Birth As We Know It ™️-Birth Stories and Experiences
If you are planning to become pregnant, trying to conceive, are currently pregnant, or have birthed a baby in the last few years, OR you are working in the birth field, Birth As We Know It ™️ is the podcast for you.
Birth As We Know It ™️ is a birth story and birth experience podcast that is dedicated to recognizing the many different ways that birth unfolds. The good, the bad, and everything else in between.
You will hear birth stories and birth experiences from the perspective of birthing people, birth partners, birth providers, birth workers, and more! This podcast was created to be a place where people can learn more about pregnancy, birth, and a little bit of postpartum, all while hearing about what really happens in the birth space.
Every other week, join Kiona Nessenbaum as she interviews guests who encourage birth education by sharing their personal birth stories and birth experiences. She believes that hearing a birth story directly from the person who lived it, brings the individual human experience back to the forefront of childbirth education.
Kiona is a wife, a mother of 3, a birth doula, a birth assistant, and a former student midwife who has supported over 140 birthing families.
Find a connection through this podcast in knowing that you are not the only one who has experienced something unexpected on your journey to parenthood. As people share their personal birth stories and birth experiences, you will hear about their entire journey through conception, pregnancy, labor, and birth as well as touching on newborn feeding choices and overall postpartum experiences. You will also hear what providers and birth workers think and feel as they support birthing families on their journies to parenthood.
To learn more about the host Kiona Nessenbaum or see pictures of those who have shared their stories, go to birthasweknowitpodcast.com
Subscribe to our newsletter: birthasweknowitpodcast.com/newsletter
Connect with Kiona Nessenbaum on Instagram: @birthasweknwitpodcast and join the private Birth As We Know It ™️ Podcast Community on Facebook: birthasweknowitpodcast.com/community
Episodes
80 episodes
79-Nicky Yazbeck-Adoptive Parent-1 Birth-Jack-The Connected Community Exploring Possibility
Nicky was birthed into motherhood through adoption, but it was far from easy for her and her husband to have a baby placed with them. The birth mother of their son Jack also had an interesting situation that caused Nicky and her husband to be s...
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52:23
78-Mariela Guerra-3 Births-Cesareans-NICU-PMAD-Twins-Breast Cancer Diagnosis-ZacarÍas, Serafina & Magdalena
Mariela expected to have one child and be done. Little did she know that getting pregnant for a second time unexpectedly 9 years later would lead her to twins and a breast cancer diagnosis. Tune in to this episode to hear Mariela talk about her...
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Episode 78
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1:27:31
77-Ashley Holmes-3 Births-1 Cesarean-Twins-1 VBAC-Holistic Fertility Coach Inc.
When Ashley found out she was pregnant with twins she was very surprised, but not as surprised as she was when she found out that she was pregnant again. This is because she needed some assistant with getting pregnant the first time and the sec...
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Episode 77
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57:57
76-Jeanelle Harvey-Bridges-Miscarriage-2 Unassisted Vaginal Free Births-The Intuitive Parent
Even though Jeanelle worked in healthcare as a registered nurse, she still decided that giving birth in the healthcare system was not the safest option for her or her babies. After getting diagnosed with PCOS at 16 and then gestational diabetes...
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Episode 76
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1:27:02
75-Hannah Carlsrud-Vaginal Birth-Hunter-Carlsrud Psychological Services
In this episode, Hannah shared her experience with being cared for by out-of-hospital midwives and birthing her son Hunter at a stand-alone birth center. She also talks about how during the immediate postpartum time she had to be transferred to...
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Episode 75
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59:45
74-Ally Patrie-Precipitous-IUGR-2 Vaginal Births-Christian & Sara
In this episode, Aly talks about how she emotionally handled caring for and losing her father during her first pregnancy with her son Cristian. She also gives all the details about how her second labor with her daughter Sara did not go as plann...
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Episode 74
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1:06:36
73-Lindsay Bruggeman-Adoptive Parent- 2 Births-1 Cesarean & 1 Vaginal
In this episode, Lindsay speaks on the assumptions people make when they find out you have gone through the route of adoption to grow your family. She also talks about what it was like to find the two different local families that she matched w...
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Episode 73
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54:55
72-Bettina Paek-Miscarriage-3 Vaginal Births-eDoula
In this episode, Bettina discusses the quick and lovely start to her relationship with her husband and the challenges she experienced while conceiving her third child. Even though she conceived her first two children on the quicker side, Bettin...
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Episode 72
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1:14:55
71-Valerie Probstfeld-3 Vaginal Births-NICU -To Mom is To Love
In the episode, you will hear Valerie talk about her 3 birth experiences. She goes into detail about how challenging her first pregnancy and birth were and how medical bullying played a huge role in her NICU experience. She then goes on to talk...
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Episode 71
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1:05:33
70-Morgan Harvey-2 Vaginal Births-NICU-Beyond Birthing Doula-Adoptee
In this episode, Morgan shares her preterm birth experience with her son Josiah as well as her birth center birth experience with her son Noah. Both babies ended up in the NICU for different reasons. She also dives into how being an adoptee ...
