Doing It At Home: Our Home Birth Podcast

When did you realize you wanted a home birth? For our guest Mandy Moss, she shares how she realized the hospital was not the place for her after doing a tour during her first pregnancy. So at 34 weeks, she changed plans. At 41 weeks and 6 days pregnant and after 48 hours of active labor and 5 hours of pushing, she transferred to the hospital where she was able to deliver her daughter vaginally. When she became pregnant for the second time, she and her husband Jake planned for a home birth again.  So you get to hear two different birth stories within this episode. Listen in to hear the rest. Thank you to Mandy for sharing with us! Links: Episode 18 with Maria Mengel Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/ DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe  Donate to

What if birth was like a party? For today’s guest, Ann Kaplan, her fourth birth (second home birth) was exactly that. Seriously. Evites and everything. #birthparty. Ann had about 30 people in the room when she gave birth to her fourth child - friends, family members, and all spectrum of ages. So we dig into that experience and hear Ann’s inspiration for it and how it all played out, and what she’d share with anyone else thinking of doing something like it. Plus we talk about Ann’s work as a birth doula, childbirth educator and parent coach. Ann’s gifting our listeners with free access to her online birth seminar, so make sure you check out the links in the show notes to watch! Links: Ann’s website: https://www.mommeexperience.com/ Free Birth Seminar: https://www.mommeexperience.com/birthseminar Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH

How could a self-described “diva” ever have a home birth? This is a fun one, because there are a lot of misconceptions and stereotypes around home birth and those who chose it. For Brooke, she would have never thought about home birth as an option for herself. But after a traumatic birth experience with her first baby, followed by a challenge period of PPD (she doesn’t remember the first 6-9 weeks of postpartum) and breastfeeding. Brooke became very passionate about breastfeeding and helping other moms through pregnancy and postpartum so that they wouldn’t have to experience what she did.  With her second pregnancy, she knew she wanted things to be different. This was an opportunity to trust her body. Even through factors that could have impacted her qualifying for home birth, Brooke was steadfast and had her home birth. Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.insta

How can care providers and patients work together to create greater understanding and better outcomes for mothers and babies? This is a question we found ourselves asking throughout our conversation with Dr. Nathan Riley, OBGYN. We’ve been in contact with Dr. Nathan for a bit and it was an incredible honor to have him on the show. This is the first kind of conversation like this on the show. It’s a deep and powerful discussion around the current culture around birth and where the opportunities lie to have “whole person care.” As a physician and a male, Dr. Nathan brings a perspective and approach that you’re not used to seeing or hearing about. For example, he shares how midwifery has influenced his practice and how he interacts with patients. Plus the experience of physicians in their years of schooling and training - how the burnout, expectations and highly monetized business world of medicine affects them and how they treat patients.  Dr. Nathan also shares some tips for those birthing in the hospital or t

Does a certain age automatically make you high-risk when it comes to pregnancy and birth? The answer depends on who you ask. For Summer’s original OBGYN, the answer was yes. At 38 and having her first child, she was considered “high risk.” Even with a healthy lifestyle (a marathon runner) and no health conditions. Ultimately, Summer wasn’t very pleased with the care she was receiving, so she transferred to a midwife within the same network (still on path for a hospital birth). But she still felt like the care lacked - she and her husband David would have a ton of questions they’d want answered and appointments were too short to cover everything they wanted. So at 22 weeks, they shifted to home birth. Worth noting here that David had his fears to work through - so we talk about that. In her labor and birth, Summer used the birthing pool for most of the time. “It was like “aqua-dural,” she said.  The birth itself had a few surprises - listen in to find out! Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.

Why is it important for birth workers to be “trauma-informed?” In today’s episode, we have Ashley Mariani join us for a conversation on mental health and wellness in the birth world. Ashley is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist who specializes in perinatal mental health and couples. We talk about how birth workers can be informed to best serve their clients/patients in having an empowered and educated birth experience. Ashley shares her expertise, observations and own personal experience to stress the importance of inclusivity, accessibility and safe environment to create the best outcomes for everyone.  And for birthing parents and families, how they can “date” their care provider to make sure it’s the best fit and to have standards through which they’ll operate within the relationship. Plus, Ashley shares a little bit of her birth journey with her son Silas and what her plans are for future birth(s).  Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diah

