Pain Free Birth

What if labor wasn’t random? What if bonding isn’t luck? What if your brain is biologically designed to change in birth?

In this profound and science-rich conversation, Karen sits down with Dr. Sarah Buckley, family physician, researcher, and pioneer in physiological birth, to unpack the true hormonal science of labor and postpartum.

Dr. Buckley has spent decades studying oxytocin, the primary hormone of labor, bonding, and breastfeeding. In this episode, she explains how birth activates the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, how oxytocin creates maternal bonding, and why feeling safe during labor is not emotional fluff. It’s biological necessity. 

This episode bridges the gap between science and spirituality, physiology and experience proving that ecstatic birth is not fantasy. It is mammalian biology.

Tune in to hear:

• How oxytocin changes the maternal brain during labor
• What actually causes bonding between mother and baby
• The neuroscience behind the “birth high”
• Why safety is essential for oxytocin release
• How synthetic oxytocin works differently in the body
• The surprising research findings on Pitocin and oxytocin levels
• How epidurals impact the oxytocin feedback loop
• Why some women miss the hormonal peak at birth
• What happens hormonally during cesarean birth
• How skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding can “fill hormonal gaps”
• Why birth is a relational experience, not an engineering event
• The mammalian design behind maternal transformation
• How to protect your physiology in hospital birth settings

Connect with Dr. Buckley:

Website: www.sarahbuckley.com

FB: @DrSarahBuckley 

IG: @DrSarahJBuckley 

Twitter: @Sarahjbuckley

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

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Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

Can birth really be different the second time? What if releasing fear was the missing piece?

In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Callie shares her redemptive Christian home birth story after experiencing an excruciatingly painful first labor. At just 22 years old and pregnant with her second baby, she knew she could not walk into birth carrying the same fear and tension that defined her first experience. 

In this conversation, Callie shares how understanding the fear–tension–pain cycle transformed her perspective on contractions, how inviting God into her labor brought peace and confidence, and why birth can feel intense without feeling traumatic.

She also speaks honestly about postpartum complications and anxiety, reminding listeners that redemption does not always mean perfection. Birth can be both powerful and messy. Faith does not eliminate challenges, but it reframes them. Her testimony is a reminder that birth can be both powerful and messy, and that God can be present in both.

This episode is filled with encouragement for any mama who has experienced birth trauma, fears labor, or feels stuck believing her story is already written.

Tune in to hear:

• What made Callie’s first birth “excruciatingly painful”
• How fear contributed to her labor experience
• The power of addressing the fear–tension–pain cycle
• How Scripture and worship reshaped her mindset
• What contractions felt like in her second labor
• The moment she felt her baby rotate and descend
• How her husband showed up differently the second time
• What really happened during her postpartum hemorrhage
• Honest conversation about postpartum anxiety and healing
• Encouragement for moms believing their story cannot change

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Faith Filled Childbirth  

Supernatural Childbirth 

Birth Playlist

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

Are you planning an unmedicated birth… but wondering if you’re actually doing enough to prepare?

In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen breaks down the five essential steps to preparing for a natural, physiological birth with intention. Not just hoping for one. Not just writing a birth plan. But truly preparing your mind, body, and spirit for the birth experience you desire.

If you’ve been binging birth stories and thinking, “I want that too” but still feel unsure where to start, this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap.

Because birth is not random. And while it is unpredictable, there are patterns. There are principles. There are ways to stack the odds in your favor.

Tune in to hear:

• Why overcoming fear is the first and most important step in birth preparation
• How unresolved birth stories and trauma can influence your labor
• The fear–tension–pain cycle and how it impacts your body
• Why understanding the physiology of birth changes everything
• The hormones that drive labor and how to support them naturally
• How clarity about your desired birth experience increases confidence
• The difference between the medical model and midwifery model of care
• Why your provider choice statistically impacts your birth outcome more than anything else

Resources mentioned:

Questions to Ask Your Provider: https://resources.painfreebirth.com/birth-provider-questions 

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

What if going past your due date wasn’t a problem to solve?

In this Karen sits down with Pinsi Lei, a mom of three and business coach from New York City, to share one of the most jaw-dropping birth stories ever told on the show.

After two long, medicated hospital births, Pinsi experienced an unintentional unassisted home birth at 42 weeks. With no pushing, no tearing, and a nine-pound, ten-ounce baby born standing up through the fetal ejection reflex, this story is a profound testimony to what happens when fear is released and physiology is allowed to lead.

Tune in to hear:

• How Pinsi went from two epidural hospital births to an unassisted home birth
• Why releasing emotional fear triggered labor at 42 weeks
• What the fetal ejection reflex feels like and why she didn’t push at all
• How worship, prayer, and mindset eliminated pain during contractions
• The surprising differences between epidural babies and unmedicated babies
• Why she instinctively birthed in the smallest, darkest corner of her home
• How standing birth prevented tearing with a 9 lb 10 oz baby
• Why her postpartum recovery was faster and calmer than ever before
• How trusting intuition transformed her confidence as a mother and woman

Connect with Pinsi: @pinsilei

Pinsi's Birth Story on IG: BIRTH STORY: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DM6SUHlO7oU/?igsh=MWY0NWVpbGIxaXZ0Mg==

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

What if fear doesn’t have to be part of your first home birth experience?

In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen Welton sits down with Katie Brambila, a first-time mom and midwife-in-training, to share her incredible, God-filled home birth story.

Katie brings a unique perspective to birth. Before becoming pregnant, she had already spent nearly three years in midwifery school and attended close to 100 births, most of them at home. Despite her extensive experience, Katie still had to confront common fears and stigmas surrounding first-time home birth, including the belief that first labors are always long, difficult, or destined for transfer.

Throughout the conversation, Karen offers expert insight on dismantling birth fear, the importance of mental preparation, and why even highly knowledgeable women still need intentional support and mindset work in birth. Together, they normalize fear, highlight the vulnerability of labor, and encourage women to trust their bodies and God’s design for birth.

Tune in to hear:

• Why first-time home birth fears are common and how to reframe them
• How mindset and mental preparation impact the experience of labor
• The role of surrender and faith in pain-free birth
• Why identifying and targeting specific fears is more effective than avoiding them
• How breath, prayer, and focus can change how contractions feel
• What it’s like to actively push and birth at home as a first-time mom
• Why support from a doula and birth team matters, even for birth professionals

Connect with Katie:

IG: @katiebrambila

Send her a DM & mention this episode to receive free shipping on NORA Moon Time tea blend to support your luteal and menstrual phases.

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

What happens when a woman stops outsourcing her intuition and starts trusting her body?

In this episode, Karen sits down with Polina Westcott, creator of Sensible Mama, to share two transformative home birth stories that radically changed the way Polina views birth, fear, pain, and personal authority.

Polina opens up about her first pregnancy, where everything seemed medically “normal” until routine testing suddenly turned her pregnancy into a problem to be managed. When questioning protocols led to pushback from her providers, Polina made the bold decision to fire her OB team at eight months pregnant and pivot to a home birth. What followed was a long, challenging, and deeply empowering first labor that revealed strength she never knew she had.

Her second birth could not have been more different. She shares how mindset, education, and surrender completely transformed how her body responded to contractions and labor progression. This episode dives deep into birth autonomy, informed consent, intuition, and the mind-body connection in labor. 

Tune in to hear:

• Why Polina chose to fire her OB team late in pregnancy
• How questioning medical authority led her to reclaim birth autonomy
• What really happens during transition and why many women want to “tap out”
• The doula moment that changed everything during her first labor
• How mindset radically altered her second birth experience
• What fetal ejection reflex actually feels like in real life
• Why trusting intuition protected her during the third stage of labor
• How fear, resistance, and control affect labor progression
• Why birth can be an initiation into motherhood, strength, and self-trust

Connect with Polina:

Www.sensiblemama.com

https://www.youtube.com/@sensible_mama

IG: @sensible_mama

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

What if pain, stress, and even birth trauma weren’t things your body needed to “push through”, but signals your nervous system was asking for safety?

In this powerful and deeply grounding episode, Karen sits down with Dr. Scherina Alli, a network spinal chiropractor specializing in nervous system regulation, somatic respiratory integration, and care for pregnant women, babies, and children.

Together, they explore how the body holds emotional stress, why babies are communicating far more than we realize, and how nervous system regulation can transform pregnancy, birth, postpartum healing, and even fertility. 

Dr. Scherina also shares her own beautiful home birth story. One rooted in trust, presence, and deep connection with her body offering a refreshing and empowering perspective on what birth can be when women feel safe, supported, and embodied.

Tune in to hear:

• How the nervous system stores emotional stress and trauma in the body
• Why “colic” is often a sign of nervous system dysregulation, not a diagnosis
• The difference between traditional chiropractic care and network spinal care
• How babies communicate stress, tension, and discomfort without words
• Why babies don’t “grow out of” nervous system stress 
• How pregnancy and birth experiences shape a baby’s lifelong nervous system blueprint
• The role of breath, movement, and pelvic mobility in preparing for birth
• How unprocessed emotions can impact pregnancy, fertility, and labor
• Dr. Scherina’s calm, fast, and deeply present home birth story
• Why presence (not avoidance) is the key to an empowered birth experience
• How women can rebuild trust in their bodies after trauma or infertility
• Simple ways to recognize stress versus safety in your own nervous system

CONNECT WITH DR SCHERINA:

• Follow Dr. Scherina on Instagram: @drscherina
• Website: drscherina.com
• Network Spinal Chiropractor Directory: https://www.drscherina.com/directory
• PX Docs Directory for neurologically focused prenatal and pediatric chiropractors: https://pxdocs.com/px-docs/

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

In this of the Pain Free Birth podcast, Karen Welton sits down with Anastasia Malyk, a mother of four, to share one of the most jaw-dropping birth stories you will ever hear.

After experiencing two prior free births, Anastasia found herself unexpectedly pregnant with mono-di identical twins just seven months postpartum. What followed was a journey marked by medical pressure, fear-based recommendations, spiritual surrender, and unwavering trust in God’s design for her body.

This episode is a bold testimony of faith, bodily wisdom, and the importance of advocacy in pregnancy and birth. It is especially encouraging for twin moms, women navigating medical pressure, and anyone seeking reassurance that physiological birth is possible, even when circumstances seem stacked against you.

 In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What led Anastasia to choose free birth for her first two babies
• How she navigated fear and faith after learning she was pregnant with twins
• Why she fired her OB after being pressured into a cesarean
• What it was like carrying twins past 41 weeks
• How labor progressed so quickly she didn’t believe it was real
• What it felt like to birth twins with no pushing and no pain
• How faith shaped every decision throughout pregnancy and birth
• Encouragement for twin moms who desire a natural or physiological birth

Connect with Anastasia:

IG: Anastasiamalyk_

TikTok: @anachenko

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

What happens when you stop fighting labor and start working with your body? 

In today’s episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Mallory Ryan, a mom of two who shares her deeply transformative birth experiences. Mallory walks listeners through her first unmedicated birth at a birth center and her second, rapid home birth that she describes as joyful, empowering, and profoundly connected to God’s design for birth.

Whether you are pregnant, preparing for birth, or simply curious about physiological birth and faith-filled preparation, this episode will leave you feeling encouraged, informed, and inspired to trust your body and God’s design.

Tune in to hear:

• Why Mallory chose unmedicated birth for both of her babies
• How learning the physiology of birth helped reduce fear and pain
• The role mindset and relaxation play in labor intensity
• Why fast labors are not always more painful
• How choosing joy impacts oxytocin and birth progress
• What a “butter birth” is and how surrender changes pushing
• How faith influenced Mallory’s confidence during labor
• The difference between pain and suffering in childbirth
• Why birth is not something happening to you, but within you
• How empowering births shape confidence in motherhood and postpartum

Grab Karen's Healing Birth Trauma Course HERE. This course is for any woman experiencing trauma in the body. If you're ready to release it, this course is for you. 

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...

While Tara was blacking out from pain, losing hope, and believing she didn't have enough faith for a pain free pregnancy, she experienced a deeply spiritual experience that led her to creating the first of its kind, her own app, for Christian Hypnobirthing. Tune in to find out how drastically different Tara's births were with and without the power of hypnobirthing, how our thoughts and emotions can imprint on our babies brains, and how you can use hypnobirthing beyond labor!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• How Tara started Christian Hypnobirthing
• Dealing with coercion and losing faith in Tara's first birth
• How hypnobirthing transformed Tara's second birth
• Cultivating peace throughout your pregnancy
• Using hypnobirthing beyond pregnancy
• Combining faith with neuroscience and how our babies brains are wired 

MORE ABOUT TARA MENZIES:

Tara Menzies is the creator of the Christian Hypnobirthing app and the Faith-Filled Childbirth Course. She created the app in early 2018 after the birth of her first son, because she wanted to combine traditional hypnobirthing techniques (breathing and visualisation exercises, positive affirmations etc) with the incredible love, strength and support that come from our Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, to help expecting mamas feel confident relaxed and connected to God throughout their births. The Christian Hypnobirthing app has since become one of the most highly rated hypnobirthing apps worldwide, and has helped tens of thousands of women have more relaxed, confident and faith-filled birth experiences.

Instagram: @christianhypnobirthing

Christian Hypnobirthing Website

Doors are open for the Doula Certification Program. Grab your spot HERE.

CONNECT WITH KAREN:

Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE

Submit Your Birth Story

Apply to Come on the Podcast

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Looking for a like-minded provider? View the PFB Directory HERE.

Want to join the directory? JOIN HERE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual health, pregnancy, birth, or postpartum care. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Pain F...