PODCAST · health
Healing Birth
by Diana Forsell Tayan
Conscious conversations about birth, rooted in trusting the inherent wisdom of our bodies.
Episodes
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A Healing Homebirth With Grandma By Her Side
Hailee grew up with a mother who had six cesarean births, so when she became pregnant with her first baby, she simply hoped to experience a vaginal delivery. Unfortunately, her hospital birth left her with a very different experience than she'd imagined, followed by a difficult postpartum…
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When Speaking Out About Obstetric Violence Is the Closest Thing to Justice
When today's guest became pregnant with her long-awaited first baby, she placed her trust in a physician who came highly recommended and was well respected in her community. Throughout her pregnancy, she had no reason to question that trust. But when she made a decision at the end of pregnancy...
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She Affirmed Her Dream Birth Into Reality
Growing up in Brazil, where cesarean birth is extraordinarily common, Sofia is encouraged by a growing movement of women seeking to reclaim their birth experiences and rediscover the beauty of physiological birth. After a difficult first birth that included two days of labor, an episiotomy, and a...
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From Birth Trauma to Birthworker: Six Births that Changed Everything
This week's guest shares the remarkable evolution of her six birth stories, from fighting to have her wishes respected in the hospital, to discovering just how beautiful and transformative birth could be at home. After advocating fiercely for herself throughout her first hospital birth, she was...
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The Many Layers of Grief After an Unplanned Cesarean: Part Two of Alayna's Story
In Part One of Alayna's story, we left off as she made the difficult decision to go to the hospital after developing clear signs of preeclampsia at the end of her pregnancy. As she had been planning to freebirth, she arrived with no record of prenatal care and ultimately experienced a failed...
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When the Birth You Planned is No Longer the Birth You Need: Alayna's Story, Part One
Alayna's journey to motherhood began with two years of trying to conceive, a season filled with hope, disappointment, and the emotional rollercoaster of waiting for the pregnancy she wanted so deeply. When she finally became pregnant, she thrived in those early months and began preparing for the...
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A Freebirther Heals Her Relationship to Midwifery
After going into labor unexpectedly at just 35 weeks with her first baby, Hannah's plans for a midwife-assisted homebirth quickly turned into a hospital transfer and a traumatic experience that left her feeling deeply let down by the very system of support she had trusted. She went on to…
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Raised on Homebirth, Then Thrust Into the Hospital System
As the oldest of 13 children, nearly all of whom were born at home, Evelyn grew up with homebirth as her normal. Naturally, when she became pregnant with her first baby, she planned to give birth at home, too. But at 36.5 weeks, a violent case of food poisoning unexpectedly sent her into labor,...
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After a Traumatic Freebirth, a Healing Homebirth
Today's guest reached out to me just after welcoming her fifth baby at home, in what she described as a deeply healing birth. Her journey to this birth was shaped by four very different experiences before it, including a hospital birth, two previous homebirths and a traumatic freebirth with her...
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When Labor Knows What the Baby Needs
Julia was planning to give birth at a birth center throughout her pregnancy, but at 37 weeks, she learned that it was closing its doors. With little time to make a new plan, she and her husband chose to transfer their care to a home birth midwife, a decision that would profoundly shape the way...
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Why a Veteran Doula Chose Homebirth: Nina Spears (@thebabychick) on Birth, Postpartum, and Motherhood
After spending years supporting families as a doula, Nina Spears had witnessed birth in hospitals, birth centers, and homes. So when it came time to welcome her own babies into the world, she made a choice that surprised many: she chose to give birth at home. In this episode, Nina shares her own...
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It Wasn't Perfect. It Was Completely Mine.
When Elena decided on a homebirth at 37 weeks pregnant with her first baby, many people questioned her choice. Then, when her waters broke and the fluid was stained with meconium, it seemed to confirm everyone's fears. But Elena trusted herself. Despite advice to head to the hospital, she chose…
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She Invited her Mother-In-Law to Witness her Freebirth - and It Changed Them Both
Terra was the kind of kid who was terrified of hospitals and doctors. As a young woman, she never wanted to have children because of it. But when she learned about the option to homebirth, it immediately resonated with her, and her fears began to subside. What followed was an unexpectedly long...
