August 18, 2025

Ep 289: Lessons in Surrender and an Unattended Homebirth

52 minutes

If you had an arduous labor due to your baby’s positioning once, it’s sure to happen similarly if your next baby takes the same position, right?

Ashley Atwood and her husband Sam have 3 active and lively boys. They are a homeschooling family and love adventure and being outdoors. Ashley is a self described birth nerd and loves educating herself about all things birth and pregnancy and discussing all they entail. She feels that education about birth and pregnancy is so important to the birthing experience. Her hope is for all women to take the initiative to learn because birth matters! If it’s in the cards, she would love to become a midwife or doula one day when her children are grown.

Episode Roundup:

Ashley’s second birth unfolded in a way that seemed completely different from her first baby’s birth, despite the two being born posterior. I think this is such a helpful reminder to those of you who have had a birth experience that was difficult- and you’re worried about it happening exactly the same way the next time. Remember, this birth is not your last birth. This is a different birth and can be a different experience.

For those of us who may fall into the labor denier category, it’s important to remember that someone on the outside may be able to see what’s happening more clearly than we can, and I’ll add this is especially true with second, third and beyond births when both spouses have been through the experience before. When Ashley was doing laundry and dropping to the floor for contractions, it clued Sam in that she was a good bit further along in labor than she realized. Thankfully he was able to reach out to the team and loop them in on what was happening!

And now, I want to end with a section of Ashley’s own words from her application. This was so touching, and I feel like it needs to be heard by so many: “And with my third, it was like he was lavishing on his grace- giving me what I absolutely don’t deserve, but did it anyway! It was like he one upped Himself to show me His goodness. He knows me intimately and knows how much birth means to me and how I deeply value it and am in awe of it, and he gave me all my births as a gift, and I am so thankful. He could have made babies come any way He wanted, but He chose to use us, women to bring forth life in a truly miraculous way. I struggle to understand His love and grace and also struggle to believe it about myself and my births have helped me to experience more of His love and to just be in awe of Him that He loves us because He loves us- he chooses to and that’s it. It has nothing to do with what I have done, but all of what He’s done for me. And what a reminder that is of His ultimate love poured out for me on the cross.”

Links:

Whole Mother Homebirth | wholemotherhomebirth.mykajabi.com/presale

Interview Application | interviewwithkatelyn.my.canva.site/direct-to-landing-page

Youtube | https://youtu.be/aeSddUAUrEA

Restorative Roots | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)

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