Episodit
-
Raquel is a married mother of four with a passion for birth choices. Her first birth was a Cesarean section due to having a breech baby, and the trauma of that process stuck with her for years. After two subsequent C-sections, Raquel was determined to do things differently with her fourth baby despite opposing opinions and having a heart-shaped uterus. Her journey to a successful breech home birth after three C-sections led her to become a doula and birth educator, and it highlights the importance of research, education, advocacy, emotional connection, and having a supportive team and partner.
Raquel now partners with her husband to teach birth classes that empower birth partners to become birth advocates. They support families in California from Ventura to Santa Barbara County, and from there she also partners with Midwife Blyss Young and Dr. Stuart Fischbein on the Birthing Instincts podcast. Being able to join this amazing duo and being a part of something that played a huge role in her last birth story feeds her soul daily.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Raquel's three surgical births
-Trauma resulting from a fear-based "standard of care"
-Dissociation as a protective mechanism
-How doulas can help mothers navigate their birth experiences
-The importance of joy and relaxation in pregnancy
-How laws and policies can limit birth choices
-Navigating the decision to have a home birth
-Navigating VBAC bans and varying levels of hospital support
-Birth journeys as transformative experiences to personal growth
-Children witnessing birth
-Emotional challenges during labor
-Nuances of breech birth
-Significance of the birth experience as a profound connection point to her newborn
Raquel is a doula and birth educator who partners with her incredibly supportive husband to teach birth classes that empower birth partners to become birth advocates. They provide support for families in California from Ventura to Santa Barbara County. She also partners with Midwife Blyss Young and Dr. Stuart Fischbein to support the Birthing Instincts podcast. Being able to join this amazing duo and being a part of something that played a huge role in her last birth story feeds her soul daily.
Resources:
[email protected]
@lolitasrebellion on IG
@birthinginstincts on IG
Follow @triumphant_birth on IG
Thank you for listening! -
Ann Marie Rian, CPM, LM is a home birth midwife and wise woman with expertise in homeopathy, herbal medicine, prenatal education, midwifery education, and so much more.
This continuation of last week's conversation dives into:
-The power of words in pregnancy and birth
-Experiencing transformation without a power struggle
-How pregnancy and birth can accelerate clarity and personal growth
-How homeopathic remedies work
-Examples of how homeopathy supports pregnancy, birth, and motherhood
-How homeopathy differs from allopathic and other holistic approaches
-Versatility of remedies for both acute and chronic issue support
-How you and your family can start working with homeopathy
Resources:
Schedule a Homeopathy Consultation with Ann Marie:
[email protected]
Ann Marie's Facebook Page
Homeopathic Workshops from Great Lakes Homeopathy Collective: https://facebook.com/groups/864787738078528/
Other Homeopathic Practitioners and Classes:
Rebecca Beringer: www.healingwayhomeopathy.com
www.sourcehealinghome.com
Fieldwork Homeopathy:www.fieldworkhomeopathy.com
Books:
The Complete Homeopathy Handbook
Homeopathy for Pregnancy, Birth, and Your Baby's First Year
Homeopathic Guide to Stress
For people looking for a midwife in Wisconsin: wisconsinguildofmidwives.org
Follow Triumphant Birth on IG -
Puuttuva jakso?
-
Ann Marie Rian, CPM, LM is a home birth midwife and wise woman with expertise in homeopathy, herbal medicine, prenatal education, midwifery education, and so much more.
In this episode, we discuss Ann Marie’s experience as a doula, her path to becoming a midwife, lessons from her teachers and nervous system, and transformative experiences that shape both midwives and parents. Our discussion highlights the importance of building confidence in families, the role of authority in healthcare, and the personal growth that comes from supporting others through the birthing process. She also shares her own home birth story featuring a nuchal hand and her partner catching her daughter as well as her experience with postpartum anxiety, isolation, and how the complexities of the postpartum experience has impacted her approach to birth.
Join us next week for part two of this conversation as we dive deeper into the world of homeopathy as a supportive tool for birth and beyond. -
What do teething babies, MAHA, and the American maternal mortality rate have in common? This episode.
