In episode number 15, I had the privilege of sitting down with Davis Evans and hearing her three birth stories. Her first two births were during her career in the Air Force, and you’ll hear her talk about how those births were distinctive from her third. She says, “By baby number three, I had really found my voice a lot more to be able to stand up for what we wanted for our family and our birthing experience.” 

There are things that no friend who shares every detail of her pregnancy and birth and postpartum experience could ever fully reveal to you. I think there’s so much about birth that you learn as you go - experiential knowledge. However, I’m hopeful that by sharing the birth stories of women like Davis here on the podcast, that you will be able to make prayerful, empowered decisions for your birth experience. 

If you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts and visit my corner of the internet - Hopeful Birth on Facebook and @hopefulbirthpodcast on Instagram. It is so appreciated! 

LINKS MENTIONED BY DAVIS:

- The Bradley Method
- The Business of Being Born

In episode number 14, Amanda Wood, my friend and mentor is on the podcast sharing about her two births. She tries to say that she doesn’t remember all of the details, but even with 16 years having passed since her first birth, she has SHARP memories of her birth. And sweetly, she can clearly point out how the Father met her in her births. 

Amanda has worked with me over the last few years on applying the gospel to any situation in my life - to see where I am standing firm in Him or where I’m lacking - so I also asked Amanda to walk us through applying the gospel to our births. I hope you find this helpful as you seek the Father’s heart for you and your baby. 

If you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts and visit my corner of the internet - Hopeful Birth on Facebook and @hopefulbirthpodcast on Instagram. It is so appreciated! 

In episode number 13, Christina Szrama shares about the birth of her 4 kiddos. Christina had a very challenging first labor that unearthed in her a love for birth. She pursued her doula training and certification - working on that even during her second pregnancy. She chose a different birth environment for her second and had a completely different experience. “Peaceful” was how she described it, even though her son was 10 pounds, 6 ounces! Her third birth was a home birth, as well as her fourth, Jack, and if you can believe it, he was even heavier than her second. She had no tearing or even abrasions. I am so impressed with her and with him. What a team! 

Christina talks about how “endurance” became a word that helped her press through the challenge of birthing Jack, and I appreciated her forthrightness as she shared about a difficult spiritual season she’s walked through.

In the Meet the Birth Worker segment, I had the privilege of interviewing Janelle Alier, CNM of Paris Mountain Midwifery. Janelle is a Certified Nurse Midwife serving women in the Greenville area of South Carolina. She typically takes only 2-3 births a month, so it’s best to reach out to her as soon as possible, if you’re interested in hiring her as your midwife. You can find her on Instagram at Paris Mountain Midwifery.

If you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts and visit my corner of the internet - Hopeful Birth on Facebook and @hopefulbirthpodcast on Instagram. It is so appreciated! 

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LINKS MENTIONED by Christina

• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin 
• The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth - Henci Goer

Books for nutrition/postpartum:

• Real Food for Mother & Baby (Nina Planck)
• The First 40 Days (Heng Ou)
• Real Food for Pregnancy (Lily Nichols)

Books to help kids prep for birth:

• I Am a Big Sister (Caroline Church) or I Am a Big Brother 
• I'm a Big Brother (Joanna Cole)
• What Baby Needs (William & Martha Sears)
• Baby on the Way (William & Martha Sears)
• Will There Be a Lap for Me? (Dorothy Corey)
• Peter's Chair (Ezra Jack Keats)
• On Mother's Lap (Ann Herbert Scott)
• (Specifically show homebirth):
  • Home Sweet Baby (Jonna Carter)
  • My Mother is the Strongest (Cynthia Durand)
  • Welcome Home (Alisha Bourke)
  • Our Water Baby (Amy Maclean)
  • Mama Midwife (Christy Tyner)
  • All of the Places to Love (Patricia MacLachlan)

LINKS MENTIONED by Janelle

https://www.instagram.com/parismountainmidwifery/

Childbirth Education Suggested by Janelle: 

• Bradley Method 
• Hypnobabies