwife could catch a baby in that position!
- Stefanie’s baby was born very quickly at this point—in less than the amount of time it took her to push with her first baby, she labored and had her second!
- Stefanie’s doula business is a 2-person group, which was inspired by a former interviewee, Madeline Murray. Check out her episode here!
- Stay in touch with Stefanie:
- doulasinatlanta.com
- instagram.com/theatlantadoula
Monday Jul 29, 2019
Monday Jul 29, 2019
Brought to you today by my wonderful, amazing, charming, and highly skilled husband who drove around for an hour today to find Wi-Fi and upload this. He is the real deal. #Blessed #MyHero #WhoShotJFK?
Monday Jul 22, 2019
Monday Jul 22, 2019
I LOVE working out, and I especially loved it during my most recent pregnancy. Something about focusing on my health while growing my new babe was incredibly empowering. What about you? Did you feel energized and ready to work out during pregnancy?
Now that I'm postpartum, I'm biding my time until I can return to working out. The first few weeks post-pregnancy are a sacred time of rest, so I know I must take this just as seriously as any other period of time.
But what happens when I get the green light? Do I just jump back in... full steam ahead?
Nope, I'm going to be incredibly careful to make sure that each exercise I do is actually safe for my new postpartum body, and that it's helping build me up- not causing more distress.
Enter: Glowbody PT. This episode features a mama and former World Champion athlete, Ashley Keller. She has created both pregnancy and post-pregnancy workout plans, and she knows the ins-and outs of both intensity and safety when it comes to the fresh new mom-bod.
Show Notes:
Ashley is an army spouse and mother of 3 young children. Before babies, she was a professional tri-athlete for Team USA, and won a World Championship for Half Iron Man. She then served in the Army and became a mom. She realized she needed short, efficient workouts for herself, so she decided to share what she was doing for her prenatal workouts on YouTube- GlowBody PT was born.
Ashley has not created your average run-of-the-mill pregnancy routines. No, no, my friends. These workouts are a beautiful marriage of both intensity and safety for pregnancy and post-pregnancy.
Ashley discusses the breakdown of her pregnancy workout plan, which is divided into trimesters.
First Trimester
During the first trimester, Ashley discusses the importance of maintaining consistency with whatever types of workouts you were doing before. If you weren't working out much, now is not the time to begin something rigorous. However if you were working out, continue in the same way. The caveat: bring your maximum workout level from a 10 to a 6 or a 7.
She mentions that there are several things mothers should avoid during the first trimester: overheating and breathlessness (due to change in hormones).
The first trimester is a great time to try to get the abs and back very strong, as their strength and stability through pregnancy is key.
Second Trimester
The second trimester is a great time to begin lifting weights, even if you were not lifting weights before pregnancy.
Ashley gives great explanation as to how helpful squats are for avoiding the "soggy bag" pelvic floor.
Third Trimester:
It's incredibly important to remember that the body is creating a hormone called relaxin, which increases greatly during the third trimester. This makes the joints and body as a whole hyper-mobile, so it is very important to be careful while working out, especially with yoga. Ashley recommends doing prenatal yoga only once or twice per week.
Her pregnancy plan ends at 32 weeks... why? Not because you cannot continue to work out past this time, but because she wants each individual mom to listen to their bodies rather than feeling like they must do a specific workout. She recommends doing workouts from the second and third trimester if you feel good continuing to work out. She reminds mothers to listen to their bodies, as it will tell you when to stop!
Ashley has had 3 vaginal births in the hospital on base with midwifery care. She appreciates the intimacy of the midwifery practice, and the way that the hospital allows her to labor how she wants. She has found that giving birth on all 4’s, either on the bed or on the floor, is best for opening her pelvis and allowing baby to engage. She says her most recent baby practically “fell out” as she leaned against the bed. Nurses had to rush over to catch the baby.
As we delve into postpartum, Ashley's big piece of advice for the first few weeks is toREST HARD. While it is not time to begin working out, this is a great time to begin doing long kegels (specific description in episode).
