Happy Homebirth

By Katelyn FuscoHealth & Fitness Parenting Kids & Family Sexuality

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Happy Homebirth episodes

April 06Ep 320: A Mobile Birth: Twins Born Precipitously!
You’ve done it- you’ve decided to give birth at home, and NOTHING is going to stop you, right?

This week we’re speaking to Heather Whitehead, a mother to 5 living in East Tennessee. We’ll hear how Heather and her husband settled on homebirth for their most recent pregnancy, and how they navigated certain obstacles that arose after their decision. You know, like the realization that they were pregnant with twins, to start.

Episode Roundup:
First, I love that Heather chose to continue care with her midwife, even knowing that there could be a larger number of reasons for a transfer of care as her pregnancy went along. When she considered the whole situation thoroughly, she decided that BECAUSE she was pregnant with twins, she actually needed a midwife more: The individualized care, the preventative approach, and the loving support. Even if it meant paying for two providers, she and her husband decided midwifery care was worth the cost.
Next, Heather really has experienced the gamut when it comes to pregnancy and birthing experiences. From different types of inductions to gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, she’s seen some things– and I love that she allowed those experiences to inform her decisions in the future. Especially when combined with midwifery care, she was able to take hold of potential “high risk” issues preventatively this time around. The 2 mile post-dinner walk? I would LOVE to hear if you give that a try and what it does to your fasting blood sugar numbers!
And finally- this was so ordained, wasn’t it? As Heather said, there were so many potential issues that could have occurred as she gave birth to her preemie twins, but… her husband made it home. Heather took her time with a few last minute tasks that allowed her midwife to be there– quite divinely. Heather was able to avoid further intervention with her birth by having her babies before arriving to the hospital, and her midwife most assuredly impacted Baby B’s life by staying with Heather in the ambulance and providing the care that she and baby needed. What an amazing series of events.
Links:

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth
47 min
March 30Ep 319: What Are You Creating? A Birth and Motherhood Story
Pregnancy is the height of creativity– you are literally creating a brand new human… from scratch? But have you noticed that sometimes the creativity of pregnancy moves into other aspects of your life?

This week, we’e speaking with Khylir Patton, a mother of two and a homebirth mom based in Tampa Bay, Florida. After navigating an unexpected late-pregnancy loss of care and ultimately experiencing a deeply empowering homebirth, she became passionate about helping mothers feel supported, informed, and less alone in their journeys. Khylir is the founder of IYA, a maternal care platform inspired by her own experiences navigating pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. At her core, she believes birth is intuitive, sacred, and a powerful initiation into motherhood.

Episode Roundup:
Moving into motherhood is not always a perfectly smooth transition. You are growing, regenerating, renewing as a human. Your responsibilities shift completely, and the entire focus of your life, both long term and day to day, must yield to this new experience. Khylir mentioned the struggle of her time no longer feeling like her own– She couldn’t sleep when she wanted to, work when she wanted to. She had to relinquish the grip she previously easily held on her schedule. But– while it’s not all easy, it is all an invitation to transform. How can you hold onto your identity, grow in your identity, and care for your baby, too? Sometimes the balance takes time to establish, but I love how Khylir was able to move through the experience and eventually come out on the other side capable of caring for her two little ones while also creating something she felt called to create.
Which leads me to my second point- isn’t it amazing how pregnancy truly is an incubator? For new life, of course, but also an incubator for ideas and creativity. I’ve had some of my very best ideas and revelations during the pregnancy and postpartum phases of my life.
And finally, I love hearing Khylir’s experience of– awakening to invitation. One day in postpartum, she heard “get up.” Such a small phase, but it changed everything about how she was interacting with her life. She accepted the invitation. She took small steps– taking a bit of time to wash her face and brush her teeth, then going on walks… suddenly, as she listened and responded, she was given more direction– take this dream you’ve had and turn into something new. Something that will impact others for years to come.

Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”
1 hr 10 min
March 16 Ep 318: Pregnancy After Loss and Learning to Trust Again
Have you ever found yourself wanting something to happen so desperately, and at the same time realizing you have absolutely no control over its happening?

This week, we’re speaking with Erica: a wife, mother of two, one of nine siblings,
and a woman who entered marriage already having seen family members give birth beautifully at home.

Episode Roundup:
1. Generational Trust in birth is a GIFT
Erica didn’t stumble into homebirth hoping it might work.
She had seen it.
She watched her mother birth.
She watched her sister birth.
She grew up witnessing women trust their bodies.
When birth isn’t something foreign and medicalized —
when it’s something you’ve seen unfold in your actual living room —where you LIVE–
it builds a different kind of confidence.
What are we modeling for our daughters?
What are our sons witnessing about women’s strength?
Erica is now continuing that legacy. Absolutely amazing.

