Happy Homebirth

When you want to give birth at home, but the local midwives are overbooked and not taking new clients, what are your options? 

 

This week we’re speaking to Regan, a mother to two kiddos in the Manitoba area of Canada who knew that she wanted to give birth at home, but had to think outside the box to make it happen for her.  

 

Regan is a wife of 7 years and a stay at home mom to her two beautiful young children. A small part of her life includes helping manage a midwifery advocacy group, whose main desire is that all women in her Province can have the birth experience they desire! She loves her quiet country home life raising kids, running her two small businesses and discussing birth with anyone who wants to talk!

 

Episode Roundup:

 

 

It can feel so frustrating to hear how difficult it is in so many places to find a quality care provider at home.  Whether it's because of a lack of midwives or because of an over-taxed system, it leads to the same issue– Mothers have to think outside the box to find the care they need.  But what’s beautiful is the fact that for some mothers, like Regan, their desire to have a certain kind of experience leads them to explore other options and find a solution that works for them.  This doesn’t always look the same for every family.  For some, maybe it’s a hotel or airbnb birth.  For others, maybe it’s finding midwives to travel to you from a distance.  Whatever it looks like, the sense of creativity that you can bring into a difficult situation can truly flip it on its head.

There’s something to be said for having to keep information confidential when you deeply want to share.  Regan spoke of how the sense of secrecy she needed to maintain in order to protect her labor support felt very heavy to hear.  While it’s such a good reminder that your private medical information is yours to keep close and it’s really nobody else’s right to know, that doesn’t change the experience that comes with WANTING to share and feeling unable. Regan thinks this may have impacted her ability to connect to the idea that she was really growing a baby prenatally – which, as I mentioned, I believe makes quite a bit of sense that she needed to truly feel all of her labor to make the connection that, yes, this is happening! I’m becoming a mother again!

And finally, one of the beautiful counter balances to the struggle Regan had with not being able to share about her labor support– was her labor support itself.  She had a team of two women who loved her, cared for her, encouraged her and walked with her as she went through one of the most pivotal days of her entire life.  What a delight that these women cared so deeply for her, and were also so deeply impacted by Regan’s birth.  

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)

How do you feel about the specifics of your upcoming birth? Are you clinging to particular desires and feeling like things MUST happen a certain way for you to feel successful? Or do you feel the peace of flexibility?

This week, we're speaking with Pamela, a homeschooling mother of 3 precious kiddos, who decided to give birth at home with her third child. Throughout the end of her pregnancy and labor, Pamela went on a journey of learning that she wasn’t in control of every event that happened, but she was able to surrender— and through the process of surrender she found something even better than certainty- she found freedom.

 

Episode Roundup:

First, I love the fact that Pamela was being encouraged by the young mothers around her– in her community group, and then within her family.  The women in Pamela’s circle gave her a new perspective of what birth could be like– and what she could be capable of!  When you share your experiences with others, who knows who you will influence and how that could change their trajectory.  How beautiful to simply share your story.

Next, I cannot–not comment on Pamela’s perspective.  While she did have ideas of what she wanted her birth to be like– in the water, untouched– She allowed herself the freedom to change her mind as her birth unfolded. She was not a victim of birth, even with its changes.  Instead she acknowledges the part that she played: She chose to change her mind.  We cannot control numerous aspects of our births, but we can control our perspective.  And when you pair a healthy perspective with the lesson of surrender, oh my, that’s how mothers transform.

And finally–Beauty and Tragedy exist simultaneously. At the same time that Pam was approaching birth, there was tremendous flooding and loss in her region of Texas. And then her grandfather broke his hip the day before labor. Life is being lost, pain is being experienced, and at the very same time beauty is being created. New life is being freshly breathed. The clear truth is that there is beauty, even in the hardest of times.

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 done everything right…and still watched things unfold in a way you never expected?

This week I’m joined by Daryl Hogan — a nurse, nursing professor, wife, and new mama — who navigated a laundry list of unexpected aspects of pregnancy that she certainly wouldn’t have excitedly chosen…. And yet her story doesn’t end in suffering, but in a powerful, physiologic homebirth that left her standing in awe of what her body had carried her through.

 

Episode Roundup:

 

First — preparation does not guarantee ease.

Daryl did the research.
She changed her products.
She tracked her cycles.
She took the supplements.
She prepared her body thoughtfully.

And still she experienced hyperemesis.
Still she lost weight.
And still she battled prenatal depression.

But she endured.  She continued, and while her preparation did not prevent suffering —
It did equip her to endure it.

Second — the humility of needing help.

As a nurse, Daryl understood the medical system.
She works in the hospital.
She knows the language.

But during her pregnancy, she found herself needing the IV fluids, the medication.
Needing support beyond what she had hoped for.

And I love the way she processed that.

She asked herself:
“Would I shame another woman for this?”

Of course not.

And so she chose to release the shame.

My friends, sometimes trusting God also looks like accepting the help He places in front of you.

Third — the power of relational care.

Did you hear the contrast between her midwife and her OB?

Long appointments.
Text messages.
Honesty.
Consultation.
Home visits.

Versus…

Cold. Rushed. Directive.

Care changes experience.

Not just outcomes — experience.

And finally — redemption through birth.

After months of vomiting.
Crying.
Exhaustion and
Fear.

Her labor came.

She drove home from the birth center on all fours in the back seat — because her body told her to.

And she birthed her baby at home.

Oh my goodness, the triumph in that!  

Not because it was pain-free or especially easy, but because she endured. She trusted. She surrendered.

And what strikes me most is this —
she didn’t just get a baby at the end.

She got awe: 

Awe of her body.
Awe of the design.
Awe of the way suffering can shape strength.

So if you are in a season where you are doing your best just to make it through
Whether that’s in pregnancy, motherhood, or another aspect of your life —


 

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 wondered how much the environment and the people around you shape the way birth unfolds?

 

Hey there Happy Homebirthers, and welcome to episode 314 of the Happy Homebirth Podcast.  I’m your host Katelyn Fusco and today, we’re speaking with Caroline Hendel, a mother from France whose story beautifully illustrates the difference between being managed through birth vs. being trusted in it.

Caroline shares two very different experiences: her first birth in a hospital after being transferred due to concerns about her baby’s size, and her second—an intentional home birth of an eleven-pound baby, surrounded by a team who provided a sense of belief, calm, and support.

This conversation touches on big babies, cultural differences in birth care, choosing your team wisely, and what it truly means to feel safe in birth.

 

First, I’m struck by how clearly her experiences show that big babies are not the problem—fear is. Over and over again, we see that when providers don’t trust mothers, size becomes a liability. But when belief is present, the body often does exactly what it was designed to do.

Second, Caroline’s story highlights how important it is to choose your team carefully—and to change course when something doesn’t feel right. Trusting your intuition doesn’t mean rejecting care; it means seeking the right care.

And finally, I love her reflection on how birth intensity can be a bridge into motherhood. For Caroline, her second birth gave her something her first did not— she was able to experience the fullness and intensity of the act of bringing forth her baby, which was exactly what she wanted as she re-entered the fullness and intensity of motherhood. If you’re preparing for birth, I pray this story reminds you that you deserve belief, support, and peace—no matter the size of your baby.

 

Links:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5yY5p5Wm6Y

 

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 noticed how each birth teaches us something different—no matter how many times we’ve done this before?

 

Today, I’m welcoming back a dear friend of the show, Madeline Murray—midwife, mother of four, and someone whose story has unfolded alongside this podcast over the years.

Madeline has been here before to share her first and second homebirths, and today she’s bringing us into her third and fourth. Two births that took place in very different seasons of life, and yet both marked by growth, presence, and a deepening sense of trust.

 

Episode Roundup:

First, I’m struck by how much presence mattered in these later births. Madeline talks about the difference between surviving a birth and actually participating in it—and that distinction feels so important. Sometimes peace doesn’t come from changing the circumstances, but from being able to stay with yourself through them.

Second, I love her honesty about how seasons of life affect birth. Giving birth while navigating business ownership, older children, and a body that’s changed with time looks different than it did before—and that doesn’t make it lesser. In many ways, it makes it richer. There’s wisdom there. There’s perspective.

And finally, Madeline’s story reminds us that even when we’re experienced—even when we’ve attended births or lived inside this world for years—birth still has something to teach us. It continues to shape us, humble us, and invite us into deeper trust.

So wherever you are on your own journey—first baby or fourth—may this story remind you that growth doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like calm. Sometimes it looks like confidence. Sometimes it looks like finally feeling at home in your body.

 

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)