The Birth Lounge Podcast

Birth changes you. The real question is whether you come out the other side feeling strong, supported, and like your voice actually mattered, or like it never did.

 

In this episode HeHe sits down with Jacinta Lagos, Argentinian-born filmmaker, birth photographer, and director of the documentary Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife, right after attending the film's premiere. Jacinta built the film after years of watching obstetric violence, disrespectful care, and hospital policy get put ahead of the person actually giving birth, and she wanted to do something bigger about it than another social post.

 

Knowing what's possible in your birth is one thing, actually practicing it before you're in the room is another. That's exactly what the Labor Live Challenge is built for, a three day live birth simulation you can do every single month: https://joinlaborlive.com/

 

Jacinta and HeHe get into the real story behind the documentary, from how midwife Kristine Lauria became the center of the film (including the triplet home birth that changed the entire shape of the project) to why Jacinta deliberately chose a cast with no political overlap, because birth doesn't have a side. They talk about the unexpected reactions she's gotten on the road, including a nurse-midwife who told her she felt threatened by the film, and what that reaction actually revealed. And they're both clear about one thing: this isn't an anti-hospital or pro-home-birth film. It's a film about informed choice.

 

In this episode:

• Why birth is a pivotal life transition, and why feeling safe, supported, and autonomous matters long after your baby arrives
• The Labor Live Challenge and why practicing birth decisions before labor can help you actually feel prepared, not just informed
• What inspired Jacinta to create Allowed to Birth after witnessing obstetric violence, disrespect, and hospital policies overriding patient choice
• Why midwife Kristine Lauria became central to the film, and what the triplet home birth she caught on camera did to the shape of the whole project
• How Jacinta chose her cast, and why she was intentional about pulling people from every corner of the political spectrum
• The unexpected reactions from screenings, including a provider who said the film made her feel threatened
• Why this isn't an anti-hospital or pro-home-birth documentary, but a conversation about informed choice
• Where to find a screening, how to host your own, and when the film is coming online

 

If you want to feel ready instead of just informed, go practice your birth before you're actually in it: https://joinlaborlive.com/

 

If this episode moved you, rate and review the show. It's the number one way other parents find it.

 

CHAPTERS

00:00 Birth Changes You

00:31 Practice Labor Live

02:27 Allowed to Birth Premiere

08:00 Why Jacinta Made It

23:00 Truly Free

26:36 Screenings and Pushback

35:27 System Failing Mothers

36:02 Premiere Speech Highlights

39:07 Choosing the Interviewees

44:07 Film Impact and Alternatives

49:11 How to Watch and Final Wrap

 

GUEST BIO

Jacinta Lagos is an Argentinian-born filmmaker, birth photographer, and videographer based in the United States. A former doula and mother of three, she is the director of Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife, marking her debut as a feature filmmaker. The documentary follows midwife Kristine Lauria and explores birth practices, maternal autonomy, and the importance of physiological birth, built as a tool for education and advocacy around informed choice in maternity care.

 

CONNECT

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

The Birth Lounge on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.birth.lounge/

Allowed to Birth: https://www.allowedtobirth.com/

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

 

TRULY FREE

This episode contains an affiliate link, which means HeHe may earn a commission if you purchase through it at no extra cost to you. After going down the laundry detergent rabbit hole, HeHe landed on Truly Free, a plant-based, dye-free option that comes completely unscented and actually gets the job done. Because baby clothes, sheets, and approximately a million loads of family laundry deserve a detergent that checks all the boxes. One box lasts for months, too! Head to trulyfreehome.com and use code HEHE to save on your order.

KEEP LEARNING WITH HEHE

Download The Birth Lounge app for evidence-based childbirth education and data-driven postpartum support delivered straight to your phone: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/app

 

LINKS MENTIONED

Watch or host a screening of Allowed to Birth: https://www.allowedtobirth.com/

Practice your birth with the Labor Live Challenge: https://joinlaborlive.com/

Truly Free (use code HEHE): https://www.trulyfreehome.com

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

The Birth Lounge app: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/app

 

LISTEN NEXT

Ep. 492: Kristine Lauria on Allowed to Birth, Informed Consent, and the Fight to Preserve Midwifery Skills (HeHe references this one directly in the episode as last week's conversation): https://youtu.be/OvNC_N8Y0Ig