Pain Free Birth

Episod

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  #112 | From Birth Trauma to Redemption: Preparing Your Heart and Body for Birth 28.07.2026 59min

  What if childbirth was not something you had to fear, endure, or simply survive? In this deeply personal and hope-filled conversation, Karen Welton joins Emily Smaczniak from the Beyond the Pain Podcast to explore the physiology, mindset, and heart preparation behind an empowered birth. Karen shares how her own journey from fear to mostly pain-free home births led her to become a doula, birth educator, and creator of the Pain-Free Birth course. Together, Karen and Emily discuss pregnanc...
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  #111 | An Unexpected Pain-Free Resort Birth at 42 Weeks 21.07.2026 43min

  What happens when your carefully planned home birth turns into an unassisted birth at a family resort? After five years of hoping for a baby, fertility treatments, surgery, and the removal of one fallopian tube, Jessica Richards and her husband were overjoyed to conceive naturally. They prepared for a peaceful home birth with a trusted midwife, but when Jessica reached 42 weeks pregnant, their baby still had not arrived. With her midwife’s approval, the couple decided to join their family for...
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  #110 | God Redeemed Her Unexpected Pregnancy and Gave Her a Pain-Free Home Birth 14.07.2026 56min

  What happens when an unexpected pregnancy disrupts the life you thought you had finally learned to accept? When Amanda discovered she was pregnant with her fifth baby, she did not feel the immediate excitement she had experienced with her previous pregnancies. Instead, she felt shocked, angry, disconnected, and ashamed of her own emotions. For months, she struggled privately while pretending everything was fine. Through prayer, counseling, humility, and surrender, Amanda experienced a powerfu...
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  #109 | Two Sets of Twins, Two Unmedicated Hospital Births, One Incredible Testimony 07.07.2026 1j 5min

  Have you ever wondered if a twin birth can truly be peaceful, unmedicated, and even pain free? In this powerful episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Destiny Randolph, a mom of six who has birthed two sets of twins naturally, unmedicated, and in the hospital. Destiny shares the incredible story of conceiving both sets of twins naturally, navigating the mental weight of a “high risk” label, and learning to trust her body, her intuition, her husband, her care team, and th...
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  #108 | The Hidden Harm Behind "Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby" 30.06.2026 46min

  Did you have a healthy baby, but still feel broken after birth? For decades, women have been told that if their baby is healthy, they should simply be grateful. But what happens when your body, your heart, and your spirit are still carrying the weight of a birth that left you feeling unheard, violated, disappointed, or ashamed? In this deeply personal episode, I unpack the hidden damage behind the phrase "healthy mom, healthy baby," why birth trauma is so often minimized, and how true healing...
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  #107 | She Faced a 40-Hour Induction and Still Loved Her Birth with Eliana Ghen 23.06.2026 1j 33min

  What if your birth doesn't go according to plan, but becomes even more transformative because of it? In today's episode, actress, filmmaker, and creator Eliana Ghen shares her incredible 42-week induction journey. After being pressured toward an early induction for a suspected IUGR diagnosis, Eliana learned to advocate for herself, trust her body, and ask better questions. That decision ultimately allowed her baby more time to grow and led her into one of the most transformative experiences o...
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  #106 | How Faith, Physiology, and Preparation Led to a Redemptive Birth 16.06.2026 1j 10min

  Can a traumatic birth experience be redeemed, even after years of fear, postpartum struggles, and disappointment? In this powerful episode, Karen sits down with Anna Kroese, a homeschooling mom who shares her journey through three radically different birth experiences. After an induction for suspected IUGR, a difficult breastfeeding journey, and a fast but overwhelming home birth that left her feeling disconnected, Anna wondered if birth would ever feel empowering. Seven years later, everythi...
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  #105 | Pain-Free VBAC After 5 C-Sections: A Testimony of Faith and Trust 09.06.2026 1j 26min

  What if the birth you've been praying for feels impossible according to everyone around you? After five cesarean births, Derika Brown was told over and over that a vaginal birth was out of the question. Doctors dismissed her questions, providers refused to support her, and fear surrounded every conversation about birth. But deep in her heart, she believed God was showing her a different path. In this powerful episode, Derika shares the remarkable story of her journey from five cesareans to a ...
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  #104 | Free Birth, Medical Emergencies, and the Truth No One Wants to Talk About 02.06.2026 54min

  Can you trust your body completely and still acknowledge that medical emergencies sometimes happen in birth? In this episode, Karen shares a perspective she's never publicly discussed before and diving into the recent conversations surrounding free birth, birth emergencies, and the growing divide between the natural birth community and the medical model of care. This conversation is not about fear. It's about wisdom. It's about holding confidence in the body's design while also recognizing th...
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  #103 | 29 Days Overdue & Fully Trusting God: The 3-Push Joy Filled Birth She Prayed For 26.05.2026 54min

  What would you do if you were 29 days overdue… and everyone around you was afraid? In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Christine Janicke, a mom of five, who shares her incredible story of carrying her fifth baby to 44 weeks + 1 day before experiencing a beautiful, natural home birth. Christine opens up about the intense mental, emotional, and spiritual journey of waiting far beyond what most providers (and most people) would consider “normal.” From navigating ...
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  #102 | After Birth Trauma & C-Section, She Had a Supernatural Hospital VBAC at 40 19.05.2026 1j

