Birth Agni  artwork

Birth Agni

165 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 19 hours ago -

This Podcast explores how indigenously Birth has always unfolded, among women - our tribe, where children could see how breastfeeding was done and how birth happened. This an attempt to fetch the stories of the past as well as bring out the new India’s Birth culture to expose the defining features in both. This shall join the dots to where the increasing problems of postpartum anxiety, rising rate of surgical births and poor breastfeeding outcomes are coming from. 

Birth Agni - Agni meaning Fire, the Fire that brings us alive, transforms us and has the ability to burn. Birth is designed to affect a woman’s integrity. It is the fire of awakening that makes her life experience wholesome. Deep down her body knows what Birth is supposed to feel - a euphoria of bringing a new life on Earth. The cocktail of hormones are designed to give her a high.

However, birth today has quickly swayed away from a phase of joy to the one marked by Fear, the constant questioning of a woman’s capacity to Birth naturally and the ugly calculation of the  odds of a healthy baby at the expense of the mother’s health. We forget that their health is interlinked and flourish as a dyad.  In India, the urban rate of Cesarean Sections on an average until 2020 is a whopping 40% which is concerning.

Birth is linked to Patriarchy, Healthcare Politics and Women’s Rights. Respect in Birth is long due to women and it affects the core of who they are. 


Join me Divya Kapoor, a Certified Birth and Lactation Counselor and aspiring Traditional Birth Attendant in the quest to shine light on what we can do as parents and a community to change the narrative. 

Parenting Kids & Family parenting pregnancy postpartum childcare babycare mommy kids indian childbirth indianparenting
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

#102 - Part I Sanjana's Natural Birth at a Birth Center | Travelling for Birth- Mumbai to Kerala | Meeting the Divine

April 18, 2024 08:30 - 59 minutes - 40.9 MB

Every woman sheds a part of herself as she goes through the rite of passages - Menarche, Birth and Menopause, the life altering experiences that hold huge significance.  We all arrive in pregnancy with something we have learnt from our life experiences which helps us visualise our birth in a certain way. Some of us desire it to be a breeze, some of us desire it to be painless, some of us desire it to be with friends and family, some of us want to avoid a surgery at all costs even if we do no...

#101- Lavanya's Unnecessary Csection | Induction | Undiagnosed Gestational Diabetis

April 10, 2024 23:30 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MB

Unnecessary Cesarean sections are common in India for unjustified reasons and poorly read overdiagnosed factors which in many cases have not been proven to be emergencies. The lack of application of basic evidence based information once applied can in itself lift our rates of natural birth high up. The maternity system today needs to keep up with atleast the guidelines in place as a starter and the experience if not the outcomes may improve. Listen to Lavanya's story to learn about : Story...

#100 - Why Gentle Parenting is for Indian Kids with Shailaja Paramathma- Ft Times of India - Photo Story

April 03, 2024 08:30 - 1 hour - 48.8 MB

Google tells me that the idea on Gentle Parenting has been around since 1930. The internet is now leveraging on its popularity including big media houses like the Times of India who recently , well , precisely on 26th March '24 published a photostory with the title that goes ' Why Gentle Parenting is not for Indian Kids'! This one poorly argued photostory had many FB groups and mom channels in uproar with the complaint of how rigid the idea behind this photostory has been. Gentle parentin...

#99 - Understanding Pre-eclampsia | Changes in a Pregnant Body | High BP

March 29, 2024 17:30 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MB

Pre eclampsia in late pregnancy is often arrived at with one episode of High BP, two episodes of High Blood Pressure or a case in previous pregnancy without any symptoms in the current one. We see how the current care dynamics in the medical world is quick to categorise a symptom which may need further diagnosis to confirm if someone really has a condition or not, Pre -eclampsia being one of them. While only 6-8 % of women statistically are at high risk of pre-eclampsia or further issues, ...

#98 - Dr Brewer's Pregnancy Diet | Edema | Diuretics

March 20, 2024 13:30 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MB

Dr. Brewer's pregnancy diet, also known as the Brewer diet, was developed by Dr. Tom Brewer in the 1960s. It emphasizes the importance of nutrition during pregnancy to prevent complications such as pre-eclampsia and to support healthy fetal development. The diet focuses on consuming a variety of whole foods to ensure adequate intake of protein, vitamins, and minerals.  The key principles of Dr Brewer's Pregnancy Diet are shared in the episode. Tune in now! We briefly discuss Diuretics whi...

