Arrivals: A Birth Story Podcast

Merelise Wilson
  • 4.7 (22)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

Is there anything more magical than a new life arriving into this world? Every single person, no matter who they are, begins their life here the same way - with someone giving birth to them. It's no wonder we love birth stories - birth is an amazing feat. And beyond the wonder of it all, birth stories have served an important role in history, helping to educate and support women as they embark on their own births. At some point though, birth started being portrayed to us mostly one way - painful, hard, scary. Birth can be those things but it can be so much more, too. Birth can be peaceful, joyful, natural, surgical, triumphant, empowering, and even funny. Every birth story is as unique as the life that comes into this world as a result. This podcast celebrates and makes room for each and every one of those stories. Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Intro music by Lewis Beard Disclaimer: This podcast provides general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. 

  1. 14m ago

    Positive breech vaginal hospital delivery, true surrender, bonding struggles, and the “midwife OB”

    This week, Merelise is joined by Ellie, who shares the story of her successful breech, vaginal delivery in a hospital. Ellie walks Merelise through the shock of finding out her baby was breech at 36 weeks, her attempts to flip her - including an unsuccessful ECV - and ultimately, her decision to transfer to the only OBGYN in Atlanta who will deliver breech babies in a hospital. She shares the moments and people along the way that helped give her the confidence to pursue a breech vaginal delivery and they discuss why it was so important to her to at least try. If you've ever been curious about a breech, vaginal, hospital delivery, this is the episode for you! Resource Links: Dr. Tate (OBGYN)Dr. Rachel (Chiropractor) Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  2. Aug 13

    A breech VBAC, autism, surrogacy, home birth, spirit babies, and a magical medium mama

    Trigger Warning - this episode includes discussion on pregnancy loss.  Buckle up, listeners, you’re in for a packed episode! In this episode, Merelise is joined by spiritual doula, surrogate, medium, and mom of six Devyn Goss.   They cover all six of her birth experiences, which range from a hospital birth with an epidural, to a C-section, to a home birth VBAC. Devyn talks about raising three autistic sons, shares how her children have guided each of their own births and discusses each of her kids’ unique spiritual abilities. They discuss getting your partner on board for a home birth, fearmongering around big babies and breech positioning, her super rare en caul birth, and so much more.  Additionally, Devyn shares her experience as a surrogate and they dive deep into all the questions you’ve always wondered about, from logistics around matching with a surrogate to what happens if the intended parents miss the birth.  This is a magical, multi-faceted episode that’s as unique as Devyn is!  Resource Links:  Follow Devyn on Instagram Learn more about Devyn’s work Women Who Run With the Wolves Your Zen Mama The Mother Daze Emily the Medium  Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  3. Aug 7

    PCOS, false alarms, COVID babies, and three hospital births

    Merelise is joined this week by her friend, Melanie Green, who shares her three birth stories.  Melanie walks Merelise through her three births, which all took place in a hospital, and how ongoing back pain related to her epidural in her first birth led to her seeking a different birth experience in subsequent pregnancies. While she ended up getting an epidural during all three of her labors, she had a different recovery with each, depending on how far into labor she got the epidural, among other factors.   She reflects on her journey to motherhood, which was largely shaped by her PCOS diagnosis.  They discuss how she knew very little about birth prior to giving birth the first time (including not even knowing she had to deliver the placenta), savoring the difficult newborn phases once you’ve been through them once, and what she learned between her first and third births.  They also chat doulas, false labor alarms, naming babies, chiropractic care, and more!  Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  4. Jul 30

    A home birth VBAC, a midwife mama, community birth, and opening a birth center

    This week, Merelise is joined by mom, grandma, midwife, doula, lactation consultant, and co founder/owner of Kindred Space Birthing Center. A mom of six and an infinite well of birth wisdom, Kimberly walks Merelise through each of her birth stories, ranging from a C section (her first child) to a home birth VBAC.  She explains how her first experience with birth led to her desire to have physiological home births for her subsequent kids and eventually her passion for midwifery. They discuss Kimberly’s incredible career and her journey to her current role as midwife and co-owner/founder of Kindred Space.  Kimberly explains Kindred Space’s philosophy of community birth, emphasizes on how important it is for women to not let our type of birth divide us, and reflects on her amazing variety of different birth experiences across all six of her kids. Resource Links:  This episode is brought to you by Mère. Learn more at Mere-foreverychapter.comFollow Kindred Space on InstagramLearn more about Kindred SpaceMaude Callen La Leche League Mothering the Mother  Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  5. Jul 24

    Part II: A dreamy home birth, an AirBnB birth, Isoimmunization, and posterior baby challenges

    In the conclusion of this two-part episode, Merelise is joined by mom, actress, podcast host and founder, Teresa Palmer, who shares her fourth and fifth birth stories. Teresa recounts her surprisingly difficult fourth birth at home and what she learned from it. They discuss Teresa's favorite labor coping mechanisms, including one unexpected but very effective tool. Teresa also shares that, due to her rare Isoimmunization condition in pregnancy, she decided to pursue IVF but then became unexpectedly pregnant naturally with her fifth baby. After a rocky start to labor, her fifth birth was the most gorgeous, dreamy, calm, spiritual home birth experience, surrounded by her family and birth team. Teresa's stories are a beautiful example that every birth is different and you can learn something from every one, even your fifth. Resource Links:  This episode is brought to you by Mère. Learn more at Mere-foreverychapter.comFollow Teresa on InstagramFollow The Mother Daze on InstagramIna May Gaskin’s Spiritual MidwiferyThe Miles Circuit Spinning BabiesThe Birth Sling Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  6. Jul 23

