Fear, Faith, and Fertility: My Conception Journey

Welcome to another episode of Season 2 of Womb Stories Project, a series of conversations with people involved in the home birth of our son. This is a really important conversation as part of this series because it is with the incredibly wise and amazingly wonderful Tiffany Skillings, who is a midwife and was my midwife through our fertility journey, throughout my pregnancy, and the primary midwife in the delivery of our son at our home.  I can't say enough about Tiffany. She is an incredible gift to the birthing community here in Maine, to me and my family, and we really consider her part of our family now. I imagine that after listening to this conversation, you will understand why.  Visit www.kitaralove.com for intentionally designed and expertly crafted products for safe and easy yoni steaming at home.  Connect with Kit on IG @bykitara. Connect with Tiffany Skillings on IG @tworiverslactation and at www.tworiverslactation.com.    Timestamps 1:38 Tiffany’s Journey to Midwifery 13:59 Midwifery as Holistic Well-Bodied Care 25:07 Expertise in Clinical Midwifery Training 31:20 Midwifery Challenges and Misconceptions 45:47 Elevating Midwifery and Public Education 49:32 Healthcare Costs and Transparency 55:49 Collaboration in Emergency Situations 57:22 Home to Hospital Transfers and C-Section Rates 1:17:11 Importance of Trauma-Informed Care and Debriefing 1:22:28 Intentionality in Client Care and Privacy 1:24:49 Special Moments in Mark's Birth  

We live in an era of women over-giving and under-receiving. Data shows it is not working for us. Postpartum depression/anxiety is at unprecedented rates and we currently are offering new parents too few options for support. Listen in to hear an expanded perspective on what it means to receive in the earliest days of motherhood.  Season 2 of Womb Stories Project is a collection of interviews with the people who were involved in my conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. It is for the listener curious about holistic and non-hormonal fertility treatments, the ins and outs of home birth, and how to thrive in postpartum.  Timestamps 3:21 - Connection through Vaginal Steam Certification 6:27 - Integration of Steaming Practices 12:50 - Magical Pregnancy Experience with Midwife 15:12 - Value of Community Support in Birth Care 17:32 - Journey into Postpartum Care 27:15 - Description of Postpartum Care Services 30:56 - Processing Birth Experiences with Doula 46:24 - Embracing Empowerment and Boundary Setting 1:00:32 - Nurturing Connection to the Womb Visit www.kitaralove.com for intentionally designed and expertly crafted products for safe and easy yoni steaming at home.  Connect with Kit on IG @bykitara Connect with Muriel on IG @heldpostpartum or at www.heldpostpartum.com

Season 2 of Womb Stories Project will be a collection of interviews with the people who were involved in my conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. And it all kicks off on the one-year anniversary of the birth of my son. The first episode features an interview with Rachel, an incredible healer who held me in her heart as I navigated a humbling conception journey. Please be advised miscarriage is discussed in this interview, so please take care of your heart and listen only if you feel the discussion will be healing.   Timestamps 5:14 - The desire to have a baby and the beginning of the conception journey 9:22 - Clearing the obstacles to discover the desire for motherhood 13:45 - Intimacy struggles during the conception journey 18:13 - Lessons learned about steaming processes during conception 21:26 - Navigating pregnancy loss 38:13 - Returning to the conception journey after pregnancy loss 1:01:04 - Highlights of the healing process in Mexico 1:08:07 - Stepping into another fertility journey

Today is the first anniversary of the birth of my son, so I am kicking off season 2 of Womb Stories Project with a series of interviews with the people present for my son’s birth. This episode is a reflection on the birth experience and the practice of condensing the birth plan into one simple mantra. The next season of Womb Stories Project will feature the sisters who held me during my conception journey, my primary midwife, assistant midwife, and my birth doula. We will also speak with my doctor, my husband, and my parents.