#97 - Anjali's home birth story

March 12, 2024 04:30 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MB

This is Anjali's story. She attempted to birth all her three children at home and lives right behind my house.  First two were in the village and the youngest is in the city. The second birth was a transfer after laboring at home for quite a while, the baby was 1kg. If you are interested in enrolling for the two 'Childbirth Classes' with me , register your interest from https://birthagni.com/contactus and you will be sent a link for a 30 min FREE Discovery call! The first time I met her wa...

Announcement - Wednesdays sweet Wednesdays - Anjali's story out next week!

March 07, 2024 06:30 - 1 minute - 1010 KB

Hear me out on a morning with sore throat . Had a good cup of tea today while I bring things again.  If you have any questions,  a hi goes a long way . Reach out through https://www.birthagni.com   Support the show Sign up for Traverse the Labor Land and Own your birth programs! visit www.birthagni.com/contactus Support the show: If you like what you hear, leave us a rating on Spotify app and answer the question at each episode! a review on Apple podcasts. Share on Whatsapp/...

96- Part II - Mubina's Story of Labor and Birth at Home and the following Loss

February 26, 2024 14:30 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MB

The various aspects of birth being a spiritual experience than mechanical or purely biological comes across through Mubina's Birth and Post Birth events. Mubina says towards the end, ' A beautiful birth and a beautiful death'. When we surrender to that one power there is no looking back, the answers always come around. It is when we fight the will of that one , we are left miserable. Listen to the story now!  Please note that this episode can be healing for some and yet disturbing to some...

#95 - Part I - Mubina's HBAC after Multiple Cesarean Sections

February 17, 2024 16:30 - 1 hour - 55 MB

They say whenever you start looking for the path, the path arrives, eventually. Mubina's homebirth story after four cesareans is a testament to the immense power of the body.  Mubina was unaware but looking for answers right after the first cesarean but like they say babies come the way they are supposed to we have no control on life. However, we all find the power eventually , Mubina found it in her home birth. Part I is about the events that led to the decision of homebirth and leaves ...

#94 - Vinita Mansata's HBAC (Home birth after Cesarean) with a traditional Indian Birth Attendant | No Medication Parenting and more..

February 08, 2024 16:30 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MB

Vinita Mansata's journey towards advocating for natural childbirth at home is a testament to the power of personal experience and determination. Disappointed by a typical caesarean delivery years ago, this with a vertical scar, Vinita ji found herself yearning for a different birthing experience, one that honored the natural process of childbirth and empowered women to make informed choices about their bodies. Vinita ji intuitively went on to look for people, the Aam Admi who in her own wor...

#93 - Community Care and Deciding to work with a Birth Professional

January 31, 2024 12:30 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MB

The keyword is who is going to 'Sit with you' through it all with your choices and decisions and be nurturing in your journey! That's where the foundation is laid! As a trainee midwife and a practising doula as well as a lactation counsellor, I do a lot of home visits, have pregnancy support group meetings where women physically meet and discuss pregnancy, postpartum , breastfeeding and more. I began calling my way of serving women as community care , an established term but i often have t...

#92 - Baneen's Home Birth Story with a Midwife , a Public Health Researcher in the Indian Public Maternal Healthcare System

January 18, 2024 01:30 - 1 hour - 53.8 MB

Why a home birth , you may ask?  Why a home birth despite risks? What if you have worked in the medical system and chose to home birth realising that is the best option for you? That's Baneen Karachiwala, a Public Health Researcher,  Baneen has been associated with various organisations at the national and international level for the last 19 years, providing support in research, documentation and programmatic interventions in the fields of health and development across India. Her special...

#91 - Part II - Can Active Labor stall at 10 cms? Aparna's Birth story

January 05, 2024 10:30 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MB

We all like to see things as linear so as to find a conclusive way to work at them.  In the product and consumption world , we are taught how to plan to achieve a desired goal, to achieve something exactly how we want it!  This is the opposite of how 'Birth' works. It is uncertain. It is unknown. It is being in the moment and the moment as your guide. All the knowledge helps and should be directed to teach you to surrender! It is pretty much a way of living 'Life'.  I wish this wisdom was ...