Listen in for a brief personal update from Jamie and an invitation to vote two of our very own birth superstars into federal positions alongside RFK, Jr. This is an incredible opportunity for our listeners (YOU!) to have a tangible impact on the systems that hold and direct birthing families in this country. How do we get the medical and midwifery models to play nice? How can we lower the primary C-section rate? How can we reduce obstetrical violence? How can we lower the maternal mortality rate and improve infant outcomes? Dr. Stu and Lindsey will ask these questions and have a positive, generational impact on our nation's families, starting with birth. I'm sure of it.
To vote for Dr. Stuart Fischbein and midwife Lindsey Meehleis, go to:
https://discourse.nomineesforthepeople.com/c/health/7/l/latest?order=votes
Tune in next week for another exciting guest episode!
Thank you for being here. -
In this episode, Hayley shares her experience with a traumatic first birth in the hospital followed by two redeeming births. Even though she chose midwifery and an unmedicated approach from the beginning, she learned that all midwives are not created equal and found herself switching practitioners at 33 weeks pregnant. Themes in her first pregnancy include high blood pressure and white coat syndrome, talk of big baby and other scare tactics, induction, anxiety, serial ultrasounds, coached pushing with an epidural, and fear in pregnancy.
After her first experience, Hayley learned everything she could about birth and went on to experience empowering second and third births at a freestanding birth center. Hayley's journey highlights the importance of knowing her options, advocating for herself, informed consent, emotional processing, and human connection in pregnancy. She talks about the stark differences in prenatal care between the hospital and birth center settings and how her redemptive experiences gave her a renewed sense of confidence in motherhood.
You can find Hayley on IG @hayley.felch -
Marissa Anderson's redeeming twin birth is nothing short of miraculous. After retaining rightful custody of her son who the government medically kidnapped (the saga discussed in part 1), Marissa and her family had a LOT of healing to do.
In this episode, she shares how she finally got her baby healthy, worked through her traumatic past, helped create a documentary about her case, and decided to continue expanding her family. Marissa's faith and intentionality played a significant role as she prepared her body for her next pregnancy and navigated her state laws while searching for the right midwife who would support her twin home birth. This conversation highlights the importance of advocacy, research, autonomy, and trusting her God-given instincts during labor and birth which ultimately resulted in a hospital transfer and C-section that saved her daughter's life. Marissa's journey is filled with gratitude, proving that even the darkest circumstances can be healed and redeemed in ways beyond our wildest imagination.
You can find Marissa on IG @marissachavoya_anderson -
Marissa Anderson is a doula and mom of three, including twin babies. After a smooth pregnancy and birth at a birth center, her family's story made national news.
Marissa sought appropriate medical care for baby Cyrus when he was 10 months old, and in a wild turn of events, he was unjustly and without evidence taken into custody by the state of Idaho. Multiple members of Marissa's family were arrested, and the incident was live-streamed on Facebook. Support from the public and morally convicted insiders at both the hospital and CPS eventually led to all charges being dropped and baby Cyrus being returned to Marissa and her family.
In part one of this gripping conversation, Marissa shares her harrowing experience with the police, Child Protective Services (CPS), and the overwhelming fear and emotional turmoil she faced during this traumatic ordeal. Marissa's determination to fight for her child's well-being, coupled with the support of her community, showcases the resilience of a mother navigating a corrupt and broken system.
Stay tuned for part 2 - Marissa's redeeming twin birth story!
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Family-Centered Legal representation with a 24/7 hotline: https://heritagedefense.org/
Freedom Man Press: Freedomman.gs
These Little Ones Documentary: https://rumble.com/v1ef8w5-these-little-ones.html -
Dr. Stuart Fischbein is a community-based obstetrician and an Associate of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. He is the author of the book “Fearless Pregnancy, Wisdom & Reassurance from a Doctor, A Midwife and A Mom” and peer-reviewed papers Homebirth with an Obstetrician, A Series of 135 Out of Hospital Births and Breech Birth at Home: outcomes of 60 breech and 109 cephalic planned home and birth center births. Dr. Stu is also the co-author of a pre-print Twin Homebirth paper. After completing his residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Stu spent 24 years assisting women with hospital birthing and, for the next 12+ years, was a homebirth obstetrician who worked directly with midwives. Since retiring from attending home births in 2022, Dr. Stu has turned his focus to traveling around the world as a lecturer and advocate for reteaching breech & twin birth skills, respect for the normalcy of birth and honoring informed consent. He hosts a weekly podcast with co-host Blyss Young and together they offer hope, reassurance and safe, honest evidence-supported choices for those women who understand pregnancy is a normal bodily function not to be feared.
