Episodes

  • Faith In Worst Case Birth Scenarios || with Nicola

    Faith In Worst Case Birth Scenarios || with Nicola
    Jul 8 2026

    Nicola's two birth stories include several abnormal and/or frightening elements. Her first was an ultimately uneventful breech birth (but a surprise breech!). Her second, however, included placental abruption, emergency cesarean, neonatal resuscitation, a helicopter lift, and a NICU stay. Through it all, Nicola points out the ways she saw God's hand at work, protecting them, providing for them, and ultimately showering them with blessings. She wouldn't do it any other way; she's still a fierce advocate for home birth and midwifery care.

    Please note that we had a lot of challenges recording these stories, and editing the recording to make it salvageable posed significant hurdles. If it seems choppy or "off" at points, this is the reason. However, the stories are rich, and I hope you'll hang with us through the hiccups to mine the gold nuggets.


    You can find Nicola on IG


    Get on the First-To-Know list for our fall cohort of Hearthmother Journey and get an exclusive invitation to our open house.


    BIRTH STORY DISCLAIMER:

    The choices, beliefs, and opinions of the mamas sharing their stories are as individual as the storyteller herself and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or recommended choices of Lauren and/or Brooke.


    Connect:

    • Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.com

    • Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form

    • Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: http://sisterbirth.com/podcast-guest

      • Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): https://hearthmotherministries.app.clientclub.net/communities/groups/community/home

    • Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey

    From Lauren:

    • Midwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.com

    From Brooke:

    • Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)

    • Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox

    • Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)

    Intro and Outra Music Credit -
    Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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    1 hr and 56 mins
  • Changing Midwives When It's Not A Good Fit

    Changing Midwives When It's Not A Good Fit
    Jul 1 2026

    In this episode, Brooke and Lauren tackle the dilemma of needing (or feeling the tug!) to switch to a new midwife.


    They discuss...

    • What to do if you feel the inkling that you need to change midwives
    • How to discern what your next right step is when you are out of alignment with your midwife
    • Questions to ask yourself about your relationship with your current (& prospective) midwife
    • Making a decision with the Holy Spirit vs just your own desire/idols/trauma

    • What might be behind your desire to do away with your midwife (hint: your own interior growth!)

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • The Aligned Birth Team episode of HWB


      Connect:

      • Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.com

      • Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form

      • Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application

      • Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMA

      • Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey

      From Lauren:

      • Instagram

      • Midwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.com

      From Brooke:

      • Instagram

      • Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)

      • Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox

      • Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)

      • Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the way

      Intro and Outra Music Credit -
      Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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    38 mins
  • Estimated Due Dates

    Estimated Due Dates
    Jun 24 2026

    Oh, Due dates! How much hinges on them! What psychological impact they can have! How grossly inaccurate they are!!

    In this episode we're talking all things estimated due date. Like:

    - how often the word "estimated" gets removed from the entire concept

    - various ways of calculating when a baby might be born (you might have 5 different EDDs)

    - the argument for adjusting our language and expectations around the timing of birth, both for ourselves and for others in our lives

    - the spiritual lessons and wisdom related to waiting for unpredictable events like giving birth (or Christ's return)

    - and more

    If you've ever been curious, confused, or downright crazy about an EDD, this is for you.


    Mentioned in this episode:

    • Guess Dates Workbook (a 6-page freebie loaded with links, scriptures, a reflective questions)


    Connect:

    • Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.com

    • Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form

    • Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: http://sisterbirth.com/podcast-guest

      • Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): https://hearthmotherministries.app.clientclub.net/communities/groups/community/home?invite=6a3acb7b9e1f37cda3920fb6

    • Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother Journey

    From Lauren:

    • Instagram

    • Midwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.com

    From Brooke:

    • Instagram

    • Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)

    • Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox

    • Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)

    • Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the way

    Intro and Outra Music Credit -
    Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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    38 mins
  • Cup of Tea:: "Middling" and Flowers in the Valley

    Cup of Tea:: "Middling" and Flowers in the Valley
    Jun 17 2026

    In this month’s chat over a cup of tea (or lemon water?!), one of us has a surprising update for our listeners. The other one is doing a lot of “middling.” We’ll let you guess which is from which.

    You’ll also hear us reflect on the fruit of a mission trip to Brazil, unexpectedly stepping in to use one’s hands in a birth, facilitating women’s groups in our churches, and the ministry of songs!

    Thanks for joining us here, friends. And don’t forget to “write back.”


    Mentioned in this Episode:

    • Middling (a substack)
    • First-To-Know list for fall cohort of HJ
    • Questions for Women's Circle Sharing



    Connect:

    • Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.com

    • Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the form

    • Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: http://sisterbirth.com/podcast-guest

    • Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook)

    • Become a holy, wild birthkeeper or traditional midwife with us inside Hearthmother Journey

    From Lauren:

    • Midwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.com

    From Brooke:

    • Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)

    • Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inbox

    • Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)

    Intro and Outra Music Credit -
    Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Expect Things To Go Well || with Leah Wilson

    Expect Things To Go Well || with Leah Wilson
    Jun 3 2026
    - Sensitive Content Disclaimer - This episode includes discussion of pregnancy loss, miscarriage, and second trimester loss. Listener discretion is advised, especially for those who may be walking through grief or processing similar experiences.-----In this deeply moving conversation, we sit down with a mother whose journey through loss, faith, pregnancy, and birth challenged nearly every mainstream expectation around maternity care and healing. She shares candidly about trusting both God and her body through uncertainty, grief, and ultimately an instinct-led birth experience that reshaped the way she views motherhood and surrender.We talk about what it looked like to remain grounded in faith while enduring a miscarriage that did not resolve for weeks — and how she chose to interpret her body’s process. She shares the profound dream in which she encountered her daughter, the peace and meaning that experience brought, and how it transformed the way she understood loss and life itself.Our conversation also explores the tension between intuition and medicalized narratives, including her decision to reject a diagnosis she felt did not align with what her body was communicating under the circumstances. We discuss the standards she held for anyone involved in her birth space — especially her guiding litmus test for birth attendants: expect things to go well. She shares how unexpected circumstances ultimately left her without a midwife, and how a virtual mentor became a stabilizing and supportive presence during pregnancy and birth prep..This episode also dives into the role that Embrace Birth Journey (EBJ) played in helping her prepare mentally and spiritually for a more primal, instinctive birth experience. Brooke’s birth video playlist inside EBJ became a powerful tool in reinforcing her confidence that birth unfolds as it is meant to, rather than something that must constantly be managed or controlled.We also discuss how the discovery of meconium-stained waters led to a last-minute separation from her doula, the mysterious and meaningful presence of what she describes as “angel midwives,” and the mindset that carried her through labor: be where your feet are.Additional topics include:Forgoing ultrasoundsViewing birth as a profound opportunity to operationalize faithThe importance of honoring and celebrating every life, no matter how briefConnect with Leah here:Reclaim Vitality Book: Reclaim Vitality: A Guide to Exit Conventional Medicine and Live NaturallyIG: @standforhealthfreedom @lwilson4181Website: www.standforhealthfreedom.com, www.reclaimvitality.comX: @standforhealth1 @leah_wilsonpodcast: One Dream Podcast One Dream Podcast with Dr. Nick and Leah WilsonConnect:Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.comPut in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the formApply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest ApplicationHang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMABecome a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother JourneyFrom Lauren:InstagramMidwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.comFrom Brooke:InstagramTrust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)Embrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)Intro and Outra Music Credit -Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License. BIRTH STORY DISCLAIMER:The choices, beliefs, and opinions of the mamas sharing their stories are as individual as the storyteller herself and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or recommended choices of Lauren and/or Brooke.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Boundaries in Postpartum

    Boundaries in Postpartum
    May 27 2026
    You may have many people in your life who are very excited to meet and love on your baby, or who want to support you after your birth. This is a great problem to have, right? But maybe you feel overwhelmed, crowded, or smothered by it. Maybe some of the people who are eager to get into your postpartum space bring up feelings of discomfort or resistance: having them there just doesn't feel good in your body, even though they're very nice and/or related to you. Do they have a right to be there anyway? Are you obligated to tell your parents the moment the baby comes out? Is it necessary to allow your in-laws to visit and "meet the baby" within 24 hours? Should you allow others to hold the baby that first week? In this episode we explore the concerns and tensions that many mothers (and fathers) experience about how to include loved ones in the earliest days of their baby's lives, what it looks like to honor the critical time period of the first week of a baby's life when the mother and baby are a dyad, and how to lovingly and clearly set boundaries or establish expectations with both healthy and unhealthy people. Mentioned in this Episode:Nils Bergman's work on the importance of continuous skin-to-skin contactHearthmother Journey Connect:Email us to say hi: ⁠hello@hearthmotherministries.com⁠Put in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: ⁠Fill out the form⁠Apply to tell your birth story on the podcast: ⁠Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest Application⁠Hang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): ⁠Rooted in Eden PMA⁠Become a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside ⁠Hearthmother Journey⁠From Lauren:⁠Instagram⁠Midwifery consults: Email ⁠rootedinedenpma@gmail.com⁠From Brooke:⁠Instagram⁠⁠Trust God, Trust Birth Workshop⁠ - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)⁠Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop ⁠- a 3-part video series delivered to your inbox⁠Embrace Birth Journey ⁠- comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)⁠Sister Birth: The Podcast⁠ - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the wayIntro and Outra Music Credit -Betty Dear By ⁠Blue Dot Sessions⁠ is licensed under a ⁠Creative Commons License⁠.
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    32 mins
  • Planning a Home Birth When Family is Unsupportive

