Doing It At Home - The Home Birth Podcast

Why home birth?

That’s typically a question we ask every guest in some form or another. For today’s guest, the response circled around family and culture. Because when you were born at home and your father helped deliver you and all your siblings, as was custom in his home in Nigeria, it will probably influence you to explore home birth for yourself when the time comes.

Our latest DIAH mama is actually a close friend (a first for the show!). Mimi Adeogba, yoga instructor and yoga teacher trainer and all around amazing human being, joins us to retell the home birth story of her son Adeyemi from 23 years ago. And it’s amazing how decades can pass, and yet the memory of a birth can stick so strongly. The way Mimi tells the story, you would think it was yesterday.

Beyond getting to have a powerful conversation with someone whom we love dearly, we greatly appreciate the perspective that Mimi brings to the DIAH community. Mimi was a 21-year-old PhD student at Baylor University when she found out she was pregnant. Her baby’s father chose not to be a part of the picture. So in the midst of fearing being alone, Mimi gained strength in the team she gathered around her to support her - namely her mother and a trusted licensed nurse-midwife. Her storytelling and heart behind it are compelling and endearing. Trust us, this is an episode you do not want to miss. Thank you, Mimi. We love you!

Links:

• Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU
• DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/
• DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv
• DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/
• DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC
• DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/
• DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe
• Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we move through the discomforts of pregnancy and birth?

This comes up in today’s interview with Melanie Meador. Melanie shares her journey with both of her home birth experiences.

Melanie had hyperemesis gravidarum with both pregnancies (extreme and persistent nausea during pregnancy, often with frequent vomiting).

With her first birth experience, she was feeling a little rushed going into the process, because her midwifery practice was going to close 3 days after her due date. Plus she was working full-time. The birth lasted 34 hours with her waters broken. This is a stark contrast from her second birth, 6 hours and baby was born en caul (waters still intact).

Melanie is the only person in her group of friends to have had a home birth. And with her mother and almost all of her aunts having cesarean births, this was something unique. Melanie says, “My mom was so excited to be at the birth of my son that she told anyone that would listen for the first 2 years!”

This birth story includes: hyperemesis gravidarum, doula, acupuncture, TENs machine, membrane stripping, en caul, cervical lip, and red raspberry leaf tea.

Offers From Our Awesome Partners:

• Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order
• Splash Blanket: https://bit.ly/3JPe1g0 - use code DIAH for 10% off your order
• Esembly: https://bit.ly/3eanCSz - use code DIH20 to get 20% off your order

More From Doing It At Home:

• Send us your birth story: https://bit.ly/3jOjCKl
• Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU
• DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/
• DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/
• DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC
• DIAH Merch: www.diahpodcast.com/merch
• Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we're talking with mom of 4 Jenny DiPietro, who has had multiple home births, a home birth turned hospital transfer, a water birth at home, and who performs placenta encapsulation for families. We get into a lot in this one! Oh yeah, and we’re also entering a new phase of the podcast! In addition to our episodes that feature Matthew and me discussing some topic related to home birth, we’re publishing our conversations with moms and families who have experienced home birth along with professionals and thought leaders on the subject. Jenny is the first to kick off this endeavor. As I said, she's a mom of 4, who has experienced both home and hospital birth. In our talk, we cover things like:The details of her birthsWhat went into her decision-making process to choose home birthHer work as a Placenta Encapsulation SpecialistThe importance of education in the pregnancy and birthing journey We’re very excited to bring other stories and perspectives of home birth to you. Enjoy!

Links:

• Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU
• DIAH website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/
• DIAH Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3jKtIYv
• DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/
• DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC
• DIAH Store: https://yoursuccessfulhomebirth.com/
• DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe
• Donate to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, highlighting more of our pregnancy journey as we prepare for our second home birth, we’re covering weeks 7-10.

Just some of the main topics you can look forward to in this discussion:

• Ebbs and flows with nausea and fatigue
• Sore boobs
• Shifts in exercise and running
• Looking into a birth photographer
• Wardrobe changes

And special announcement for this week: The Home Birth Hub is now open! This monthly online membership is for parents or soon-to-be parents planning for home birth, wanting more inspiring stories and information and an intimate community to feel confident and prepared for their birth experience. Learn more and join the hub here: www.diahpodcast.com/hub

We want your questions and suggestions for things to cover over the next few months as we chronicle this journey! So please send to hello [at] diahpodcast [dot] com or go to our website and fill out the contact form here - https://diahpodcast.com/contact/

Links:

• The Home Birth Hub: www.diahpodcast.com/hub
• Submit Your Story: www.diahpodcast.com/mystory
• Episode 381: Weeks 0-6 of the Pregnancy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/381-baby-bivens-2-weeks-0-6-of-the-pregnancy/id1153134918?i=1000560345155
• Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols: https://amzn.to/3xikSIn
• Sarah's interview with Debra Pascali-Bonaro from Orgasmic Birth: https://www.orgasmicbirth.com/doing-it-at-home/
• Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU
• DIAH Website: https://www.diahpodcast.com/
• DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/
• DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC
• DIAH Merch: https://bit.ly/3qhwgAe
• Give Back to DIAH: https://bit.ly/3qgm4r9
• Needed: https://bit.ly/2DuMBxP - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order
• C & The Moon Malibu Made Glow Oil with code DIAH15 for 15% off your order: https://bit.ly/3KWeGL1
• Birthfit Prenatal Training: https://birthfit.com/b-prenatal

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is it, folks! The episode you’ve all been waiting for....our birth story!

Matthew and I sit down (in bed, as always) with our first guest - less than a week old baby Maya. She lies quietly (for the most part, you might hear some coos and little grunts in the background at times) on Matthew’s chest while we recount the story of our home birth, while it’s still fresh in our minds.

We take you from the beginning of the birthing waves (contractions) when they started late Saturday night, all the way to delivery. It just so happens that the night it all started was a special date night, and one that we’re sure to remember forever. I purchased tickets to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performing music by the famous composer John Williams earlier in the year as a Father’s Day present for Matthew. Its date being a precarious one (close to our due date), we weren’t sure if we’d end up going. Turns out that Maya must’ve known, and was waiting for us to have this special time together before her arrival.

It would be a couple of hours and attempts to sleep the discomfort off that I would realize I was in active labor. I spent this time in our bathtub, listening to Hypnobabies while Matthew sat with me, made me a PB&J and kept me hydrated.

Over the next few hours our birth team, which included a midwife and 2 apprentices, as well as 5 close family members, arrived and assumed their roles of supporting myself and Matthew.

I labored for the majority of the time in the giant kiddie blow up pool and eventually delivered on what the midwives refer to as the “birthing stool.”

I won’t give all the fun details away. You’ll hear all of that in the episode. But let’s just say it was intense, intimate, spiritual and magical. The whole event was 12 hours total, exactly the amount of time I envisioned when I mentally planned the birth experience.

There were a lot of tears, a fair amount of blood, some laughs and so much love. So join us from our bedroom - where we made our baby, birthed her and are now hanging out with her and talking about the whole darn thing.

Offers From Our Awesome Partners:

• Needed: https://needed.sjv.io/XY3903 - use code DIAH to get 20% off your order
• The FamilyAlbum app: Share your family’s precious moments with your loved ones + get 11 free photo prints delivered each month CLICK HERE.

More From Doing It At Home:

• Doing It At Home book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vJcPmU
• DIAH Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doingitathome/
• DIAH YouTube: https://bit.ly/3pzuzQC
• DIAH Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/doingitathome

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices