PODCAST

Healing Birth

Diana Forsell Tayan

Conscious conversations about birth, rooted in trusting the inherent wisdom of our bodies.

health & fitness alternative health

All Episodes

55:58

Rewriting the Story of a ‘Broken’ Body: Caroline’s...

Healing Birth ·

2025/04/28

There were complications during Caroline’s first pregnancy and birth, which left her with the story that her body was broken. (You can listen to that full story from Caroline’s first appearance on the podcast here.) After a little over a year of deep healing work — including a life-changing plant medicine ceremony — Caroline consciously conceived her second baby, leaning into trust so fully that she never even took a pregnancy test. Although she considered freebirthing her second baby, Caroline

01:31:04

Chronically Ill, Not Chronically Broken: Birth with...

Healing Birth ·

2025/04/21

Hollis was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of two, leading to a lifetime of doctor visits and deeply ingrained messages that her body was chronically broken. Because of this history and diagnosis, when she found out she was pregnant, her first response was tears—she knew she would be fighting an uphill battle for the natural birth she desired. Even though her condition was well managed, no midwife in town would take her as a client, leaving her with only two options: receive no care at

01:08:46

Jesse’s Wild Pregnancy and 68-Hour Homebirth

Healing Birth ·

2025/04/14

Jesse shares the heroic story of her first birth experience—a three-day labor supported by a traditional midwife and her husband. We discuss how she stayed mentally strong throughout the intense journey, and reflect on how differently things might have unfolded had she been in a hospital setting. First-time mothers who choose trust over fear inspire me, and Jesse is no exception! If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Follow me on Instagram

01:01:54

A Freebirth That Didn’t Go as Planned

Healing Birth ·

2025/04/07

Julia attempted a freebirth at home for her second baby, but came close to losing her son due to a rare birthing complication that no one could have predicted. In the aftermath, as she processed the trauma of the experience, she reached out to me to share her story and the new perspective she gained about the freebirth movement. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth Do you have a birth story you’d like to share

01:00:45

Induced, Transferred, and Healed: Alyssa’s Path to a...

Healing Birth ·

2025/03/31

Alyssa is the oldest of six children and grew up with the unique privilege of witnessing her mother give birth at home to her five younger siblings. Naturally, choosing a home birth for her first baby seemed like the obvious decision. She selected a local birth center and midwife. However, like many first-time mothers, as Alyssa approached 42 weeks, the pressure to induce labor began to mount. During her 41st week, her midwife performed several interventions to induce labor, including breaking her

51:28

The Courage to Leave: Pregnancy and Birth with an...

Healing Birth ·

2025/03/24

Kyrie shares the heartbreaking yet ultimately courageous story of navigating her first pregnancy and the birth of her child while in an abusive marriage. She also endured hyperemesis so severe that she required hospitalization, as well as a shocking misdiagnosis that her child had a brain abnormality— via an ultrasound that was later found to be inaccurate. Kyrie explains that it was her overwhelming love for her newborn son that gave her the strength and courage to leave the abusive situation and

42:17

A (Breech!) Homebirth After Cesarean Without Fear

Healing Birth ·

2025/03/17

After two relatively routine hospital births, Shiloa’s third baby was discovered to be breech late in her pregnancy. Her care providers presented her with no option other than a c-section, which came as a huge shock. The surgical birth left her feeling traumatized. As a birth worker herself, Shiloa was also attending births during this time and had developed an unshakable trust in the birth process. She learned that some midwives were comfortable supporting breech births at home, viewing it as a

01:03:33

Against The Odds: Birthing Twins Naturally in the...

Healing Birth ·

2025/03/10

Gina’s first pregnancy was with twins, which limited her options for care to a hospital birth. During this labor, she faced immense pressure to receive an epidural, undergo various interventions, and was even made to give birth on the operating table in the operating room “just in case.” Despite all of this and the atmosphere of fear surrounding twin births, she managed to deliver both babies naturally in the hospital, on that cold operating room table. Her second pregnancy was with a singleton, so

55:57

Birth is an Opportunity to Fully Trust Yourself

Healing Birth ·

2025/03/03

Robyn describes her first birth as a ‘weird, numb experience.’ She was in the hospital, on an epidural, and slept through most of it. However, a family car accident became a turning point for Robyn, prompting her to make holistic health changes for her family. As she began to explore ways to take charge of their healthcare more naturally, her perspective on birth shifted. By the time she was pregnant with her second child, she knew she would give birth at home, with a midwife. (In fact, the midwife

01:06:25

From Deeply Indoctrinated, to Free: Kelly’s Journey...

Healing Birth ·

2025/02/24

Over the course of having six babies, Kelly’s beliefs about birth, pregnancy, and sovereignty changed drastically. She went from thinking that women who birthed outside the hospital were irresponsible and dangerous, to free birthing her last baby at 42, with only her husband by her side. Kelly shares her entire journey with us today in the hope of encouraging other women to recognize that they are perfectly designed for birth and motherhood. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review

01:05:53

Homebirth After Cesarean (HBAC) With a Radical...