Beginning to Work Out Postpartum:
After receiving the "go ahead" from your medical provider, it's important to make sure that you are also checking your body's signals. Are you still bleeding? This means you're not actually ready. Are you still sore? If you had a Cesarean section, is your incision oozing? This would also mean that you're not ready. Just like at the end of pregnancy, it's important to listen to your body's cues during the postpartum phase.
“We need to retrain our body because it’s gotten a little wonky." Ashley discusses how it's important that we are not only gaining strength, but rebuilding the very foundations of our body. It's been stretched and relaxed, and we must be very careful as we begin to rebuild.
The benefits of Ashley's 12 Week Post-Pregnancy Plan:
- It's Diastasis Recti Healing/Safe
- Saves Time (20-30 minute workouts, 4x/week)
- Does the Brain Work for You- Just click on the video and Ashley works out with you!
Happy Homebirth listeners receive a promo code (for being the greatest listeners in the world)!
https://www.glowbodypt.com/12-week-post-pregnancy-plan-2
Code: homebirth15
Follow Ashley:
Facebook.com/glowbodypt
Instagram.com/glowbodypt
Youtube.com/glowbodypt
No matter how far postpartum you are, you can close that diastasis recti gap with Ashley’s 12 week post-pregnancy plan!
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle:
https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Support through joining the Patreon community. Receive tons of exclusive offers as a show contributor!
Monday Jul 15, 2019
Monday Jul 15, 2019
What do you do when labor stalls?
Somewhat of a wonky question, as the body is generally far more intelligent than we give it credit. However, there are times when our mind and body are just not connecting and we need help figuring out how to progress.
Enter Jasmin-Mom boss and entrepreneur. Jasmin, who herself was born at home, never even considered the idea of homebirth until she became pregnant with her third child. After a very quick second birth she assumed baby #3 would practically fall out with ease.
Not so. Baby #3 was a wild card! After hours of labor, Jasmin realized she was not progressing. She'd been at it for quite a while, and realized something had to give. Deep down, both she and her midwife knew she was holding back. With the concern of needing to transfer to the hospital if things didn't get moving, Jasmin dug deep.
Listen in to hear how Jasmin decided to have a homebirth in the first place, and just how that homebirth ended.
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle:
https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Monday Jul 08, 2019
Monday Jul 08, 2019
What happens when you break a bone, undergo surgery, or get sick? Typically, very specific time is taken to rest, and most importantly, to heal.
What about when you have a baby?
After creating an entirely separate, entirely new life in your womb for 9-10 months, then bringing that life forth one way or another, what do you do? Do you give your body the same type of attention and care that one does when recovering from any other strenuous/difficult event?
I sure as heck hope so, but I sure as heck worry that it isn’t happening enough, especially when considering our western culture’s nonchalant attitude regarding postpartum recovery.
Today’s episode is all about Adilah’s personal experiences with postpartum recovery. As the daughter of a mother with a Malay background, she was truly required to rest and recover after giving birth. Her mother made her broths, soups and warming stews, and saw to it that she was given traditional healing treatments: postpartum massages, belly pastes to warm her body and increase circulation, herbal baths, body scrubs, belly binds, hair treatments and feminine washes. All of this combined with rest taught Adilah the true benefits of taking the postpartum period seriously.
Now, with her in-depth understanding of these treatments, Adilah is providing many of these same kits to interested mothers through her website, www.ibudoula.com
With all of this attentive care, it’s no wonder that Malaysia ranks the lowest in the number of women with postpartum depression. Perhaps if we adopt some of these principles, the western struggle with postpartum depression and anxiety would decrease as well.
This podcast is full of beauty and fascinating cultural information. Listen in to hear how Adilah’s grandfather understood so deeply the importance of this postpartum support that when her mother gave birth to Adliah, he came and stayed with her and cared for her just as Adilahs mother did for her (her grandmother had passed away before Adilah was born). This example so clearly demonstrates the depth of understanding this culture has in regards to the importance of postpartum healing and bonding.
Connect with Adilah:
www.instagram.com/marleyandmoo
Other resources mentioned in this episode:
Click here to get your postpartum workout program. Use the promo code homebirth15 for a $15 discount!
Sponsorship:
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle:
www.hatchedathome.comhttps://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Motherhood: What does this word mean to you? What comes to mind?