Is it ever too late to change your birth plan or mindset? What about over the years, after multiple pregnancies and births? One thing we’re big on here at DIAH is supporting your process of evolving and figuring out what works for you and your family - and that it can happen over the course of however many years and children. Enter our amazing guest in today’s episode, Sarah Bode. Sarah is a podcaster herself, host of the show “Raw As A Mother,” an author, coach, wife and mama to 4. After 3 natural hospital births, Sarah felt led towards home birth for her fourth. Her birthing journey remarkable for many reasons - like after suffering PCOS as well as holistically healing from thyroid cancer, she’s been able to birth 4 healthy children. Her third birth really influenced the choice for home birth, as it was the “most traumatizing” of her births and she felt like she had no sense of control of the experience. Sarah’s fourth birth was a paradigm shift - a reprogramming. Listen in to learn more about her story and

When did you first learn about home birth? For today’s mama, Celia Donaldson, she herself was born at home. So for her growing up, it was just “normal.” So there didn’t have to be this explanation and deep dive into what it was or why people might choose it. It’s this normalcy that carries through how Celia shares her story, from research she did while pregnant, the conversations with her partner Ali and assembling a birth team that would support her in what she wanted to create (while also receiving prenatal care at a hospital). With about a month of “practice labor” prior to birth, Celia was ready to meet her baby, her son Nadir. We hear the birth story as well as some of Celia’s favorite resources, as a birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator herself. Check the links for more on her and the resources she shared. Links: Celia’s website: https://www.intuitivebirth.org/ Evidence Based Birth: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ Birthful podcast: https://www.birthful.com/ The Birth Hour podcast: h

Why home birth? This is a question we ask most guests on the podcast. Today we dive into that with Amelia Page, mama of 6. We chat about her first two births and the influence that moved her towards home birth for her remaining 4 children. We touch on the topic of circumcision (respecting all choices), as well as the inner work that supports in the pregnancy, birth and motherhood experience. Pregnancy was a challenging experience for Amelia, so for any mamas who can relate - this is a great one to feel understood. You are not alone! Plus we get highlights from all 4 home births and hear about both similarities and differences amongst them. Links: Amelia’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1uRvEaPD1II6WG3RSAZ2Ng Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth

What happens when you’re planning for a home birth and those plans could change because of a birth difference? This is something that Becca and her husband Mark had to face when they were pregnant with their second son, Evan and planning for a home birth. Anatomy scans revealed that Evan had cleft lip and possibly cleft palate, potentially shifting not only birth plans, but Becca’s plans to breastfeed (there can be issues with forming suction in cleft-affected babies). This was a devastating experience for Becca, challenging her to stay connected through the remainder of her pregnancy. However, supportive doctors gave them to green light to proceed with a home birth. The birth itself was peaceful and “normal.” This was also after a traumatic experience with her first birth of her son Tucker, which led her wanting a “do over.” We really appreciate Becca and Mark bringing this conversation to the podcast, because we haven’t shared a cleft-affected story before. Some of the things that Becca emphasized and wante

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: Naomi’s blog: https://beingyourmummy.com/ Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https

What are the most common myths and misconceptions about home birth? This episode was inspired by a recent conversation we had when we were interviewed for the Revive show and helped debunk some of the things you read and hear to discredit or dissuade from home birth. And it was shocking to us that we hadn’t done an episode specifically dedicated to this topic, so here it is! Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/ DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe  Donate to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Why Not Home: https://www.whynothome.com Episode with Jessicca Moore: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.diahpodcast.com/single-post/Why-Not-Home-Documentary-with-Jessicca-Moore%3f_amp_ Episode on “is home birth messy”: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.diahp

In this episode we're talking with mom of 4 Jenny DiPietro, who has had multiple home births, a home birth turned hospital transfer, a water birth at home, and who performs placenta encapsulation for families. We get into a lot in this one! Oh yeah, and we’re also entering a new phase of the podcast! In addition to our episodes that feature Matthew and me discussing some topic related to home birth, we’re publishing our conversations with moms and families who have experienced home birth along with professionals and thought leaders on the subject. Jenny is the first to kick off this endeavor. As I said, she's a mom of 4, who has experienced both home and hospital birth. In our talk, we cover things like:The details of her birthsWhat went into her decision-making process to choose home birthHer work as a Placenta Encapsulation SpecialistThe importance of education in the pregnancy and birthing journey We’re very excited to bring other stories and perspectives of home birth to you. Enjoy!  Links: Doing It At

