CYCLICAL Podcast · Dr. Cassandra Wilder ND

My Home Birth Story

·43 min·4 clips

Cassandra felt the baby's head during a push, realizing her son was about to be born.

Cassandra Wilder, a naturopathic doctor and women's cyclical health expert, shares the detailed story of her planned home birth. This solo episode marks her return to the podcast after a year-long hiatus focused on motherhood. She aims to celebrate the diverse experiences of childbirth while recounting her personal journey. Wilder faced significant stress during her pregnancy, including an unexpected move just six weeks before her due date. She held a "mother's blessing" ceremony hosted by her friend Renee and sister Meadow at 38 weeks pregnant, surrounded by community. The day after that ceremony, she began experiencing sensations she initially dismissed as Braxton Hicks contractions. Her labor progressed slowly over two days, with her sister driving eight hours overnight after recognizing the signs over the phone. Wilder describes her active labor as intensely painful, contrasting sharply with the "orgasmic" birth narratives she had seen online. She tried laboring in a birth tub, but found it stalled her contractions, so she moved to her bed on hands and knees. A key moment occurred when her labor stalled again, leading to a breakdown filled with irrational fears; her sister framed this as a normal "transition" phase and encouraged her to rest. After a 90-minute period of restful sleep between contractions, her labor intensified rapidly. She felt an overwhelming urge to push and, after about an hour, chose to check for the baby's head herself instead of a cervical check. She delivered her son while on her hands and knees, catching him herself, and was surprised to learn his gender. She delayed cord clamping for about ten hours and highlights the uninterrupted, sacred nature of the immediate postpartum period. Wilder reflects on two things she would change: hiring a lactation counselor for immediate breastfeeding support and arranging for a videographer to capture more of the birth. The episode is deeply personal and narrative, told in a reflective and conversational tone. Wilder's style is descriptive and vulnerable, openly sharing both the difficult and triumphant moments. Listeners interested in natural birth stories, home birth experiences, and holistic postpartum preparation would find this episode compelling. Those seeking clinical, medical perspectives on childbirth or who are uncomfortable with graphic, firsthand descriptions of labor might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

An intimate birth story that keeps the mess, pauses, and wonder intact.

Cyclical Podcast brings Cassandra Wilder back after about a year away and centers on the first full telling of her son's birth story. The episode works because she treats birth as something to be spoken about plainly and, at the same time, as something different for every woman.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a first-person birth story that is intimate, honest, and quietly useful.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from CYCLICAL Podcast