I know that personally, I think of my own experience- raising my daughter, and now starting again with raising our second girl.
Sydney's experience, however, is quite different. She has experienced motherhood from several different aspects: as a biological mother who placed her child for adoption, as a mother raising her second child with her husband, and as a surrogate.
This episode details Sydney's experiences in all of these areas, providing us all with a fresh perspective on the word 'Motherhood'.
Show Notes:
Sydney found out she was pregnant directly after college- she was not expecting or planning on this pregnancy. She felt sure that she was not ready to be a parent, she did not want to parent alone, and she knew she had to figure out quickly what she needed to do.
Her family assumed she would get an abortion, but she felt that because she wanted to be a mother one day, she could not allow herself to end this pregnancy with abortion.
Once she chose the family to adopt her child, she wanted them to be as involved with the pregnancy as possible. They got along very well.
Sydney struggled with her familial relationships in terms of deciding to keep the pregnancy, and in fact did not speak to her father for the entirety of the pregnancy. Their relationship was quickly reestablished afterwards, when he acknowledged that he had handled the situation incorrectly. He now continues a relationship with the child by sending presents, birthday cards, etc.
For the first year, all seemed to go well. Sydney felt rejuvenated to be able to spend time with her friends without being pregnant… she felt like her old self. However, at the 1 year birthday party of the baby, she became very emotional and realized she had not taken the time she needed for herself to heal after the birth.
She decided to take a job with Teach for America and travel. She moved to Memphis and met her husband. Within a year, they were pregnant and married!
Her second birth was a homebirth in Las Vegas. Her husband was able to catch her son and passed the baby to Sydney under her legs. Both she and the baby were crying! She discusses the difference of feeling between having her first baby with her second- knowing that this baby was hers to keep.
Her third pregnancy was as a gestational surrogate. The beginning of her pregnancy was incredibly easy- she had no morning sickness, which was very different from her two previous pregnancies.
During the 20-week anatomy scan, a heart defect was found in the baby. The parents of the baby had to decide whether or not to terminate the pregnancy. Right before Christmas, they’d decided to terminate.
However, the day after Christmas, they changed their minds and said they would keep the baby no matter what!
The rest of the pregnancy went okay for Sydney, though she did feel stressed trying to make sure she was doing everything she could to help the baby be healthy. She was induced at 39+2.
The labor was long, but once she finally was pushing, she pushed for only 3 minutes. The baby was born screaming- so she could breathe! And she didn’t need oxygen. She was also strong enough to have her heart surgery on day 2 as opposed to day 5.
Sydney was able to breastfeed the baby while she was in town, and then she was able to donate over 3,000 ounces of milk to other babies.
Sponsorship:
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor!
Hatched at Home- Midwife Carrie LaChapelle: www.hatchedathome.comhttps://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/
864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week– you’ll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We’ll add you to ours and give you a shout out!
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Show Notes:
Happy Homebirth hit 10,000 downloads! It's time to celebrate. What do you want to see? A Facebook group? Merchandise? Send an e-mail to katelyn@myhappyhomebirth.com with your suggestions.
Imagine your ideal birth. Where are you? Who is with you? In what position are you laboring? Listen in to hear Katelyn's most recent birth. Her experience was "magical," as she was surrounded with exactly the right people in exactly the right time. Katelyn set up her birthing space very intentionally and set her mind to the exact kind of labor she wanted to experience.
She and Thomas share their labor story, as well as a hilarious postpartum experience that occurred.
Katelyn's labor march:
Katelyn's birth video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2DSJQYpxCc8MHVyeWxfa0xhb3FiVVhkT3ctenZpQmhiWm8w/view?usp=sharing
Sponsorship:
Deepest Thank You to Our Sponsor! Hatched at Home-Midwife Carrie LaChapelle: www.hatchedathome.comhttps://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/ 864-907-6363
Help out the show:
Leave a review on iTunes for a chance to be the reviewer of the week-- you'll be sent a Happy Homebirth sticker if selected!
Take a screenshot listening to this episode and add it to your Instagram stories tagging @happyhomebirthpodcast. We'll add you to ours and give you a shout out!