Today’s interview is with Sabia Wade. I first connected with Sabia several years ago when I learned of their various initiatives in support of black maternal health several years ago. Sabia’s organization, For the Village, does incredible work for marginalized birthing groups. It is beautifully aligned with the mission of The Kitara Fund. If you don’t know, I set up The Kitara Fund even before I launched our yoni steam products on kitaralove.com Through the Kitara Fund, we honor Kitara’s promise of sharing 1% of our revenue on every single item sold with Black-led community initiatives advancing birthing rights and maternal health in disenfranchised populations. It’s a privilege to support Sabia’s initiatives, as well as others, through the Kitara Fund.  This conversation was actually recorded about six months ago. It was back during the end of my pregnancy when I secretly thought I’d be back at work within weeks of birthing our son… I hope to have the opportunity to share more of my birthing experience and postpartum journey in future episodes but for now, I’ll just say that I am grateful for the space to slow down, trust a different pace, and savor the snuggles.    About Sabia Wade So today we get to hear from Sabia, not just about their work with For the Village but about their mission as a Black, Queer, CEO to build bridges for a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable world through Reproductive Justice, distribution of financial wealth to BIPOC communities, and investing in emergent and innovative businesses. Honestly, there are so many parts of this discussion that blew me away. Sabia’s cool, grounded, determination to expand and expand and to create change through system overhauls is profound and inspiring. You’ll hear moments where I am speechless at the capacity of their imagination and gumption.    Balancing Pleasure with Productivity  Sabia reflects on how she sets boundaries and nourishes herself in a world where slowing down isn’t always an option. She shares how true happiness for her comes from true satisfaction over instant gratification. In today’s world, there is a lack of time for integration in a world filled to the brim with content to absorb. Sabia’s wisdom and practice help guide her through the world as it is today, and maybe you can pick up some tips from her.    Creating a Value-Led Career  Sabia is a doula who also runs a trucking company. No matter what she does, she embodies her values. She takes her knowledge as a doula to a diverse array of spaces and disciplines, while always being authentic to herself. She never wanted to be pidgeon-holed as a doula, who can only ever work and speak in spaces related to doulas. The way Sabia speaks about her work is inspiring, and maybe you can embody some of it in your own career.      In The Episode 12:30 - The importance of slowing down and investing in pleasure 21:37 - The reality behind social media 38:52 - Being value led so your business and career can adapt to you as you grow 52:53 - Taking a pause at different levels of your career 1:05:46 - History of black and brown midwives and the industrialization of birth

If you are listening to this near the release date, I’m now ever so gently dipping my toes back into the waters of work after a beautiful cocoon of postpartum time. Our baby boy arrived the morning of May 22. He is a gem, we are wildly smitten new parents, and I look forward to sharing the journey of our home birth with you here on Womb Stories Project in a future episode.  Today’s interview is with Madam CJ who has a dynamic, bold, and compelling story of womb healing. She also celebrates her use of yoni steaming to support her fibroid release and passing fibroids naturally. In this episode, Madam CJ also shares her journey of connecting to her innate and natural beauty as well as finding freedom through sensuality and dance.  Like many of our episodes on Womb Stories Project, the conversation takes us beyond a particular diagnosis and into a deeply real conversation about the profound ripple effect that womb space health and healing have on one's life and community.    Healing Your Body from Fibroids Madam CJ was diagnosed with fibroids when she was 35 years old. Her grandmother used to suffer from fibroids, so she knew something was wrong when she started experiencing similar symptoms. The surgery and intensive recovery period were inaccessible to her, so she threw herself into natural remedies and emotional healing to heal her own fibroids.   Vaginal Steaming Practices for Fibroids A commitment to extreme self-care inspired Madame CJ to order her own steam seat. She has a home vaginal steaming process where she steams every day so that she isn’t bleeding. Vaginal tissues are extremely absorbent, so Madam CJ reflects on how her yoni steaming practice has helped her to recover from multiple illnesses, including her fibroids.   Eliminating Toxic Skincare to Prevent Fibroids Soaps, hair products, nail polish, hair color, and even feminine hygiene products have xenoestrogens that feed fibroids. Eliminating these products and releasing the beauty standards that keep women hooked on these products is essential to fibroid healing and prevention. Madam CJ reflects on her journey of learning how to make her own natural soaps and embracing her natural look.   In This Episode 4:20 - Madam CJ’s experience with fibroids and her healing journey 11:31 - Why the surgery isn’t the right solution for a lot of women 17:10 - Madam CJ’s current fibroid journey and the healing practices she keeps in her daily life 27:30 - Eliminating toxic skincare products that are linked to fibroids - particularly in the black community 36:28 - Madam CJ’s home vaginal steaming practice 50:14 - Being able to ask for and receive help when healing from fibroids 1:01:22 - Dance and the womb healing gifts it offers   Links Find Madam CJ on Instagram Shop Madam CJ's soaps Use code madamlove at KitaraLove.com

