As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I want to take a moment to honor the incredible strength, resilience, and intuition that women have carried for generations through the process of birthing.

One of the most transformative experiences of my womanhood was my unmedicated natural home birth—a choice that deepened my appreciation for the power of the female body. I'll be answering some questions about why I chose this path, what I learned, and how you can prepare if you’re considering the same.

Here's me blissed out after 25 hours of labor. Laboring unmedicated without epidural or pitocin for induced labor was the most intense yet incredible experience I've ever had.

Q: Why did you choose a home birth instead of a hospital birth?

For me, choosing a home birth was about trusting my body and wanting a birth experience that felt aligned with my values. I loved the idea of being in a familiar, peaceful space, free from unnecessary interventions, and surrounded by the comfort of my partner and home. The more I researched, the more I realized how birth can be an intuitive and natural process—one that our bodies are designed for. I wanted to fully embrace that, without the pressure of hospital protocols or the possibility of interventions I didn’t feel were necessary.

Q: What was the most empowering part of your home birth?

The most empowering part was realizing just how capable and strong my body is. Labor was intense, but I never felt out of control. I trusted the waves of contractions, and instead of fearing them, I worked with them. Saying yes to them. Disassociating myself with the physical pain (practicing meditation, breath, and yoga nidra helped). Allowing my body to ride each of the contractions like oceanic waves. Having a supportive birth team — my midwife team, our birth photographer, and my husband — helped me stay grounded, at-peace, and focused.

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges?

My biggest challenge was not being as prepared as I would've liked. Baby came 3 weeks early. Literally the night I started having my first contractions [Monday morning at ~1:14 am after my water broke at ~12:34am], we had picked up our birth tub rental just a few hours earlier. I was still in the process of gathering and checking off items on my birth kit and list, and I had yet to create and share my game plan for me being out on 'maternity leave' (I ended up not having one lol...). I started laboring on Sunday night, I spent all of Monday laboring, and baby came at Tuesday morning at 2:04 am (making it a total of 25 hours in labor since my water started leaking and got my first contraction!) Moral of the story: prep ahead of time next time lol. 

There’s a lot of fear around birth, especially in this modern day and age where birth is seen as a 'medical emergency.' I had to unlearn so much of what is taught to us in this modern world rather than seeing birth from a natural standpoint of something our ancestors had been doing for hundreds and thousands of years. Leaning into my intuition, the uncertainty, and having an unshakeable faith with our Creator. During the most intense parts of my labor -- the rest of the world disappeared. It was just me, my baby, and My Creator (God, The Universe, The Almighty, etc.)

Did it hurt? Yes, it did. But when I disassociated the negative thought attached to the contraction, it helped transform my experience immensely. Deep breathing, vocalizing, intuitive movement, and surrendering to the process also helped.

Plus some things that helped get me through was our hand-held massage gun, my pregnancy pillow, as well as my Rose Quartz Facial Roller, Chillmode Roll-on Remedy, and Rose Quartz Gua Sha.

Q: What helped you the most in preparing for your home birth?

• Education & Research – Learning about different home birth stories, and taking the Mama Natural Birth Course helped deeply - she also has tons of free resources on her website btw!

• Mindset, Breathwork, & Meditation – Practicing breathwork and meditation, along with prenatal yoga and yoga nidra classes helped me stay calm during contractions. Affirmations tailored to pregnancy and birth also helped.

• A Supportive Birth Team – My midwife team was crucial in helping me feel confident and prepared. I interviewed a few around town (in Las Vegas), but Sweet Beginnings Midwifery is who I went with! 

• Movement & Positioning – Yoga postures and deep squats helped prepare my body for labor and birth. A lot of what I was doing felt intuitive. But during my labor, positions that helped me were: table top, puppy pose, child's pose, and malasana.

• Creating a Peaceful Birth Space – I wanted dim lighting, calming music, candles, affirmations, and flowers in the bath water to create a relaxing atmosphere. My husband was able to take care of everything while I was in labor. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone considering a home birth?

1. Research and decide if it's a fit – Learn about home birth, hospital protocols, and what aligns with your values! There's no right and wrong way to birth. Every person has their own preferences and comfort levels. It's such a magical thing in itself, so do what empowers you.

2. Find a supportive birth team – A good midwife and doula can make all the difference. Remember, your partner is a part of your birth team too! Make sure to have many conversations with your partner and ensure that you are all aligned with what your birth plan is, and what your expectations are during your birth.

3. Prepare mentally and physically – Work on your breathing, controlling your breath and keeping them long, deep, and slow; pain management to embrace and ride the contractions, and relaxation techniques by intentionally relaxing your body, unclenching your jaw, and relaxing your shoulders so your whole body can experience releasing tension.

4. Trust your body – Birth is a natural process, we were made to do this and your body was designed for this! Feel into your body and trust your body that it knows exactly what it needs to do.

5. Stay open-minded – Every birth is unique. Be prepared but also flexible and do what's safe for you and your baby. 

Q: How has this experience changed your perspective on womanhood?

This experience has given me an even deeper respect for women—for our resilience, our ability to create and birth life, and our intuition. It has also reminded me that birth isn’t just about bringing a baby into the world—it’s about bringing a mother into the world too. I now understand why birth is such a sacred experience, one that deserves to be honored and supported in whatever way feels right for each individual woman.

For now, I’d love to hear from you—what are your thoughts on home birth? Have you had a similar experience, or are you considering it? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments. 💛✨

Photos taken by Lisa Weingardt @littleloophotography