In today's conversation, my dear friend Emily Errington, a birth doula & the owner of Wildflower Doula Co. based in Lubbock,Tx, shares her insights on the various roles of doulas in supporting families during pregnancy, childbirth & postpartum.

Some topics you'll hear us discuss are:

Where can you follow along or connect with Emily? 

I pray this conversation blesses you as much as it did me & that you leave it feeling more clear on WHAT a doula actually does & if hiring one for your upcoming birth is the best call for you.

Want to connect with me directly? Please do! 

Email me at: [email protected]

Enjoy today's episode? 

***The best way to let me know you did is by leaving me a written review on Apple Podcasts (I read EVERY one of them & they are truly such a blessing to my heart) & by sharing it with a fellow mama who could be helped or encouraged through tuning in to today's episode too! ***

Blessings, 

Audrey

Time Stamps

(0:00) Introduction

What's covered today: doula, birth support, epidural, labor education, hospital birth, birth plan, maternal health, childbirth, doula role, birth experience, birth, postpartum, doula, emotional support, faith, interventions, labor, motherhood, healing, birth experience

In today's episode I have the absolute JOY of interviewing my friend and mentor Brittany McCardle of the Biblical Birth School. 

Brittany is a wife, mom to *almost* 7, a childbirth educator, certified doula & founder for the Biblical Birth School -- a certification organization which trains & equips birth workers with a robust education on all matters of birth through a CHRISTIAN perspective. 

I have completed Brittany's Childbirth Educator program and am currently enrolled in her Doula appointed program -- and let me just say, her programs are terrific. Thorough, FILLED with resources, book lists, community with like-minded, aspiring birth workers & ongoing, attentive support from Brittany herself. 

Cannot recommend her or her programs highly enough. 

We cover a WIDE variety of topics today like: 

It's a mixed bag. I'm here for it & I hope you are too!

Where can you follow along or connect with Brittany? 

I pray this conversation blesses you as much as it did me & that you leave listening to it feeling encouraged & excited & full of deeper faith as you prepare to labor with God & for His glory! Enjoy!

Want to connect with me directly? Please do! 

Email me at: [email protected]

Enjoy today's episode? 

***The best way to let me know you did is by leaving me a written review on Apple Podcasts (I read EVERY one of them & they are truly such a blessing to my heart) & by sharing it with a fellow mama who could be helped or encouraged through tuning in to today's episode too! 

Blessings, 

Audrey

Yes, I know it's odd that I am choosing to share about my SECOND home birth // VBAC delivery before I share about my first, buuuuut 

#1 I've actually already shared about my first homebirth on my friend Aly's podcast The Peaceful Home Birth Podcast (go take a listen!) 

#2 WHEN I share about my first homebirth on here, I want to do it in an interview format WITH my husband so he can share his unique perspective on how husband's can support and take an active role in supporting their wives during labor! 

So keep your eye out for that sometime in the future! 

MENTIONS: 

I pray hearing my story encourages, inspires and excites you to partner with the Lord in your OWN upcoming labor! 

And remember, God is forever faithful. His loves endures forever. He will never leave you nor forsake you and He will be with you even until the end of the age (so, yes, that includes during your birth). Trust & believe & receive that Truth, friend. 

Blessings, 

Audrey

Want to connect with me directly? Please do! 

Email me at: [email protected]

Enjoy today's episode? 

The best way to let me know you did is by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or by taking a screen shot of today's episode and tagging me at @faithful.labor

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the top 8 Scriptures I dwelt on and clung to MOST throughout my two unmedicated labors. While there are MANY more I could share about, these eight were the ones I repeatedly reflected on that brought me the most peace, strength, and reminded me of God’s unfailing love even during the most intense moments of birth. 

While regular ol' birth affirmations and mantras can be helpful to an extent... there is NOTHING like storing up the Word of God in your mind & heart to keep you rooted in Truth & full of faith in the One who has promised to be with you always -- even to the very end. 

Top 8 Scriptures for Labor:

Mentions:

Scripture Memory Tools//Resources: 

I encourage you to take time THIS WEEK  to choose at least ONE verse to start memorizing in preparation for your birth. God’s Word is a lifeline for us as believers friends, both in labor and beyond.

I pray this episode blesses you & helps better equip you to labor faithfully with God & for His glory! Enjoy.

Blessings, 

Audrey

Want to connect with me directly? Please do! 

Email me at: [email protected]

Enjoy today's episode? 

The best way to let me know you did is by leaving a written review on Apple Podcasts or by taking a screen shot of today's episode and tagging me at @faithful.labor

In today's episode I'm sharing about my ridiculously-named, go-to approach for handling early labor contractions. 

You'll come away from this episode having learned:

I pray this episode blesses you & helps equip you to labor faithfully with God & for His glory! Enjoy.

