Doing It At Home: Our Home Birth Podcast

How do we prevent birth worker burnout? This is one of the great topics we dive into this week with Martha Lerner, birth doula and photographer.  Martha shares her wisdom with us around the following topics: some of Martha’s memorable moments from home births she’s attended in the birth worker role tips for those who want to get into birth work best practices for staying in birthwork long term how to balance/manage all the space holding as a birth worker and what the birth community collectively can do to support the birth workers out there Links: Martha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenmamalove/ Martha’s Website: https://www.instagram.com/zenmamalove/ Doula’s Care Collective: https://doulascarecollective.com/ Check out Needed for before, during and after pregnancy and use the code DIAH for 20% off your order: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP C & The Moon Malibu Made Glow Oil with code DIAH15 for 15% off your order: https://bit.ly/3KWeGL1 Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU

Where do you feel most safe to give birth? Ultimately, that’s one of, if not the most important question to consider when it comes to your birth plan.  When it came down to it, home was the answer for today’s guest, Porshe Turner.  This was Porshe’s third pregnancy. Influenced by COVID-19 and circumstances related to it, Porshe and her husband Jeremy switched to a home birth plan at 25 weeks pregnant. They kept their plans quiet, like many others we’ve spoken to on the podcast (some prefer to keep home birth plans to themselves as a personal preference whether that is to avoid unwanted feedback from others or just desiring a more private experience).  Her previous births were in the hospital: a cesarean breech and a VBAC. One of her concerns going into this third birth was what it would be like to go into labor on her own without any medical intervention.  One interesting element of Porshe’s birth experience is that she went to the hospital during labor when her blood pressure rose, and was eventually able to

What is iron, what’s its role in pregnancy and why is it important to understand? This episode is a comprehensive conversation about iron and pregnancy. Our guest Dr. Matt Angove, naturopathic physician and creator of Dr. Wholeness, shares a ton of knowledge with us on the topic of iron and specifically ferritin levels. Here are some of the questions we address: What is iron and what role does it serve in the body? What makes iron important during pregnancy? Do needs change for preconception and/or postpartum as well? What’s ferritin and how does it factor in with this conversation? How to check for these levels? How to optimize the levels? Why does most iron cause side effects like stomach pain, constipation or nausea? Can you take too much? Why can that be a problem? How to take iron for maximum absorption and effectiveness? Iron in a prenatal vs. iron supplement?  We also chat with Dr. Matt about home birth, as he and his wife Ama had 5 of their children at home (with twins included in that cou

As we shared last week and in case you missed it: WE’RE PREGNANT! Going forward, the first Tuesday of each month will feature a conversation between us, highlighting the recent events of the pregnancy and birth preparation.  Here are the main things we cover in this discussion, focusing on weeks 0-6: Brief recap of the past 2 years of being open to conceive (ttc) The details of how we found out we were pregnant Telling some of our family and friends Securing our midwife We want your questions and suggestions for things to cover over the next few months as we chronicle this journey! So please send to hello[at]diahpodcast[dot]com or go to our website and fill out the contact form here - https://diahpodcast.com/contact/. Links: Our website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diahpodcast/ Donate to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 DIAH Shop: ttps://bit.ly/3qhwgAe Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your or

PLEASE listen to this important announcement regarding some future changes for DIAH.  Stay tuned for next week’s episode that goes into further details. We love you all and thank you for your continued support of the podcast and community :) Links: Our website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diahpodcast/ Donate to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9 DIAH Shop: ttps://bit.ly/3qhwgAe Needed:  https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does sharing about some of our deepest pains help to process, heal and find meaning within our experiences?  Our guest Susan Stange examples that today by talking about her recent miscarriage experience.  After 4 hospital births, for this pregnancy, Susan was set on a home birth.  Around 11 weeks, the pregnancy ended. A month later, Susan went through a labor and birth experience in her home. She walks us through her process - the ups and downs, what’s been helping in the healing journey and how she’s been connecting with others.  From Susan:  "I recently experienced a miscarriage. I have been rather open about my experience and have been surprised by how many people who have reached out to tell me what my willingness to share my story has meant to them. That my story has helped them process theirs. Their healing fuels my healing and gives my sadness meaning, rather than it being unnecessary suffering. I thought I would reach out. Part of my story is that I was going to have a home birth, and my home birt

What does a midwife do?  Might seem like an obvious answer if you’ve been in the birthing world for a while. But if you’re unfamiliar with different models of care or exploring home birth for the first time, it’s a very legitimate question with answers that could be very significant in your birthing journey. Today we’re joined by Sarah McClure and Charli Zarosinski, midwives of Hearth and Home Midwifery and hosts of The Homebirth Midwife Podcast.  We unpacked a lot of really great topics in this conversation including: The different routes to take to become a midwife  Explaining the midwifery model of care to someone new to the concept What’s an average day in the life of a midwife like? What support do midwives and birth workers need? How can clients be best informed and create the best relationship possible with their midwife? How to determine if your area is home birth-friendly Links: Hearth and Home website: www.hearthandhomemidwifery.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hearthandhomemidwif

Who knew they were going to have a home birth before ever becoming pregnant? This was the case for Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, today’s guest and creator of the “Fertility Friday” podcast and author of the book “The Fifth Vital Sign.” Lisa is a holistic reproductive health practitioner specializing in fertility awareness method. She’s helped thousands in their reproductive journeys. And today, we get to hear both of her birth stories! We learn what got Lisa interested in home birth back in her 20s, plus the different details of her births and what helped her during the experiences. Things we talk about in this episode: Productive labor Fetal ejection reflex Goals and strategies around birth planning Midwife support Links: Lisa’s website: http://fertilityfriday.com/  Lisa’s book “The Fifth Vital Sign”: http://thefifthvitalsignbook.com/ Lisa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fertilityfriday/ Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/ DIAH In

Enjoy this DIAH Classic today, featuring a brand new bonus segment at the beginning of the episode - a short interview with listener Malina and her mother Char.  What inspired your journey to birth empowerment? For today’s guests, Jazmin and Ben, their journey began in 2017 in Seattle following an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage. It prompted them to do research and plan for future pregnancies in a different way. According to Jazmin, “It was my first experience realizing I had to advocate for myself with medical professionals, especially considering I'm a black woman, as many brushed off my concerns and pain as "normal."” Fast forward to Atlanta in 2018 when they welcomed their first daughter, Elyana. It was a 45-hour vaginal birth in a hospital. Jazmin says, “That experience inspired me to dive much deeper and do additional prep for my second birth (chiropractic care, Spinning Babies, pelvic floor PT, a hypnobirthing class, and the DIAH podcast, to name a few).” Then in 2020, Jazmin and Ben had a home birth

Today we welcome back previous guest Katy Drew, who originally joined us in 2017 to talk about future planning for home birth and why “non-moms” are important in birth conversations. When Katy and her husband Nick became pregnant in September 2021, they planned for a home birth with the assistance of a group of midwives they found in the area where they live in Puerto Rico. They also worked with an OBGYN to support their care. At 21 weeks, there was no heartbeat. Katy walks us through the process: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual that ensued as they prepared for an induced hospital birth experience. This conversation is deeply moving and powerful. We honor Katy, Nick and their son Angelito Grace. We’re so grateful to be able to share their story and celebrate Angelito’s soul journey.   Links: Our first interview with Katy in 2017: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doing-it-at-home/id1153134918?i=1000390984986 First interview with Katie McCormick: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doing-it-

Where will you hear about home birth story details, the difference between modern and traditional midwifery, what to do when you are inspired to enter birth work and the connection of birth with sexuality and spirituality? This episode of the podcast! We’re joined by Blyss Young, LM CPM. Blyss is a home birth midwife, teacher, circle facilitator, energy healer, reiki practitioner, mother, yoga teacher, entrepreneur, breathwork facilitator, placenta encapsulator and natural living consultant. Through her guidance and love centered approach she has supported thousands of families to birth in the ways they feel the most empowered. She is a firm believer in intuition, the sacred and rituals. At the heart of all of her work is a deeply rooted belief in the brilliant design of the universe and our integral part in all of it.  You’ve also probably heard Blyss alongside Dr. Stu Fischbein on their podcast “Birthing Instincts.” We get into so many powerful topics in this episode. Blyss shares her history into birth wor

What if a questionable diagnosis was threatening your plans to have a home birth? In today’s home birth stories, Rosa Clemens shares about the birth of both of her children. Her first pregnancy included a misdiagnosis of IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) which presented some interesting hurdles regarding planning for home birth and the doctor’s initial recommendations to induce. We also get to hear about her second home birth and how helpful her midwives were to achieve her desired outcome. Also the use of oxygen during the birth. Things we talk about in this episode: Helpful resources for planning for home birth PCOS IUGR misdiagnosis Pregnancy loss Utilizing oxygen during home birth Links: Rosa’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/LeadmareLibertad Rosa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadmare.libertad/ What The Health documentary: https://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/ Evidence Based Birth: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ Business of Being Born: https://amzn.to/3JblPXZ Doing It At Home

What if...? Probably the biggest question that comes up around the choice to have a home birth. Whether you ask it to yourself, your birth team, or you have other people ask you - it comes up. As today’s guest Janette puts it - “Things did not go to plan, birth never does.” We talk about Janette’s decision to have a home birth - both she and her husband work in a hospital (her as a childbirth educator and doula and her husband as an RN), and so after feeling hesitant to give birth there, she leaned in and took the time to see what felt best. They continued with joint care between their midwives and hospital visits, but planned for a home birth. We hear baby Liv’s birth story, plus the details of Janette’s postpartum transfer to address her blood loss, which had been managed effectively by her midwives and while she was no longer bleeding, a transfusion was the best course of action to support Janette in recovering and feeling better.  In Janette’s words: “When you say you are having a home birth people often