    Planning a Home Birth When Family is Unsupportive
    May 20 2026
    What do you do when the people you love don’t support your decision to have a homebirth? In this episode, we’re talking through one of the most common and emotionally loaded questions we hear from families: “How do I handle the disapproval?”Whether it’s a parent, friend, pastor, sibling, or someone from your community, navigating outside opinions during pregnancy can bring up fear, people-pleasing, insecurity, grief, and even old wounds we didn’t realize were still there. We talk honestly about what these conversations can reveal inside of us, how to discern when to engage versus when to hold privacy, and what healthy boundaries can actually look like in real life.We also unpack how every relationship requires a different approach. A concerned mother may need a different response than a judgmental acquaintance. Some conversations may call for gentleness and reassurance, while others may require firm boundaries and less access altogether.And perhaps most importantly, we remind listeners of something that can feel incredibly freeing: you are not obligated to disclose your birth plans to anyone.We hope it leaves you feeling grounded, empowered, and reminded that discernment, wisdom, and privacy are not secrecy or selfishness.Mentioned in this Episode:We talk about HUSBANDS being resistant to home birth in this episode: Home Birth Hesitant Husbands by Holy Wild BirthHome Birth Safety resource roll: Home Birth SafetyConnect:Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.comPut in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the formApply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest ApplicationHang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMABecome a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother JourneyFrom Lauren:InstagramMidwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.comFrom Brooke:InstagramTrust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inboxEmbrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the wayIntro and Outra Music Credit -Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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    29 mins
  • He Is With You As Your Birth || with Tesia and David

    He Is With You As Your Birth || with Tesia and David
    May 15 2026
    Pregnancy has a way of stripping everything down to what’s real. In this episode, we sit with a Tesia's story of radical dependence on the Lord through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. From shopping for a midwife before conception to receiving unexpected prophetic words, navigating housing chaos while heavily pregnant, and wrestling with the physical cost of carrying and birthing a baby, this conversation is honest & deeply hope-filled.We talk about seeing God’s hand in the details. The premature congratulations that foreshadowed pregnancy before she even knew. Praying for guidance toward birth resources and watching doors open one by one. Feeling profoundly seen by the Lord through the provision of baby supplies at just the right moments and the surprising ways He continued speaking throughout pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.This episode also holds space for the harder parts of the journey & the struggle of feeling physically limited and disconnected from your own body. Nausea that lasted through the entirety of labor, the emotional weight of changing a birth team late in pregnancy, delayed placenta delivery, moments of fear that led to a 911 call that ultimately wasn’t needed, and the sacred tension between intervention and listening for the Lord’s direction in the moment.We also talk about:doing evangelism outreaches during the first trimesterhome buying and renovation disasters in late pregnancya truly iconic pregnancy diet of milk, potstickers, donuts, and protein shakesprophetic imagery surrounding Mary and Joseph and how it shaped their perspective on birtha very fast pushing stage where the midwife barely made it in timeusing saline and cayenne with the umbilical cordrepurposing birth affirmations and Scripture during postpartum survivalthe raw honesty of postpartum strugglesand the deep significance behind their daughter’s nameThis conversation is a reminder that birth stories are rarely neat or polished. Sometimes they are messy, exhausting, holy, funny, frightening, and full of unexpected grace all at once.Links:I'll Praise You In This StormHow to get in touch with Tesia and David:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifereallyisbeautyfull?igsh=eHI0ZXg5eHl5dXd2Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/share/18XKb4Foea/YouTube:https://youtube.com/@lifeisbeauty-full?si=Z78M1ZP8aBRngpXANYC Missions Trip:https://www.jesuslovesnyc.org/Connect:Email us to say hi: hello@hearthmotherministries.comPut in a request for future topics and/or submit a question for future Q&A episodes: Fill out the formApply to tell your birth story on the podcast: Holy Wild Birth Podcast : Guest ApplicationHang out with us and other Holy Wild Women in our private community (off Facebook): Rooted in Eden PMABecome a holy, wild birthkeeper with us inside Hearthmother JourneyFrom Lauren:InstagramMidwifery consults: Email rootedinedenpma@gmail.comFrom Brooke:InstagramTrust God, Trust Birth Workshop - a 5-part high-level roadmap to a confident home birth (pay what you can)Faith-Filled Home Birth Workshop - a free, 3-part video series delivered to your inboxEmbrace Birth Journey - comprehensive and holistic faith-based home birth preparation (courses + private community)Sister Birth: The Podcast - short, beautifully scripted episode to encourage your along the wayIntro and Outra Music Credit -Betty Dear By Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons License. BIRTH STORY DISCLAIMER:The choices, beliefs, and opinions of the mamas sharing their stories are as individual as the storyteller herself and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or recommended choices of Lauren and/or Brooke.
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    1 hr and 19 mins