Shows
Triumphant BirthHeHe Stewart: Before the BirthEpisode 25 - HeHe Stewart: Before the BirthIn this episode of The Triumphant Birth Podcast, host Jamie Raisleger sits down with HeHe Stewart, a leading childbirth educator, doula, and founder of The Birth Lounge to talk about what she's doing to prepare for the birth of her first child. Hehe is passionate about reforming maternity care by centering patient autonomy and ensuring families have the tools they need to make informed choices, and she exemplifies that beautifully with her approach to her own birth. Together, Jamie and HeHe explore the importance of building a s...
2025-08-261h 07Triumphant BirthGirls Who Know with Laurisa Paul: Grassroots Education to Transform Birth CultureEpisode 24 – Girls Who Know with Laurisa Paul: Grassroots Education to Transform Birth CultureIn this episode, Jamie Raisleger sits down with Laurisa Paul, a registered nurse and founder of Girls Who Know®, an organization dedicated to empowering young girls through education about their bodies and the normalcy of birth.This conversation was sparked by a previous discussion with Dr. Stu, where he and Jamie reflected that changing today’s hospital birth hierarchy begins with restoring trust in birth for the next generation.Jamie and Laurisa dive into the systemic issues withi...
2025-08-191h 06Triumphant BirthKatie's 3 Birth Stories: From Transfer to Infant Surgery to Healing Home BirthIn this week’s episode of The Triumphant Birth Podcast, Katie shares her three distinct birth stories, each filled with unexpected challenges and resilience. Her first birth, planned at a birth center during the height of COVID, ended in a hospital transfer and vacuum-assisted delivery. Months later, her son required skull surgery, adding a new layer to her postpartum experience. With the ongoing support of her husband and solid intuition, Katie went on to have two vastly different, subsequent births:A precipitous, unplanned freebirth after a last-minute midwifery change and an interstate moveA precipitous, redemptive third homebirth where everything alignedKatie’s st...
2025-08-051h 06Triumphant BirthDeclaration of Birth Independence: Meghan’s Story of Expecting Better the First TimeYellow flags, red flags, fireworks, oh my! In this episode of the Triumphant Birth podcast, Meghan shares her transformative journey through pregnancy, labor, her Fourth of July birth story, and the early postpartum period. From the initial surprise of discovering she was pregnant to the challenges of building a supportive birth team, Meghan’s story is rooted in education, advocacy, and intuition.She opens up about her decision to switch from obstetricians to midwives and to hire a doula—choices that deeply shaped her empowering birth experience. Meghan candidly reflects on both the emotional and physical aspec...
2025-07-291h 18Triumphant BirthDisrupting Birth Trauma in the Hospital—Even During a C-Section with Dr. Tracey VogelIn this episode of the Triumphant Birth Podcast, Dr. Tracey Vogel, an obstetric anesthesiologist and national leader in trauma-informed care, shares how her work has evolved from individual patient care to training healthcare teams and shaping hospital policies. She explains how trauma can arise not just from extreme events, but from everyday clinical interactions, and why trauma-informed care must be standard for all birthing individuals, not just those with known trauma histories.Dr. Vogel advocates for universal precautions in maternity care—approaches that prioritize dignity, compassion, and psychological safety in every step of the birth process. Through compelling st...
2025-07-221h 02Triumphant BirthHealing After Postpartum Depression: Cynthia’s Military Birth Stories & Tools for ThrivingIn this episode, Jamie Raisleger speaks with Cynthia Dortch, a doula, childbirth educator, and aspiring midwife, whose experiences as a military spouse and mother deeply shaped her path into birth work. Cynthia opens up about the emotional weight of her first two births and the postpartum depression and rage she faced as a young, isolated mom navigating life during her partner’s deployment.She shares how her third birth became a redemptive experience and what she did differently to protect her mental health and prepare for a more supported postpartum period.In this heartfelt conversation, we la...
