The Birth Hour

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The Birth Hour

The Birth Hour is a birth stories podcast designed to support you through pregnancy as you prepare to give birth! Listen to new birth stories 2x/week!

The Birth Hour helps expecting and new parents understand their birthing options through authentic birth stories so they are informed and empowered going into pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

26/06/2025

New Birth Story Podcast episode 🎧

After an incredible unmedicated birth to her second baby, Liz couldn’t wait to do it again. Although only 1.5 years later, her third pregnancy was a bit tougher physically than the previous two with carpal tunnel, some prolapse, and a little less exercise. Wanting another unmedicated, empowering birth, she switched to a midwife group, and at 35 weeks, decided to hire a doula, which was ultimately one of the best decisions she could have made.

After thinking the baby was going to arrive on her birthday (May 16th), she wrapped up all the loose ends at work and set up the bassinet, finally allowing her body to relax. Contractions woke her in the early hours on May 20th. After laboring at home for a few hours with her sister, doula, husband and 3 year old son, they raced the 5 min drive to the hospital and 15 minutes later Tucker flew into the world with a few quick and mighty pushes.

Despite setting herself up with many resources to have a smoother postpartum, PPD & PPA crept in again, with a lot of worry about having another screamy baby. Luckily Liz leaned on her people and got the help she needed to feel healthy again. Breastfeeding proved to be a challenging journey with transfer issues, 7 weeks of thrush, reflux and some resulting eating struggles. After 3 months of nursing, followed by 3 months of pretty much exclusive pumping, Tucker started nursing again at 6 months. To say Liz is proud of sticking it out through this nursing journey would be an understatement.

Listen in your favorite podcast app - Episode 987! You can listen to Liz’s first story via our archives at Patreon.com/birthhour

20/06/2025

In her 39th week of pregnancy, Molly tried everything to induce labor naturally—walking 32 miles, practicing yoga, acupuncture, curb walking, and more. Despite her best efforts, she developed itchy feet and was diagnosed with elevated liver enzymes, prompting her doctor to recommend induction due to suspected cholestasis. Molly was admitted to the hospital and began the induction process with a Cook catheter and cytotec. While the process began differently than she imagined, Molly felt supported by her team, including her doula, mom, husband, and nurse, who ensured her comfort and kept her informed every step of the way. Molly progressed naturally, with her water breaking spontaneously and was able to give birth without needing Pitocin or an epidural. Postpartum, Molly discovered that she had a low breastmilk supply but continued breastfeeding and supplemented with donor milk.

Listen to the full episode (986) in any podcast app 🎧

18/06/2025

New birth story podcast episode 🎧

Jenny shares the birth of Maya in April of 2021 after a very routine pregnancy that ended slightly early due to sudden severe preeclampsia at 36 weeks. She had a wonderful birth with a “perfect” walking epidural but unfortunately experienced a morbidly adherent placenta leading to 2 D&Cs within 2 weeks postpartum and a uterine perforation leading to sepsis and a 7 day hospital stay was only the beginning of a long postpartum healing journey. 5 hysteroscopies, an emergent embolization and 2.5 years of secondary infertility later Jenny recently gave birth to her rainbow baby boy.

11/06/2025

New birth story podcast episode ✨

Meghan went into her first pregnancy equipped with knowledge about the many ways women around the world choose to birth. After initially establishing care at the local teaching hospital with PAs and OB-GYNs, she ultimately decided to pursue a homebirth for the birth of her first daughter. Meghan’s plans flipped on a dime when she was diagnosed with oligohydramnios during a 39-week NST/BPP when she felt less intense movement. Meghan surrendered to a very medicalized birth and greeted her first post-partum journey with intense sleep deprivation, PPA and associated rage, and a slower time to bond with her daughter despite an unexpectedly sweet breastfeeding journey.

When Meghan became pregnant for a second time about two years later, she was excited to establish care with her former homebirth midwife team and manifest the homebirth of her dreams. Around 8-9 weeks of pregnancy, before any provider visits, Meghan snuck a peak at baby on ultrasound at her workplace. She discovered not one but two heartbeats and went through all the emotions accepting she and her husband would be welcoming twins. Meghan had a relatively easy pregnancy and redemptive journey within the hospital system thanks to a phenomenal birth team that contributed to the quick, non-medicated vaginal delivery of her twin girls.

Listen in any podcast app - episode 984 🎧

05/06/2025

New birth story podcast episode 982 ✨

Chelsea shares Two Fast Unmedicated Birth Center Birth Stories. Listen to her stories in any podcast app. 🎧

28/05/2025

New birth story podcast episode ✨

Sylvia is a first time mom who had an unexpectedly quick labor after PROM and delivered a healthy baby boy without pain medication in the hospital. She attributes her quick and peaceful birth to her spiritual, mental, and physical preparation during pregnancy. She had to endure many long MFM appointments for a false kidney disease diagnosis, but in the end it all contributed to a memorable experience that prepared her and her husband for parenthood.

Listen to the full episode in your favorite podcast app!

