Ep 340: Freebirth Story: What Changed Between Her First Birth and Her Third

Ep 340: Freebirth Story: What Changed Between Her First Birth and Her Third

Author: Katelyn Fusco August 24, 2026 Duration: 1:00:33
What if you could do all of it right– read every book, listen to every episode, interview the midwife, make the plan… and still walk into your birth completely unprepared?   Emily Swann is a wife to John, a mama of three, and the woman behind For the Love of Breastfeeding, where she teaches a bodywork course for babies and toddlers and runs a six-month program for mothers called Guided and Grounded. She's a nurse, an IBCLC, and holds a master's degree in public health and nutrition. She also binge listened to every episode of this podcast before her first baby was born.   In this episode, Emily shares three births that look nothing alike. Her first: a planned homebirth that became four days of labor, a house full of onlookers, and a transfer to the hospital. Her second: a baby born at 35 weeks after eleven days of an unexplained 105 degree fever, followed by the NICU and a readmission– and a mother who protected breastfeeding through all of it. Her third: a baby born at home, unassisted and en caul, on the evening she cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner in labor.   We talk about the difference between being informed and being formed, about drama versus transformation, about where a woman's authority goes when she hands it off, and about why the magnifying glass in the lactation world is pointed at babies instead of mothers.   Bonus episode this week: Katelyn's solo episode, Why More Research Isn't Making You Feel Ready, releases Wednesday 8/26 and picks up exactly where Emily's first birth leaves off.   Links: FREE Peaceful Birth Reset: https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/birthreset Whole Mother Homebirth | https://www.myhappyhomebirth.com/wholemotherhomebirth (use code PODCAST for 10% off) Youtube Episode Link: https://youtu.be/9QcQb_Sg7Qc?si=bp9JQG4yJPGeqey0 Learn more about Samaritan Ministries: https://samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth Bonus solo episode (releases 8/26): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-341-why-more-research-isnt-making-you-feel-ready/id1446934537?i=1000785946382 Emily's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theloveofbreastfeeding For the Love of Breastfeeding: https://www.theloveofbreastfeeding.com/      

Hosted by Katelyn Fusco, Happy Homebirth creates a genuine space for conversations that go far beyond the simple how-to of having a baby at home. This podcast centers on the real, unfiltered narratives of people who have experienced natural childbirth, primarily in their own homes. You’ll hear directly from mothers as they recount the intensity, joy, and transformative power of their journeys, alongside the perspectives of midwives and other care providers who support them. While the tone is often uplifting and engaging, these discussions don’t shy away from the raw and challenging moments, offering a fully rounded picture of what homebirth can entail. It’s about building a supportive community through shared stories, where education and encouragement are woven into every episode. Tuning in means connecting with a resource that honors the entire spectrum of motherhood, from pregnancy and birth to parenting and personal health, all while exploring the intersections of family life and personal well-being. For anyone curious, planning, or simply seeking honest dialogue about this profound life experience, this podcast serves as a valuable and comforting companion.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Happy Homebirth
Podcast Episodes
Ep 332: 42 Weeks and Learning to Wait [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:17
Have you ever looked back on a past birth experience and realized…“Wow, I didn’t actually know how powerful my body was”? This week, we're speaking with Melissa Gurd, wife to her husband Jason and mother of six children…
Ep 331: From Cesarean Grief to a Healing Homebirth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:41
What happens when the birth you prayed for…doesn’t happen? And how do you move forward when the thing you prepared for so carefullyends in grief, disappointment, and questions you never expected to ask? This week, we're…
Ep 330: Why This Labor Nurse Chose Homebirth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:25
What happens when the person working inside the hospital system…still chooses homebirth for herself? And… what does it look like when years of witnessing birth—the beauty of it, the interventions, the emergencies, the ph…
Ep 329: This Story Does Not Belong to Fear: Lydia's Homebirth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:33
Can hope return after something painful changes the way you experience motherhood? This week, we're speaking with Lydia Ashford, a flower farmer, worship leader, wife, and mother of two daughters born at home on the Nort…
Ep 328: One Contraction at a Time: Faith's 47 Hour Homebirth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:58
Have you ever reached the point in labor—or honestly, in life—where you truly didn’t think you could keep going? This week, we're speaking with Faith Robinson, a stay-at-home mom from Kansas City, wife to her husband of…
Ep 327: Rebuilding a Family Legacy Through Birth and Parenthood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:30
What does it look like to re-build a family legacy? And how do birth, motherhood, healing, and even hardship become part of that restoration? Gabrielle Manier is a wife, homeschool mother of four, homemaker, gardener, an…
Ep 326: Trusting God with Her Baby's Life: Sarah's Micro Preemie Birth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:14
We all know that life is unpredictable in many ways, but when you’re experiencing extreme unpredictability in the midst of your pregnancy, how do you imagine you’d feel? Would ‘peaceful’ be the first word that comes to m…
Ep 325: From Infertility to Birth in her Own Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:03
Coincidences– How many of them can you experience before you stop thinking they’re coincidences and start realizing that they are a beautiful divine gift? This week, we're speaking with Kaylee, a mother of 3 living in At…
Ep 324: From Monitoring to Trusting: A Nurse’s Birth Transformation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:41
What happens when you know too much about birth… and you’re experiencing pregnancy and birth for yourself? This week's episode, I’m joined by Emily—a labor and delivery nurse who found herself navigating pregnancy and bi…
Ep 323: How One Mother Reclaimed Trust in Birth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:38
What happens when your first experience of birth leaves you shaken… and the providers you’re supposed to trust tell you not to try again? Where do you go from there? Sarah Marie is the owner of Entering Motherhood, a wif…