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Spirit Babies and the Mysteries of Conception: A Conversation About Fertility, Loss, and the Unseen
While on a fertility journey to conceive her second child, Olivia discovered an unexpected spiritual gift: the ability to connect with and communicate with the souls of babies and children who are still in spirit, often referred to as "spirit babies." In this episode, Olivia shares her journey of...
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A CrossFit Coach on Strength, Birth, and Finding Her Voice
Courtney was a fit, 25-year-old fitness coach when she walked into the hospital to deliver her first baby. She hoped for a natural birth, but instead experienced a classic cascade of interventions and medical gaslighting, leaving the experience with trauma she never expected. Sharing her story…
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A Peaceful Homebirth After Finding Her Way Back to Trust
Madelyn's first son's birth came with an induction, a NICU stay, and a feeding journey she never expected. Although she wasn't ready for another baby right away, she carried with her a desire for a more healing birth experience. Four years later, she welcomed her second baby in a completely...
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Born in the Driveway on the Way to the Birth Center
Carley prayed for an uneventful, redemptive birth experience after her first hospital birth left her with mixed emotions. For her second baby, she switched to a midwife-run birth center, and describes the difference in care as night and day. But her child wasn't born at the birth center as…
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The Birth Partner's Experience: A Father Shares the Power of Holding Space During Homebirth
In honor of Father's Day today, I am rebroadcasting one of my favorite interviews I've ever done, first aired in 2024, and one of the only times I've had a father on the show to share his experience of what it was like to support his birthing partner. Couple Marion and Banks together share the...
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Birth Trauma, Homebirth, and the Healing Power of Telling Our Stories
Emmy's first birth experience ended in a way no one imagines: an "emergency" cesarean under general anesthesia. Her son was welcomed into life by strangers rather than into the loving arms of his mother and father, a source of pain that stayed with her for a long time. Determined to have a...
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Trust the Knowing: A Calm and Powerful Private Birth at Home
Megan shares the beautiful story of her first child's birth—a "private birth" with only her husband and their happily snoring dog present in their home. Although it was one of the most physically intense experiences of her life, Megan was left in awe of how clear and calm she remained throughout...
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After Stillbirth and Two Cesareans, She Finally Had the Birth She Dreamed Of
At just seventeen years old, Lexi found herself pregnant and facing pressure from her doctor to terminate her pregnancy after her baby was diagnosed with Spina Bifida. She was told her son would never live a normal life, but despite the fear and uncertainty, Lexi chose to continue her pregnancy…
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Through the Isolette Doors: A NICU Journey
Jes shares the brutal, raw, and ultimately hopeful story of experiencing two premature births and navigating the NICU with both of her babies. Her first baby was born at 27 weeks, and her second at 30 weeks, leading to two deeply emotional NICU journeys that changed her forever. She opens up…
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A Cesarean on Her Own Terms
When Samantha became pregnant with her first baby, she was already working as a doula and felt more familiar with birth than most first-time mothers. She planned a home birth with a midwife, but after a long labor she transferred to the hospital. There, her experience was deeply impacted by a…
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Where Empty Arms Meet Light
Liz is a death doula, medium, and spiritual guide. She is also a mother who has walked intimately with grief. On her first appearance on this podcast, she shared the heartbreaking and beautiful story of her daughter's pregnancy and stillbirth, which you can listen to here. Even while still…
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An Off-Grid, Blissful Freebirth in Maine (Part Two)
This is part two of Kirsten's story. If you haven't already heard part one, check it out here. By the time Kirsten became pregnant with her second baby, her family had followed a dream and moved off grid to a tiny cabin in the Maine wilderness. Living without running water and facing a long,...
