Birth Heals: Recent Episodes
Krista Bella, Rachel & Sabine
Birth Heals. A podcast devoted to honoring the profound impact normal physiological birth has on women and humanity. Here we illuminate the inherent gifts of autonomous birth and we breathe life into the underground network of women working to restore birth as the central healing force on the planet. We speak to the old ways by placing women’s wisdom back in the center of the conversation; back to the focal point of the birth room, where her physiology, hormones, and animal body lead the way to spontaneous, powerful birth experiences. We merge story, science and magic as we work to shape a reality where women are held in their true nature: the gatekeepers of LIFE, the guardians of wisdom, the proliferators of peace. We’re so excited to share this space with all of you!
Today’s episode is a bombing of the taboo: Mental Health and Birth. We want to bring the conversation out into the light: why do some women go “crazy” during birth? How do we collectively hold space, and also demonize, the experience of loss of control? How do our trauma responses and inherited programs play out when we meet our limits, go over our edges or can’t cope with the pressure? This is a super nuanced and sensitive subject, with this episode probably being one of many we release around the brain + body + spirit process that is Birth.
We’re back! After a long summer holiday we’re back on air to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Birth Heals Podcast!
We thought we’d go full circle and explore the theme that started it all... Free Birth. Little did we know we’d cover everything from personal responsibility, the shadow side of modern medicine, testicular exams, the essence of freedom and the powerful outcomes of women choosing to stay home and birth their babies on their own terms. This episode is fierce and deep and a loving dedication to all the women on the planet.
Does your body really consent?
In this week’s episode we unpack consent from the inner perspective of our instinctual bodies and also, and even deeper, our cervixes. What does TRUE consent feel like in our bodies? What does passive consent typically look like in industrial birth settings— and how and why are we allowing things to happen to us, despite our bodies giving a clear no?
We take this conversation from the micro to the macrocosm, tying together our sense of worthiness and our ability to create boundaries / give voice to our needs as crucial components in honoring our bodies and giving TRUE consent in every moment.
Birth is a relational event. Who do you want at your birth? How do you know who to invite? What qualities make you feel safest and most supported?
Today we chat about the expected and the taboo, and everything in between when it comes to assembling your birth team.
Pain, pleasure and cervical wisdom ~ today we talk about pain as a gateway and the way pleasure takes many shapes and forms during birth. We discuss the almighty portal deep within us: the Cervix, and how creating relationship with this power center is quite possibly one of the best ways to prepare for birth.
Breaking up with the blind trust industry - Modern Midwifery and the ongoing Witch Hunt
Today we speak to something very near to our hearts. We share our thoughts on the modern witch hunt that continues to oppress women and birth workers and how we see authentic, woman-centered birth keeping as an answer to the blind-trust-industry of birth and medicine. We explore who we source our permission and authority from, and how this informs our movements in the world. We feel excited about the communities and sisterhoods being born from the revival of relating to our bodies as intelligent and purposeful, and each of us taking responsibility for the paths we walk.
Krista shares how being a licensed midwife IS an intervention and how stepping away from licensure has liberated her to align her birth work with her deepest sense of rightness.
The spectrum of protection to connection: how the nervous system serves us in the birth space and beyond. Today we talk about how trauma shows up in birth; in ourselves as birth keepers and in the birthing women. We paint a picture of protective and connective nervous system responses as a way to emphasize and explore this highly intelligent system connecting us all.
We bring our whole beings, our whole bodies into the relationships we build with the women we walk with. Sometimes this means our wombs connect in real time; we bleed in sync with each other, communicating somatically in the most magical way. We see birth keeping as a rich opportunity to tap into our collective womb wisdom and hold space from a depth of care only available after connecting from the heart.
In today’s exploratory episode, we have an honest conversation about how women’s bodies and births are viewed and treated culturally, and how we sense in our bones women’s bodies deserve to be served.
We contrast the mechanical with the sacred and management vs trusting support. This episode is an acknowledgement of the depth and breadth of presence and love women require during the walk of pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
The power of Instinctual pushing - Your push is your power
Today we chat about pushing as an intelligent Force. Women’s bodies express the pushing phase differently and each woman will know when to push if she is in a safe and supportive space.
We also talk about the hot topic of anterior lips and what we see as root cause and solutions for this.
Disembodiment. The ways in which we manage intense experiences show us the type of support we need. In pregnancy, birth, postpartum and as birth workers, understanding the disassociated response is key to bringing more awareness and healing into our lives.
(poor sound on this one, we are sorry and hope you can live with it)
BIRTH YOUR PLACENTA WITH LOVE
Birth Your Placenta~ we’re spotlighting the third and final stage of the birth process! We parse out exactly why it’s often rushed in medical culture and the dangers of active management.
On the flip, there is a wellspring of biological benefits to gentle, mother-initiated placental births, which is why this conversation is full of super yummy oxytocin vibes!
Enjoy!
Love your perineum.
Today we talk about a possible aspect of birth that so many women fear... tearing. We discuss the psychology and shame, root causes and physiologic vs iatrogenic tearing. Always circling back around to our bodies, vaginas and wombs as intrinsically connected to our sexuality and power; this episode is full of flow, fire and practical tips for supporting and loving your amazing perineum
Staying calm - your nervous system and birth
Today we talk about the nervous system and how it relates to pregnancy and birth. Our nervous system is our biological lighthouse- tuning us into our surroundings and our moment-to-moment needs. Listening to this signaling guides us into alignment with our truths, the requests of our body and our personal sovereignty.
(this is 2nd half of the episode - first half is episode 5)
Staying calm - your nervous system and birth:
Today we talk about the nervous system and how it relates to pregnancy and birth. Our nervous system is our biological lighthouse- tuning us into our surroundings and our moment-to-moment needs. Listening to this signaling guides us into alignment with our truths, the requests of our body and our personal sovereignty.
(the episode has been cut in to 2 because of technical issues - listen to the 2nd half in episode 6)
Can you even “prepare” for Birth? In this episode we touch into the Continuum of womanhood; how our work in our lives shows up in our births and how our spiritual evolution is amplified during our Birth dance.
The hormones of birth are quite delicious and deliberate in their quest to make women feel good. Pleasure is an intrinsic and adaptive feature of birth... join us for this juicy chat about BIRTH HIGH.
Birth Heals. A podcast devoted to honoring the profound impact normal physiological birth has on women and humanity. Here we illuminate the inherent gifts of autonomous birth and we breathe life into the underground network of women working to restore birth as the central healing force on the planet. We speak to the old ways by placing women’s wisdom back in the center of the conversation; back to the focal point of the birth room, where her physiology, hormones, and animal body lead the way to spontaneous, powerful birth experiences. We merge story, science and magic as we work to shape a reality where women are held in their true nature: the gatekeepers of LIFE, the guardians of wisdom, the proliferators of peace. We’re so excited to share this space with all of you! Stay tuned for our first episode!
In this episode we explore what is required from our Animal Bodies to feel safe and how that looks in the birth process. Somatic sensations, evolutionary wisdom and deconstructing of stories... so much to be gleaned from listening to our Animal Bodies.