Blessings, 

Audrey

Want to connect with me directly? Please do! 

Email me at: [email protected]

Mentions:

Scripture-Based Birth Cards

YAY! You're having a baby! Congratulations!

In today's episode, I want to give your brain a break from the potentially scrambling thoughts of, "now what?" & offer up some simple, practical first steps you can begin taking to prepare for the rest of your pregnancy & your precious little one's arrival. 

I pray this episode blesses you & helps equip you to labor faithfully WITH God & for His glory! Enjoy.

Blessings, 

Audrey

Want to connect with me directly? Please do! 

Email me at: [email protected]

Mentions:

Birth Courses

- Biblical Birth Course

- Madeline's Birth Course *free*

- Pain Free Birth Course

*pain free birth NOT guaranteed (obviously), but I took this course & really enjoyed the way Karen broke down physiological childbirth*

Birth Accounts

@mommamadeline

@thebiblicalbirthschool

@peacefulhomebirth

@painfreebirth

@madenewbirth

@divinebirthco

@birthfromabove

The #1 Approach to Experiencing Peace, Confidence, and Clarity in Pregnancy and Labor Prep

In today's episode, I'm sharing about the #1 approach to pregnancy, childbirth prep & honestly -- ALL of life -- that I believe (read: KNOW) leads to peace, confidence and clarity.

It's a bold claim, I know, but approaching my 3rd pregnancy this way (after NOT applying this approach in my first two deliveries) strengthened my faith, brought about indescribable peace & led me to have one of the most profoundly beautiful experiences of my life, delivering a baby at home after 2 previous c-sections. 

Surrendering control to God and seeking His guidance is the foundation for a birth plan that aligns with His perfect will for you and your baby.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Birth preparation doesn’t have to feel overwhelming or uncertain.

By applying the principles in Proverbs 3:5-6, you can trust that God will guide your choices and strengthen your faith as you listen to His leading. If you’re hoping for a different birth experience this time or simply want to grow closer to God in this season of pregnancy & birth prep, I pray this episode encourages & reminds you to lean not on your own understanding, but rather, seek HIS will for your pregnancy, labor & life as you trust in Him who is forever faithful.

Let’s Connect!

If this episode encouraged you, the best way you can let me know is by leaving a written or 5-star review & sharing it with another mama who you believe could benefit from a Christ-centered approach to birth preparation! 

I pray this episode blesses you & helps equip you to labor faithfully WITH God and for His glory! Enjoy.

Blessings, 

Audrey 

Catching yourself feeling kinda curious about taking a more natural approach to childbirth but aren’t quite sure if it’s the right path for you?

Are you wanting to understand about God’s good & wise design for pregnancy, birth and postpartum but feel overwhelmed on where to even start?

Do you trust that God REALLY does care about & wants to be involved in ALL the details of your life …. Including your birth experiences?

Are you SO READY to start feeling more confident, at peace & even a excited about partnering with the Lord to bring forth new life into this world?

If you answered yes to ANY of the above questions, you are in the RIGHT PLACE, friend

In the Faithful Labor Podcast, you’ll learn about God’s incredible design for mother’s & their babies in pregnancy, labor & postpartum, gain full confidence in your birth decisions, hear positive & uplifting birth stories from Christian women who have gone before you & be regularly reminded to keep Jesus at the center of it all so you can feel prepared (and EXCITED!) to embrace the faith-deepening experience of physiological labor WITH God & for His glory.

I’m your host Audrey Stinson! Bible-believing Christian, wife, former RN, Certified Childbirth Educator & mama to four—two born via C-section and two delivered at home. With my first two deliveries, I lacked sufficient education about how my body was designed for labor, I didn’t possess any confidence, I outsourced my birth decisions to others &, ultimately, I left the Lord out of my plans for pregnancy and childbirth.

After experiencing two challenging surgical deliveries, I realized if I wanted different (or better) birth experiences with any future babies that God gave us, I would need to take a radically different approach and adopt a totally different mindset toward birth. This led me on a Holy Spirit prompted journey to educate myself, learn from other mamas who experienced birth the way I hoped to, gain confidence in my choices & above ALL prayerfully trust in the Lord as I entrusted my future births into His good and perfect hands.

Now, after two incredibly redemptive homebirths, I’m on a mission to equip, encourage inform & HYPE UP Christian mamas about alllll things pregnancy, birth & beyond so that they too can experience God’s grace-filled faithfulness to them in labor.

So! Whether you’re still discerning if natural birth is right for you, looking to navigate through a low-intervention labor, longing for some birth encouragement from someone who has been RIGHT where you are or just wanting to keep Jesus at the center of all your birth-binging consumption, this podcast is for YOU.

So! Slip into your stretchy pants, fill up that water bottle - no really… go do it, gotta keep you & baby hydrated 😉 - & let’s get into it!