2. Surrender Is Not Passive — It’s Active and continual
Two weeks of prodromal labor.
Contractions that start… and stop.
Hopes rising… and falling.
Over and over again.
And that shower moment —
head against the tile, sobbing, praying,
“I trust You… but please let it be now.”
That is such an honest prayer. That’s a prayer of confession.
Surrender doesn’t mean we don’t have desires.
It doesn’t mean we don’t long for relief.
It means we bring those desires into God’s presence
instead of trying to control the outcome.
And eventually…
her body opened.
Not through force or fear, but because it. Was. time.

3. And finally, there is such power in undisturbed birth.
Erica pushed without cervical checks.
She followed her body’s cues.
She reached down and felt her baby descend.
That image —
a mother with her own finger on her baby’s head,
feeling him move down and through her body —
is one of the most instinctive, embodied images I can imagine.
She didn’t need someone to tell her where she was, because she felt it.
And then…
she caught him herself.
Born fully en caul.
Waters intact.
Her hands the first to lift him from the water.
What a picture of partnership between body, baby, and Creator.

Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

59 min
March 09Ep 317: Choosing the Unmarked Path: Navigating Limited Options in Care
When you want to give birth at home, but the local midwives are overbooked and not taking new clients, what are your options?

This week we’re speaking to Regan, a mother to two kiddos in the Manitoba area of Canada who knew that she wanted to give birth at home, but had to think outside the box to make it happen for her.

Regan is a wife of 7 years and a stay at home mom to her two beautiful young children. A small part of her life includes helping manage a midwifery advocacy group, whose main desire is that all women in her Province can have the birth experience they desire! She loves her quiet country home life raising kids, running her two small businesses and discussing birth with anyone who wants to talk!

Episode Roundup:
It can feel so frustrating to hear how difficult it is in so many places to find a quality care provider at home. Whether it's because of a lack of midwives or because of an over-taxed system, it leads to the same issue– Mothers have to think outside the box to find the care they need. But what’s beautiful is the fact that for some mothers, like Regan, their desire to have a certain kind of experience leads them to explore other options and find a solution that works for them. This doesn’t always look the same for every family. For some, maybe it’s a hotel or airbnb birth. For others, maybe it’s finding midwives to travel to you from a distance. Whatever it looks like, the sense of creativity that you can bring into a difficult situation can truly flip it on its head.
There’s something to be said for having to keep information confidential when you deeply want to share. Regan spoke of how the sense of secrecy she needed to maintain in order to protect her labor support felt very heavy to hear. While it’s such a good reminder that your private medical information is yours to keep close and it’s really nobody else’s right to know, that doesn’t change the experience that comes with WANTING to share and feeling unable. Regan thinks this may have impacted her ability to connect to the idea that she was really growing a baby prenatally – which, as I mentioned, I believe makes quite a bit of sense that she needed to truly feel all of her labor to make the connection that, yes, this is happening! I’m becoming a mother again!
And finally, one of the beautiful counter balances to the struggle Regan had with not being able to share about her labor support– was her labor support itself. She had a team of two women who loved her, cared for her, encouraged her and walked with her as she went through one of the most pivotal days of her entire life. What a delight that these women cared so deeply for her, and were also so deeply impacted by Regan’s birth.
Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”
51 min
March 02Ep 316: Holding the Plan Loosely: Pamela’s Birth Story of Trust and Change
How do you feel about the specifics of your upcoming birth? Are you clinging to particular desires and feeling like things MUST happen a certain way for you to feel successful? Or do you feel the peace of flexibility?
This week, we're speaking with Pamela, a homeschooling mother of 3 precious kiddos, who decided to give birth at home with her third child. Throughout the end of her pregnancy and labor, Pamela went on a journey of learning that she wasn’t in control of every event that happened, but she was able to surrender— and through the process of surrender she found something even better than certainty- she found freedom.

Episode Roundup:
First, I love the fact that Pamela was being encouraged by the young mothers around her– in her community group, and then within her family. The women in Pamela’s circle gave her a new perspective of what birth could be like– and what she could be capable of! When you share your experiences with others, who knows who you will influence and how that could change their trajectory. How beautiful to simply share your story.
Next, I cannot–not comment on Pamela’s perspective. While she did have ideas of what she wanted her birth to be like– in the water, untouched– She allowed herself the freedom to change her mind as her birth unfolded. She was not a victim of birth, even with its changes. Instead she acknowledges the part that she played: She chose to change her mind. We cannot control numerous aspects of our births, but we can control our perspective. And when you pair a healthy perspective with the lesson of surrender, oh my, that’s how mothers transform.
And finally–Beauty and Tragedy exist simultaneously. At the same time that Pam was approaching birth, there was tremendous flooding and loss in her region of Texas. And then her grandfather broke his hip the day before labor. Life is being lost, pain is being experienced, and at the very same time beauty is being created. New life is being freshly breathed. The clear truth is that there is beauty, even in the hardest of times.
Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”
50 min
February 23 Ep 315: From Hyperemesis to Homebirth
Have you ever done everything right…and still watched things unfold in a way you never expected?
This week I’m joined by Daryl Hogan — a nurse, nursing professor, wife, and new mama — who navigated a laundry list of unexpected aspects of pregnancy that she certainly wouldn’t have excitedly chosen…. And yet her story doesn’t end in suffering, but in a powerful, physiologic homebirth that left her standing in awe of what her body had carried her through.

Episode Roundup:

First — preparation does not guarantee ease.
Daryl did the research.
She changed her products.
She tracked her cycles.
She took the supplements.
She prepared her body thoughtfully.
And still she experienced hyperemesis.
Still she lost weight.
And still she battled prenatal depression.
But she endured. She continued, and while her preparation did not prevent suffering —
It did equip her to endure it.
Second — the humility of needing help.
As a nurse, Daryl understood the medical system.
She works in the hospital.
She knows the language.
But during her pregnancy, she found herself needing the IV fluids, the medication.
Needing support beyond what she had hoped for.
And I love the way she processed that.
She asked herself:
“Would I shame another woman for this?”
Of course not.
And so she chose to release the shame.
My friends, sometimes trusting God also looks like accepting the help He places in front of you.
Third — the power of relational care.
Did you hear the contrast between her midwife and her OB?
Long appointments.
Text messages.
Honesty.
Consultation.
Home visits.
Versus…
Cold. Rushed. Directive.
Care changes experience.
Not just outcomes — experience.
And finally — redemption through birth.
After months of vomiting.
Crying.
Exhaustion and
Fear.
Her labor came.
She drove home from the birth center on all fours in the back seat — because her body told her to.
And she birthed her baby at home.
Oh my goodness, the triumph in that!
Not because it was pain-free or especially easy, but because she endured. She trusted. She surrendered.
And what strikes me most is this —
she didn’t just get a baby at the end.
She got awe:
Awe of her body.
Awe of the design.
Awe of the way suffering can shape strength.
So if you are in a season where you are doing your best just to make it through
Whether that’s in pregnancy, motherhood, or another aspect of your life —

Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

1 hr 1 min
February 16 Ep 314: An 11 Pound Baby and the Importance of Trust
Have you ever wondered how much the environment and the people around you shape the way birth unfolds?

Hey there Happy Homebirthers, and welcome to episode 314 of the Happy Homebirth Podcast. I’m your host Katelyn Fusco and today, we’re speaking with Caroline Hendel, a mother from France whose story beautifully illustrates the difference between being managed through birth vs. being trusted in it.
Caroline shares two very different experiences: her first birth in a hospital after being transferred due to concerns about her baby’s size, and her second—an intentional home birth of an eleven-pound baby, surrounded by a team who provided a sense of belief, calm, and support.
This conversation touches on big babies, cultural differences in birth care, choosing your team wisely, and what it truly means to feel safe in birth.

First, I’m struck by how clearly her experiences show that big babies are not the problem—fear is. Over and over again, we see that when providers don’t trust mothers, size becomes a liability. But when belief is present, the body often does exactly what it was designed to do.
Second, Caroline’s story highlights how important it is to choose your team carefully—and to change course when something doesn’t feel right. Trusting your intuition doesn’t mean rejecting care; it means seeking the right care.
And finally, I love her reflection on how birth intensity can be a bridge into motherhood. For Caroline, her second birth gave her something her first did not— she was able to experience the fullness and intensity of the act of bringing forth her baby, which was exactly what she wanted as she re-entered the fullness and intensity of motherhood. If you’re preparing for birth, I pray this story reminds you that you deserve belief, support, and peace—no matter the size of your baby.

Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5yY5p5Wm6Y

47 min
February 09 Ep 313: Presence Over Perfection: Madeline Murray on Birth and Growth
Have you ever noticed how each birth teaches us something different—no matter how many times we’ve done this before?

Today, I’m welcoming back a dear friend of the show, Madeline Murray—midwife, mother of four, and someone whose story has unfolded alongside this podcast over the years.
Madeline has been here before to share her first and second homebirths, and today she’s bringing us into her third and fourth. Two births that took place in very different seasons of life, and yet both marked by growth, presence, and a deepening sense of trust.