As a birth worker, how do you take your work and knowledge into your personal experience? That’s one of the topics we touch on in today’s interview with Olivia Friel, birth and postpartum doula and expectant mama. Olivia shares part of her journey with us and we also get into some great discussions around pregnancy, birth and going with the flow. AND Olivia is launching her podcast soon, so stay tuned! Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/ DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe  Donate to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Olivia’s website - https://healthybalancedbirth.com/ Olivia’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/healthybalancedbirth/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever done some serious traveling with your kids? Are you planning on it but are terrified at how it might go? Well fear not! In today’s episode Matthew and I are giving you some tips on traveling with your little ones. We just returned from a 2 week trip to Europe where we went all over the place, did a bunch of stuff, and managed it all with a smile on our faces. Yes, you can have a great time traveling with kids and today we’re going to help you do just that. Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/ DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe  Donate to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we heal? One way is to share with others, create community and connection. In today’s episode, we chat with Ash Luna, photographer and founder of 4th Trimester Bodies Project. Ash shares part of their incredible story with us. From their interest and desire for home birth to their experience with loss, trauma and grief. Ash opens up their world and gives perspective of life with her family including her partner Flowers and their children Xavier (13), Nova (6) and Sol (8 months). We’ve followed Ash and part of their journey on social media for a while now, so we’re very grateful that they joined us for an honest and informative conversation. We learn about their experience of twin to twin transfer syndrome in their second pregnancy, which resulted in the passing of baby Aurora and the 24 week, 1 lb. birth of baby Nova. In their third birth, Ash had a magical home birth for baby Sol. We also talk about non-binary parenting and gender as a spectrum. Plus some of the story behind 4th Trimester Bodies Proje

Did you listen to (or are you currently listening)yourself when it comes to your desires around your birth? In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Christy Robinson, holistic doula for birth as well as transition (death). Christy is not just a powerhouse of a woman and a pillar within her communities when it comes to service, education and creative work, but she’s a close friend of ours. In this interview we hear about Christy’s journey into doula work as well as some of her experiences and insights from her 10 plus years in the birth world. We also talk about advocacy, designing your birth and honoring your internal desires. And the topic of women of color and the birth world and how we can empower ourselves and our communities to give and receive better care and education. Links: Connect with Christy: pastorchristyrobinson@gmail.com Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH I

How do you trust in the process of your birth experience? In today’s birth story, we’re chatting with Charly and Dan Swanberg about the births of both of their daughters: Luna and Kaiya. Charly’s mother had 3 home births herself, so the experience was already familiar and normalized for Charly. Both chiropractic students, Charly and Dan have cultivated a strong understanding and trust in the human body and its abilities. We get to hear about both pregnancies, which went for about 42 weeks. As well as the surprise of getting pregnant 4 months after their first birth. It’s great to hear both perspectives from the whole journey and about the lessons that each learned. Links: Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/ DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/ DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe  Donat

What and how should you eat during pregnancy? This is a big question that comes up often, and there are lots of thoughts around it. So where is a place where you can get all the info you need, in a clear, empowering and informative way? Enter Lily Nichols, our guest today. Lily is a real food dietitian, specialist in prenatal nutrition and gestational diabetes, and best-selling author of two books: Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes.  In this interview we discuss:Benefits of real food for pregnancy (both for baby’s optimal development and also to minimize pregnancy complications and ease postpartum recovery for mama)Nutritional management of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, nausea, heartburn & moreMindfulness, stress management, exercise, avoidance of toxinsFoods to emphasizeFoods that can be helpful during labor (if you are able to eat and drink during the experience) Links: Lily’s website - https://lilynicholsrdn.com/ Lily’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lilynichols

How does your first pregnancy and birth experience impact your second? In today’s interview, we’re chatting with Carolyn about her pregnancy and birth story of her son Solomon, while pregnant with her second child. We go over her decision to have a home birth as well as the intense first trimester sickness she experienced. Also the denial around labor starting, which we’ve heard quite a few times from mamas on the show. Carolyn shares that while the birth went very well, it was still different from what she imagined in her mind. Following her birth, she experienced postpartum anxiety that involved separation anxiety and trouble sleeping. Addressing the anxiety and getting help around it has supported and encouraged her in preparation for her next child, due this fall. 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