2025-07-151h 19Triumphant Birth[PART 2] Home Birth with Twins? New Research Says YES - with Dr. Stu and Dr. Rixa FreezeIf you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, be sure to start there (episode 18) for the full context behind this groundbreaking, peer-reviewd paper (published Dec 2024 in PLOS ONE): Twin Home Birth: Outcomes of 100 Sets of Twins in the Care of a Single PractitionerIn part two of this conversation, host Jamie Raisleger, Dr. Stu Fischbein, and Dr. Rixa Freeze dive deeper into the nuances of twin births, the misuse of high-risk labels, and the importance of individualized care. This episode explores how hospital culture, practitioner training, and fear-based protocols continue to shape the twin bir...
2025-07-0141 minTriumphant Birth[PART 1] Home Birth with Twins? New Research Says YES—with Dr. Stu and Dr. Rixa FreezeBirthing twins at home is dangerous, right? RIGHT?! Not nearly as dangerous as we've been led to believe...In part one of this conversation, host Jamie Raisleger begins the dive into the newly published (Dec 2024, PLOS ONE), peer-reviewed paper called Twin home birth: outcomes of 100 sets of twins in the care of a single practitioner with the publication's authors, Dr. Stuart Fischbein and Dr. Rixa Freeze.Together, they explore the challenges and successes of their study which highlights the high rates of vaginal births in home settings compared to hospitals. The conversation delves into the ethical d...
2025-06-2449 minTriumphant BirthAllowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife with Jacinta Lagos and Kristine LauriaWelcome to the VERY FIRST interview about the upcoming documentary 'Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife'. In this episode of the Triumphant Birth Podcast, host Jamie sits down with filmmaker Jacinta Lagos and legendary midwife Kristine Lauria to explore the heart and soul of this powerful project.About the DocumentaryAllowed to Birth follows the extraordinary life and work of Kristine Lauria—a legendary international midwife who has attended over 5,000 births in more than 25 countries. With raw honesty and reverence, the film shines a light on the strength, skill, and in...
2025-06-051h 04Triumphant BirthOvercoming Shoulder Dystocia: Samantha’s Hospital and Home Birth StoriesIn this powerful episode of Triumphant Birth, host Jamie Raisleger welcomes Samantha Dunnavant, a mother of two, who shares her deeply personal journey through both hospital and home birth. Samantha opens up about her first pregnancy, where she felt uninformed and unprepared, and how listening to birth stories helped her better navigate labor the second time around.She recounts the unexpected challenges of giving birth during COVID-19 and the harrowing moment of shoulder dystocia during delivery. Samantha reflects on how choosing midwifery and chiropractic care transformed her experience, offering more personalized and empowering support than she felt with...
2025-05-271h 20Triumphant BirthThe Power of Traditional Birth Companionship with Billie HarriganBillie Harrigan is a fierce advocate for restoring safety and sanity to modern birth practices. She has served birthing families for about 40 years and has taught midwives and other birth practitioners in 125 countries.Billie is also the founder of Birth Trauma Ontario, an agency dedicated to the education and healing of both perpetrators and their victims from the global scourge of obstetric violence. She has authored the world’s first and most comprehensive online course in becoming equipped in the skills of trauma informed care specific to the childbearing experience.She is the founder and director of...
2025-05-2049 minTriumphant BirthA Chiropractor's Two Home Birth Stories with Dr. SadeyDr. Sadey Broecker is a chiropractor specializing in prenatal care and is passionate about helping other moms experience empowered and informed pregnancies and births. Her own journey into motherhood, guided by the transformative births of her two boys and the unwavering support of her husband, not only shaped who she is but also shaped her approach to caring for women, babies, and full families within her office.In this episode, we discuss:-What inspired Dr. Sadey to become a chiropractor-Benefits of specialized chiropractic care in pregnancy-Birth choices and BMI-Navigating the c...
2025-05-131h 04Triumphant BirthHonoring Your Journey: Birth Story Processing with Danit Tsur-AlmogDanit Tsur-Almog is a doula, childbirth educator, and birth story processing expert and teacher. She now spends most of her time training birth professionals through her business, Leida K'Masa (meaning Birth as a Journey in Hebrew) and holding one-on-one birth story processing sessions. Danit's work is largely influenced by her trainings with Pam England, so much so that she translated some of Pam's works into Hebrew. Danit has also been influenced by Adyashanti as well as other non-dual teachers, and her passion is in bringing compassion into our births and lives.In this episode, we discuss: Danit's ori...
