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Pregnancy has a way of stripping everything down to what’s real. In this episode, we sit with a Tesia's story of radical dependence on the Lord through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. From shopping for a midwife before conception to receiving unexpected prophetic words, navigating housing chaos while heavily pregnant, and wrestling with the physical cost of carrying and birthing a baby, this conversation is honest & deeply hope-filled.
We talk about seeing God’s hand in the details. The premature congratulations that foreshadowed pregnancy before she even knew. Praying for guidance toward birth resources and watching doors open one by one. Feeling profoundly seen by the Lord through the provision of baby supplies at just the right moments and the surprising ways He continued speaking throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
This episode also holds space for the harder parts of the journey & the struggle of feeling physically limited and disconnected from your own body. Nausea that lasted through the entirety of labor, the emotional weight of changing a birth team late in pregnancy, delayed placenta delivery, moments of fear that led to a 911 call that ultimately wasn’t needed, and the sacred tension between intervention and listening for the Lord’s direction in the moment.
We also talk about:
This conversation is a reminder that birth stories are rarely neat or polished. Sometimes they are messy, exhausting, holy, funny, frightening, and full of unexpected grace all at once.
Links:
I'll Praise You In This Storm
How to get in touch with Tesia and David:
Connect:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMA
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the way
Intro and Outra Music Credit -
Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
BIRTH STORY DISCLAIMER:
The choices, beliefs, and opinions of the mamas sharing their stories are as individual as the storyteller herself and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or recommended choices of Lauren and/or Brooke.
This week feels a little like sitting around the table with friends. We’re catching up on what’s unfolding behind the scenes, reflecting on the beauty of April births, and talking honestly about seasons of waiting that don’t look the way we thought they would.
In this episode, we talk about the beginning of HMU through two very different lenses: Lauren stepping into it from the teacher side, and Brooke entering it first as a student. We share what it’s been like watching this community grow, the heart behind it, and the ways God continues to shape all of us through the process.
We also recap Brooke’s birthday beauty-sharing dinner and retreat — the conversations, the connection, the rest, and why creating intentional spaces for women to gather matters so deeply to us. We reflect on some of the beautiful births Brooke attended throughout April and the reminders they carried about surrender, strength, family, and the sacredness woven throughout ordinary moments.
And finally, Lauren shares about “letting the ground rest.” About being in a season of waiting she would not have chosen, and how difficult it can be when life feels slower than we hoped for. She shares what it’s looked like to sit in the unknown, release control, and slowly realize that rest, hiddenness, and waiting are not wasted seasons. Sometimes the ground has to be still before something new can grow.
Show Links:
Let the Ground Rest - Chris Renzema
Our community (please join & share something that you've found beauty in for our birthdays!)
Connect:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMA
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the way
Intro and Outra Music Credit -
Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons
In this episode, we sit down and talk through what it actually looks like to have kids present at a home birth. We share honestly about the nerves, the beauty, and all the unknowns that can come with it. From how we can prepare our children ahead of time, to having the right support in place during labor, this conversation really leans into being both intentional and flexible.
We talk about how kids often come into birth with curiosity more than fear, and how our role is less about controlling their experience and more about creating a calm, safe space where they can observe, ask questions, and even participate in small ways if they want to. We also talk about letting go of perfect expectations and trusting that everyone will find their place in the moment.
At the heart of it, this episode is about inviting our children into something that’s deeply normal and deeply sacred. It’s about the long-term impact of letting them witness birth, not as something scary or hidden, but as a natural part of family life and care.
Connect:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMA
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the way
Intro and Outra Music Credit -
Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
In our first Q&A episode , we’re talking about the powerful, grounding role dads can play during a home birth. From emotional support to practical help, husbands aren’t just “in the room”.
We cover:
Connect:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMA
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the way
Intro and Outra Music Credit -
Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
BIRTH STORY DISCLAIMER:
The choices, beliefs, and opinions of the mamas sharing their stories are as individual as the storyteller herself and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or recommended choices of Lauren and/or Brooke.
Welcome to our new mini series — think of this like voice texts you’d send your best friend.
Short, honest, and unfiltered… these episodes are where we answer your questions in real time, share what’s actually going on behind the scenes, and talk through things the way we would if we were sitting on the couch together.
Just real conversations about birth, motherhood, faith, and everything in between — the things you’re wondering, the things you’re walking through, and the things people don’t always say out loud.
Some episodes will be light and chatty, some might go deeper, but all of them are meant to feel like you’re in the conversation with us.
So send in your questions, listen in while you fold laundry or drive around with your kids, and come hang out with us for a few minutes at a time.
This is one of those topics that can feel a little uncomfortable, but also really important to think through.
consuming the placenta after birth has become pretty normalized in natural birth spaces. It’s often framed as instinctual, nourishing, even necessary for recovery.
