Have you ever considered a home birth? Or perhaps you’re not quite down for a home birth but you’re definitely open to giving birth either in a birth center or a hospital without an epidural.

Whatever the case, my guest today is going. to walk you through both scenarios so that by the time you’re done listening, you’ll be equipped with enough information to decide if you’d like to explore things further.

Hayley Oakes is a licensed midwife and certified professional midwife. She became fascinated with childbirth in 2006 when she saw the documentary What Babies Want, a film that explores the consciousness of infants and the significant role the experience of childbirth has on a child’s psychosocial development. After she earned a BA in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, Hayley moved back home to California to begin working in the field of pregnancy and infant health and wellness.

She was soon encouraged to pursue midwifery by a long-time licensed midwife and mentor whom Hayley had been assisting at the time. In 2011, Hayley began her four-year midwifery training at the National Midwifery Institute. Shortly thereafter, she had the wonderful opportunity to train with Ina May Gaskin and the midwives at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee.

Hayley has been attending births since 2010 as a doula, midwife assistant, apprentice and licensed midwife, witnessing and supporting birth in all settings: home, birth center and hospital. She has also worked as a childbirth educator and guest speaker for a number of educational institutions.

As of February 2019, Hayley became a mother herself. 

As a midwife, educator and new mother, she is committed to supporting childbearing folks in having a safe and satisfying pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience to help grow healthy happy babies.

On the show today, we discuss:

1. How pregnancy impacts the psycho and social development of a child
2. Things you can do in your pregnancy to encourage healthy psycho and social development.
3. How to strike a balance as a mother between being a rock for our children and also showing them our humanness
4. The most ideal ways to care for ourselves as mothers in that first year postpartum
5. The correlation between the decline in breastfeeding and the increase in postpartum mood disorders
6. The correlation between not taking enough time to recovery postpartum (which would ideally be 40 days to 3 months) and postpartum mood disorders
7. The number one piece of advice Hayley has for pregnant women to set themselves up for success postpartum
8. The misconceptions around home births and the real stats you need to know
9. Who are considered to be good candidates for home births and why
10. Tools for preparing yourself to have an unmedicated birth
11. The most common reason a home birth transfers to the hospital (and it may surprise you)
12. How to use pain to progress labor

Tune in for this illuminating show on the miracle of pregnancy, labor and motherhood!

Contact Info

Website: https://www.hayleyoakes.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heybales/?hl=en 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hayley.oakes.94 

Resources in this episode

Documentary: What Babies Want 

Book: Burnout: The secret to unlocking the stress cycle.

Episode with Dr. Christine Pieton, PT, DPT

Ricky Lake’s documentary The Business of Being Born

Episode with Molly Nourmand, LMFT

Hayley’s Podcast: Milk Trails

Thank you so much for listening!

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And remember, mama you’re doing GREAT!