Steaming for post-partum recovery is often only spoken about for vaginal deliveries, but Blaney booked a steam session to heal from her c-section. She was also seeking support in her recovery from obstetric violence. Today, we will go into what obstetric violence means, and how that term supports women by putting a name to what they may have experienced.  In this episode, we center on Blaney’s healing. Part of that involves naming the trauma and telling her story. So as you go into the episode, I encourage you to check in with yourself. Is this the right time for you to go in-depth on the topic of obstetric violence? If you feel a full-body yes, then I hope you find this episode supportive. If this topic isn’t right for you at this moment in your journey, then we will have new episodes of womb stories soon.   In This Episode 5:41 - What led Blaney to seek a steaming session after her c-section 14:04 - Blaney’s four birth stories and her experience with obstetric violence 25:21 - How to validate yourself and navigate systemic violence as a pregnant person 34:08 - What worked and didn’t work for Blanley on her healing journey 56:05 - Being integrated into the community around you while also navigating those who are in different parts of their healing journey 1:00:55 - Additional thoughts and healing messages from Blaney   Resources Mentioned Find Kitara Love on Instagram Download the Free Guide to Yoni Steaming

Your menstrual time is supposed to be a sacred moment of the month, but for so many women, that time comes with pain. This is especially true for women who live with endometriosis. Today’s guest comes to bring hope to women who may be struggling with endometriosis. Today’s interview is with- Chasca Summerville, an Ayurvedic Diet & Lifestyle Consultant and author of a truly beautiful book called  Ayurvedic Rituals: Wisdom, Recipes and the Ancient Art of Self-Care.  Chasca is as approachable as she is knowledgeable and has an incredible personal story of womb healing. For decades Chasca suffered from the immense pain and disruption caused by symptoms of endometriosis. Even after years of exploration and devotion to Ayurvedic principles and lifestyle, which had reconnected Chasca to her soul’s purpose and much healing, Chasca’s menstrual cycle remained a source of conflict and struggle.  In this episode, she shares how the practice of yoni steaming was THE game-changing addition to her health and healing routine. For all of you on your endo warrior journies, this episode is absolutely for you and my wish is that it leaves you inspired and with hope.  And for all of us, regardless of any particular diagnosis, this is a rich and juicy and deeply real conversation about how once unimaginable womb health is truly accessible to us all.   In This Episode 2:53 - How yoni steaming helped Chasca cure her endometriosis 16:48 - Auryveda as an ally in endometriosis pain 33:19 - Being aware of your options for endometriosis treatment 43:18 - Steaming as an invitation to open up a dialogue with the womb and maternal ancestry 1:20:07 - Seasonal cleansing and cleansing during the menstrual period   Links Chasca’s Book, Ayurvedic Rituals: Wisdom, Recipes and the Ancient Art of Self-Care How to Steam without a Seat Find Kitara Love on Instagram Download the Free Guide to Yoni Steaming

Laurena White is a western trained doctor who grew up in a home where herbs were medicine too. Many times women have sought medical care for their womb space and are presented only the option of surgery or birth control. So today we have a spacious conversation with a gynecologist who alchemizes holistic options with her medical training. We hope this conversation shows you how you can ask doctors for more when it comes to the health of your womb space.   In This Episode 10:08 - How Laurena maintained her sense of self and her values within the western medicine field 27:40 - Finding the balance between western medicine and holistic practices and knowing when to use which remedy 31:30 - Laurena’s personal womb story 1:00:30 - Addressing the connection between the emotions and the body as a healthcare practitioner 1:17:35 - Using steaming within a gynecological practice    Resources Mentioned Find Laurena White Online Connect with Laurena on Instagram Women's Health, Wisdom, and Wine Podcast

This is the first episode in a series called “steam stories”. I can’t get over the powerful feedback I have received on the power of steaming. Pelvic pain has been heavily normalized by modern medicine along with many other abnormalities that can show up during a period. This episode introduces some of the ways that we can support our wombs during bleeding and postpartum.   In This Episode 2:54 - Keli’s steam story - how she discovered steaming  17:27 - How steaming helped Keli recover after giving birth to both of her children  34:15 - Racial inequities in womb health care and prevalence of fibroids  47:54 - Defining success at the beginning of a steaming journey  51:50 - Practices outside of steaming that can support womb healing and womb health  1:00:31 - Creating better practices that support your health during your womb bleeding  1:09:48 - How women of color are leading the return to steaming and how to support that mission