2025-05-061h 10Triumphant BirthBig Joy to the World: Brittany's Inspirational Birth Center StoryBrittany Ebben is a wife, mother of three, and impressive birther. In this heartwarming and final episode of 2024, we dive into Brittany's incredible journey of bringing new life into the world during the holiday season. As she shares her unique experience of missing a Christmas celebration to welcome her baby at a birth center, we discuss:-Braxton hicks and prodromal labor-What she needed for her body to go into active labor-Anticipating a big baby-Deciding when to call the doula and midwife and when to leave for the birth center ...
2024-12-211h 01Triumphant BirthRaquel's Breech Homebirth After 3 C-SectionsRaquel is a married mother of four with a passion for birth choices. Her first birth was a Cesarean section due to having a breech baby, and the trauma of that process stuck with her for years. After two subsequent C-sections, Raquel was determined to do things differently with her fourth baby despite opposing opinions and having a heart-shaped uterus. Her journey to a successful breech home birth after three C-sections led her to become a doula and birth educator, and it highlights the importance of research, education, advocacy, emotional connection, and having a supportive team and partner. ...
2024-12-1059 minTriumphant Birth(Part 2) Home Birth and Homeopathy: Expert Insights from Midwife, Ann Marie RianAnn Marie Rian, CPM, LM is a home birth midwife and wise woman with expertise in homeopathy, herbal medicine, prenatal education, midwifery education, and so much more.This continuation of last week's conversation dives into:-The power of words in pregnancy and birth-Experiencing transformation without a power struggle-How pregnancy and birth can accelerate clarity and personal growth-How homeopathic remedies work-Examples of how homeopathy supports pregnancy, birth, and motherhood-How homeopathy differs from allopathic and other holistic approaches-Versatility of remedies for both acute and chronic issue...
2024-12-0335 minTriumphant Birth(Part 1) Home Birth and Homeopathy: Expert Insights from Midwife, Ann Marie RianAnn Marie Rian, CPM, LM is a home birth midwife and wise woman with expertise in homeopathy, herbal medicine, prenatal education, midwifery education, and so much more. In this episode, we discuss Ann Marie’s experience as a doula, her path to becoming a midwife, lessons from her teachers and nervous system, and transformative experiences that shape both midwives and parents. Our discussion highlights the importance of building confidence in families, the role of authority in healthcare, and the personal growth that comes from supporting others through the birthing process. She also shares her own home birth story fe...
2024-11-261h 00Triumphant BirthSolocast: Showing Up and How Listeners Can Impact National Birth OutcomesWhat do teething babies, MAHA, and the American maternal mortality rate have in common? This episode.Listen in for a brief personal update from Jamie and an invitation to vote two of our very own birth superstars into federal positions alongside RFK, Jr. This is an incredible opportunity for our listeners (YOU!) to have a tangible impact on the systems that hold and direct birthing families in this country. How do we get the medical and midwifery models to play nice? How can we lower the primary C-section rate? How can we reduce obstetrical violence? How can we...
2024-11-1917 minTriumphant BirthHayley's Birth Stories: From Induction Anxiety to Bliss at a Birth CenterIn this episode, Hayley shares her experience with a traumatic first birth in the hospital followed by two redeeming births. Even though she chose midwifery and an unmedicated approach from the beginning, she learned that all midwives are not created equal and found herself switching practitioners at 33 weeks pregnant. Themes in her first pregnancy include high blood pressure and white coat syndrome, talk of big baby and other scare tactics, induction, anxiety, serial ultrasounds, coached pushing with an epidural, and fear in pregnancy. After her first experience, Hayley learned everything she could about birth and went on to...