#90 - Part I - Aparna's Birth story | Choosing a Birth Center | Transitioning through Early Labor | Internal Exams | Midwifery Care

December 25, 2023 15:30 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MB

As a first time mother, Aparna knew that she wanted a Normal Delivery but did not know what decisions could maximize her chances. Register for Prenatal Village here https://forms.gle/a5cAyPgoLaXwz2K88 Instinctively, she knew she did not want to choose a fancy hospital , she was wary decisions would be made to increase the bills and it may not necessarily be based on her  health. She even enquired at a government hospital knowing it has better rates of normal birth than the major private ho...

#89 - Part II - Obstetric Emergencies - SGA (Small for Gestational Age Babies) and IUGR with Senior traditional Midwife KL Goode

December 03, 2023 18:30 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MB

This episode is a part of our conversation on Obstetric Emergencies which are critical situations during pregnancy, labor, or the postpartum period that require immediate medical attention to safeguard the health and well-being of the mother and/or baby. But are these really emergencies or is there more to it? In Part I of this episode we discussed, Large for Gestational Age babies and its link with Gestational Diabeties with Senior Midwife KL Goode who  is a Hawaain traditional midwife wit...

#88 - Part I - Obstetric Emergencies - Big Baby - A curse or boon ? | Big baby and Fitting through the Pelvis | Induction | Gestational Diabetes with Senior traditional Midwife KL Goode

November 24, 2023 07:30 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MB

Obstetric emergencies refer to critical situations during pregnancy, labor, or the postpartum period that require immediate medical attention to safeguard the health and well-being of the mother and/or baby. But are these really emergencies? Many women today are being told they either have a Large for Gestational Age Baby (LGA) or Small for Gestational Age Baby (SGA). IUGR is another term thrown around independently that needs fixing. It is important to note that these issues are often figu...

EP87 - Understand Baby sleep patterns | Reduce Fussy Periods due to Colic or Cough | Common Sleep issues answered with Dr Sreenath , Sleep Consultant, seasoned Dentist and co-founder Nasobuddy

October 27, 2023 12:30 - 1 hour - 41.3 MB

Does your baby have fussy evenings? Are you concerned about you baby or toddler's sleep ? If you are looking at the internet for answers, know that the Internet is flooded with inappropriate information about training babies to sleep. The various methods that include crying of the baby are suggestive of treating a baby , a whole human , like a machine, incapable of thinking for itself or feel in the least. This is not gentle and it is not developmentally healthy as well. In this episode...

#87 - Understand Baby sleep patterns | Reduce Fussy Periods due to Colic or Cough | Common Sleep issues answered with Dr Sreenath , Sleep Consultant, seasoned Dentist and co-founder Nasobuddy

October 27, 2023 12:30 - 1 hour - 41.3 MB

Does your baby have fussy evenings? Are you concerned about you baby or toddler's sleep ? If you are looking at the internet for answers, know that the Internet is flooded with inappropriate information about training babies to sleep. The various methods that include crying of the baby are suggestive of treating a baby , a whole human , like a machine, incapable of thinking for itself or feel in the least. This is not gentle and it is not developmentally healthy as well. In this episode...

#86- Maternal Mental Health with Somatic Healer Sangheetha Parthasarathy - Birth Trauma | Wounded Feminine | PTSD | Postpartum Depression | Indian Family Culture | Partner Support | Trauma Specific Perinatal Support

October 15, 2023 04:30 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MB

A woman never forgets her birth  experience. This has more to do with how she was made to feel than the sequence of events or the mode of birth. Sometimes when it is the  events leading to a traumatic Birth experience, it deeply affects her . Trauma gets stored in the body and has physical expression as well . In this episode, we see that trauma is not necessarily a result of one event. It is an amalgamation of the entire history of a woman's life. It has to do with the culture, the life ...

#85 - Part II - Sara and Khan's Free Birth Story - About Placenta tinctures | Breastfeeding | Parenthood and more

October 07, 2023 06:30 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MB

In the first part of Sara and Khan's Birth story , we went over their decision to free birth , the factors influencing it and the entire experience of labor and birth. If you have not heard the first part , hop on to EP 84 and come back to this  In this episode: We go over : Placenta tinctures Breastfeeding Postpartum Care  Parenthood and more.. Tune in to know more... Support the show Prepare for Birth, explore Prenatal and Postnatal Preparation Classes, visit www.birthagni.com Supp...

