ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What happens when your entire labor lasts just two hours?
In this first episode of BirthNotes, Morgann, a mom of five, shares the story of her second birth, the arrival of her daughter Dillan eight years ago, during a precipitous labor that moved faster than anyone expected. What began as a planned hospital birth quickly turned into an unexpected home birth, reminding us just how powerful and instinctual the birthing body can be.
As both Morgann’s doula and her grade-school best friend, this story is especially meaningful to me. Together we talk about what it means to trust your body when there isn’t time to overthink, how the fetal ejection reflex can take over, and why birth can sometimes look loud, primal, emotional, and completely different than what we imagine.
This episode is a reminder that birth doesn't have to look perfect to be powerful. Sometimes it looks like deep breathing, unexpected laughter, primal sounds, and complete surrender to the moment.
In this episode, we talk about:
• What a precipitous (fast) birth is
• Morgann’s unexpected home birth after planning a hospital delivery
• Trusting your body during intense labor
• The fetal ejection reflex
• Why it’s normal to be loud, primal, and fully in the experience
• The importance of having a flexible birth plan
Resources Morgann loved + tools mentioned in this episode:
• J Breathing technique – Morgann’s favorite breathing method for staying grounded during intense contractions
• Horse lips breathing – a simple lip flutter technique often used in labor to help release tension
• The Guided Mother’s Journal – a prompted journal to help you reflect on and document your motherhood journey
• Apply to be a BirthNotes guest – share your own birth story on a future episode
• BirthNotes reflections on Substack – deeper written reflections on the themes from each episode
Want the written reflection from this episode?
Instead of a traditional transcript, I share a written companion reflection for each episode on my Substack, where I explore the deeper themes from these birth stories and the emotional transformation that often follows birth.
Every birth changes a woman. Every story deserves to be heard.