We’ve both had our own journeys with this. Asking, “Is this actually how the body was designed to function?”
A lot of the arguments for it sound really convincing. Mammals do it, blood loss during birth, iron replenishment.
Then there’s hormone balancing. The idea is that consuming the placenta helps smooth out the hormonal drop after birth. But that drop is part of the design. It signals the body to shift into postpartum mode. Reintroducing those hormones may actually interfere with that process instead of supporting it.
There’s also the claim that it helps prevent postpartum mood disorders. That’s a powerful pull, but the research is mixed and largely anecdotal. Postpartum mental health is influenced by so many factors that it’s not something one practice can reliably control.
Something we both experienced, before we could fully explain it, was just a sense of hesitation. That feeling of, “I’m not sure about this.” And sometimes your body is picking up on something before your mind has words for it.
For us, this ultimately came down to alignment—physiologically, nutritionally, and spiritually.
We aren’t just like other mammals or animals. We uniquely bear God’s image. The postpartum hormone shift is intentional, not something to override. Animals consume the placenta largely for survival reasons, which doesn’t apply to us. And scripturally, the only reference to anything like this is in a context of desperation, not wisdom.
There’s also the reality that the placenta acts as a filter during pregnancy, holding onto substances from the environment. That’s something to consider in today’s world.
The needs behind this are real—women need support after birth. But there are ways to meet those needs that work with the body: nutrient-dense foods for iron, rest and adequate nourishment for hormones, and strong support systems for mental health.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about fear or judgment. It’s about slowing down, asking better questions, and making decisions from a place of clarity—not pressure.
Eating the placenta after birth carries no health benefits, new study finds
SHOW NOTES:
The Sanctifed Womb article: Why You Might Want to Think Twice About Consuming the Placenta Postpartum as an Orthodox Christian — The Sanctified Womb
Placenta is a dumping ground for genetic defects
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03345-1
Deuteronomy 28 Christian Standard Bible
In Search of Human Placentophagy: A Cross-Cultural Survey of Human Placenta Consumption, Disposal Practices, and Cultural Beliefs
Eating the placenta after birth carries no health benefits, new study finds
Connect with the Holy Wild Birth team:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our FREE, private community (off Facebook): Hearthmother Ministries Community
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us this fall inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Instagram
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Instagram
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
This episode is a deeply personal conversation with Gemma, who shares her journey through birth work, loss, faith, and what it has meant for her to be transformed along the way.
Gemma has spent over eight years in the birth world, moving between the medical system, traditional midwifery, and unassisted birth, while building a homesteading life in rural British Columbia. Her story opens with profound loss, carrying and birthing twins at home, followed by a hemorrhage that brought her face to face with surrender in a way she had never experienced before. Just two weeks later, she found herself pregnant again, stepping into a season where peace and fear coexisted in a very real way.
She shares how her upbringing in New Age and how her previous births left her feeling physically overwhelmed and, at times, traumatized. There was a deep longing to be rescued from the intensity of it all, paired with the weight of feeling like she had to carry everything on her own.
During this pregnancy, everything began to shift. Gemma describes encounters with Jesus through dreams and visions, even as she wrestled with resistance. A question stayed with her, “Who told you you couldn’t be saved?” It marked the beginning of releasing the need to prove her strength and allowing herself to receive help.
Hearing other women’s stories of inviting Christ into their births gave her language for what that could look like & she began to lean into faith more intentionally, especially as she navigated concerning symptoms and long stretches of time alone while her husband worked as a train conductor, often gone 12 hours a day.
When labor began, she eventually came up against a wall of fear. In that moment, she felt a sense of being given true choice, an invitation to continue or seek help, and she chose to surrender more deeply.. Alone, she describes it as peaceful, flowing, and effective in a way that surprised her.
She shares candidly about navigating meconium-stained waters and then a larger amount appearing later, and how she worked through the emotions that came with that. Worship music became a powerful anchor throughout labor, and at one point, crying out to God brought an immediate shift in her body and spirit.
As birth progressed, she realized her baby was breech. She describes feeling coached through the pushing phase, staying present and supported as she brought her baby into the world.
Throughout the story, fear becomes something different than an obstacle. It becomes an invitation to lean in, to trust more deeply, and to continue surrendering.
LINKS
Her post in our FB group: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2274989219664289&set=gm.1601978701221077&idorvanity=181048103314151
Gemma on IG (it’s on pause/archived for now): Gemma Epp 🕊️ (@wyldbirth) • Instagram profile
reach out by email [email protected]
A Sacred Beginning book: A Sacred Beginning: Nurturing Your Body, Mind, and Soul during Baby's First Forty Days
Connect with the Holy Wild Birth team:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our FREE, private community (off Facebook): Hearthmother Ministries Community
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us this fall inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Instagram
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Instagram
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
In this episode of This Cup of Tea, we share what’s been unfolding behind the scenes in our lives and work lately — the questions that keep coming up, the slower-than-expected growth of Hearthmother Journey, and the sacred moments reminding us why we’re doing this work.