Healing Birth ·

2025/02/17

Chandani was a doula working within the system when she became pregnant with her first baby. Witnessing the trauma and high cesarean rate in the hospital, she knew she didn’t want to give birth there and decided on a home birth. Although she entered the pregnancy with extensive knowledge about birth and hired a midwife, her birth ultimately ended in a cesarean after her midwife transferred her during labor. In the immediate aftermath, Chandani struggled to accept that this was her birth experience

54:45

Becoming a Birthworker with Leisa Masters

Healing Birth ·

2025/02/10

Leisa Masters is a mother, an accomplished birthworker, and an experienced business manager. She has been supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and motherhood for over a decade. Her own experience birthing her daughter in the Australian medical system became a classic cascade of interventions, ultimately leading to an unnecessary cesarean. However, being deeply committed to personal growth, Leisa chose not to simply blame the system. Instead, she realized that at a deeper level, her own

59:04

Pregnant and Didn’t Know it: A Rainbow Gathering Birth

Healing Birth ·

2025/02/03

India was 21, and dancing without a care in the world at a festival in Nepal when she suddenly felt her water break. That was the moment she realized she was pregnant—and about to have a baby! What followed, in one of the most incredible birth stories I have ever heard, was a four-day labor, supported by her Rainbow Gathering community, in a remote village in Nepal. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth Do you

56:04

Precipitous and Powerful: Tiffany’s Third Birth

Healing Birth ·

2025/01/27

Returning guest Tiffany shares her powerful third birth story—a precipitous freebirth. Alone with just her partner, Tiffany navigated this intense and transformative experience following a wild pregnancy. Tiffany’s story also includes one of the coolest placenta births I’ve ever heard! You can hear her first two birth stories, on her first appearance on the podcast, here. If you love the show, I would greatly appreciate a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! Follow me on Instagram @healingbirth

23:07

Giving Birth with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Healing Birth ·

2025/01/20

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a connective tissue disorder that presents differently in each individual. For Emily, it significantly affected her digestive system. During her first pregnancy, she struggled with severe hyperemesis, unable to keep any food down at all. In this episode, Emily shares one of the most unique and challenging stories of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum I have ever encountered. Her journey is a powerful testament to the resilience of the mother-baby bond and her

01:03:26

Healing Through Homebirth, and Grieving the Past

Healing Birth ·

2025/01/13

After two hospital births—one of which was extremely traumatic—Laura decided to homebirth her third baby. During her 20-week anatomy scan, a velamentous cord insertion was discovered. Laura’s main concern with this complication was the risk of intrauterine growth restriction. She chose to closely monitor her baby’s size through ultrasounds, and by 35 weeks, it was clear she was carrying a large, healthy baby. Feeling confident, Laura moved forward with her plan to give birth at home. Her birth

01:04:24

Fleeing Paris: A Family’s Fight for Birth Autonomy

Healing Birth ·

2025/01/06

I open season six of the podcast with the jaw-dropping story of a family who fled France after the authorities targeted them for freebirthing their baby. Katie initially planned a homebirth for her first child, but during labor, her midwife transferred her to the hospital, where she was given no option but to have a cesarean section. When Katie became pregnant with her second child, her family had relocated from the United States to Paris, France, due to a job transfer. Because of her prior

01:48:48

Trauma Informed Birth: Breaking the Cycle, Building...

Healing Birth ·

2024/12/23

Katie’s journey with birth has been one of both trauma and triumph. It begins with an excruciating, 3-day Pitocin induction, ending in a c-section, which left her devastated and later diagnosed with postpartum PTSD. She endured months of nightmares, flashbacks, and depression. In contrast, Katie later experienced a second trimester loss, and says that her experience in the medical system managing the death of her baby was better than the previous live birth - because this time she had

30:06

A Triumphant Homebirth After Cesarean at nearly 43 weeks

Healing Birth ·

2024/12/16

Julia became pregnant in December of 2019, right before the world shut down. She spent that pregnancy isolated, alone, and made to go to her prenatal appointments without her partner. Beginning at just 36 weeks, she was pressured to have a c-section, because her baby was breech. Deep down, Julia knew her baby was healthy, still growing, and perhaps still had time to turn. But after several weeks of unrelenting pressure from her doctor, she gave in and scheduled the cesarean. After this experience,

37:26

Born in the Doorway of the Birth Center

Healing Birth ·

2024/12/09

Patience is a doula and birth keeper, and was quite familiar with birth when it was time to have her first baby. She chose to give birth in a midwife-run birth center, but her labor progressed so fast that they never made it inside, and the baby was born in the doorway! When she became pregnant with her second baby, she wanted a more autonomous experience, and chose to birth at home with just her husband and a non-medical birth keeper for support. Patience has an unshakable faith in the wisdom of

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Healing Birth

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