#85 - Part II - Sara and Khan's Free Birth Story - About Placenta tinctures | Breastfeeding | Vaccines and more

October 07, 2023 06:30 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

In the first part of Sara and Khan's Birth story , we went over their decision to free birth , the factors influencing it and the entire experience of labor and birth. If you have not heard the first part , hop on to EP 84 and come back to this  In this episode: We go over : Placenta tinctures Breastfeeding Postpartum Care  Vaccines for Baby and more.. Tune in to know more... Support the show Prepare for Birth, explore Prenatal and Postnatal Preparation Classes, visit www.birthagni.c...

#85 - Birth Stories - Part II - Sara and Khan's Free Birth Story - About Placenta tinctures | Breastfeeding | Parenthood and more

October 07, 2023 06:30 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MB

In the first part of Sara and Khan's Birth story , we went over their decision to free birth , the factors influencing it and the entire experience of labor and birth. If you have not heard the first part , hop on to EP 84 and come back to this  In this episode: We go over : Placenta tinctures Breastfeeding Postpartum Care  Parenthood and more.. Tune in to know more... Support the show Sign up for Traverse the Labor Land and Own your birth programs! visit www.birthagni.com/contactu...

#84- Birth Stories - Part I - Sara and Khan's Free Birth Story

September 29, 2023 23:30 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MB

Sara conceived Zion at the age of 35 , a perfectly healthy young woman , active and a firm believer in the universe's power on us humans and everything life.  It was the time of the Covid fading in 2020, she had to renew her visa to continue her stay in India. She chose to go to the hospital to help with paper work but she was seen as a high risk case almost decided for a surgery after a shortwhile, slowly being compelled through subtle coercion.  Sara and Khan decided to take things in th...

#84- Sara and Khan's Free Birth Story

September 29, 2023 23:30 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MB

Sara conceived Zion at the age of 35 , a perfectly healthy young woman , active and a firm believer in the universe's power on us humans and everything life.  It was the time of the Covid fading in 2020, she had to renew her visa to continue her stay in India. She chose to go to the hospital to help with paper work but she was seen as a high risk case almost decided for a surgery after a shortwhile, slowly being compelled through subtle coercion.  Sara and Khan decided to take things in th...

#84- Part I Sara and Khan's Free Birth Story

September 29, 2023 23:30 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MB

Sara conceived Zion at the age of 35 , a perfectly healthy young woman , active and a firm believer in the universe's power on us humans and everything life.  It was the time of the Covid fading in 2020, she had to renew her visa to continue her stay in India. She chose to go to the hospital to help with paper work but she was seen as a high risk case almost decided for a surgery after a shortwhile, slowly being compelled through subtle coercion.  Sara and Khan decided to take things in th...

#83 - Induction an epidemic? What does WHO say? What does Indian Gynaecology organisations say? My midwifery training and more...

September 18, 2023 16:30 - 36 minutes - 25 MB

Induction is offered to every mother routinely in the urban hospitals in India. The various issues are big baby, small baby, past due date , one episode of high blood pressure, all of which are not medical emergencies but perceived problems that are being brought to fit the solution to it. It is not a problem based solution scenario but more a solution based problem making.  Induction as a procedure comes with its own set of risks, it is a pseudo attempt at 'supporting normal births' Oh we...

#82 - Birth Stories - Nisha's Free Birth Story in India | Moving Cities, Intuition , Low Amniotic Fluid ,Long labor | Bodily Autonomy and more...

September 09, 2023 14:30 - 1 hour - 53.7 MB

Nisha, had her first born at Birth Village, Kerala, India. She is from Bangalore and moved  cities to birth. She had a vaginal / normal birth there however, something within her felt rushed, unheard and ordered around . It did not sit right with her. She longed to know more and by following the Free Birth Society Podcast and other resources she realised not everything she experienced was in alignment with physiological or natural birth. Her birth space was hampered . Listening to stories of ...

#81 - Birth Stories - Chhavi Mittal's Birth Story | Unnecessary Hastening the Labor | Verbal Abuse | Medical Interventions and more.

August 11, 2023 02:30 - 46 minutes - 32 MB

Chhavi Mittal is an Indian Actress, model and producer who is also a mother of two beautiful children. The story of her two births was covered in CNA Insider's documentary , 'A million cuts - India's C-section Epidemic'  which is an attempt at blowing the gaff on India's rising C-section rates in the hospitals. In hushed voices, we all know it. We all talk about birth and women's bodies being used as a money making machine for corporate hospitals.  Chhavi revealed on Instagram on her 5 page...

#80- Birth Affirmations for Pregnancy , labor and birth

August 06, 2023 03:30 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MB

My childbirth classes mothers wanted a recorded audio for Birth Affirmations. We practice affirmations and visualization in the class and they are suggested to do it as a meditative exercise on their own. This episode is a product of this request and here you can use it too. It has everything you are suggested in your birth classes about labor and birth.  This can be your ally. Your encouraging partner. This can be your voice in labor and birth  Practice playing these everyday.  August'23...

#79 - Birth Stories - Supriya's positive Water Birth Story at Aastrika Midwifery Center

July 28, 2023 07:30 - 1 hour - 44.6 MB

It is becoming painfully sad that despite the best preparation the obstetricians/gynaecologists are able to pursue the parents to choose Surgical births like they are selling candies. The language is usually this, 'this is just the trailer, do you think you want to take it further?' Oh even after you take so much pain, you may have to undergo surgery , then why do you think you want to take it any more. It is you choice , yes you may have natural birth after waiting but it is still a risk . ...

#78- Birth Stories - Sameha's gentle birth at Sanctum in Hyderabad | Meconium Birth | Short Labor | Transition at home | Going Past Due Date

July 16, 2023 05:30 - 1 hour - 60.9 MB

Sameha was waiting for her labor to begin as she was already past 10 days of her estimated due date. Little did she know her labor would be a quick one and she would have labored majorly at home only rush to the birth center when she felt the first pushing sensation. Her water had already broken and there was meconium . Now you may want to know if her hospital was close or far off. What happened when she reached the birth center? Was everyone worried about the meconium and reeled her into a...

#77- Birth Stories - Nani's home birth stories in the village some 50 years ago!

July 08, 2023 10:30 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MB

Nani, my maternal grandmother was always in the village, up north of India. She has six children, five girls and one boy, quite classic of the traditional households. The first two , my mum and my aunt (masi) were born in a hospital outside the village where my Nanaji, maternal grandfather was a homeopath doctor.  The other four children were born at home with a traditional birth attendant (Local Daima) . All were born in a sitting position. This episode gives a cultural perspective on how...

#76- Birth Stories - Madhuri and Praneshwar Das's home birth story!

June 25, 2023 13:30 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MB

Madhuri and Praneswara Das are Krishna devotees from Mayapur, Kolkata. Madhuri was always scared of needles. When she learnt she is pregnant which she was expecting , she was terrified on how to go about it. Initially, they did go to the doctor for checkups but there was a point when after an ultrasound they decided to do, the doctor said the liver of the baby is not functioning. This was a huge blow but they were not held or emotionally supported at the hospital. Their faith and birth educ...

#75- Rani Didi's Birth Story- 3 home births about 16 years ago!

June 15, 2023 01:30 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MB

Rani Didi is my house help. She has four children, 1 girl and three boys, the oldest being the girl who is sixteen now. When I asked Rani didi, how did you birth, she nonchalantly mentions, ‘At home!. We all birth at home’. Her description of labor is not too detailed but the story has a cultural significance. More so , it is empowering to see the ease in her voice and the confidence about her body , birth and nature. She may not use the modern Gen Z language to describe her experience but...

#74 - Birth Stories - Becca's Home Birth Experience | Experience of Labor | Birthing the Placenta and more...

June 07, 2023 03:30 - 45 minutes - 31.3 MB

Becca knew she wanted a home birth and researched her options to explore what was best for her in this spiritual journey of pregnancy. In the absense of a midwifery care model around her in Kerala, she decided to free birth with her partner and went on to have a transcendental experience. Tune in to her story now to hear what was the experience with a local private hospital, the preparation needed to birth safely at home and the experience of labor and birth itself. Becca is a coach, cogn...

#73- Birth Stories- Part II - Namrita's Home Birth with a Midwife, Natural healing for vaginal tear, Water birth and more...

June 01, 2023 02:30 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MB

If you have not heard Part I of this episode , please do to learn about the details of Namrita's empowering hospital birth that will help you connect the dots in this one.   This episode discusses Why did Namrita choose a homebirth after the first empowering hospital birth experience? What is the difference in care between a Gynaecologist or Midwife What does laboring in a home birth set up look like? How does leaving a vaginal tear to heal on its own look like as against a stiches? Fin...

#72- Birth Stories - Part I - Namrita's Positive Labor and Birth Experience at a Hospital

May 25, 2023 01:30 - 1 hour - 43.5 MB

Namrita's first birth was at a hospital. This was her first exposure to childbirth education and her intuitive power in Birth. She changed doctors thrice eventually to build a team that supported her vision of birth. Yet, labour which cannot be tamed, took its own twisted path. How did Namrita traverse the labor land and came out euphoric is discussed in this part of her story? The experience was so powerful that she became a birth worker herself. Namrita is the founder of The Nesting Heart...

#71-Birthing in the Indian Landscape | Travel for birth , hospitals vs birth center vs small clinics

May 17, 2023 06:30 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MB

Indian ecosystem greatly lacks the wisdom to support natural or normal births. Big cities are catching up with fancy equipments , packages and rooms.  The issue of Surgical births remains big still in India. What then are someone's options to birth naturally ? I often hear women say , " I understand all that you are saying but there are no doctors here who can support me" . We answer this for you !  Tune in to listen now. If you have any questions leave them on our mail or website or ans...

#70 - Birth Better Series- Prepare for Pregnancy and Birth , Informed Decision Making, Meconium, Radical Birth responsibility, Birth Euphoria, Birth stats, Birth Interventions

May 10, 2023 07:30 - 38 minutes - 26.2 MB

Birth Education is crucial to a positive , women centric birth experience, every birth worker would say that! In India, the industrialization of birth is rampant. The wave is being supported by hospitals where the birth classes are often filtered to suit the different commercial scenarios that may be taken into consideration during your Labor. I often, still see a lot of confusion on what birth looks like, "what can I do? Are my fears going to interfere with the process", asked a mother ins...

#69 -Birth Better Series - Nurturing your birth space, going back to our mothers in pregnancy, continuum of care in Pregnancy

May 02, 2023 15:30 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MB

Nurturing a mother goes beyond the physical aspects of dimming the lights during labor. While that is beneficial, listening to her throughout the pregnancy, her fears, dreams, aspirations, visions and views about her new life are crucial to her feeling empowered in her body and ability to birth. Feeling held and special during pregnancy also ensures the well being of the baby. The idea is to look at pregnancy as a wholesome experience, physical as well as emotional. The baby and the mother...

#68 -Birth Better Series - Fear affecting Prenatal Care, Creating your birth space, Labor and Cocktail of hormones

April 26, 2023 05:30 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

This is the second episode of the Birth Better Series which talks about 1. How Prenatal Care is affected by Fear 2. Our body's physiological response to trying to fix a perceived fear. 3. The Nocebo Effect 4. Bringing back Positivity and Spiritual Value to Prenatal Care 5. The cocktail of hormones that enable to woman to go on 6. Creating your emotional and physical birth space to go as natural as possible for labor and birth In the next episode, we talk about how do we nurture this birth ...

#67 -Birth Better Series - Fear Of Labor and Birth propagated by Media and Culture

April 18, 2023 16:30 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MB

Ask a mother what she has heard about labor and she will quickly tell you, "It is a pain that is capable of breaking many bones". "It is the worst kind of pain any human can undertake" "My mum said it was horrible." Moreso, this is exactly what is shown in movies, media, print or social because we all love sensationalizing things. Our mothers, a generation ago were birthing in the hospitals, even if they had a normal birth, their experience may not be good because it was not a natural, ...

Birth Agni - Trailer

April 10, 2023 13:30 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MB

The podcast has been running for over 2.5 years with over 60 episodes spread across Perinatal Education, Maternal Health and Family Dynamics. With a new name comes a newer approach to spreading awareness about Women Centric and Respectful Birth Experiences. This podcast will cover everything around Birth and Women's Health. All kinds of birth stories will be featured , stories of birth back in the days from our parents and grandparents, stories of home and hospital births and  a special cov...

Season 3 - Closing Episode- Information regarding Podcast name change and Season 4 - upcoming Birth Stories

February 02, 2023 15:30 - 1 minute - 1.27 MB

Season 3 has come to an end. It covered a full blown knowledge resource with segments such as the Bitesize Pregnancy Series, interview episodes with experts such as Pelvic Floor Physios, Sexual Health doctors, Birth Educators, Doulas, Doctors etc. As we end this season, there are various changes that are planned to come out with the next Season, major being the name of the podcast. Newer segments such as Birth Stories will be added. Pregnancy series with shorter episodes will continue..... ...

S03 | EP13 - Why and Why not Pregnancy Yoga? with Prenatal Yoga Expert Megha Jhaggi

November 09, 2022 06:30 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MB

What are the secrets in Pregnancy Yoga -is it the mindfulness or slowing down?  When can a mother start yoga in pregnancy if she has never exercised before? Does Pregnancy Yoga really aid natural delivery?  Every woman has  a very different question on this , we all enquire situations and decisions from a personal need and experiences. We sit down on numerous such questions with Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga instructor  Megha Jaggi (M.A in Yoga) who is also the founder of the Wellness Co...

#20-BITESIZE-PREGNANCY SERIES-Role of a Partner and Family in the Early Postpartum Phase

September 21, 2022 04:30 - 9 minutes - 6.69 MB

What happened when a mother in law did not let the mother feed her baby after delivery? Sanvita lying on a hospital bed waiting for the crying baby to find some comfort through her, anxious and guilty. She did not know what to do ! There was a chaos and in that chaos a Lactation Counselor was stuck with her duty to get the baby inititated on Breastfeeding as early as possible. Today's story has been inspired by a post from Yogyata Gandhi, a lactation counselor from Gurgram, India. The sto...

S03 | EP12 - Respectful Birthing- A Woman's Empowerment issue-Dr Janhavi Nilekani -Founder and Chairperson - Aastrika Foundation

August 31, 2022 19:30 - 27 minutes - 19 MB

What makes a birthing experience Respectful and Positive?  Is everything out of control when you birth?  Would you rather plan things?  Do we know how a positive birth experience really looks like? Our guest on today's podcast , Dr Janhavi Nilekani, a development economist, Founder and Chairperson of Aastrika Foundation - A Nilekani Philanthropies initiative that aims to bring respectful maternity care as a women's right to all sectors of the country through various entities, speaks to ...

S03 | EP12 - Respectful Birthing- A Woman's Empowerment issue-Dr Janhavi Nilekani -Founder and Chairperson - Aastrika Foundation

August 31, 2022 19:30 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MB

What makes a birthing experience Respectful and Positive?  Is everything out of control when you birth?  Would you rather plan things?  Do we know how a positive birth experience really looks like? Our guest on today's podcast , Dr Janhavi Nilekani, a development economist, Founder and Chairperson of Aastrika Foundation - A Nilekani Philanthropies initiative that aims to bring respectful maternity care as a women's right to all sectors of the country through various entities, speaks to ...

S03 | EP12 - Respectful Birthing- A Woman's Empowernment issue-Dr Janhavi Nilekani -Founder and Chairperson - Aastrika Foundation

August 31, 2022 19:30 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MB

What makes a birthing experience Respectful and Positive?  Is everything out of control when you birth?  Would you rather plan things?  Do we know how a positive birth experience really looks like? Our guest on today's podcast , Dr Janhavi Nilekani, a development economist, Founder and Chairperson of Aastrika Foundation - A Nilekani Philanthropies initiative that aims to bring respectful maternity care as a women's right to all sectors of the country through various entities, speaks to ...

S03 | EP11 - All about Breastfeeding Support with Certified Lactation Counselor, Sharadha Raman

August 18, 2022 02:30 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MB

This World Breastfeeding Awareness Week, Two Lactation Counselors, Sharadha Raman from Coimbatore and myself sit down to discuss the common breastfeeding problems mother's face and what is the ultimate solution. Sharadha is a visiting counselor with two hospitals in Coimbatore and runs her own service by the name of 'Mom's Space' , a safe forum for the mothers and pregnant women to share and learn about the ways to embrace the challenges during their pregnancy and post delivery. She frequen...