Hopeful Birth Podcast

Jessie

The Hopeful Birth Podcast shares birth stories of Christian women to offer hope, education, and resources to new and expectant mothers.

  1. 09/07/2021

    Episode 013: Christina Szrama

    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!  -- LINKS MENTIONED by Christina Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth - Henci GoerBooks 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

  2. 08/24/2021

    Episode 012: Kathleen Roth

    In episode number 12, Kathleen Roth is sharing about the birth of her twin girls, Anna and Noel! Kathleen is a great friend of mine, and her birth story is particularly special because Kathleen became a mom through adoption. In this episode, we’ll walk through how she and her husband decided to pursue adoption, how she tried to hold her hope of becoming a mom with open hands, about her honest disappointments during the wait, and about the day she met her girls. Their story truly is a hopeful birth.  In the Meet the Birth Worker segment, I got to interview Shannon Fleming of Brave the Waves Birth Services. Shannon is a Birth and Sibling Doula in the Upstate of South Carolina, and she also teaches a course called “Maidens by His Design” for young girls (ages 8 and up) - alongside their moms - about menstruation and opening up that conversation to prepare them for maidenhood. You can find her at https://www.facebook.com/bravethewaves 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 Kathleen Quiver Full Adoptions, Inc. - https://www.quiverfulladoptions.com/ -- LINKS MENTIONED by Shannon https://www.facebook.com/bravethewaves bravethewavesdoula@gmail.com (864) 991-7184 Childbirth Education Suggested by Shannon:  Bradley MethodHypnobabiesJulie Byer’s Mindful Birth SeriesThree Little Birds Birth Services(for homebirth moms) Happy Homebirth Academy

  3. 07/13/2021

    Episode 010: Megan Sanders

    In episode number 10, I was able to record my friend Megan’s birth stories, and she’s got 5 of them, so get ready for some inspiring stories! Make sure you listen all the way to the end because number 5 is *especially* spectacular for multiple reasons.  Megan is one of the friends who helped spark what is now my love for birth. Megan was the first person I’d met who had had healthy pregnancies and births with her first two that were very different experiences, so I would say that it really did give me pause to go, “What made her two experiences so different?” It was intriguing.  I want to share something she says early on in the interview, “But I do think that, across the board, every birth is like a growth spurt for me, emotionally and spiritually. Every birth catapulted me on to a new level with the Lord and a new level, I would say, even in my relationship with my husband, and that's been a neat thing to reflect upon.”  This is where it’s at! Birth is transformative - not just in the obvious physical sense - but in EVERY aspect of our lives. And I’m here to highlight it or soap box on it or both.  I hope you guys are blessed as you listen to Megan’s birth testimonies! You can find her @therealmcsanders and @honorquestart on Instagram.  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: Supernatural Childbirth

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The Hopeful Birth Podcast shares birth stories of Christian women to offer hope, education, and resources to new and expectant mothers.