The Birth Lounge Podcast

Are you actually allowed to say no in the birth room? Kristine Lauria has spent her career helping women understand that birth is not something that should require permission.

HeHe sits down with Kristine, an internationally recognized midwife, educator, author and birth advocate known for her expertise in physiological breech birth, to talk about informed consent, autonomy, and what happens when the birth you planned runs into the rules and routines of the system. They unpack why women can feel like they have to ask permission to eat, move, labor in a certain position, or make decisions about their own care, and how to build a birth team that actually supports your goals.

The conversation goes deeper into the medicalization of birth, the loss of clinical skills like physiological breech and vaginal twin birth, and why Kristine believes birth should be understood as a normal physiological process that sometimes needs medical support. She and HeHe also talk about freebirth, choosing a provider and birth setting based on your own goals rather than fear, and what makes New Zealand's collaborative model of midwives and physicians so different.

In this episode:

• What does “Allowed to Birth” actually mean?
• Why do so many women feel like they need permission in the birth room?
• What informed consent and true autonomy can look like in practice
• How hospital policies can conflict with a patient's wishes
• What a “bait and switch” can look like when the birth plan meets the reality of labor
• Why skills like breech birth and vaginal twin birth are becoming increasingly rare
• What happens to your options when providers aren't trained in different types of birth
• Freebirth, autonomy and making decisions without fear
• How to choose a birth team and setting that actually align with your goals
• Why Kristine points to New Zealand as an example of collaborative maternity care
• The difference between supporting normal birth and being prepared when medical intervention is actually needed

If you want the actual words to use when you're advocating for yourself in the birth room, grab Scripts for Advocacy here: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/Scripts-for-Advocacy

If this episode helped you, rate and review the show. It's one of the best ways to help other parents find the podcast.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Birth Beyond Medicine

00:56 The New Baby Sleep Guide

06:06 Why This Episode, Informed Consent

11:02 Meet Kristine And The Documentary

17:56 What Allowed To Birth Really Means

34:48 A Freebirth Reality Check

37:14 Autonomy Without Fear

40:15 Choosing The Right Birth Team

43:30 Hospital Policies And Real Consent

53:12 Fixing Birth Culture Worldwide

58:24 Patriarchy And Provider Ego

01:03:27 Birth, Power, And Gratitude

01:04:11 How To Watch The Film

01:05:58 Trusting Your Intuition In Birth

01:07:28 Final Links And Wrap-Up

 

GUEST BIO

Kristine Lauria is an internationally recognized midwife, educator, author, and birth advocate. Renowned for her expertise in physiological breech birth, she has dedicated her career to preserving and teaching clinical skills that support safe, individualized care for mothers and babies. A sought-after international speaker and educator, Kristine has trained midwives and physicians around the world, helping to revitalize knowledge and hands-on skills that are increasingly rare in modern maternity care. She is featured in the award-winning documentary Allowed to Birth, The Journey of a Global Midwife, which explores informed choice, the sacred nature of birth, and the preservation of the art of midwifery.

 

CONNECT

HeHe on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tranquilitybyhehe/

Kristine's website: https://www.allowedtobirth.com/

Kristine's website: https://www.kristinelauria.com/

Kristine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmidwife64/

Allowed to Birth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allowedtobirth/

 

KEEP LEARNING WITH HEHE

Baby hit four months and sleep went sideways? HeHe's Baby Sleep Solutions Guide covers exactly that, grab it here: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/babysleep

 

LINKS MENTIONED

Scripts for Advocacy: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/Scripts-for-Advocacy

Baby Sleep Solutions Guide: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/babysleep

Kristine's website: https://www.allowedtobirth.com/

Kristine's website: https://www.kristinelauria.com/

Kristine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalmidwife64/

Allowed to Birth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allowedtobirth/


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