Episode Roundup:
First, I’m struck by how much presence mattered in these later births. Madeline talks about the difference between surviving a birth and actually participating in it—and that distinction feels so important. Sometimes peace doesn’t come from changing the circumstances, but from being able to stay with yourself through them.
Second, I love her honesty about how seasons of life affect birth. Giving birth while navigating business ownership, older children, and a body that’s changed with time looks different than it did before—and that doesn’t make it lesser. In many ways, it makes it richer. There’s wisdom there. There’s perspective.
And finally, Madeline’s story reminds us that even when we’re experienced—even when we’ve attended births or lived inside this world for years—birth still has something to teach us. It continues to shape us, humble us, and invite us into deeper trust.
So wherever you are on your own journey—first baby or fourth—may this story remind you that growth doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like calm. Sometimes it looks like confidence. Sometimes it looks like finally feeling at home in your body.

Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

1 hr 8 min
February 02 Ep 312: Trusting the Process: Kaylee Matthews’ Mountain Homebirth
Which is more important when it comes to birth: preparation or intuition?
In this week’s episode, we’re hearing from Kaylee Matthews, a first-time mom from the mountains of Southern California whose story is a reminder that intuition and preparation can coexist beautifully with surrender.
Before she even met her husband, Kaylee was learning the fertility-awareness method, studying midwifery podcasts, and building an understanding of her body. So when she and her husband conceived—on their very first try—she felt both prepared and grounded.
Her pregnancy unfolded with ease until an unexpected “high-risk” label and pressure from hospital providers tested her confidence. Leaning on research, prayer, and intuition, Kaylee chose to continue midwifery care, learning firsthand the value of informed decision-making and peace over fear.
When labor finally began at 40 weeks + 6 days, it moved from calm to intense quickly—so quickly that her earlier intuition proved true: her midwife nearly missed the birth. What followed was a long, determined labor that called for patience, movement, and deep trust.
Kaylee’s story highlights the balance between preparation and surrender—the way knowledge can empower us, but peace is what carries us through.
First, knowledge really is power—but trust and peace are even greater powers. Kaylee studied, planned, and prepared for this birth. But when things went off-script, she leaned not on fear or outside pressure, but on the peace and confidence she had in her body as it did exactly what it was designed to do.
Second, I love how her preparation allowed her husband to step confidently into birth, too. From the packet of questions at their first appointment to the way he supported her through every phase, their teamwork is a picture of partnership in birth, and the way that birth can truly bring couples together as they enter or re-enter parenthood.
And finally, Kaylee’s intuition was spot-on. Even when it didn’t make logical sense—like feeling her midwife might miss the birth—she honored that God-given intuitive thought and made space for it. What a reminder that we are so connected to our Creator, and when it’s intuition, that knowing you feel isn’t scary, it’s simply confident.
Here’s to quiet confidence, to listening inward, and to letting birth be the teacher it’s meant to be.

Links:
FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

1 hr 7 min
January 26 Ep 311: Midwifery Care Documentary: The Birthing Revolution Project
What if understanding midwifery care didn’t require convincing—but simply seeing?
This week on The Happy Homebirth Podcast, I’m joined by Caleb Phipps, filmmaker and father of four, and Midon Wingo, licensed midwife and passionate advocate for family-centered birth care.
Together, they’re creating a documentary called Birthing Revolution—a film designed to show what midwifery care actually looks like. Prenatal visits. Birth spaces. Families. Trust.
One of the most powerful ideas from this conversation is the way they frame birth as a story:
the mother as the hero, the midwife as the guide.

Episode Roundup:

First, I’m struck by the power of seeing. Caleb shared how witnessing midwifery care firsthand changed his understanding in a way facts and statistics never could. That’s exactly why Birthing Revolution matters—because when people can actually see birth unfolding with trust and respect, fear begins to loosen its grip.
Second, I love the way both Caleb and Midon frame birth as a journey where the mother is the hero and the midwife is the guide. That story deserves to be told well—and protected—so families everywhere can understand what’s possible.
And finally, I want to invite you into this work. If this episode resonated with you—if you’ve ever wished your partner, your parents, or your friends could see what midwifery care really looks like—this film could be that bridge.
If you’re able, consider supporting the Birthing Revolution project. Even a small contribution helps move this vision forward and makes these stories accessible to families who need them.

Links:

Donate to Birthing Revolution:
https://phippsphilms.com/birthing-revolution-movie/

Birthing Joy: A Home Birth Experience | https://youtu.be/iyhCAG2CQE8?si=YzgT2NRb3J_rd87E

Midon Wingo Beautiful Blessings | https://www.beautifulblessingsbirthservices.com/

FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset

Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off)

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth

Redeem ™ | https://hubs.ly/Q03K0Dr90
“Click here to learn more about REDEEM HealthShare Ministry”

53 min

About Happy Homebirth

From the publisher's feed

The Happy Homebirth podcast is your source for positive natural childbirth stories, and your community of support, education and encouragement in all things homebirth and motherhood.