22/05/2025

New birth story podcast episode 980 ✨

Margaret was born at home in a tiny community in rural BC, Canada. When she and her husband, Carl, decided to have a baby they planned to have a home birth as well. They were fortunate to have a wonderful midwife working locally. After an uneventful and enjoyable pregnancy, Margaret’s labour started at 41w4d. Labor progressed slowly. Many positioning and movement methods were tried to help reposition and encourage baby down. Full dilation was eventually reached at home and Margaret pushed for 2 hours, making minimal progress. Baby’s head was in the occiput transverse position, making delivery difficult. Contractions began to slow, and the midwife made the call to transfer to the hospital. At the hospital baby was delivered with forceps assistance. Shortly after the birth Margaret’s uterine wall hemorrhaged and she quickly lost 1.75L of blood. The family ended up staying 4 nights in hospital before finally heading home.

Listen to the full story in any podcast app episode 980!

14/05/2025

New birth story podcast episode 979✨

Rebecca discusses having a relatively uneventful and healthy pregnancy, and spending a lot of time preparing physically and mentally for birth. She was in prodromal labor for 4 days prior to starting active labor, but once active labor began, it went quickly. Rebecca labored for about 10 hours at home, using various coping strategies and locations, including side-lying release and spending time in the bath, before heading in to the hospital. She was 6cm dilated at triage, and was admitted. She used the bath again at the hospital, as well as the birthing ball with counter pressure from her midwife and doula, and nitrous oxide. After about 3 hours in labor at the hospital, she was fully dilated. She pushed for an hour and was able to meet her daughter after the relatively low-intervention birth she hoped for. About 2 hours postpartum, when the nurses asked her to get up to use the bathroom, Rebecca started feeling dizzy, and the midwife returned as it became clear she was having a delayed postpartum hemorrhage. She ultimately received transfusions of 4 units of blood and went under general anesthesia to have a Bakri balloon placed, which successfully stopped the bleeding. She was able to recover relatively quickly postpartum, while navigating some postpartum anxiety, using a ni**le shield for nursing for several months, slow weight gain for her daughter, getting feeding-related OT, and struggling to maintain her own weight postpartum while breastfeeding. She went on to have a successful and beautiful breastfeeding journey – her daughter is still nursing a couple times a day at nearly 2.75 years old.

Listen to the full episode in your favorite podcast app 🎧

06/05/2025

New birth story podcast episode ✨

Maria found out she was pregnant with her first son during the first Covid-19 lockdown in France. With little knowledge about pregnancy and birth, she faced the challenge of navigating the medical system in the midst of a global pandemic. At 41 weeks, she was induced, and her son was born in the hospital under the care of midwives.

While Maria left the hospital with a healthy baby boy and overall positive memories, she felt her right to informed consent wasn’t fully respected. The hospital protocols left her feeling like she had lost some of her agency during the process.

In 2023, Maria experienced s pregnancy loss. However, in 2024, she became pregnant again and chose a different path: a home birth. Surrounded by her husband and a midwife, Maria gave birth to her daughter in a peaceful and serene environment, embracing the empowerment and agency she had hoped for.

Listen to the full episode in any podcast app. Episode 978! 🎧

03/05/2025

New birth story podcast episode ✨

Christina was diagnosed with gestational hypertension in the final trimester of her pregnancy and placed on bedrest. She was advised to induce labor at 37 weeks and had to consistently advocate for herself to make it as long as possible before doing so.

She eventually agreed to an induction at 40 weeks and 4 days. After dilating to a 7 within 8 hours, labor stalled and it became evident that an unplanned C-section was necessary to safely deliver her son.

When her son was finally born, he arrived with his own set of challenges. After being born with low blood sugar he was diagnosed with MCAD (Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase) deficiency, a rare metabolic condition, that changed her postpartum journey drastically.

Listen to the full story in any podcast app episode 977 🎧

01/05/2025

New birth story podcast episode ✨

Claire shares the story of her second birth story with a short labor lasting only about 3 hours. Her baby had a shoulder dystocia and the midwife team pushed on her abdomen to get her baby out. Following the birth, Claire’s baby spent about 36 hours in the NICU for additional help with her breathing after being born so quickly. Postpartum, she was told her baby had tongue and lip ties despite having no issues with nursing. She chose not the have them revised and they continued to have a successful nursing experience.

Listen to the full story in any podcast app! Episode 976 🎧

Connect with Claire

22/04/2025

New birth story podcast episode 975✨

While considering becoming a health teacher in her early 20s, Carly set out to learn more about the female reproductive system and pregnancy. In this process she found The Birth Hour and has been a pregnancy/birth-nerd ever since! When Carly and her husband felt ready to start a family, she was confident in her decision to plan for a homebirth. Carly worked with an extremely supportive and knowledgeable midwifery group that made her prenatal experience joyful. After doing the Miles Circuit at 39 weeks and 4 days, Carly started having early signs of labor. The following day she was having frequent contractions and she labored at home with her husband. With the additional support of a doula and her midwives, Carly was able to have the homebirth she had hoped for, giving birth to her son, Jameson, in the birth tub at 39 weeks and 6 days!

Listen to the episode in your favorite podcast app!

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