39. [BIRTH STORY] WITH GWEN - EMPOWERED CESAREAN - HOW INFORMED CHOICE + SURRENDER CHANGES EVERYTHING

It has been a deeply transformational and rich break between seasons here on Soul Evolution. I finished my course!! I am delighted to offer you a COMPLETE guide to an empowering, physiological birth: So You Want a Home Birth? I have included Module 1 Lesson 1 of my course 'So You Want a Home Birth?' in this episode. Use discount code IWANTAHOMEBIRTH until 1/31/25 to save over 70$ at www.birthadvocate.me/course A few new offerings I have include: A monthly Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, instinctual and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, birth & postpartum experience. This is just 10$/month or FREE when you purchase my online course 'So You Want a Home Birth?' A FREE in-person monthly Perinatal Women's Circle for anyone trying to conceive, pregnant, or postpartum. There will be a focus on preparing for a natural birth and healing from birth trauma. Children are welcome! As always, I host an in-person monthly Women's Circle. All women are welcome. I hope you get a lot of value out of this episode and that it encourages your own Soul Evolution! Coming up in Season 3, I am bringing you embodied wise women covering topics like spirit babies, tending to your spiritual health, the power of slowing down, the science and soul of our DNA, sound and frequency, sacred sexuality, fertility, grief, real for for pregnancy, and of course rebelling against the system! I have birth stories coming at you- VBAC, home birth, free birth, and of course, a few dad's versions. Soul Evolution is evolving just as I predicted! Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. Please reach out and let me know what you think. Find me on instagram @⁠⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠⁠ You can support this podcast by donating ⁠HERE Check out my course 'So You Want a Home Birth?' ⁠HERE⁠ Save 33% - that’s over 70$ - with code IWANTAHOMEBIRTH through 1/31/25 Join my monthly Virtual Village Circle ⁠HERE⁠ Your FREE resources ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠. To book a FREE discovery call for my Beyond a Doula services, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠⁠. You can email me [email protected] DM me on Instagram ⁠@birth.advocate⁠ Leave me a review on ⁠iTunes⁠ or ⁠Spotify⁠ or ⁠Facebook To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali Disclaimer: The information and resources provided by me are not intended to constitute or replace medical or midwifery advice or a Mother’s intuition. Instead, all information provided is intended for education purposes only. My advice is not to be seen as medical diagnosis or to treat any medical illness or condition of Mother or baby/fetus.

Gina Mundy is an attorney that specializes in childbirth cases. For over two decades, she has analyzed the mistakes that are made during labor and delivery.  Drawing on this knowledge, she has authored the book "A Parent's Guide to a Safer Childbirth" to help parents prevent these mistakes and have a healthy baby.  Rather than merely getting involved after an unfortunate mistake was made, Gina has taken a proactive approach by getting involved before childbirth. In this episode we talk about the importance of individualized care, continuity of care, and the crucial key to a safer childbirth: Prepare and educate yourself about the labor experience. The two most important decisions you will make are who you choose to birth with and where you choose to birth. Gina's has only ever had a handful of cases that were natural, spontaneous labors and did not involve the drug Pitocin or artificial rupture of membranes (breaking mom's bag of waters). We hone in on what informed consent really means, how protocols do not always serve the individual woman and are not law. Different providers will have different opinions but ultimately the decision is up to the mother. It is crucial to interview your providers and doulas and pick the team that shares your vision. Lastly, we highlight how important it is for someone to document (written, audio, video) on behalf of the mother and baby. In her capacity as legal counsel, Gina has closely worked with delivery teams whose care has been questioned following adverse outcomes. She has spent thousands of hours meticulously scrutinizing cases, conducting interviews with delivery teams, and thoroughly examining medical records to gain an in-depth understanding of every decision made during labor and delivery. This is an episode you won't want to miss! @ginamundy https://ginamundy.com/ https://midwifethinking.com/2016/06/15/information-giving-and-the-law/ https://humanrightsinchildbirth.com/ Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

Gwen is a mom of a 6, 5 and 1 year old living in Washington State after recently traveling the US in their RV and before that living in Australia.   She has a honors undergraduate degree in Sociology, a Masters in teaching, and a Spiritual Psychology coach & trauma specialist certification.   Gwen is the CEO and owner of her business, Connecting Conscious Collective, and is very passionate about supporting mothers to fully step into their power and create their intuitive desires.   Gwen had two very traumatic birth experiences which were the catalyst to her doing her inner work and learning about the subconscious mind & manifestation. Using this knowledge, Gwen was able to manifest the empowered birth she desired, and have a healthy baby and healing birth experience - one that doctors had told her she should abort due to ‘high risk’. Now, she is able to coach women from around the world on how they too can harness this power and have the empowered birth experience they desire. @connectingconsciously.co Create the birth you desire youtube video Facebook: Connecting Consciously Collective   Booking a free connection call with Gwen Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

Linda is an Australian birthkeeper dedicated to undisturbed birth.  Her journey into the world of childbirth began in Hawaii in 2008, where she served as a homebirth midwife's assistant. She later became a doula and a mother to two daughters.  After returning to Australia in 2013, Linda immersed herself in Kundalini Yoga and pursued a Bachelor's degree in Midwifery.  She worked as a registered midwife in a hospital for three years but eventually realized that the environment did not align with her core values. Physiological birth is not honoured and respected in hospital, despite it being wonderful for true obstetric emergencies.  Now, she supports pregnant women in a sovereign and empowering way. Linda chose to relinquish her registration to serve women with integrity, offering a non-clinical and non-medical approach.  Unlike modern midwifery, she does not perform clinical tasks such as vaginal exams or heart monitoring, instead providing care that is authentic, traditional, and deeply spiritual.  Linda also offers Traditional Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage, monthly prenatal gatherings, virtual consultations for birth preparation and birth trauma debriefs.  Linda has also recently created an online self paced course called the Sacred Mother, a childbirth education course that flows through the seasons of pregnancy, detailing the options of care both within the obstetric model and sovereign paradigm.  @spirit_and_birth More info at spiritandbirth.com  Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

Today I am bringing you my friend, Rachel. Rachel shares generously about her first pregnancy experience that ended in a miscarriage at 9 weeks.  Through that experience she learned how to get clear with her intentions, tap back into herself, and how to nourish and take care of her body. When her and her husband consciously conceived their son, Brighton, she was clear that she wanted a natural birth at home.  She faced all of her fears head on and found complete surrender as she entered the birth portal. She even switched midwives at 42 weeks because they would not support a home birth beyond that. At 42 +1, with a new midwife, her birth was a swift 4 hours of extreme intensity before he emerged. Rachel is re-birthing herself (as so many new mothers do) transitioning from a pharmacist and Associate clinical professor to soon-to-be graduate of Rachelle Seliga's Innate Traditions Postpartum Care Certificate Training Program. Her books are now open for clients if you are lucky enough to live in Southern Maine. @ frachieann Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

Maria is a mentorship sister of mine and a true inspiration when it comes to living an authentic life.  Listen how we weave the "experiment" of human design as a permission slip to decondition our minds and bodies to live more in alignment with our unique expression of self as it ebbs and flows throughout our lifespan.  In her own words: "I have seen so many people mind blown during readings. Human Design honestly doesn't tell us a lot of surprising things. Often times it is the awe of feeling truly seen and heard in this weirdly beautiful way by a chart.  I sometimes work with people who are in coaching or therapy and they tell me they have been working for so long on exactly what I read in their chart. I am also not someone who uses Human Design like a bible. Not at all.  The message is: you are whole and complete. You are built and made in this divine way and you are wanted here. Maybe even needed.  I feel we need to talk more about how people feel broken and wrong and how that really doesn't help anyone or anything while we all have are these treasures inside us and that is really what we have the chance to live and embody in this life." Birth - Yoga - Human Design The WOMEN Podcast www.marialisahoecker.com @ untamingthefeminine Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

