Today’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing a home birth story! Home birth can be safe, supported, and deeply empowering when planned well.

In this birth story, I’m joined by Leah, a writer, mom of two, and aspiring childbirth educator who planned a home birth after a positive but impersonal hospital birth with her first child. Despite navigating insurance barriers, and anticipating a large baby, Leah created the low-intervention experience she wanted, and welcomed her 11-pound daughter after just a three-and-a-half-hour labor.

Her story is full of advocacy, intuition, humor (yes, she was poked in the eye mid-contraction), and practical insights you’ll walk away with.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What made Leah choose a planned home birth after a hospital birth
• How she advocated for weight-inclusive prenatal care
• The realities of insurance challenges for home birth families
• How she prepared mentally and physically for a fast, intense labor
• Why her postpartum experience at home was dramatically different — and better
• What she wants every pregnant person to know about big babies and birth options

Resources Mentioned:

• Bradley Method book: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power

Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:

• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital

• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early

• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients