Pain Free Birth

What if labor wasn’t random? What if bonding isn’t luck? What if your brain is biologically designed to change in birth?
In this profound and science-rich conversation, Karen sits down with Dr. Sarah Buckley, family physician, researcher, and pioneer in physiological birth, to unpack the true hormonal science of labor and postpartum.
Dr. Buckley has spent decades studying oxytocin, the primary hormone of labor, bonding, and breastfeeding. In this episode, she explains how birth activates the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, how oxytocin creates maternal bonding, and why feeling safe during labor is not emotional fluff. It’s biological necessity. 
This episode bridges the gap between science and spirituality, physiology and experience proving that ecstatic birth is not fantasy. It is mammalian biology.
Tune in to hear:
How oxytocin changes the maternal brain during labor
What actually causes bonding between mother and baby
The neuroscience behind the “birth high”
Why safety is essential for oxytocin release
How synthetic oxytocin works differently in the body
The surprising research findings on Pitocin and oxytocin levels
How epidurals impact the oxytocin feedback loop
Why some women miss the hormonal peak at birth
What happens hormonally during cesarean birth
How skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding can “fill hormonal gaps”
Why birth is a relational experience, not an engineering event
The mammalian design behind maternal transformation
How to protect your physiology in hospital birth settings
Connect with Dr. Buckley:
Website: www.sarahbuckley.com
FB: @DrSarahBuckley 
IG: @DrSarahJBuckley 
Twitter: @Sarahjbuckley

CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Can birth really be different the second time? What if releasing fear was the missing piece?
In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Callie shares her redemptive Christian home birth story after experiencing an excruciatingly painful first labor. At just 22 years old and pregnant with her second baby, she knew she could not walk into birth carrying the same fear and tension that defined her first experience. 
In this conversation, Callie shares how understanding the fear–tension–pain cycle transformed her perspective on contractions, how inviting God into her labor brought peace and confidence, and why birth can feel intense without feeling traumatic.
She also speaks honestly about postpartum complications and anxiety, reminding listeners that redemption does not always mean perfection. Birth can be both powerful and messy. Faith does not eliminate challenges, but it reframes them. Her testimony is a reminder that birth can be both powerful and messy, and that God can be present in both.
This episode is filled with encouragement for any mama who has experienced birth trauma, fears labor, or feels stuck believing her story is already written.
Tune in to hear:
What made Callie’s first birth “excruciatingly painful”
How fear contributed to her labor experience
The power of addressing the fear–tension–pain cycle
How Scripture and worship reshaped her mindset
What contractions felt like in her second labor
The moment she felt her baby rotate and descend
How her husband showed up differently the second time
What really happened during her postpartum hemorrhage
Honest conversation about postpartum anxiety and healing
Encouragement for moms believing their story cannot change
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Faith Filled Childbirth  
Supernatural Childbirth 
Birth Playlist
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Facebook
YouTube

Are you planning an unmedicated birth… but wondering if you’re actually doing enough to prepare?
In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen breaks down the five essential steps to preparing for a natural, physiological birth with intention. Not just hoping for one. Not just writing a birth plan. But truly preparing your mind, body, and spirit for the birth experience you desire.
If you’ve been binging birth stories and thinking, “I want that too” but still feel unsure where to start, this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap.
Because birth is not random. And while it is unpredictable, there are patterns. There are principles. There are ways to stack the odds in your favor.
Tune in to hear:
Why overcoming fear is the first and most important step in birth preparation
How unresolved birth stories and trauma can influence your labor
The fear–tension–pain cycle and how it impacts your body
Why understanding the physiology of birth changes everything
The hormones that drive labor and how to support them naturally
How clarity about your desired birth experience increases confidence
The difference between the medical model and midwifery model of care
Why your provider choice statistically impacts your birth outcome more than anything else
Resources mentioned:
Questions to Ask Your Provider: https://resources.painfreebirth.com/birth-provider-questions 
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Facebook
YouTube

What if going past your due date wasn’t a problem to solve?
In this Karen sits down with Pinsi Lei, a mom of three and business coach from New York City, to share one of the most jaw-dropping birth stories ever told on the show.
After two long, medicated hospital births, Pinsi experienced an unintentional unassisted home birth at 42 weeks. With no pushing, no tearing, and a nine-pound, ten-ounce baby born standing up through the fetal ejection reflex, this story is a profound testimony to what happens when fear is released and physiology is allowed to lead.
Tune in to hear:
How Pinsi went from two epidural hospital births to an unassisted home birth
Why releasing emotional fear triggered labor at 42 weeks
What the fetal ejection reflex feels like and why she didn’t push at all
How worship, prayer, and mindset eliminated pain during contractions
The surprising differences between epidural babies and unmedicated babies
Why she instinctively birthed in the smallest, darkest corner of her home
How standing birth prevented tearing with a 9 lb 10 oz baby
Why her postpartum recovery was faster and calmer than ever before
How trusting intuition transformed her confidence as a mother and woman
Connect with Pinsi: @pinsilei
Pinsi's Birth Story on IG: BIRTH STORY: 
https://www.instagram.com/p/DM6SUHlO7oU/?igsh=MWY0NWVpbGIxaXZ0Mg==
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Facebook
YouTube

What if fear doesn’t have to be part of your first home birth experience?
In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen Welton sits down with Katie Brambila, a first-time mom and midwife-in-training, to share her incredible, God-filled home birth story.
Katie brings a unique perspective to birth. Before becoming pregnant, she had already spent nearly three years in midwifery school and attended close to 100 births, most of them at home. Despite her extensive experience, Katie still had to confront common fears and stigmas surrounding first-time home birth, including the belief that first labors are always long, difficult, or destined for transfer.
Throughout the conversation, Karen offers expert insight on dismantling birth fear, the importance of mental preparation, and why even highly knowledgeable women still need intentional support and mindset work in birth. Together, they normalize fear, highlight the vulnerability of labor, and encourage women to trust their bodies and God’s design for birth.
Tune in to hear:
Why first-time home birth fears are common and how to reframe them
How mindset and mental preparation impact the experience of labor
The role of surrender and faith in pain-free birth
Why identifying and targeting specific fears is more effective than avoiding them
How breath, prayer, and focus can change how contractions feel
What it’s like to actively push and birth at home as a first-time mom
Why support from a doula and birth team matters, even for birth professionals
Connect with Katie:
IG: @katiebrambila
Send her a DM & mention this episode to receive free shipping on NORA Moon Time tea blend to support your luteal and menstrual phases.
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
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