Pain Free Birth

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 that true emergencies can happen. 
Whether you're planning a home birth, hospital birth, birth center birth, or free birth, this episode will help you navigate conflicting messages and make informed decisions rooted in both faith and discernment.
Tune in to hear:
 Why I decided to speak publicly about free birth and birth emergencies 
 The growing divide within the birth community 
 What the natural birth movement gets right about physiology 
 What concerns me about some free birth teachings 
 How to distinguish between physiological birth and pathology 
 Why medical intervention is sometimes life-saving 
 The difference between overmedicalization and undermedicalization 
 Common red flags women should never ignore in labor 
 Why informed consent requires understanding both risks and benefits 
 The role intuition plays in preventing poor outcomes 
 How birth trauma can occur in any setting 
 Why needing help in labor is not a failure 
 What true radical responsibility looks like 
 Encouragement for mothers healing from birth disappointment and trauma 
 How to prepare for birth with both confidence and wisdom 
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/painfreebirth
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/painfreebirth/
Spotify Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/5zEiKMIHFewZeVdzfBSEMS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pain-free-birth/id1696179731
Website - https://painfreebirth.com/
Email List https://pain-free-birth.mykajabi.com/website-opt-in

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 fear-filled comments and pressure from others to learning how to radically surrender and trust the Lord, this episode is packed with wisdom, encouragement, and perspective-shifting conversations around birth, intuition, and motherhood.
You’ll hear how Christine protected her peace during those final weeks, the profound spiritual lessons God taught her through the waiting, and the miraculous moment she specifically prayed for a 3-push delivery… and got exactly that.
Tune in to hear:
 What it was like being 29 days overdue 
 Navigating fear and outside pressure during pregnancy 
 Trusting God when everyone around you is afraid 
 The emotional and spiritual surrender of motherhood 
 Why Christine intentionally kept her circle small 
 The difference between intuition vs fear in birth 
 How mindset changes the experience of labor 
 The surprising reality of her healthy placenta and baby at 44 weeks 
 Her fast, joy-filled 3-push home birth 
 Why “surrendering to God will never disappoint”
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/painfreebirth
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/painfreebirth/
Spotify Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/5zEiKMIHFewZeVdzfBSEMS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pain-free-birth/id1696179731
Website - https://painfreebirth.com/
Email List https://pain-free-birth.mykajabi.com/website-opt-in

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 to equal fear, trauma, or loss of control. Her story is deeply encouraging for moms preparing for VBACs, hospital births, or healing after previous traumatic birth experiences.
 
Tune in to hear:
 Connie’s traumatic first birth in a military hospital during COVID 
 The pressure and fear surrounding “geriatric pregnancy” 
 How induction led to a 36-hour labor and eventual C-section 
 The emotional impact of birth trauma and NICU separation 
 Why she chose to pursue a VBAC after her first experience 
 The importance of choosing the right birth team 
 How mindset shifts transformed her subsequent births 
 Navigating grief and pregnancy after losing her father 
 The connection between fear, tension, and pain during labor 
 How she prepared mentally and spiritually for birth 
 Creating a peaceful worship-filled hospital birth environment 
 What physiological pushing actually felt like 
 The incredible moment her body birthed her baby naturally 
 Why her doctor completely missed the birth 
 How she recovered immediately after birth without exhaustion 
 Encouragement for moms believing for a redemptive birth story
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/painfreebirth
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/painfreebirth/
Spotify Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/5zEiKMIHFewZeVdzfBSEMS
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pain-free-birth/id1696179731
Website - https://painfreebirth.com/
Email List https://pain-free-birth.mykajabi.com/website-opt-in

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, empowering reminder that birth is not something to fear and that our bodies were beautifully designed for this work.
Tune in to hear:
 Why Selina originally planned a hospital birth instead of a home birth 
 How hearing positive birth stories helped eliminate fear around birth 
 The moment she realized labor was progressing quickly 
 What it felt like to experience the fetal ejection reflex 
 Why she says the contractions were painful but the actual birth was painless 
 How she accidentally delivered her baby in the truck on the side of the highway 
 What it was like to catch her own posterior baby 
 The emotional moment she saw her baby’s face before his body was born 
 Why she felt complete peace immediately after birth 
 The prayers she says God answered throughout her labor and delivery 
 How unmedicated birth transformed her faith and confidence as a woman 
 Karen’s insights on surrender, physiological birth, and trusting the body
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERE
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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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 emotional, physical, and spiritual shifts women experience as they step into this role highlighting the surrender, identity shifts, and deep inner work that come with it.
 
In this episode, you’ll learn:
 Why motherhood is a sacred rite of passage, not just a life transition 
 The emotional and identity shifts that happen from maiden to mother 
 How surrender in birth mirrors surrender in motherhood 
 Why resisting the process creates more pain—and how to release control 
 The difference between masculine productivity and feminine presence 
 How cultural expectations can disconnect women from their intuition 
 Why feeling like you’ve “lost yourself” may actually be a rebirth 
 The power of embracing each season of motherhood without judgment 
 How to navigate doubt, overwhelm, and identity shifts with grace 
 A new perspective on what it means to be “doing enough” as a mother
Mothers Day Sale: Get $60 off the Pain Free Birth E-Course and get Birth Partner Bootcamp Free: https://resources.painfreebirth.com/pfb-ecourse-mothers-day-2026 
CONNECT WITH KAREN:
Submit your birth story and apply to come on the podcast
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Facebook
YouTube