Faithful Labor | Natural Birth, Pregnancy, Holistic, VBAC, Unmedicated
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the uncertainty of birth decisions? Do you wish you could trust your instincts and invite Christ into your birth plan? Have you already had a highly medicalized birth and now wonder if there’s a more peace-filled, empowering way to welcome future children into the world? Are you on the fence about natural birth but aren’t sure if it’s the right path for you? In this podcast, you’ll discover God’s beautiful design for labor & delivery, gain confidence in your birth decisions, hear uplifting birth stories from Christian women who have gone before & be regularly reminded to keep Jesus at the center of it all so you can feel prepared (and even EXCITED!) to embrace the faith-deepening experience of physiological labor WITH God & for His glory. Hey, I’m Audrey! Bible-believing Christian, wife, former RN & mom of four—two born via C-section and two delivered at home. With my first two deliveries, I lacked sufficient education about how a woman’s & baby’s body are designed for labor, I didn’t possess confidence, I outsourced my birth decisions to others &, ultimately, I left the Lord out of my plans for pregnancy and birth. After experiencing two surgical deliveries, I realized if I wanted different (read: better) birth experiences with future babies, I would need to take a radically different approach 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. Two incredibly redemptive homebirths later, I want to yell about God’s faithfulness & grace to me in birth from the mountaintops! And now I’m “here” to do just that while also aiming to equip, educate, encourage and hype up Christian mamas about alllll things pregnancy, birth & beyond so that they too can experience God’s grace-filled faithfulness to them, His beloved image bearers, 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 space is for YOU. 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!
Episodes
Y'all you are IN for a treat with today's interview. I'm telling ya, you do not want to miss the encouragement & wisdom laced throughout this episode!
Today you'll hear as my sweet friend Olivia (from @thenotsoangrymom over on Instagram) shares her powerful journey through motherhood—from navigating very different birth experiences, walking through postpartum struggles & experiencing God's redeeming work...
In this episode, I sit down with my husband, Hunter, to talk about his journey from being a passive observer to an active, faith-filled support partner in our birth experiences. Together, we share how his understanding of natural birth has evolved over the years, the ways he grew through education and experience, and why it’s so important for fathers to step into their God-given role in the birth space.
From our early hospital birt...
In today’s episode, we’re diving into the top three things that seem to come up all the time when I chat with curious moms about natural birth. Whether you’re just starting to consider a natural birth or you’re already on board and looking for encouragement, I hope you enjoy these little must-know tidbits that I just can’t help but talk about!
I'll cover:
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Why your body is designed for birth—and how understanding that truth ca...
If you’re hoping for an unmedicated birth and want to avoid an epidural, this episode is for you! Whether you’re newly pregnant, preparing for your first natural birth, or looking for a different experience after a medicated birth, I’m walking you through five essential steps to help you labor naturally with confidence as you forgo using the most common labor intervention in the 21st century.
In this episode, you’ll hear: ✨ Why ed...
If you’re hoping for an unmedicated birth and want to avoid an epidural, this episode is for you! Whether you’re newly pregnant, preparing for your first natural birth, or looking for a different experience after a medicated birth, I’m walking you through five essential steps to help you labor naturally with confidence as you forgo using the most common labor intervention in the 21st century.
In this episode, you’ll hear: ✨ Why ed...
Have you ever felt a wave of fear or anxiety hit you after seeing those two pink lines? The reality of living in a changing body, the possibility of sickness, the timing of adding to your family wasn't what you had planned... Maybe you’re further along in your pregnancy, and doubt is creeping in about how you’ll manage another little one or even just handle one baby if this will be your first...
Hey. I see you, friend.
And so does ...
In today’s episode, we’re diving into faith, fertility, and holistic health—particularly when it comes to conceiving after vasectomy reversal, pregnancy after 40, & caring for the bodies God has given us in a holistically mindful way.
My guest, Susan Gladstein, is a holistic fertility practitioner, health coach, and mom of seven. After being faced with the challenges that come with trying to conceive following a vasectomy reve...
In today’s episode, we’re diving deep into the often-overlooked impact of epidurals on our precious babies.
While many women are aware of how epidurals affect mom, the effects on baby are often swept under the rug.
So whether you’re considering an epidural OR have already made the decision to avoid it & need some extra motivation to stay the course, this episode will give you 4 compelling reasons to pause and reflect on your ch...
Have you ever felt like birth was something to endure rather than embrace? Or maybe fear of the unknown made you outsource every decision to the “experts” without considering what aligns with God’s design?
In today’s episode, I sit down with Aly McClain(host of the Peaceful Homebirth Podcast), a registered nurse whose own journey through birth trauma led her to unlearn mainstream narratives, question the fear-based approach to birt...
But I thought you were "kinda crunchy"? Why are you talking about ePiDurAls?
Well. Here's the thing, epidurals are THE most common childbirth intervention in the western maternity model of care and, just as with EVERYTHING else related to birth, I believe that being informed and educated about ALL your options (including this one) is extremely important.
We need to know what we are saying "no" to AND what we are saying "yes" to wh...
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:
- The importance of birth education for BOTH parents
- The dynamics between doulas & husbands
- How to navigate hospital birth plans
- The ...
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 Ch...
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 ...
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 ...
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, broug...
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.
- Step 1: Submit & Surrender Your Birth Plans
- Step 2: Dream, Pray & Journal About Your Ideal Birth
- Step 3: Subsc...
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:
- WHY relaxing into contractions rather than tensing up & fighting them matters
- The value of training yourself to PRACTICE (seriously, you gotta) relaxing during pregnancy BEFORE labor begins-- attempting to relax for the 1st time when contractions start rollin...
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?
Read more
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