Positive Home Births + Overcoming Anxiety | Ashley’s Birth Stories (PART 2)

Positive Home Births + Overcoming Anxiety | Ashley’s Birth Stories (PART 2)

Author: Emily Lau November 25, 2025 Duration: 1:29:38

This week, we are joined AGAIN by my friend Ashley, who is a mom to six kids! In this episode, we are wrapping up her story by walking through her last three birth experiences. Ashley shares how the precipitous, unmedicated delivery of her third baby (which we ended on last week) brought a lot of anxiety into the medicated delivery of her fourth. She also remarks on how different it felt going back to an epidural birth after having experienced an unmedicated birth. This ultimately influenced her to decide to have unmedicated home births with her fifth and sixth babies! It is amazing to hear how much more empowered and excited Ashley felt with her last two births in contrast with some of her other experiences. 

It is seriously special to see how all six of her experiences come together to create a beautiful journey through motherhood. Ashley’s stories are truly a reminder that every birth is unique and transformative!


Full episode transcript available at thelaborline.com/episodes


Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:03:15 - 4th Child: Unsolicited Membrane Sweep, Processing Anxiety, & Choosing an Epidural

00:29:25 - 5th Child: Mentally Preparing, Working with a Midwife, + Mostly Unassisted Home Birth

01:04:05 - 6th Child: Overcoming Doubt & 1-Push Home Birth

01:23:38 - To My Pre-Mom Self…




Hosted by Emily Lau, The Labor Line offers a space where the profound, messy, and surprisingly funny realities of bringing a child into the world are shared without polish. Emily, who has long been fascinated by birth stories, began this podcast as an expectant mother seeking genuine conversations beyond the textbooks. Each episode is built from candid talks with her community of mom friends, where they unpack everything from the first signs of labor to the unpredictable weeks that follow. You’ll hear the full spectrum of experiences-the anxiety of unexpected complications, the raw emotion of feeding challenges, the triumph of a swift delivery, and those bizarre, laugh-out-loud moments that happen only in a hospital room. This isn't a how-to guide but a collection of human voices reminding you that you're not alone on this journey. By focusing on personal narratives, the podcast connects listeners to the cultural and relational shifts that define parenthood, all through the lens of honest storytelling. Tune in for weekly episodes that normalize the complexities of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum life, offering both solidarity and a much-needed dose of humor.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 32

The Labor Line
Podcast Episodes
SURPRISE! I'm Pregnant!! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:01
You read that right! I’m having a baby!! Today, I give you all the deets from before we even knew we were pregnant to our recent struggle to find out the gender of our baby and everything in between! It is such a joy and…
Positive Labor + Exclusively Pumping | Valeria's Birth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:18
On the 10th episode of The Labor Line, I’m joined by my friend Valeria, who had only ever held one baby before she had her own! From finding the right circle of friends that helped her feel confident enough to become a m…
Unexpected Twins + Early Labor | Madeline’s Birth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:44
This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my friend Madeline, whose twin pregnancy was as surprising as it was thrilling! From working with a midwife at a birth center to mitigate fearmongering common with a twin pregna…
RhoGAM Shots + ICP Diagnosis | Lauren’s Birth Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:14
This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my lifelong friend Lauren, who had 3 unique birth experiences that all informed one another. From a positive introduction into motherhood with her first, to a mentally difficult…
Surrendering to Birth + Peaceful C-Section | Mariah’s Birth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:46
This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my friend Mariah, who brings her wisdom as an emotional processing yoga coach to the world of birth. From dreaming of a quiet, at-home birth to some late pregnancy hurdles that…
Successful IUI + Positive Pregnancy | Annika’s Birth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:56
This week, I’m joined by my friend from home, Annika, who is such a kind and resilient person.After wrestling with several chronic health issues in her early twenties, Annika shares her winding road to mom-hood, includin…
Empowering Birth + Comforting Community | Anahi's Birth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:12
This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my college friend, Anahi, who’s a true girl’s girl and all-around gem.She shares what it was like emotionally adjusting to pregnancy, how she and her husband tackled labor as a…
Big Babies + ZTTK Diagnosis | Becca's Birth Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:49
This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my sister-friend Becca, the kind of mom who brings light, laughter, and a roll-with-the-punches attitude to everything life (and birth) throws at her.She walks us through her 10…
Hospital Fiascos + Hip Dysplasia | Lindsy's Birth Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:46
This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my powerhouse of a mom-friend, Lindsy, who brings the kind of raw, beautiful honesty that this podcast is all about.After a smooth pregnancy, things took a wild turn: her OB com…