  Could you trust your body after a traumatic birth experience? In today’s episode, Karen sits down with Connie Johnson, a mom of four from Phoenix, Arizona, who shares her incredible journey from a traumatic military hospital birth and C-section to experiencing three redemptive VBACs—including a completely peaceful, supernatural hospital birth that ended with her baby being born before the doctor even made it into the room. This episode is a powerful reminder that hospital birth does not have ...
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  #101 | Planned Hospital Birth Turned Peaceful Free Birth in a Truck 12.05.2026 47min

  What started as a planned unmedicated hospital birth quickly turned into an unexpected free birth on the side of the highway. In this episode, Selina shares the incredible story of giving birth to her posterior baby in the front seat of a truck before ever making it to the hospital. From laboring alone in her bathroom to feeling her baby’s head in her own hand, this story is filled with faith, surrender, instinct, and the undeniable power of the female body. This episode is an emotional, empo...
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  #100 | From Maiden to Mother: A Special Mother’s Day Message from Karen 05.05.2026 38min

  What if motherhood isn’t something you’re losing yourself in… but something you’re being reborn through? We are celebrating 100 episodes of Pain Free Birth! In this episode, we are re-airing a powerful message from Karen on the transformation from maiden to mother and the sacred, often overlooked rite of passage that motherhood truly is. With Mother’s Day as the backdrop, this conversation honors both the beauty and the weight of motherhood. Karen speaks directly to the em...
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  #99 | When God Rewrites Your Birth Plan: A Miraculous Breech Hospital Birth 28.04.2026 47min

  What would you do if your dream birth plan completely fell apart… and still turned out better than you ever imagined? In this powerful episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Brie Kuikahi, who shares her incredible first birth story-a breech hospital birth during COVID that she describes as “better than I imagined” and “absolutely perfect.” After planning for a natural birth center experience, Brie’s baby remained breech, and due to state laws, no midwives were able to su...
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  #98 | How to Get Your Husband On Board with Home Birth & Prepare for Birth like a CEO 21.04.2026 1j 13min

  What if the most important factor in your birth experience isn’t where you give birth… but how safe you feel? In today’s episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with trauma healer and embodiment coach Monica Yates to unpack her powerful first-time home birth story and the mindset, preparation, and support that made it possible. From having a husband who was initially 100% against home birth… to witnessing a complete transformation after experiencing it firsthand, this co...
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  #97 | Home Birth vs Hospital Birth: What’s ACTUALLY Safer? 14.04.2026 58min

  Is home birth actually safe… or have we been asking the wrong question all along? In this nuanced episode, Karen dives into one of the most debated topics in the birth world: home birth vs hospital birth and what’s truly the safest option. Instead of taking sides, this episode breaks down the evidence, the misconceptions, and the emotional layers behind birth choices so you can make a decision that feels aligned, informed, and confident. You’ll learn why “safety” isn’t as black and white as w...
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  #96 | From Pushing Through to Feeling It All: A Marine Mom’s Pain-Free Birth Journey 07.04.2026 1j 8min

  What if birth didn’t have to be something you “push through”… but something you fully surrender to? In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Zatha Aiken, a former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Officer turned stay-at-home mom of three, who shares her incredible journey from control, compliance, and “pushing through” to complete surrender, trust, and experiencing a pain-free birth. After her first birth within the medical system and a second free birth, Zatha ...
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  #95 | Fear Free, Pain Free, and Joyful Twin Home Birth 31.03.2026 43min

  What would you do if doctors told you to abort one of your twins… with no medical reason? In this episode of the Pain-Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Victoria McGuckin, a mom of three who shares her incredible twin home birth story. After being labeled “high risk” and pressured into a highly medicalized birth plan, Victoria chose a different path rooted in faith, trust, and physiological birth. Her story is a powerful reminder that birth is not something happening to you. It’s someth...
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  #94 | 45-Minute, Pain Free, Unplanned Freebirth (after a 36 hour labor with her first) 24.03.2026 41min

  What if your second birth could be completely different from your first...even after a long, difficult hospital birth? In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen sits down with Sarah Tollison, a nurse and mom of two from South Carolina, who shares the incredible story of her 45-minute, pain-free birth. After experiencing a 36-hour hospital birth with her first baby, Sarah hoped her second birth would be different , but she never expected labor to progress so quickly. Sarah shares w...
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  #93 | You're Not Underprepared- You're Overstimulated: Why Your Nervous System is The Key to a Pain Free Birth 17.03.2026 42min

  Are you preparing for birth by gathering more information… but still feeling anxious and overwhelmed? In this episode of the Pain Free Birth Podcast, Karen dives into one of the most common mistakes first-time moms make when preparing for childbirth: focusing almost entirely on gathering information instead of regulating the nervous system. While education is valuable, Karen explains how consuming too much information (especially when it’s filtered through fear or anxiety) can actually dysreg...