Yashoda is a Sports Physiotherapist and an Aquatic therapist and a mom of 2 precious ones- is currently working at Aastrika midwifery centre. 

She had her first one born in a hospital after induction and her baby was separated from her after birth. The second time around she decided to take childbirth classes, prepare well and chose a midwifery center called Aastrika in Bangalore where she was not induced, she birthed her baby in the water and had a beautiful experience. Her breastfeeding journey was also way more respectful and supported a gentle welcome of the baby where skin to skin contact between the mother or father and the baby were prioritised. 

In this episode we explore

1. Contractions after induction vs Natural spontaneous contractions
2. A hospital birth experience vs a Birth center experience
3. Role of Childbirth classes in the Birth experience
4. Water birth experience

Support the show

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Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

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" I wonder Divya, if women today can escape a pill........a vaccine.......or being under the knife." - Effath Yasmin

Calling this a reality of today's maternal healthcare system is not enough to point out the issues that need dire resolution because the problems are far more complex than 'one' solution being right and everything else, wrong.

The issue is of the belief systems fuelled by years of medical marketing, cultural hearsay, shifting away from our traditional systems completely in the name of advancement without paying heed to the resulting loss.

In this episode as we explore The language around Birth especially in the media pertaining to Home Births, we also speak about the collective 'discouraging' language around the whole spectrum of 'Womanhood', Birth and Breastfeeding with Effath Yasmin ma'am who  is a pioneering Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and registered Flower Practitioner. Founder Nourish & Nurture, a family wellness clinic in Mumbai, Yasmin’s unique & deep insightful wisdom on Birth, Breastfeeding, Parenting, Life Coaching & Skills, and Childhood Trauma have established her as a leading voice in Woman, Maternal & Family Wellness.

An award-winning documentary filmmaker, Yasmin’s acclaimed film “Untying Breastfeeding” has garnered four international awards, highlighting the challenges in birth and motherfeeding. Yasmin also cofounded an international organisation for clinical education on tongue-tie for healthcare professionals and advocating for family-centered care in breastfeeding and maternal health worldwide.

Explored Areas in this episode:

Problems in the present Maternal Medical System

1. Language around Home Births in Media vs coverage of the hospital births
2. Misplaced initiative of the complete industrialisation of Birth
3. Unclear demarcation of the role of medical system in Birth

Possible solutions:

1. Re-establishing the midwifery system by absorption of existing Dais and upscaling current system.
2. The responsibility of fair and curious journalism that does not sensationalise Birth.
3. An integrated system that embrac

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

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• ...

This episode has an yearly wrap up on the podcast and the following

1. How the next year will look like.
2. Top 4 episodes for this year.
3. Personal journey as a birth worker this year.
4. Goals for the podcast
5. Seeking your support and love, topics for 2025

Drop your topics at [email protected] or [email protected]

Support the show:

Donations (India) -  https://birthagni.com/birthagnipodcast#podcast-list
Donations (world) - buymeacoffee.com/birthagni

• If you like what you hear, leave us 
  • a rating on Spotify app and answer the question at each episode!
  • a review on Apple podcasts. 

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

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• If you like what you hear, leave us
  • a rating on Spotify app and answer the question at each episode!
  • a review on Apple podcasts.
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• ...

Postpartum is a crucial part of parenthood. There are many healing modalities that are available to help women heal. Often overlooked, is the emotional aspect of caring for a new life and work with the new changes in the relationship of couple's

What stands out as a learning from Ariel's story is that Preparation for every phase always helps. Ariel planned her food to the care she needed as well the people she wanted to have around early postpartum when women are trying to figure things out by themselves. 

This is their story of navigating the postpartum challenges and the learning they had along the way. 

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

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This is Part II of Ariel and Nitin's Home Birth story. Here, we go through Ariel's experience of Labor from the onset to the birth. She describes her state of mind , the sequence of events in detail in this episode.

Expect :

The change of scene with the intensity of labor increasing.
The intense and prolonged transition due to cervical lip
The wait and tension before the baby arrives
The birth 
The birth of placenta and postpartum 

Tune in now!

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

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I received an email from Ariel sharing how listening to this podcast was a part of her preparation for a home birth and she wanted to payback by contributing her story to the podcast. 

We are excited to have this homebirthing duo in a three Part series through their journey of Preparation, experience of Birth and Postpartum on the podcast.

Ariel and Nitin are an Indian couple living in the US who were expecting their first as a 35+ yr old couple. Fortunately, they had already come across Water birthing - a gentler approach of birthing at home in the comfort of their homes. 
So, the idea although unexplored was still in their heads when they became pregnant.

The first part of the conversation begins with Nitin's journey of arriving at the decision of home birth following by Ariel's story.