    Part I: A home birth transfer, a 72 hour labor, breath work, and birthing with your sisterhood

    In Part I of a two part series, Merelise Wilson sits down with mother, actress, podcast host and founder, Teresa Palmer, for a powerful conversation about birth, motherhood, and the lessons that come from trusting your intuition. Teresa shares the stories of her first three births, from her first challenging, three-day-long home birth transfer to the beautifully redemptive second and third birth center births. Along the way, they discuss how birth stories changed Teresa's own approach to motherhood, the challenges of her Isoimmunization pregnancies, informed birth, manifestation, fear clearing, the practical coping tools Teresa relies on during labor, the role of manifestation and intention in her life and motherhood, how she breathes her babies into the world with “horse lips” and “puppy pants”, and the magic of birthing alongside your sisterhood. Teresa’s stories are a reminder that birth is never just one thing — it can be hard, ecstatic, intense, healing, and deeply transformative all at once. Her experience shows that preparation matters, but flexibility matters just as much. Resource Links:  This episode is brought to you by Mère. Learn more at Mere-foreverychapter.comFollow Teresa on InstagramFollow The Mother Daze on InstagramIna May Gaskin’s Spiritual MidwiferyThe Miles Circuit Spinning BabiesThe Birth Sling Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  7. Jul 16

    Vaginal twin delivery, four under three, an unexpected C-section, and an OBGYN mom

    Join Merelise as she interviews her friend Jessica O'Connor, an OB specializing in fertility, to explore her journey through a twin pregnancy, two subsequent singleton births, and balancing a medical career with motherhood.  Jessica’s motherhood journey started out with a bang when she found out she was pregnant with twins during her reproductive endocrinology fellowship. She decided early on she wanted to attempt a vaginal twin delivery if possible. After a wonderful pregnancy where she carried her twin boys for 37+2 weeks, she went into labor spontaneously. During labor she experienced some scary complications due to baby B’s heart rate decelerating for an extended period, but she ultimately welcomed two boys into the world vaginally.  Throughout her first birth story, Jessica and Merelise discuss the different types of multiple pregnancies possible, what boxes she wanted to check in order to attempt a twin vaginal delivery, and the realities of breastfeeding and sleep training twins, while also completing her oral board exams. When her twins were a little less than a year old, Jessica and her husband decided they wanted to conceive again, in order to time a second maternity leave with her fellowship. That meant they would have three kids under three but they felt prepared and excited for the possibility! Despite having gestational diabetes and being pregnant during COVID, her second pregnancy, her only girl, was relatively uneventful and her second birth was a beautiful, successful induction at 38 weeks. The only surprise was an almost 9 pound baby!  During her third pregnancy, she had gestational diabetes again and her baby was measuring very large. Her care team wanted her to opt for a scheduled C-section, but Jessica wanted to try for a vaginal birth, knowing she’d already had three, successfully. She went into labor naturally and despite pretty quickly getting to 10 cm, her baby wouldn’t descend into the birth canal and every time she pushed, her baby’s heart rate would decelerate. Knowing that he was likely very large, wasn’t descending into the birth canal, and was having heart decelerations, they decided to deliver via C-section given the high likelihood of shoulder dystocia. Her almost 10 pound baby boy was born shortly thereafter!  Merelise & Jessica discuss that, after two vaginal deliveries, recovering from a C-section was challenging for Jessica, and made worse by the fact that she had a small bowel obstruction one week postpartum, a complication from her abdominal surgery. Ultimately, Jessica acknowledged that, no matter how many babies you have, every one is unique and every birth is unpredictable, as evidenced by her four children’s stories. Resource Links: This episode is brought to you by Mère. Learn more at Mere-foreverychapter.com Want to be a guest on Arrivals? Contact Merelise here! Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

  8. Jul 9

    Replay: An ideal vaginal birth with a singleton, followed by a C-section birth with twins

    Join Merelise and her guest, Karen Robbins, who shares the birth stories of her three girls, one singleton and one set of twins. They discuss Karen’s first birth, a vaginal delivery and what she described as an ideal birth, and then her second birth, which was a planned C-section with her twins, and the difficult recovery that followed. They also chat about what it’s like having a spouse in the medical field, Karen’s theory on how she got pregnant with twins, the beauty of the multiple-mom community, and so much more.  Resource Links: Follow Karen on Instagram Want to be a guest on Arrivals? Contact Merelise here! Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Trigger warning: This episode contains mention of a stillbirth.  Disclaimer: This podcast contains general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment.

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4.7
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

Is there anything more magical than a new life arriving into this world? Every single person, no matter who they are, begins their life here the same way - with someone giving birth to them. It's no wonder we love birth stories - birth is an amazing feat. And beyond the wonder of it all, birth stories have served an important role in history, helping to educate and support women as they embark on their own births. At some point though, birth started being portrayed to us mostly one way - painful, hard, scary. Birth can be those things but it can be so much more, too. Birth can be peaceful, joyful, natural, surgical, triumphant, empowering, and even funny. Every birth story is as unique as the life that comes into this world as a result. This podcast celebrates and makes room for each and every one of those stories. Follow Arrivals on Instagram Follow Merelise on Instagram Intro music by Lewis Beard Disclaimer: This podcast provides general information and discussions around health and related subjects. This information and the other content provided in this podcast and any linked materials are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is this information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. 

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