How does it feel to go from a marathon of a birth for your first, to a sprint race for your second?! In today’s home birth story, Nicole shares about why she switched to a home birth plan for her second birth, after having a hospital birth for her first. We also talk about choosing a midwife that works best for you, even if that means driving 1 hour to see them! Plus - castor oil. It comes up often in conversations around birth and moving labor along. Nicole shares her experience with it, plus how her birth changed her as a person. From Nicole: “I did everything and I mean everything I could to ensure a homebirth. But when labor stalled in the 20th hour I considered all my options and that included a castor oil induction. I’d love to share my experience and the good, bad and ugly (also hilarious) side effects. I’d also love to talk about my first birth comparisons and the differences I’ve found with a long slow birth vs the fast birth!” Links: Mavs Top Buns: https://mavstopbuns.com/ Mavs Top Buns Instagram

Today we’re chatting with Kaitlin McGreyes about the birth of her 3rd child, which was her first home birth. After a cesarean and then a hospital VBAC for her first two births, she decided to have a different experience for her third. Kaitlin was a doula for 2 years before her home birth. And interesting fact: in the beginning of her doula work, she was against home birth. We talk about the shifts in her thoughts about home birth and the reasons for having one for herself.  Plus really awesome conversations around the landscape of the birth world in general, and what she and her company Be Her Village are doing to help parents and families in getting the real support they need (like funding for their care provider, postpartum practitioners, mental health resources, etc.) as opposed to a bunch of extra toys and gear that they might not necessarily need.  From Kaitlin: “I had been a doula for 2 years. I had a cesarean for my first, vbac in hospital with my second (unmedicated) and I opted for a home birth for m

Today’s home birth story features Jamie Lazzeri, an Ayurvedic Wellness Practitioner, DONA Trained Birth Doula and Holistic Pregnancy Coach.  Jamie talks about her obsession with birth before becoming a mother, her doula work and how that all influenced the kind of birth she wanted to have for her and her baby.  She also shares a number of great resources that helped her in her journey - including the importance of learning from and sharing birth stories and the benefits of prenatal yoga.  Jamie’s birth was peaceful and empowering overall. Coming out of the birth, she realized a number of triggers that brought on PPD and activated hidden PTSD, related to past sexual trauma. She realizes that her birth opened up the space to look at the traumas and begin to heal. This is an incredibly courageous and important conversation to have, as many experience this but do not talk about it.  From Jamie: “I wish I had heard someone talk about this so I could have gotten the help I needed before going through that for so lo

What is intuitive birthing? It can look different for each of us. But the general philosophy of allowing for the process to be what it is for you in your own unique way is a beautiful concept that comes up in our interview today. Katherine Ward shares her home birth story of her daughter Remi with us. Katherine started her doula training at 18-years-old. Through this experience she determined that when the time came for her to give birth, she wanted something different from what she witnessed in the hospital. By the time she met her husband Connor, she knew she wanted a home birth. This sparks a great dialogue in the interview about how “yet-to-be” mothers can approach conversations with their partners about birthing plans in a loving, open and empowered way.  Katherine also shares about some of the challenges in pregnancy in staying connected as a couple and preparing for the birth experience, as well as some unexpected postpartum challenges. And of course, we’ve got all the details of birthing time! Links:

“Home birth is not all about just the “birth” part.” - a well stated concept from today’s guest Andrea Sidun. Andrea talks to us about her 3rd birth - her first planned home birth, and the sequence of events throughout the experience that led to a hospital transfer. She also walks us through some of the details of her first two births and how they influenced her choice to plan for an HBAC.  Listening to DIAH helped her in her preparation. When she listened to other HBAC stories she thought, “if they can do it, I can do it!” She also shares how she is processing the hospital transfer element of her birth and the emotions that can come with that. Here are some of her words: “Since he is our last baby, it was pretty devastating to me that things did not go as planned. I was more than just disappointed, and still have some grief and trauma thinking of the sequence of events. I have a lot to be grateful for too though. The “home” part of my home birth experience was hands down the best out of my three children. Th

“Does that count as a home birth?” That is the question Marissa found herself asking after her planned home birth shifted to a non-emergent hospital transfer towards the end of her labor.  Marissa walks us through her process of choosing home birth, which happened before conceiving, navigating feedback and opinions from friends and family and then setting intentions for the birth space and including her husband Stephen in the experience.  Some highlights: Finding a midwifery group with hospital privileges if this is important to you Big emphasis on partner support Birth is not dramatic  Importance of consent-based practice Hospital policies after birth You can do things that are hard It’s okay to question the norm  Links: 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 Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/ DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3q

How do you truly honor birth? Dr. Nathan Riley joins us for the second time on the podcast. First time was back in 2019, and a lot of life has changed for him. For one thing, he’s welcomed both of his daughters into the world. And today we talk about the home birth of the youngest (about 5 weeks old at the time of this interview). Nathan shares his perspective of the experience, as a father, partner and physician. Nathan also talks about the space he holds for birth and how he has evolved from an OBGYN practicing in the hospital to a more lifestyle medicine approach where he supports both parents and birth workers. The nuggets in this episode are too many to count and drop at such a rapid rate. You might need to hit pause and rewind a few times, that’s how powerful it is! Things we talk about in this episode: hospital model of care, hospital birth, home birth story, fast labor and delivery, trusting and bearing witness to birth, awesome resources around holistic birth, Nathan’s journey as a doctor, questionin