From an 8-year marriage misunderstanding that finally came into clarity, to Brooke’s confirmation, to witnessing a breathtaking breech birth, we talk about the small and big ways God has been moving.
We also share about the development of our Hearthmother Midwifery Unschool, our love of spreadsheets, app creation, and why building slowly might actually be the point.
Pour a cup of tea and join us for a conversation about faith, vocation, motherhood, and trusting the quiet seasons.
Show Notes:
rainbow arch - Chris Harrison | BibleViz
Laurens Bible Plan app - Threads of Scripture — Hearthmother Reading Plans
bible project podcast Two Psalms That Sum Up the Hebrew Bible
brookes substack - https://open.substack.com/pub/sothisisbrooke/p/on-the-eve-of-my-confirmation?r=6cizmf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Connect with the Holy Wild Birth team:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our FREE, private community (off Facebook): Hearthmother Ministries Community
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us this fall inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Instagram
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Instagram
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
The Way of the Hearthmother episode
In this special roundtable conversation, we gather students and graduates of the Hearthmother Journey to reflect on how The Way of the Hearthmother has shaped not only their birth work, but their inner lives, families, and daily rhythms.
From first impressions to unexpected transformation, this conversation is honest, grounded, and deeply encouraging for anyone walking the path of sacred birth work — or considering it.
Whether you are a doula, birthkeeper, mother, or woman longing for rooted work that flows from presence rather than performance, this episode offers lived testimony of what happens when formation runs deeper than information.
In This Episode We Discuss:
First Encounters
Each woman shares her first introduction to The Way of the Hearthmother — whether through the podcast or through the course itself — and her initial reaction.
What surprised them
What felt confronting or affirming
How they knew (or didn’t know yet) that this would change something in them
We explore the difference between consuming content and being formed by a way of life.
The shift from technique to presence
Offering care that flows from rootedness rather than hustle
Reimagining what “success” looks like in birth spaces
Creating offerings that feel aligned, spacious, and deeply personal
They reflect on how their posture — not just their skills — has changed.
Marriage and communication
Parenting and homemaking
Community leadership
Personal boundaries and discernment
Spiritual formation
How does The Way of the Hearthmother show up in the ordinary?
In morning rhythms
In hospitality
In tending a home
In how they listen
In how they hold space for themselves
Panel participants (all Hearthmother Journey grads or current students):
Olivia Shingledecker, midwife apprentice, doula, and health coach
Autumn Rose, traditional midwife
Krista Matlock, birthkeeper
Trinity Miller, student midwife and doula
Hannah Gingerich, doula and student midwife
Connect with the Holy Wild Birth team:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our FREE, private community (off Facebook): Hearthmother Ministries Community
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us this fall inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Instagram
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Instagram
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
We recorded this conversation on the anniversary of her sixth birth story — a sacred full-circle moment that set the tone for everything we shared.
In this deeply vulnerable episode, Brandy opens her heart about the way God gently positioned her marriage and family to be ready to welcome new life. What looked ordinary at the time was actually divine preparation.
During this pregnancy, she said yes to two big things:
Enrolling in Hearthmother Journey
Hiring Brooke as her birthkeeper
Those decisions shaped not only her birth experience — but her spiritual formation in motherhood.
We talk about the beauty and freedom of a wild pregnancy — where “prenatal care” meant whatever truly nourished her body, soul, and spirit. From our lakeside picnic prenatal visit to the quiet rhythms of listening and trusting, this pregnancy unfolded differently.
She shares about:
The false labor that surfaced deep emotional layers she needed to address
The walking, sobbing, and long showers that became her late-pregnancy coping rituals
The bold prayer: “Bring this baby forth.”
We explore the sacred space at the end of pregnancy — the surrender, the unknown, the allowing things to flow instead of forcing.
Brandy also opens up about something tender:
The weight March has carried in her life. The loss and death associations tied to that month.
And then — the redemption.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing.”
This episode is about trust.
About surrender.
About facing generational fear.
About God rewriting timelines and associations.
About new life blooming in months that once held grief.
Connect with Brandy:
Website || Instagram
Blythe's written birth story and vlog by Brandy
Birth Film made by Brooke
Brooke's poetic reflections on Brandy's birth
Connect with the Holy Wild Birth team:
Email us to say hi: [email protected]
Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form
Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application
Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our FREE, private community (off Facebook): Hearthmother Ministries Community
Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us this fall inside Hearthmother Journey
From Lauren:
Instagram
Midwifery consults: Email [email protected]
From Brooke:
Instagram
Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)
Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox
Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)
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