PODCAST
Wise Birth Radio
Thriving through motherhood
Ep.22/ Your Powerful Placenta
Placentas!
So often not thought about unless there’s a problem. Thrown away without a second thought. “Medically managed” because labor is over at that point so it doesn’t really matter how this part of the birth goes, right?
Wrong! Traditional cultures have always known that placentas are magic!
Ep.21/ A Visionary Birth Story - Deep Medicine in the Birth of Makoa
This is the story of the "what ifs". But not "what if something goes wrong", instead it's "what if something goes right?" What if birth can be challenging, transformative, visionary, earth, shattering, and so so beautiful?
Ep.20/ Birth is a (part of but not complete) Rite of Passage
Not having a cultural or personal understanding of this process is what leaves so many women today feeing lost in motherhood. ‘You lose yourself in motherhood’ is only a true statement if you haven’t consciously left your old self behind in pregnancy, journeyed outside of yourself in birth, and rediscovered your new self in the postpartum time.
Ep.19/ A Who’s Who of Birth Workers
Demystifying the nomenclature of the birth world! What is a midwife vs a doula vs a birthkeeper?
Ep.18/ Basic Principles of Postpartum Cooking
There are some basic tenants across the world to help women ground and heal in this time, and food can be such a beautiful medicine for this period. It can set the tone for the start of a nourished motherhood, and give the body all the nutrients it needs to heal.
EP/17 The Wise Woman Tradition and the Universal Mother Principles
I wanted to talk a bit today about some of the philosophical underpinnings of our work and philosophy here.
Ep.16/ The Best Laid Plans - How My Postpartum Looked as a First Time Mom and Student of Postpartum Care
We recorded this episode back in late summer of 2022, when I was around 8 months postpartum. It took me a loooong time to get to editing, but here it is! It was so yummy and juicy to listen through this again! I loved my postpartum time, and I love teaching women about how healing and blissful it can be. In this episode we talk through what my support looked like, what I ate (it was a lot!), and just talking though the story of this transition to motherhood. We go over some helpful tips and suggestions for your own postpartum, and some of the deeper currents running though this sacred period.
Ep.15/ Poetry Series - Rage
I'm starting a mini series here in the podcast of poetry! For now I think it will be things I have written, but I might expand it to other people's writing as well.
This is a poem I wrote to process/unravel an emotional process. Continually working with this rage has been a powerful meditation for my this past year.
Ep.14/ The Vital Energies of Receiving in the Postpartum Time
Reflecting today as I walk about the energies and practice of receiving, particularly in the postpartum. We have seen it come up again and again with women we have worked with 1:1 and classes or workshops we have taught on the postpartum time: women feel reluctant to ask for help. Creating a nourishing, expansive, blissful, supported postpartum is totally possible, AND it requires asking for help! Laundry, dishes, childcare, cooking, healing touch, or just a sister to sit with you are not luxuries! Creating a magical postpartum time is completely attainable, and for most women it requires working through their internal blockages around receiving, particularly around receiving from other women.
Ep.13/ Autonomy and Boundaries - One Year after Olin’s Birth
Today is Olin's first birthday! In honor of the event, I talk today about a word that came up persistently throughout my pregnancy with him, and took on more subtle shades of deeper importance as I was integrating his birth story this past year:
AUTONOMY
I know this is a big word out there in the collective consciousness at the moment, and this episode is a short reflection on what it means to me.
Ep.12/ Reflections on a Year of Big Transitions
Wrapping up this year before the solstice, it's a solo-cast today with just me, Maible. I share some reflections on this past year, my transition to motherhood thus far and other changes it has cataylsed in my life. (Spoiler alert: I'm not a vegetarian any more!) This is a pretty personal and vulnerable episode, but it feels good to be sharing my story through this medium.
Ep.11/ Birth with a Student Midwife Brain (Part 2)
This is part 2 of the story of the birth of my (Maible’s) son, Olin Wren Gillespie. Attended by Sara, a midwife, a photographer, my partner, and my mother, this birth was very straight forward, down to earth, and rather humorous. He was born at home on January 11, 2022 after a 12 hour labor. In integrating the story after, I learned so much about the subtle dynamics of persuasion and experience, and why it is so important to speak your “no”, even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal.
Ep.10/ Birth with a Student Midwife Brain (Part 1)
This is part 1 of the story of the birth of my (Maible’s) son, Olin Wren Gillespie. Attended by Sara, a midwife, a photographer, my partner, and my mother, this birth was very straight forward, down to earth, and rather humorous. He was born at home on January 11, 2022 after a 12 hour labor. In integrating the story after, I learned so much about the subtle dynamics of persuasion and experience, and why it is so important to speak your “no”, even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal.
Ep.9/ Birth Story of Cielo Silver
Here's part three of Sara's birth stories!
A straight forward, self directed pregnancy and birth with a surprise twist at the end! We talk about her relationship with the midwives she was working with, her preference and orientation towards free birth, and the lessons this adorable babe brought with his birth.
Ep.8/ Birthing Under the Trees
Tune in today for the story of Sara and Z's second pregnancy and birth. Like the first, this is a unique story of birth with strong community support. This babe was born in the woods as Sara ha envisioned. We talk about what we assume about midwives, the challenges of being pregnant with a little toddler, and much more.
Ep.7/ Birth of a New (van) Hope
We are talking today with our dear friends Stephanie and Jacob about the birth of their first baby, Forest van Hope. This is an extra special interview for us and there’s some really great gems of knowledge! Stephanie and Jacob are friends of ours who took both our birth education and our Innate Traditions Postpartum Course, and we were their for their birth!
This is such a great story of how you can harness the potential of this period of growth and change to come out centered and nourished as a family. We love being able to share stories like this full of grace through tough times.
Ep.6/ Reflections from the Third Trimester
We check in at 30 weeks of pregnancy! We love having the opportunity to talk through things with mics, it gives us the chance to go deeper into our own personal processes to bring out the gems of what is universal. We talk about how relationship balances need to shift in pregnancy, the joys of morning sickness, and what it looks like to deeply nourish your body to the best of your ability.
Ep.5/ Supporting Baby‘s First Breath
This week we are processing what we learned, and what we think is important for parents to know, about baby's first breath and neonatal resuscitation. While it may sound scary, we go into the physiological process baby's lungs go through immediately after birth, how that can be disrupted, and how midwives and parents can help support it.
Ep.4/ Journey through Conscious Conception and Pregnancy
We talk today with our dear friends Jerry and Ixchel about their journey so far into their first pregnancy. We discuss their beautiful process through conscious conception and their communication with their spirit baby, and how they have moved through all the lessons of this pregnancy so far. They bring a unique and wise perspective from their diverse background of spiritual studies.
Ep.3/ Surprise! (First Days of Pregnancy)
It's just Maible here today, recording all the thoughts and feelings of my moon being a few days late.... and being pregnant! I talk about pregnancy tests, my own story around conception (nothing graphic, don't worry), and what I've already learned from this unique time and this spirit.
I recorded this in the spring, so it may not be timely, but it felt relevant to share my journey.