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An Off-Grid, Blissful Freebirth in Maine (Part One)
When Kirsten became pregnant with her first baby, she and her partner knew they wanted a home birth. She hired a team of midwives to support her care, but her plans hit a bump when an ultrasound suggested her baby was too small. Deep down, Kirsten felt confident her baby was fine, and, after...
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A Routine Epidural, An Unexpected Reaction
Jackie entered her pregnancy with an unquestioning faith that the medical system knew best how to manage her care, and ensure the safe delivery of her baby. During prenatal discussions with her doctor, she made it clear from the start, before she had ever felt a single contraction, that she…
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Just Us: A Fifth Baby, Born at Home
Shiloa returns to the podcast to share the story of her fifth baby's birth, a deeply intimate homebirth with only her husband by her side. What started as a joke early in pregnancy—"maybe I just won't call the midwife"—quietly revealed itself as truth. She was craving something raw, primal, and...
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When Intuition Leads You to Transfer: A Planned Freebirth, Twin Cesarean, and Healing the Trauma
After leaving an unhealthy relationship, Theresa made a solemn vow to herself: she would never again say yes when her intuition told her no, or no when it told her yes. So when she became pregnant with her first baby, she knew the conventional, conveyor-belt obstetric path wasn't for her.…
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The Surprise Breech Homebirth of Joli's First Baby
Joli sat down with me in person to share her incredible first birth story, a first for this podcast! Raised hearing her mother speak so positively about her own home births, Joli always envisioned a similar path for herself. When it came time to welcome her first baby, she felt deeply committed…
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A Boss Babe Softens: Homebirth, Loss, and Healing
Taylor sat down with me to share her story just twelve weeks after her second homebirth. She says she felt reborn after both of her birth experiences, but describes this most recent one as especially healing. It came after an early second trimester miscarriage and a traumatic D&C, which led her…
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Why Birth Can Feel So Overwhelming, and What Actually Helps
Why do so many women leave birth feeling overwhelmed, unheard, or even traumatized? And what actually helps create a better birth experience? In this episode, I'm joined by Erica Manto Paulson, a certified doula, childbirth educator, and certified clinical hypnotherapist who has supported…
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The Birth Was Beautiful. Postpartum Was Hard.
Eva was working in a maternity home, a residential program that provides housing, prenatal care, and support for pregnant women in need, when she became pregnant with her first baby. Clear in her vision for birth, she chose midwifery care and planned a physiological, unmedicated birth at a...
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Rejecting Fear: Celine's Homebirth After Cesarean (HBAC)
At the end of her first pregnancy, Celine's plans for the birth unraveled. Her baby was breech, and the natural birth she had envisioned was replaced with a scheduled cesarean. Though the surgery itself wasn't traumatic, it shook her confidence. She was left wrestling with painful questions: Why...
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High Risk, Held by Grace: Part Two of Natalie's Story
This is part two of Natalie's story. Be sure to listen to Part One if you haven't already. After the devastating second-trimester loss of her second baby, Natalie entered her third pregnancy carrying a lot of fear. Labeled as high risk, she once again had to navigate frequent interactions with…
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Finding God in the Midst of Tragedy: Part One of Natalie's Story
Content note: This episode includes the story of infant loss. If you are not in a space to hear about this topic, I trust you know what to do. From the very beginning of Natalie's second pregnancy, she felt that something was wrong. As early as the first trimester, she experienced breathing…
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Freebirth Beyond the Dogma
Emily's first pregnancy at twenty came in the midst of heroin addiction and an abusive relationship — and became her path to sobriety. She had an unmedicated hospital birth that, while fast, came with the usual interventions: coached pushing, an unnecessary episiotomy, and IV fluids that made...
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Homebirth, and Healing, After a Second Trimester Loss
Lindsee's first birth was a fairly typical hospital experience—and it left her feeling there had to be a better way to bring life into the world. When it came time to choose where her second baby would be born, she opted for a midwife-run birth center, and the difference was profound. The...
