Pain Free Birth

We are so excited to welcome holistic health advocate and dentist, Dr. Michelle Jorgensen on the podcast today! Through her years of general and cosmetic dentistry, she never questioned anything ⎯ until Dr. Michelle was so sick she could hardly hold a dental instrument. Dr. Michelle experienced severe mercury poisoning that opened up an entirely different can of worms within the dental industry. Tune in to hear how Dr. Michelle found out about her toxicity, how it affected her fertility, what she incorporates in her dental practice today, and what you can do to save your oral health.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:How Dr. Michelle stopped practicing general dentistryMercury poisoning: How it affects dentists and patientsHow mercury affects fertility: Dr. Michelle's own fertility strugglesDifference between holistic, functional, biological, and biomimetic dentistsWhat's the right decision: Root canal versus tooth extractionThe problem with fluoride: The three big strikes on the bodyHidden infection: Why root canals may not be the best optionSpecifically how pregnancy contributes to oral healthHow the mouth is a dashboard for the body: Warning lights in the mouthMORE ABOUT DR. MICHELLE:Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, DDS, , TNC, CNAS, is a renowned holistic dentist, author of five books, and a holistic health advocate. Her transformative journey began when mercury exposure from traditional dentistry made her seriously ill. She evolved into a Board-Certified Naturopath and Therapeutic Nutritional Counselor, seamlessly integrating medicine and dentistry.For a decade, Dr. Jorgensen has been a pioneer in Functional Integrative dentistry through her Total Care Dental and Wellness Way, attracting patients from all corners of the globe. Beyond her dental practice, she's the founder of Living Well with Dr. Michelle, teaching essential life skills, with a charitable arm, the Living Well Today Foundation, supporting those in need. A busy mother of four, she is passionate about teaching and helping others and is a sought- after podcast guest, known for her knack in simplifying crucial topics and providing practical, real-world solutions for listeners.InstagramFacebookWebsiteLiving Well Shop 💵 Save 10% on all Living Well products with code: PAINFREEBIRTHRESOURCES MENTIONED:Dr. Michelle's Dentist DirectoryIAOMT.orgIABDM.orgToothpillow

Jill is a joyful warrior as a mom of 8 beautiful babies including newborn twins who just successfully had her first home birth. Yes, Jill had six traditional births with a regular OB team in the hospital before her OB unfortunately passed away and she had to look elsewhere for the upcoming birth of her twins, Ruth and Samuel. She felt God calling her to have a home birth, but her husband Joe wasn't initially supportive. After a lot of prayer and giving it to the Lord, Jill & Joe had a beautiful home birth with the support of her birthing team! She had Ruth at 7 pounds 2 ounces and Samuel at 7 pounds 15 ounces! Despite Samuel being breech, Jill's team had the expertise to handle things with ease and keep a peaceful environment for the birthing mama. Join us today as Jill shares more about her magical experience giving birth at home to twins.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:The feeling Jill couldn't shake that led to her having her 7th birth, but 1st home birthDrowning out the noise to have a birth Jill dreamed ofHome-birth hesitant husbands turned to the most supportive teammate during birthMeasuring 52 weeks at 37 weeks pregnantSwitching OB's at 34 weeks pregnantIn denial about being in active labor even after Jill's water brokeThe feeling of finding out Baby B is breech seconds before deliveryTwo thick, healthy, and pulsating umbilical cordsAnterior placenta semi-fused together for one big, healthy placentaMORE ABOUT JILL:Wife to Joe Reitz (former NFL player) Momma of 8 including newborn twins, oldest almost 13, 11, 9, 7, 5 and 3. Former collegiate Division 1 runner. Faithful Catholic. Resides in North suburb of Indianapolis. Huge lover and encourager of natural, physiological birth and all things motherhood, wifehood and family life!Follow Jill on InstagramRESOURCES MENTIONED:Pain Free Birth Course

Today we are joined by Emily Gardner, a first-time mom, who actually didn't want children prior to getting married due to the painful and traumatic experiences she'd heard of. Now, she is a happy mama of an 8-week old baby boy named Finnigan. She tells us all about how she found Karen on Instagram, how she adopted her determined pain-free-birth mindset, and what her labor experience was like inside a traditional hospital. No spoilers, but her labor & delivery came with a few surprises that resulted in a longer labor, yet still absolutely pain free. Emily said, "the IV line was probably the most painful part of the whole experience."EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:Emily's pure determination & dedication to have a pain free birthCompletely shutting away any negativity around pregnancy, labor, and birthDiving deep into Emily's spirituality helped ease her mind: "God has me. I am safe."Taking on random home improvement projects right before laborEmily's water broke without any contractions so they made their way to the hospitalHospital honoring Emily's wishes of having an unmedicated birth and assigning her a midwife as her OB was out of townBack laboring for quite a while and actively pushing for three hoursDifferent positions & getting in the water to speed up laborBirthing a posterior baby with a compound arm presentationMORE ABOUT EMILY:Emily is a first-time mom (besides her two adorable fur babies) who lives in a small town in New York with her husband, Samuel, who doubles as her business partner. She attended University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and graduated with a degree in Biology/Pre-Medicine. Dr. Emily then made the long trip to Iowa and received her chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic. She was able to study under amazing sports doctors and learn a lot of therapies that she implements at her clinic back home in New York! Emily is full of gratitude to be finding her way in her new role as mom.Follow Emily on InstagramEmily's Chiropractic Clinic WebsiteRESOURCES MENTIONED:Pain Free Birth CourseBirth Partner Bootcamp

If you have been on the fence about having an unmedicated birth, especially if you've had medicated births in the past, this story is going to be so inspiring to you. Whether you're currently planning a hospital birth or you simply want to hear an encouraging birth story Jilda is here to share her transformational story with us. After having two medicated hospital births that left her traumatized with epidurals gone wrong, she decided that her third birth was going to be unmedicated in the hospital. In most parts of the United States, that is unheard of! Tune in as Jilda shares her she determined her birth plan, if the hospital staff honored her plan, and the peaceful environment she was blessed to give birth in.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:Jilda's experience of medicated versus unmedicated birthsUncovering the misconception of how complicated inductions can beAn induction, three failed epidurals & NICU stay with her first babyAn elective induction & failed epidural with her second babyCreating a solid birth plan & switching birth teams for her third birthHow to advocate for yourself in the hospitalAffirmations & support for other moms desiring a natural birthMORE ABOUT JILDA:Jilda is a proud mother of three hailing from New Jersey. Her journey is all about empowering women, especially postpartum moms, through fitness. With years of dedication as a fitness instructor, Jilda's had the honor of transforming lives through group exercise, advocating for self-care and holistic health. Currently pursuing her doula license, her passion for nutrition during and after pregnancy drives her forward. Amidst the ebb and flow of motherhood, Jilda's resilience has soared while exercising her body and spirit through every one of her pregnancies. With her heart ablaze, she seeks to be a guiding light of support and positive change in every life she encounters.Follow Jilda on Instagram: @jacked.withjilRESOURCES MENTIONED:Pain Free Birth Course

Trisha, an amazing woman who has extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise with being a nurse midwife and IBCLC joins Karen on the podcast today! After virtually meeting on the Down To Birth podcast that Trisha co-hosts, Karen was eager to dive deeper into the conversation around breastfeeding and problems that can arise with each dyad. Trisha shares her unintentional, unattended birth as well as dives into the specifics of the difference between IBCLC's and LC's, her education & experience, as well as a lot of the problems and easy fixes that can be made to solve current problems like painful latches, low-milk supply, and even postpartum anxiety and depression! Join us as we uncover all these dyad hot takes! EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:Trisha birthing and unintentionally catching her third baby ALONE because it happened so fast and unattendedHow birth can affect how a baby breastfeedsBaby's natural instincts to latch & breast crawlingThe most common problems with breastfeeding dyadsThe most common interferences with breastfeedingTrisha's number one tip for supporting breastfeeding mothers MORE ABOUT TRISHA:Trisha Ludwig is a Yale educated Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She has experience as a homebirth midwife, is a holistic women’s gynecologic health practitioner, and has fifteen plus years working as an IBCLC (and works privately providing both in-person and virtual appointments anywhere in the world). She is also a podcaster and the co-host of the globally known birth podcast Down to Birth Show. She is a mother of three children all birthed at home.Follow Trisha on Instagram: @trishaoludwigFollow Down To Birth on Instagram: @downtobirthshow RESOURCES MENTIONED:Pain Free Birth Course: https://painfreebirth.com/pain-free-birth/ Down To Birth Podcast Episode 208: Achieving A Pain Free Birth with Karen Welton: https://www.downtobirthshow.com/208-achieving-a-pain-free-birth-with-karen-welton-painfreebirth/

This episode is a real treat! Today, Karen is joined by both husband and wife, Harif & Jennifer Hazera. This beautiful couple ran into Karen at a Tony Robbins event where they were able to share their beautiful home birth story and thank Karen for all her help. Jennifer was a graduate of the Pain Free Birth Course and it didn't come very naturally ⏤ no pun intended. After experiencing a horribly traumatic birth with their first son in the hospital, Harif and Jennifer eventually came to the decision to have their second son in the comfort of their own home. Once a thought that Jennifer scoffed at turned into the most redemptive, God-ordained moment ever. Tune in to this episode to hear the stark difference between their two birth experiences and how fathers are dismissed throughout and left with trauma after the birth experience. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:The unnecessary epidural, pitocin, and all the interventions at the hospital for the birth of their first son despite progressing very well & naturallyA father's take on birth & feeling dismissed throughout the whole processFather's dismissing the trauma they carried through labor, birth, and the postpartum journeyDreaming up their ideal birth & living it out in the comfort of their home for the birth of their second son MORE ABOUT THE HAZERA'S:Harif and Jennifer are happily married and work together as entrepreneurs in the real estate space. Once they got pregnant with their first baby, they didn't question giving birth in a hospital, that is until there were too many disturbances and interventions that ruined the sacred experience they thought they were going to have by bringing their first son Leo into the world. Fast forward to getting pregnant with their second son, Max, they knew that it could be better. After getting three obvious signs from God to explore a home birth, Jennifer finally gave in. Little did they know, God would end up offering the most redemptive experience to them by giving birth inside their home in the way they dreamed of. Harif and Jennifer are just like you, they weren't professionals in home birth knowledge but after graduating from the Pain Free Birth Course, they gained the knowledge and empowerment needed to have the most beautiful, sacred, and pain free birth at home.Follow Jennifer on Instagram: @j_hazera RESOURCES MENTIONED:Pain Free Birth Course: https://painfreebirth.com/pain-free-birth/ Healing Birth Trauma Course: https://painfreebirth.com/healing-birth-trauma/Birth Partner Bootcamp: https://painfreebirth.com/birth-partner-bootcamp/

In this episode, Karen is joined by Amanda Johnson, a mama of 4 beautiful babies. Despite all odds and one baby even being breeched up until delivery, Amanda had a successful home birth with her twins for her most recent pregnancy. Today we’ll get into all the nitty gritty of Amanda’s experience with hospital versus home births, how her pregnancies varied, and how her most recent pregnancy was a massive surprise up until the very last minute of delivery! After Amanda’s first labor and delivery experience that was less than ideal in the hospital, she knew she didn’t want to experience that again. With her second child, she successfully gave birth at home and knew she would repeat the experience when she fell pregnant the third time… little did she know, this home birth experience would be quite rare and one to remember! EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:Amanda found out she was having twins at 32 weeks and decided to have a home birth, despite concerns from family and the traditional health systemGoing into labor at 40 weeks 3 days with an intense but smooth 2-hour labor, delivering both twins vaginally at homeHer faith and trust in God's plan helped her through the physical and financial challenges of a twin pregnancy and homebirthA home birth with twins is possible with the right support team MORE ABOUT AMANDA JOHNSON:I’m a SAHM to 4 babes ages five and under. We are a military fam currently stationed in Monterey CA! My first birth was an induction and after that whole experience, I knew it could be better. My induction was not traumatic as I truly believe I was on the brink of labor (11 days past my guess date) but the whole process from start to end felt very unnatural. When I got pregnant with my 2nd I knew I was going to have a homebirth, this was October of 2019. Luckily my midwife (Lindsey Meehleis) and I were totally aligned and she shut her office down for maybe a month during Covid. It was crazy, my husband was overseas and I thought I was going to have to deliver without him. I had my 2nd at home at the height of Covid in June 2020 and had a totally different experience than my hospital birth in the best way. When I got pregnant in 2021, I of course opted for home birth again. I didn’t find out until 32 weeks that I was having twins and I truly wasn’t surprised - the pregnancy felt totally different! I carried them to 40w3d and had a beautiful labor and delivery under 2 hours!!!Follow her on Instagram: @therealamandajohnsonCheck out her website: https://www.therealamandajohnson.com/ RESOURCES MENTIONED:Karen's Pain Free Birth Course: https://painfreebirth.com/pain-free-birth/

