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05. From Birth Trauma to an Unplanned Home Birth: Chanie's Redemptive Birth Story

Season #1

A birth trauma healing story, an unplanned home birth, and a masterclass in evidence-based birth prep - this episode has it all.

In this episode, I sit down with Chanie, a Brain Body Birth student, who takes us through her journey from two traumatic hospital births to a completely different third birth experience.

Her first two births left her afraid of labor: her water broke both times, she was induced, and with her second baby she was vacuum-assisted with no explanation from her medical team, not during, and not afterward. Going into her third pregnancy, on top of five months of severe nausea and IV fluids, that fear of a repeat traumatic birth followed her everywhere.

We talk about how hypnosis and affirmations helped her sleep through the night for the first time in months, how becoming an evidence-based, educated patient changed the way she approached her prenatal care, and her decision to pause a scheduled induction after doing her own research into whether it was medically necessary. Chanie also walks us through the fast-moving, adrenaline-filled story of her labor, laboring at home on a birth ball and on the toilet, not realizing how far along she actually was, and the unplanned, unassisted home birth that followed with Hatzalah, a local volunteer EMS service, arriving just in time to help deliver her baby.

This conversation is about healing from birth trauma, learning to trust your body, and what becomes possible when fear is replaced with real information and self-advocacy.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@gentlebeginningsofficial

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

  • Healing from past birth trauma and navigating a high-nausea pregnancy with fear of a repeat experience.
  • Using hypnosis, affirmations, and evidence-based birth education to advocate for herself and pause a scheduled induction.
  • A fast, unplanned home birth, and what it taught her about trusting her body's ability to give birth.

CONNECT WITH TOBY:

Need support? Here are a few resources:

About Toby: Toby Deutsch created Gentle Beginnings because she saw how many expectant mothers were entering birth feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and unsure of what to expect. In a world filled with conflicting advice and fear-based stories, it can be difficult to know what to trust or how to prepare in a way that truly supports both mother and baby. Through her work, Toby focuses on something that is often overlooked in traditional childbirth preparation: the powerful connection between the mind, the nervous system, and birth outcomes.