My online Village sister and friend, Diana, asked if she could interview me about my breastfeeding journey. Of course I said yes! It was timely as our journey just concluded after 22 months of boob-on-demand. With transparency I share about Kian's lip and tongue tie, using a nipple shield for the first 6 weeks, engorgement, body shame, and the not-so-often talked about shocking experience when breasts go from a sexual organ to feeding machines and how to integrate this new expansion.  Honestly, I barely scratch the surface with our journey but it felt really good to share what I did.  As always, I am an open book and would love your feedback, questions, and to hear about your experience too! You can find Diana @diana.wholeheartedlywell https://www.dianaalberti.com/ Find me on instagram @birth.advocate⁠ and all of my offerings on my website ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠ Soul Evolution: Embodied Women’s Wisdom, Birth Stories & More streaming now on iTunes & Spotify 🎧 🎙️  Find out more about the online Village and my Mentor Anna The Spiritual Midwitch at this link  https://www.sacredbirthinternational.com/links/ or @ thespiritualmidwitch

Emma has three incredible birth stories to share with you. Her first was a hospital induction that narrowly escaped the full cascade of interventions. Her second a humbling redemptive home birth and her third a home birth with a possible shoulder dystocia. Her midwife used her expertise and calm demeanor to resolve this quickly and Emma was able to welcome her baby into her body without outside intervention. In her own words: "I'm a wife and a mother to 3 beautiful babies, and new to homeschooling. I'm a nurse taking a temporary halt to focus on the best job in the world: caring for my babies.   I used to be stuck in that textbook, allopathic healthcare mindset. I mean, isn't that what you learn in nursing school? While raising my firstborn something shifted in me. My gut told me something was wrong. I found myself researching more of the holistic lifestyle.  When I got pregnant with my second I didn't feel safe planning to be in the hospital. That was the turning point for my last two pregnancies, deliveries, and postpartum experiences. Things I find important from what I've learned through my journey? •To trust your instincts. •Embrace your community in the chapter that you're in. Understand your resources and don't be afraid to reach out for help.  •Lets welcome speaking about mental health, especially surrounding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. No woman should feel the need to suffer alone." @emmamarlene31 and notable mentions in this episode: @morgan.gaines @birthbodyphotography @northskyco Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

Melanie has a lot of story medicine to share with you today. In her own words: "Through my birth story, I hope to help others see the sacred medicine even in the most difficult experiences." "If you have a deep scar, that is a door." - Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "The wound is the place where the Light enters you." Rumi Melanie is dedicated to helping individuals cultivate unconditional self-love through wellness, spiritual, and psychological practices, including archetypal psychology, divine feminine ceremony, and energy healing.  She trains and certifies Self-Love Coaches, offers Ritual Facilitator and Spiritual Leader Initiations, and provides a variety of programs, retreats, and workshops.  Melanie has worked with thousands worldwide, guiding them to embrace both their shadow and light to create a more magical life. @ theselflovelifestyle https://live.theselflovelifestyle.com/melaniemonaco Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali

In this episode you will hear Alexxis tell the free birth story of her first born son, Noah. Alexxis is a radical birth keeper, herbalist, and artist in Sedona, Arizona. During the freebirth of her son, the lack of feminine presence lead to her realizing that women supporting women isn’t just important, it is crucial to the healing of this world. When labor started she found herself feeling shocked and it took some time to finally lean in to the sensations. She tells how when she was in transition she found such relief from the women in her online community reflecting to her that everything sounded normal, that she was doing it and likely close to emergence. The last three hours of her birth actualy felt enjoyable and medatative as she met the sensations full on. We also chat about the sisterhood wound, the power of womb work, and the importance of postpartum preparation. @amara.earth.birth Find me on instagram @⁠⁠birth.advocate⁠⁠ and all of my offerings on my website⁠ ⁠www.birthadvocate.me⁠⁠ To join the FREE educational and supportive Virtual Village Circle for families seeking a natural, physiological, and deeply spiritual conception, pregnancy, labor or postpartum click  HERE. For all of your FREE resources click ⁠HERE⁠. To book a FREE discovery call, to interview on the show, or to join my Women’s Circle click⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. To find out more about The Sacred Birth Worker Mentorship by Anna, The Spiritual Midwitch and for a special discount on her offerings use code EMILY⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠. Music The Ancients (feat. Loga Ramin Torkian) by Azam Ali