We discuss:

• Navigating questions around safety of Homebirth as the husband
• Research and therapy work involved in preparation for birth
• Nesting urge for the fathers
• Zeroing in on a Midwife and building a team
• What having a midwife as against the mainstream hospital care can look like
• Internal exploration and working on fears in preparation for birth
• Significance of Childbirth classes in Preparing for Birth. 

Tune in to hear how Ariel and Nitin’s journey was shaped by intention, knowledge, and the profound joy of welcoming baby Ira into their world.

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

https://birthagni.com/birthagnipodcast#donate

• If you like what you hear, leave us
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• ...

This is Meenakshi's home birth story and interestingly her discovery of pregnancy when she was breastfeeding her twins already.
She learnt pretty late and went on to discover it  people started saying your belly seems different. 

In this episode, we discuss

• Discovery of pregnancy while breastfeeding twins.
• Decision of home birth
• Preparation for a Home Birth and owning responsibility
• Experience of Free Birth
• Birthing the Placenta
• Early Postpartum

About the Guest : Meenakshi is a homeschooling mother to three kids, believer in womens ability to birth naturally on their own and the healing power of the womb. She is a active advocate of reconnecting woman to their wombs.

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

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• If you like what you hear, leave us
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• ...

Meenakshi birthed her twins vaginally in the only normal birth supportive hospital in Delhi, Sitaram bhartiya.

After she was denied normal birth by her already consulting doctor, she switched her OBGYN and had a generally good experience.
It was the second time around that she was inclined at having a Home Birth, the preparation of which along the way helped her realize what she dreamt of as a normal birth was this all along deep within her heart. Her changing views about Birth are reflected in this episode.

Listen to this story to hear her experience of Labor with twin babies.

1. Views about Birth
2. Pushed for a surgery
3. Being sold packages on the second baby
4. Stem cell banking - the real side
5. Experience of Labor
6. Experience of Birth with twins
7. Experience of Breastfeeding and Postpartum

About the guest:
Meenakshi is a homeschooling mother to three kids, believer in womens ability to birth naturally on their own and the healing power of the womb. She is a active advocate of reconnecting woman to their wombs.

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

https://birthagni.com/birthagnipodcast#donate

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• ...

Zahra had supported a friend's home birth before she decided it for herself. She was not even married then and was pulled into this birth by the mother who trusted her and her decision completely. 

Her family was supportive throughout. She had no ultrasounds or checkups except once. She was waiting for labor to begin so excitedly that once a false alarm got the entire house ready and prepared. She laughs as she tells her story of precipitous labor, facing her fears when the tear took months to heal and hardworking through Breastfeeding.

Tune in now !

As a young Childbirth Educator and Doula, Zahra felt incomplete helping women in hospitals and watching their rights in power being taken away. So when her own time arrived, along with an wavering support from his family and her words keep it up a self she found peace in her unassisted pregnancy and birth something she had been dreaming about for a long time.

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

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• ...

India has always birthed at home. Women birthed at home as a culture. Today, women are going back to their roots out of the lucrative outcome of health, easier labor and comfortable birth. 

Not just India, women birthed at home across the world, as homo sapiens, this was the primal instinct. Yes, women died in birth and babies died too. They die in hospitals today as well not because of someone's fault or lack of medical support. 

Things happen beyond the understanding of medicine, science and more. Birth and Death both fall in the same category. If you look at it from the place of nature, we are open to being surprised by nature when it comes to plants and animals becuase we are detached but we shrink ourselves in our wisdom, intellect and logic because of the fear of not being able to control death in birth that we have compromised the health of both mothers and babies to avoid a rare event like death. 

What is worse - living with substandard health by being exposed to drugs and medicines as we begin life or aim for a healthier entry into life and motherhood and accept that death if that is to happen , it will by the rules of that one power no matter where we birth.

So should we aim for a drugged birth and compromised postpartum for women and babies or aim for the highest experience of birth and surrender to God what is not in our control. Might seem so religious , so irresponsible , so irrational. 

But think about it all wisdom to humankind always came through God or nature and all that we have lost in our civilised world is by holding control over nature and  assuming power over it that we are suffering the outcomes of climate , living, food and water. What is left?

Komal went through an internal journey to finally arrive at her decision to birth at home and her experience speaks for itself

Tune in now!

Komal is a Prenatal Postnatal yoga instructor who teaches both in person and virtually and has been serving places in and around Delhi for over 7 yrs now!

Support the show

Sign up for Childbirth Preparation Programs! visit https://birthagni.com/services#childbirth-preparation-programs

https://birthagni.com/copy-of-services#breastfeeding-preparation-program

This episode is supported and made possible by podcast recording and hosting tool Zencastr, it is impeccably made!

Use my link : https://zen.ai/vxmuJUgYKKGTF3JuTuFQ0g to sign up and record flawless remote podcast , USE my code : BIRTHAGNI

Support the show:

https://birthagni.com/birthagnipodcast#donate

• If you like what you hear, leave us
  • a rating on Spotify app and answer the question at each episode!
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• ...