Healing Birth with Carla

• “Not a fast food midwife, but a chef” - Sharon’s Story

  It was the following Suzanne Arms quote, that inspired my guest today, Sharon Robinson, to become a midwife:“If we are to create a nonviolent world where respect and kindness replace fear and hatred, we must begin with how we treat each other at the beginning of life, for that is where our deepest patterns are set. From these roots grow fear and alienation, or love and trust.”As a new grad, Sharon left her home in the US to practice midwifery in NZ because of our “gold standard” midwifery care. However, she was met with challenges - hierarchies, power-plays, professional jealousy, over-medicalisation - that stifled her ability to practice where and how she wanted to, and in the ways that she knew women deserved.Sharon shares with us some of the trials and tribulations she has faced throughout her personal and professional life, including childhood abuse at the hands of her father, a mastectomy for breast cancer 10 years ago, and then, last year, being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We discuss what the role of a midwife is, how the way a woman is treated in birth matters a lot more than her mode of birth, and what birth and midwifery are like in different parts of the world.Also discussed in this episode:* Creating birth plans* Stillbirth* Deep grief versus trauma* Abusive and fraudulent maternity ‘care’ in South Africa* Rights in birth* Informed decision making and consent* Post dates* Induction of labour* Differing roles of midwives and obstetricians* Defensive, risk-centric practice* Home birth midwifery* Collegial support from like-minded midwivesCheck out Sharon’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sharonrobinson.midwifeFind some awesome videos that Sharon has created on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sharonrobinsonmidwife516Become a part of the Wise Women Network NZ - a global (despite the name) Facebook group for birth workers and birth-passionate consumers who are seeking a reclamation of empowered, undisturbed, physiological birth, supported by wise woman midwives: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538842372367843Follow my (Carla’s) Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/healing.birth/Check out my website here: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/Email me [email protected] if you have a story that you believe is a good fit for my podcast and that you’re keen to shareYou can also watch this episode, and others, on my Healing Birth YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@healingbirth

  --------  

  1:45:23
• The Path to a Healing Home Birth - Millie’s Story

  Millie’s father passed away just prior to her first pregnancy. She was consumed by grief and had no capacity to take birth preparation on board. Just shy of 42 weeks pregnant, Millie agreed to an induction and a sequence of disempowering, sometimes traumatising, events played out, including a 3rd degree tear which required 2.5 hours of surgical repair, separating her from her newborn at this critical time.Now, 6 weeks postpartum with her second baby, Millie has quite a different story to share of pregnancy and birth. Encouraged by her midwife, Millie chose a home birth this time, and she did the inner work necessary to set herself up for a vastly different, very empowering, experience.Tune in to hear all about the self work that’s required to honour the need for a healing birth. Millie shares all of her top tips and invaluable resources.Also discussed in this episode:* ARM/Syntocinon* TENS* Unconsented student midwife involvement* FSE* Cervical lip - told not to push* Painful catheterisation* Fetal heart decelerations* PPH* haematoma* physical trauma* Soulful Birth course* Acupuncture* 40 minute physiological 3rd stage* JournalingLearn more about my (Carla’s) Soulful Birth course here: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/soulfulbirthgroupOr there is the option to do a personalised Soulful Birth For You course with me, 1:1. Check out the details here: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/soulfulbirthforyou

  --------  

  1:14:38
• Overcoming Her Fears - Candice’s Story

  Candice, a midwife, recently gave birth to her second baby. We worked together during her pregnancy, helping her to unpack the story of her first birth and to prepare for a different experience this time around. Mildred’s birth had been shockingly painful for Candice, and she exhaustedly made the call to abandon her home birth plans in order to have an epidural in hospital. This left her with feelings of shame and self doubt, especially given she was a midwife. But doing the self-work required to unravel her traumatic experience and find compassion for how she had coped, enabled Candice to manage another very painful posterior labour in an entirely different way. Candice’s story highlights our undeniable mind-body connection and its very real impacts on how we birth. When we enter labour with unhealed traumas and experience the inevitable loss of control that giving birth entails, many, like Candice, experience this as hugely triggering. Tune in to Candice’s vulnerable share about how she worked through her fears to ready herself, as best she could, for a beautiful and empowering home birth. Also discussed in this episode: * Posterior labour - direct OP birth * Long early labour * Nitrous oxide - gas & air (at home birth) * Ventouse birth * Second degree tear * Effects of childhood trauma on birth * Difficulties bonding with baby * Work with me - Havening, Unravelling Your Trauma session, Planning Your Healing Birth session, Soulful Birth online course * Journal prompts and guided meditation * Tools for managing fears (especially around pain) in labour * Affirmations * Water birth * Self vaginal exam * Requesting a managed 3rd stage an hour postpartum * Tandem feeding Follow Candice on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villagebirthnz/ Learn more about healing with me (Carla) here: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/healing And learn more about my online Soulful Birth (holistic birth & postpartum preparation) course here: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/soulfulbirthgroup