In this episode, we explore:
-What got Dr. Stu started in medicine and why he chose obstetrics
-How to help shift the medical model's hierarchical power dynamics to be more focused on moms
-C-section rates and mother/infant outcomes compared to 50 years ago
-What led Dr. Stu into the midwifery model of care and what prompted him to start supporting home births
-Why the term "standard of care" is misleading
-Where is the line between high and low risk, and how does Dr. Stu define high risk
-Statistics of VBAC uterine rupture
-Advice for families deciding where to give birth
Follow him on Instagram @birthinginstincts. His websites are www.birthinginstincts.com & www.birthinginstinctspodcast.com -
Jamie’s journey is nothing short of miraculous. After being told by doctors that she might never have children due to her extensive medical history, she found hope and healing at a holistic retreat in Michigan. This pivotal experience not only alleviated her chronic pain but also transformed her outlook on health and shifted her career path from medical school to holistic health. As Jamie shares her story, we learn about the profound impact these experiences had on her life choices, particularly in her journey to motherhood.
Jamie’s personal narrative underscores the importance of self-advocacy. From her home birth to preparing for her second pregnancy with spiritual intention to managing a twin pregnancy with meticulous care, her insights offer valuable lessons for expectant mothers. We discuss the complexities of labor, the emotional highs and lows, and the significance of creating a supportive birthing environment. Jamie's candid reflections remind us of the balance between medical interventions and personal instincts during pregnancy and childbirth.
Join us as we explore the profound, spiritual, and sometimes unexpected journey of childbirth through Jamie’s eyes, celebrating the resilience and strength of motherhood.
On Instagram you can find:
-Jamie Raisleger @triumphant_birth
-Dr. Stuart Fischbein @birthinginstincts
-Midwife Blyss Young @birthingblyss -
Kristine Lauria is an international treasure and an absolute legend in the birth world. As a midwife for 36 years, she's attended over 5,000 births in at least 25 countries including hundreds of vaginal breeches and twins. Kristine uses most of her time working with MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and teaching for Breech Without Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breech education, training, and advocacy.
In this episode, we explore:
-Her origin story and what inspired her to be a midwife
-How her mother's births impacted her
-The challenges of supporting vaginal birth in low-resourced settings in her work with MSF (Doctors without Borders)
-The problem with the perception of obstetrical risk in the United States
-One of her biggest triumphs in the field: building rapport through postpartum psychosis and a language barrier in Sierra Leone
-Staying grounded and present in challenging situations and maintaining nervous system resilience
-The birth of her own son in Guatemala
-Her biggest fear, living life to the fullest, and honoring the preciousness of life
You can find Kristine via:
-Instagram @globalmidwife
-Her blog https://midwifewithoutboundaries.wordpress.com/
-Breech Without Borders: https://www.breechwithoutborders.org/ -
Triumphant Birth with Jamie Raisleger explores the transformative power of healing through childbirth. Join us as we delve into the options, receive guest expert wisdom, and hear inspiring stories that pave the way for healing and wholeness throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond. In a culture where birth is often viewed with fear, we aim to shift the narrative by showcasing pregnancy and birth as opportunities for personal growth, enhanced experiences, and generational healing.
Whether the journey is smooth sailing or filled with unexpected challenges, this podcast offers a supportive space for birth workers and individuals navigating their profound realities in the childbearing season of life. Tune in to the Triumphant Birth podcast and embark on a journey toward empowerment, resilience, and triumph. Your babies' babies' babies will thank you!
