How do you discern the difference between fear mongering and true concern?   Scarlen is a home birth mom from Chattanooga, TN. She is a wife to Manny and together they have 5 boys. After a rough hospital birth with her first, she knew there had to be a different way to birth. When she became pregnant with her second boy, she decided she would birth at home and has not looked back since. Her love for birth and postpartum has led her to create a thriving home birth group in Chattanooga, TN called Chattanooga Home Birth Community. The group includes over 400 home birth advocates who are mothers and birth workers local to Chattanooga. This group has successfully connected mothers (in all stages of pregnancy) to doulas, midwives, and other home birth moms.    Episode Roundup:  The way we are treated in birth MATTERS when it comes to bonding. Scarlen shared how different she felt after giving birth to her first baby compared to her subsequent homebirths.  She felt angry and disconnected because of the way that she had been treated– this interfered with the cascade of hormones of birth, and took away from the euphoric experience that is common after childbirth, especially with an unmedicated birth.  With her homebirths, Scarlen was able to experience the fullness of labor and birth, and to feel present as her babies entered her arms.  She felt the joy and love well up, just as she had always wanted to.  This matters.  Wherever you give birth, it matters how you are treated. Being in a hospital does not excuse providers for being inhuman.  If you were mistreated during your birth, if you feel capable of doing it now, please complain.  Please let these people know that what they are doing is wrong.  This system has to change, and it’s going to take our voices to change it. Next, the BOLDNESS.  WOW!  Scarlen and Manny were not going to be coerced– you can see this with Scarlen in her work situation when she had to fight for her right to avoid an experimental shot, and again when she and Manny asked questions of their care providers that made them uncomfortable during their twin birth.  They were so clearly walking in their faith and were unafraid.  There’s nothing more powerful than living fearlessly, and that’s what I see in Scarlen’s story. And finally, when you are changed, you can’t help but share.  Scarlen’s life was transformed on multiple levels, but her birth experience, especially after her twin birth, gave her a desire to help others.  She is providing fellowship, information, and choices to her local community within the facebook group she’s created, and her desire to create a system where she can help support families who need financial assistance have the birth of their dreams– it truly shows her beautiful heart to serve.   Links:  Samaritan Ministries | samaritanministries.org/happyhomebirth Happy Homebirth Academy | happyhomebirth.thrivecart.com/happy-homebirth-academy-checkout/ Interview Application | interviewwithkatelyn.my.canva.site/direct-to-landing-page Youtube | youtu.be/meiKqqu_OPE Blueshield | blushield.com/homebirth (use code HOMEBIRTH for 18% off of your order today!) Restorative Roots  | restorativeroots.com (use code HAPPYHOMEBIRTH for $20 off your first order)