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"They wouldn't let me go past 40 weeks."
"They made me get an injection."
"I had to have a C-section."

This is the language of permission and it's so normal in birth culture that most of us don't even notice it.

In this episode, we're talking about how the words we use around birth quietly shape what we believe about our role in it. And our role in our birth is not a small thing.

Here's what we get into:

• Why language is never neutral including in birth
• What "let," "made," and "had to" are really communicating about your autonomy
• The legal principle of informed consent and why permission language doesn't reflect it
• How this starts in prenatal care, long before labor
• What ownership language sounds like in practice, with real examples
• Why this matters before, during, and after your birth, including what the research says about birth trauma and perceived control
• Why none of this is about going adversarial with your care team

This episode is for every pregnant woman, regardless of where or how she plans to give birth.

Just getting started?
Use my free pregnancy and birth research checklist to jumpstart your learning.

Free roadmap to planning a natural birth:
10 Steps to Natural Birth

Want to feel more confident making decisions in labor?
Join the Autonomous Birth Workshop to learn how to advocate for yourself and navigate birth with clarity.

Free Scripture-Based Affirmation Cards
For encouragement and truth as you prepare for birth, download my Free Scripture-Based Affirmation Cards

Connect with me on Instagram:
@rise.birth

Send us Fan Mail

You've read the books. You've taken the class. You've prayed about it more times than you can count.

And you're still afraid.

If that's you, this episode is for you.

This isn't an episode about the physiology of fear or coping techniques for labor. It's a heart-level conversation for the mom who feels like she should have more faith by now and doesn't understand why the fear is still there.

In this episode, I walk through three timeless biblical truths that I come back to again and again with the moms I work with:

• Truth #1: Fear does not disqualify your faith; the story of the bleeding woman in Mark 5 shows us why
• Truth #2: God doesn't promise control, but He does promise His presence (and what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego can teach us about holding a birth plan loosely)
• Truth #3: You are not the main character (and the freedom that comes with truly believing that)

I also share why I think the Bible says ""do not fear"" 365 times, literally one for every day of the year, and what that tells us about how God views our anxiety.

If you've been carrying shame about your fear alongside your faith, this episode was made for you.

Just getting started?
Use my free pregnancy and birth research checklist to jumpstart your learning.

Free roadmap to planning a natural birth:
10 Steps to Natural Birth

Want to feel more confident making decisions in labor?
Join the Autonomous Birth Workshop to learn how to advocate for yourself and navigate birth with clarity.

Free Scripture-Based Affirmation Cards
For encouragement and truth as you prepare for birth, download my Free Scripture-Based Affirmation Cards

Connect with me on Instagram:
@rise.birth

Send us Fan Mail

We've made it to Part 4: the final chapter of my personal birth story series.

This episode picks up after my second birth and covers my third pregnancy, my third birth, and the pivotal experience that led me to officially become a doula.

This one is about learning that preparation and control are not the same thing.

In this episode, I share:

• My friend's VBAC story aka the birth I attended that changed everything and sent me home knowing I was going to become a doula
• How I started my business, and the early messaging that was all about taking control of your birth experience
• Going 42 weeks pregnant with my third baby, the pressure, the fear, the impossible decision, and what finally brought me peace
• My third birth story; how it unfolded, and why it felt completely different from the first two
• The shift in my birth philosophy that came out of all three experiences
• What I believe God was teaching me through each birth and why that arc matters for you too

This is the episode that closes the loop on why Rise exists and what it's really about.

Thank you for coming on this whole journey with me. 💛

Just getting started?
Use my free pregnancy and birth research checklist to jumpstart your learning.

Free roadmap to planning a natural birth:
10 Steps to Natural Birth

Want to feel more confident making decisions in labor?
Join the Autonomous Birth Workshop to learn how to advocate for yourself and navigate birth with clarity.

Free Scripture-Based Affirmation Cards
For encouragement and truth as you prepare for birth, download my Free Scripture-Based Affirmation Cards

Connect with me on Instagram:
@rise.birth