  --------  

  1:36:40
• Curious Connections - Nathalie’s Home Birth in LA

  When Nathalie got married in her 20s, she and her husband were set on a life without children. They had met in an ashram in India, studying Vedanta philosophy, and were of the view that parenthood was a distraction from the spiritual path. But some years into their marriage, Nathalie developed a growing, undeniable urge to become a Mother. With her biological clock ticking, and a marriage where needs were no longer aligned, Nathalie and her husband separated. He returned to NZ, and she went on a wild journey of self discovery, delving into the more feminine aspects of her nature, and doing her all to call in the man who would father her children. As I talk to Nathalie today, her boy Sage, now 7 weeks old, is being cared for by his Dad, Ivan, in their LA apartment. She shares with me about the challenges she faced, and preparations she undertook, to achieve a positive and rewarding birth experience. Find out how her childless ex-husband came to be the one who enthusiastically encouraged Nathalie to explore home birth, and suggested that she contact me for guidance around achieving that. It’s quite the story! Also discussed in this episode: * Breast reduction surgery and its impact on milk production * Donor milk, low supply, supplemental nursing system, triple feeding * Home birth obstetrician * Fears of going post-dates. ‘The labor salad’ & castor oil smoothie * Chinese medicine - Nathalie is an acupuncturist * Denial/suppression of feminine aspects of self - healing the guilt and shame of being a woman * Dr Sarah Buckley’s work * Bed-sharing * Positive impacts of home birth on postpartum Nathalie worked with me (Carla) via both my 1:1 and Group Soulful Birth (holistic birth and postpartum preparation) options. For more information on these, head to this webpage: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/birthprep Check out Nathalie’s work here: https://nathalievitality.com/

  --------  

  1:23:18
• Kiki & Adam’s HBA2C - The Difference a Sisterhood of Support Makes

  For someone who, like so many out there, had been under the illusion that their hideous cesarean births were ‘just the way birth was’ and not justifiably classified as traumatic, Kiki, having just birthed her third baby at home, has quite the story to tell! She and her husband, Adam, share about initially being under the veil of disempowering conditioning, and the journey they went on to achieve an undisturbed home birth just 6 weeks ago. Kiki’s is a powerful story of courage and self-determination. The system had her labelled as ‘high risk’ due to multiple factors that Kiki came to see were not based on good evidence, didn’t align with what she instinctively knew, and were tools in the patriarchal birth machine, designed to keep her scared and under the control of the system. Once she learnt that she was rightfully the one behind the steering wheel, Kiki stood in her power and readied herself for the birth that she and her baby needed and deserved. I had the honour of being a part of Kiki’s pregnancy journey, helping her to learn the truth about her earlier births, and sourcing the tools, understandings and wise woman sisterhood that she needed in order to take radical responsibility for the way her birth would unfold. At almost 39 weeks of pregnancy, her midwife dropped her, afraid of Kiki’s uncompromising approach to planning her birth. This turned out to be an absolute blessing, opening the door for some incredible midwives to rally around Kiki, supporting her right to birth her way. Kiki now seeks to pay it forward. She has found her voice and has a fire in her belly, and she’s determined to do all she can to tear down the patriarchal structures that keep birthing women from accessing their power in the wondrous rite of passage that birth is.  Also discussed in this episode: * NFP ‘The Village NZ’ * Australian maternity system - no continuity of care * Artificial rupture of membranes - meconium * Syntocinon augmentation * Epidural  * Crash c section under GA * Lack of initial bond with baby * Gestational diabetes * Inaccurate ultrasound scans * ‘Advanced maternal age’ (41 years) * VBAC * Detailed birth plans * Responsibilities  * Soulful Birth course * Freebirth * Doula * ‘Unravelling Your Trauma’ session with Healing Birth Practitioner trainee * Born at Home and Birth Time films * Sibling at birth Join the Wise Women Network NZ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538842372367843 Check out The Village NZ: https://thevillagenz.org/ Contact Michelle if you’re a birth worker who is interested in becoming a part of the ‘Authentic Midwifery - Wise Women Collective’ - email her on [email protected]. Or connect with her via her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleandIzzy Join my (Carla’s) Soulful Birth course: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/soulfulbirthgroup Look into my Healing Birth Practitioner Training: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/hb-practitioner-training

  --------  

  2:05:09

More Kids & Family podcasts

Trending Kids & Family podcasts

About Healing Birth with Carla