In this episode, Karen is joined by Dr. CeCe Brooks, a highly respected Functional Medicine Family Nurse Practitioner with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice. With preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum, there are so many myths spread or things missed by traditional medicine that will be busted today. Get ready to dive into the world of progesterone well into pregnancy, not relying on antibiotics during birth, and even vaginal steaming as part of postpartum care. Dr. CeCe explains how functional medicine can offer natural and effective health solutions whether you're planning to conceive, currently pregnant, or navigating the postpartum period.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:How to use functional medicine principles to prevent preeclampsia and naturally manage GBS so you don't have to erase the healthy bacteria for your baby in the vaginal canalThe importance of progesterone during pregnancy (even into the third trimester) and how to maintain its levelsPractical advice on nourishing your body to ensure both maternal and fetal health ⏤ Like the controversial yet beneficial practice of consuming beef liver during pregnancyInteresting insight into the growing issue of oral health ties in babies and how it will affect your breastfeeding journeyNatural remedies for common postpartum challenges, including navigating mastitis, even if you have the fever & chillsRESOURCES MENTIONED:Dr. CeCe's eBooks & guides including the 30-page comprehensive guide on must-have pregnancy and postpartum supplements, safe and effective pregnancy and postpartum healing modalities, & labor and postpartum nourishment! See all of Dr. CeCe's resources here: https://thediscoverydoc.com/resourcesPostpartum Bliss ⏤ Karen's guide to fall in love with the postpartum period: https://painfreebirth.com/postpartum-bliss/ CONNECT WITH DR. CECE:The Discovery Doc® was born after struggling with her own medical issues and a misdiagnosis that took years to correct. Now, by using holistic, integrative, and preventative medicine as a foundation, Dr. CeCe teaches parents how to make educated, informed decisions on behalf of their child’s health and wellbeing. By implementing fun + simple life changes, you can greatly reduce everyday toxic loads that parents may not even be aware of.Website: https://thediscoverydoc.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediscoverydoc/

In this episode…Rylee Portela, a resilient mom of three boys, shares with Karen how mental fortitude, lots of prayer, trusting in the Lord, and a supportive birth team – including hiring a doula – can make or break your birth experience. From having a cesarean with her first (simply due to a “big baby”), to a medicated VBAC during the challenging times of COVID shutdowns with her second (an even bigger baby!), and finally experiencing a nearly pain-free, physiological birth in the hospital with her third, Rylee’s journey is filled with hope and encouragement for any mom who is worried about vaginally birthing “big babies” or is simply dreaming of a redemptive birth experience like hers. Tune in and let Rylee’s inspiring story uplift your spirit and instill new confidence in your innate ability to birth!Check out Karen’s famous “Big Baby” IG story highlight here!Check out Rylee’s Third Birth Story featured on PFB’s IG here. Connect with Karen: @painfreebirthfacebook.com/painfreebirthyoutube.com/@painfreebirthwithkarenweltonSign up for the new highly anticipated Unlocking a Pain Free Birth Masterclass HERE (releasing SOON)!Thanks for listening! Get 10% off the Pain Free Birth E-Course HERE! Connect with Rylee on IG and Facebook:@mrs.newtelaRylee Portela

In this episode…Erin Wilkins, mother of five, registered nurse, and online educator who embraces a holistic lifestyle, opens up with Karen about how childbirth has dramatically shaped her views on motherhood and the incomparable power of birth. She talks about the significant lessons learned through each of her birth experiences, emphasizing the importance of mindset, the role of discomfort in personal growth, and the transformative power of surrendering to the process while focusing on the benefits of homebirth and the support of her incredible midwives. Erin’s invaluable insight into how her hardest birth experience was actually her best is truly profound, and her heartfelt advice for new mothers encourages women to actively shape their birth experiences to reflect their innermost values and desires because it directly impacts the journey into motherhood. Connect with Karen: @painfreebirthfacebook.com/painfreebirthyoutube.com/@painfreebirthwithkarenweltonStay in the loop with Pain Free Birth and become a PFB Insider HERE!Thanks for listening! Get 10% off the Pain Free Birth E-Course HERE!Connect with Erin:@essentiallyerin__The Essentially Erin Podcastwww.essentiallyerin.com