This conversation features my own mom and two of my very best mom friends and reflections on our experiences as mothers and daughters. We discuss the challenges and joys of motherhood, the importance of self-acceptance, and the impact of generational patterns. Some highlights discussed; the significance of vulnerability, creating a supportive community, and teaching our children about emotions and self-worth.

May we all embrace our roles as wise women and initiate the next generation in a different way, honouring the different phases of womanhood.

Find this podcast on instagram.

If you're in Texas, hire Carly (and Josh) to photograph your mothering journey.

If you're in the Okanagan, go and get some Craniosacral Therapy from my mom. Message me, I'll hook you up :)

Erin shares her journey into motherhood, including her decision to have a home birth and her desire to protect her birth experience. She comes from the lineage of a mother who had five home births -- what a gift!

Erin discusses her research and decision-making process regarding medical interventions during pregnancy, such as ultrasounds and glucose tests and rhogam. She emphasizes the importance of having a supportive doula and building rapport with her midwifery team. She also talks about her experience of going past her due date and her determination to have a natural birth.

Find Erin on Instagram @drerinrakhra;

Her Chiropractic office, The Chiro Culture; and on instagram @TheChiroCulture

Through the Veil in IG

Submit your birth story here.

Tania shares her journey into birth work and her personal birth stories, from her first pregnancy at 18 though to her freebirth at 40. She highlights the need for a diverse range of birth options and the value of traditional birth attendants. Tania also introduces Birth Care Alliance, a movement that aims to support and empower birthing individuals in making informed choices and having those choices available to them.

Tania is leading a monthly Birth Circle in North Vancouver. Message her on instagram for more details.

Tania's Instagram

Submit your birth story here.

Instagram @birth.throughtheveil

Drea shares her experiences of giving birth at home with just her partner and doula. Drea trusted her body and surrendered to the process, resulting in a powerful and fast birth. Drea shares her experience of giving birth at home and the differences between her two births. She discusses the importance of listening to her body's cues. Drea also talks about the role of her doula and midwives in supporting her during the birth. She emphasizes the use of homeopathy and natural remedies for healing and managing her children's health. Drea also touches on the challenges of conscious mothering and the importance of trusting her intuition.

Connect with Drea on Instagram @BowenWorksForYou

Submit your birth story here.

Instagram @birth.throughtheveil

This week we get to hear Emilie share her three birth stories, two with registered midwives and the last one, a freebirth. Emilie reflects on the transformative aspects of birth and the importance of emotional and spiritual preparation. Emilie is a doula and we discuss birth work and a little of the political climate around freebirth in her area of the world, Southern Ontario. Tune in while we cover postpartum depression, vegan diets, pregnancy and birthing during COVID, and her work in Quantum Healing Hypnosis.

Find Emilie on Instagram @EmilieAlexina, on YouTube and on her website at emiliealexina.com

Submit your birth story here.

Instagram @birth.throughtheveil

Danielle shares her birth stories, starting with her first four hospital births and the challenges she faced with medical interventions and lack of support.

She then discusses her decision to freebirth her fifth and sixth babies, highlighting the empowerment and autonomy she experienced.

01:31 Danielle's Journey into Motherhood and Six Daughters

10:35 Introduction to Natural Birth

15:16 Challenges with Hospital Policies

24:26 Difficulties in Accessing Midwifery Care

27:26 Decision to Have a Free Birth for Sixth Daughter

30:56 The Freedom and Control of Home Birth

34:23 Trusting My Instincts

41:29 Empowering Birth Experiences and Motherhood

Submit your birth story to the podcast here.

Message me on instagram @Birth.ThroughTheVeil

In this conversation, Carissa and I discuss the challenges and limitations of the current birthwork system, particularly in British Columbia. We highlight the importance of authentic birthwork and the need for more support and options for birthing individuals. We also explore the concept of free birth and the power of birthing outside the system. We highlight the challenges faced by pregnant individuals in accessing the care they need and the impact of the healthcare system on their choices. We emphasize the need for a supportive village and the role of doulas in providing emotional and practical support during pregnancy and postpartum.

Spoiler! The animal "living in the walls" turned out to be a Northern Flicker on the outside of the building!

The holy trinity of book titles we discuss;

Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage by Dr. Rachel Reed

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Dr. Sarah Buckley

and anything by Dr. Sara Wickham

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:16 Issues with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives

10:05 The Choice to Birth Outside the System

27:13 The Limitations of the Obstetrical System

34:26 The Importance of Radical Responsibility

43:02 Challenges in Accessing Midwifery Care

45:15 Feeling Empowered in Birth Choices

49:59 Reframing Prenatal Care and Identifying Core Values

54:21 The Transformation and Essence of Birth

58:16 The Importance of Postpartum Care

Find Carissa on instagram at @HomeBodyBirth and on her website at www.homebodybirth.ca

Submit your birth story here.

Instagram @Birth.ThroughTheVeil

Welcome to Through the Veil, where we will explore physiologic birth experiences and the wisdom that wise women bring.