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A Surprise Birth in her Parent's Bathtub
Carly's husband, a medical doctor, shared that there were two things he didn't feel comfortable with as they approached the birth of their own children: waterbirth and homebirth. One fateful day, while celebrating her mom's birthday at her home, Carly went into labor - thinking she had much more...
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Giving Birth at Sixteen
Gloria found out she was pregnant at just sixteen years old. Her pregnancy and hospital birth were fairly uneventful, but navigating postpartum life and caring for a newborn—all while still in high school—was extremely challenging. Ten years later, Gloria welcomed her second baby. This time, she...
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Maddison's Journey to Postpartum Bliss
All of Maddison's births were peaceful, easeful homebirths. Even her third birth—an early loss of twins—unfolded gently at home and left her feeling at peace. Her postpartum experiences, however, were extremely challenging. Freshly out of an abusive relationship and pregnant for the fourth time,...
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When Birth Isn't Healing
Welcome to Season 7 of the podcast! When today's guest, Jordan, reached out to me to explore what it looks like to move forward when birth isn't healing—when it feels unresolved or leaves lingering questions—and how to find your own healing by integrating your lived experience, I knew I had to…
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Restored By Grace: From Medicalized Birth, to Trusting the Body
Brigid is a mother of five who began her motherhood journey knowing little about birth and fully handing her experiences over to medical professionals. By the time she was pregnant with her fourth child, she knew she needed something different. She had done a great deal of internal work, finally...
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Rethinking Freebirth: Keelee's Story
By most standards, Keelee had a straightforward first birth experience with a midwife at her birth center. But something about it troubled her enough that she wanted to debrief the birth afterward—and when she did, the midwife said something shocking. This sparked a deep dive into the world of...
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Healing at Home: Part Two of Kristin's Story
This is part two of Kristin's story. I highly recommend listening to part one first if you haven't already! After a long and difficult preconception journey with her first child, Kristin was elated when she conceived her second with ease. This time she hired a midwife and planned the home birth…
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Miscarriages, IVF, and a Natural Conception: Part One of Kristin's Story
Kristin was never sure she wanted to become a mom until she attended a friend's birth, which catalyzed something deep within her. But getting pregnant didn't come easily, a struggle she partially attributes to her long-term use of birth control. She experienced several miscarriages before turning...
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A No-Comprises Birth
After two home births with midwives, which were beautiful but still full of compromises she didn't want to make, such as repeated ultrasounds and intense pressure to induce, Lauren chose to birth her third baby without hiring any outside medical management. This pregnancy and birth pushed her to...
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Jenna Found Healing Through Birth Photography
At the end of Jenna's pregnancy, she chose to be induced. The process lasted several days and was grueling, ultimately ending in a traumatic cesarean and a NICU stay for her baby. Both Jenna and her husband left the hospital with PTSD, and in the early days of postpartum, Jenna wasn't even sure...
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She Worked in Obstetrics, But Chose Homebirth
Before becoming pregnant herself, Alicia, a medical professional working in obstetrics, had the opportunity to witness birth working in a freestanding birth center. Seeing families welcome their babies in that calm, home-like environment opened her eyes to a different side of birth, one centered…
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From Surgical Birth, to Catching Her Own Baby
For her first birth, Paige planned a natural delivery at a local birth center. But when the day came, her labor was long, and the pushing phase even longer. Eventually, the midwives decided to transfer her to the hospital. As is often the case with transfers, the birth ended in a cesarean, which...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Conscious conversations about birth, rooted in trusting the inherent wisdom of our bodies.
HOSTED BY
Diana Forsell Tayan
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Healing Birth have?
Healing Birth currently has 286 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Healing Birth about?
Conscious conversations about birth, rooted in trusting the inherent wisdom of our bodies.
How often does Healing Birth release new episodes?
Healing Birth publishes regularly with 286 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Healing Birth?
You can listen to Healing Birth on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Healing Birth?
Healing Birth is created and hosted by Diana Forsell Tayan.
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