2024-11-1254 minTriumphant Birth(Part 2) A Redeeming Twin Birth Story with Marissa AndersonMarissa Anderson's redeeming twin birth is nothing short of miraculous. After retaining rightful custody of her son who the government medically kidnapped (the saga discussed in part 1), Marissa and her family had a LOT of healing to do. In this episode, she shares how she finally got her baby healthy, worked through her traumatic past, helped create a documentary about her case, and decided to continue expanding her family. Marissa's faith and intentionality played a significant role as she prepared her body for her next pregnancy and navigated her state laws while searching for the right midwife who...
2024-11-051h 29Triumphant Birth(Part 1) The Nightmare Before Triumph: A Birth Center Birth and the Medical Kidnapping of Baby Cyrus with Marissa AndersonMarissa Anderson is a doula and mom of three, including twin babies. After a smooth pregnancy and birth at a birth center, her family's story made national news. Marissa sought appropriate medical care for baby Cyrus when he was 10 months old, and in a wild turn of events, he was unjustly and without evidence taken into custody by the state of Idaho. Multiple members of Marissa's family were arrested, and the incident was live-streamed on Facebook. Support from the public and morally convicted insiders at both the hospital and CPS eventually led to all charges being dropped and...
2024-10-292h 16Triumphant BirthBusting Birth Myths with Pregnancy and Birth Expert, Dr. Stuart FischbeinDr. Stuart Fischbein is a community-based obstetrician and an Associate of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology. He is the author of the book “Fearless Pregnancy, Wisdom & Reassurance from a Doctor, A Midwife and A Mom” and peer-reviewed papers Homebirth with an Obstetrician, A Series of 135 Out of Hospital Births and Breech Birth at Home: outcomes of 60 breech and 109 cephalic planned home and birth center births. Dr. Stu is also the co-author of a pre-print Twin Homebirth paper. After completing his residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Stu spent 24 years assisting women with hospital birthing and, for...
2024-10-211h 08Triumphant Birth(Guest Appearance) Birthing Instincts - Home Birth and Birth Center Twins with Jamie RaislegerJamie’s journey is nothing short of miraculous. After being told by doctors that she might never have children due to her extensive medical history, she found hope and healing at a holistic retreat in Michigan. This pivotal experience not only alleviated her chronic pain but also transformed her outlook on health and shifted her career path from medical school to holistic health. As Jamie shares her story, we learn about the profound impact these experiences had on her life choices, particularly in her journey to motherhood.Jamie’s personal narrative underscores the importance of self-advocacy. From her home...
2024-10-151h 21Triumphant BirthInternational Birth Stories with Expert Midwife - Kristine LauriaKristine Lauria is an international treasure and an absolute legend in the birth world. As a midwife for 36 years, she's attended over 5,000 births in at least 25 countries including hundreds of vaginal breeches and twins. Kristine uses most of her time working with MSF (Doctors Without Borders) and teaching for Breech Without Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breech education, training, and advocacy. In this episode, we explore:-Her origin story and what inspired her to be a midwife-How her mother's births impacted her-The challenges of supporting vaginal birth in low-resourced settings in her...
2024-10-081h 13
Birthing Instincts#381 Triumphant Birthing with Twin Mom, Jamie RaislegerJamie’s journey is nothing short of miraculous. After being told by doctors that she might never have children due to her extensive medical history, she found hope and healing at a holistic retreat in Michigan. This pivotal experience not only alleviated her chronic pain but also transformed her outlook on health and shifted her career path from medical school to holistic health. As Jamie shares her story, we learn about the profound impact these experiences had on her life choices, particularly in her journey to motherhood.Jamie’s personal narrative underscores the importance of self-advocacy. From prep...
2024-10-021h 40Triumphant BirthIntroducing Triumphant Birth with Jamie RaislegerTriumphant Birth with Jamie Raisleger explores the transformative power of healing through childbirth. Join us as we delve into the options, receive guest expert wisdom, and hear inspiring stories that pave the way for healing and wholeness throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond. In a culture where birth is often viewed with fear, we aim to shift the narrative by showcasing pregnancy and birth as opportunities for personal growth, enhanced experiences, and generational healing.Whether the journey is smooth sailing or filled with unexpected challenges, this podcast offers a supportive space for birth workers and individuals navigating their profound...
2024-09-1301 min