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Episode 70
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1:07:00
69-Nicole Bulow-Miscarriage-Bell's Palsy-2 Vaginal Births-Solfuel Wellness
In this episode, Nicole shares her experience with loss through miscarriage as well as diving into her two very different birth experiences with her son Baker and daughter Sophia. She goes into detail about how different it was for her to bi...
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Episode 69
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1:21:52
68-Mandy Sanford-Choroid Plexus Cysts-Vaginal Birth-Brooke
In this episode, Mandy shares what it was like to be pregnant for the first time with her daughter Brooke. She dives into detail about a choroid plexus brain cyst scare that happened midway through her pregnancy as well as how her birth went...
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Episode 68
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47:25
67-Elliott Leslie-Miscarriage-2 Cesarean Births-Bicornuate Uterus-Breech-Preemie-Adelaide & Brennan
In this episode, Elliott shares her two preemie birth stories of her daughter Adelaide and her son Brennan. She talks about how being a midwife was both a pro and a con while pregnant and how she learned about her special bicornuate (heart-s...
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Episode 67
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55:36
66-Kelli Tuttle-IVF-Adoption-Pre-term-2 Vaginal Births-Nathan, Julia & Talia
In this episode, Kelli talks about her struggles with infertility that led her to the option of IVF. With her first round of IVF failing she turns to adoption and the way she finds a family is not how you would expect. Kelli also shares what...
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Episode 66
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47:26
65-Angela Roberts-IVF-Miscarriage-Cesarean-Endometriosis-Preeclampsia-HELLP-Micro Preemie-NICU-Bennett
In this episode, Angela talks about her struggles with conception through IVF due to her late diagnosis of stage 4 endometriosis. She also talks about her micro preemie birth experience with her son Bennet at just 25 weeks gestation in addit...
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Episode 65
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1:12:33
64-Melissa Llarena-3 Vaginal Births-Twins-Gabriel, Noah & Nicholas
In this episode, Melissa shares her two personal birth stories of her three boys. She talks about what it was like to give birth for the first time while being induced and then going on to have a precipitous vaginal twin birth the second tim...
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Episode 64
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1:39:02
63-Tessa & Jeff Sanders-IVF-2 Vaginal Births-Marcela & Rosie-5AM Miracle
In this episode, Tessa and Jeff share their conception journey with IVF and talk about the two birth stories of their daughters Maisie and Rosie. Let’s just say that both ended up being accidentally unassisted because Tessa utilized hypnobirthi...
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Episode 63
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1:20:41
62-Allison Goyne-2 Vaginal Births-NICU-Believe in Birth
In this episode, Allison dives into how her first birth with her daughter was traumatic and how it led her to become a birth doula. She also shares the the details of how she felt when she was unexpectedly pregnant with her son after being adam...
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Episode 62
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1:33:16
61-Karin Freeland-Miscarriage-Ectopic Pregnancy-2 Vaginal Births-The Ins and Outs of My Vagina
In this episode, Karin shares her experience with ectopic pregnancy, trusting her intuition, and dives into the details of the two birth stories of her sons. We also talk about what inspired her to write the memoir, The Ins and Outs of My V...
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Episode 61
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1:07:12
60-Meg Chappell-Miscarriage-IVF-Vaginal Birth-Romy
In this episode, Meg talks about her three miscarriages and what eventually led her and her husband to the road of IVF. She then goes into detail about what it was like to give birth to her daughter Romy after experiencing some health issues du...
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Episode 60
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1:01:17
59-Abrianna Canady-Birth Doula Perspective-Ryze Birth
In this episode, Abrianna speaks on what it's like to support clients in the hospital while still working full-time as an ER nurse. She also touches on the importance of preparation for birth and how strength training, with a professional coach...
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Episode 59
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1:00:07
58-Kayla Tschumper-3 Vaginal Births-Kennedy, Claire & Emelia-My Birth Choices
In this episode, Kayla shares 3 personal birth stories as well as how experiencing a precipitous unplanned home birth led her to have a planned homebirth the third time around. She also touches on the breastfeeding challenges she experienced wi...
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Episode 58
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1:37:56
57-Lori Mortimore-Vaginal Birth-Sebastian-Labor With Love Washington
In this episode, Lori shares her quick birth experience with her son Sebastian and the lengths her family went through to be by her side. She also dives into the importance of preparing for postpartum during or before your pregnancy and how her...
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Episode 57
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1:17:39
56-Kirsten Spitz-2 Vaginal Births-Logan & Lincoln-Apex Chiropractic WA
In this episode, Kirsten talks about getting pregnant in her last year of grad school and how after she gave birth her school was very strict and provided very little accommodations to support her new family. She also talks about what it was li...
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Episode 56
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1:08:56
55-Kaitlin Rieck-2 Births-Cesarean-VBAC-Esmé & Astrid-Kith & Kin Care Collective
In this episode, Kaitlin shares her first birth experience which ended up in an unexpected cesarean even though the care from her team was amazing. She then talks about her redemptive VBAC that led her to a tougher recovery than her first birth...
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Episode 55
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1:07:27