Hello and thank you for showing interest in learning more about who is behind Birth As We Know It™️. My name is Kiona Nessenbaum. I am the producer and host of the Birth As We Know It™️podcast. I live in the beautiful state of Washington located in the Pacific Northwest. I am a mother to three amazing children named Kavina, Kairo, and Katana. They are all very rambunctious and have personalities that truly show their individuality. I have the privilege of raising these three humans with their father/my husband Kumar. He and I met in high school and have been inseparable ever since.
I created this podcast because I have a strong passion for pregnancy and birth. When I became pregnant with Kavina at 19 years old, I had first-hand experience in expecting my very own human! I was so excited and my passion for pregnancy and birth grew so much that by the time I had Kavina in my arms, I knew I wanted to work in the birth field. Right before Kavina turned one I attended my first Birth Doula Training in 2014. Since I was a parent of such a young baby, I didn’t end up taking on my first client until 2016. But once I attended her birth, I was hooked! After one year as a birth doula, I applied to Midwifery School at the Midwives College of Utah in 2017. I also happened to be pregnant with my son Kairo so I felt like it was a “now or never” kind of decision. I started my studies to become a Certified Professional Midwife when my son was only 6 months old in 2018. Then 2020 came around and brought the COVID-19 pandemic with it. It was at this time that I had to make the hard decision to withdraw from midwifery school in December 2020. I can tell you this now, it was extremely challenging to attend clinic days as a student midwife, keep up with my household duties, and be a supportive wife and mother, all while taking my own online classes. I had also just reached the point in my studies where I was providing primary care and started catching babies! This made me extra sad to leave, but I want to say thank you to the two families that I was able to support as the primary student midwife as they brought their babies earthside!
Since I withdrew from midwifery school, I have continued to practice as a birth doula for some repeat clients, friends, and family. I even had the opportunity to be a birth assistant at a few births as well as be a photographer for one, which was a lot of fun. Outside of those moments, I have not had the privilege to be in the birth space. But I talk about it at length whenever I find someone willing to listen. This was one of the driving factors for me to create this podcast.
I am deeply inspired by birth and amazed every time I hear a birth story or experience. It is absolutely remarkable and astonishing to hear about how growing and birthing a baby is for people. I feel that all birth stories and experiences deserve to be heard and valued in a space that is safe and supportive. This includes what people would consider great, good, bad, or traumatic birth experiences. The intention of this podcast is to normalize and recognize birth as it is. I also find it super interesting how birth is rarely talked about in detail. I mean, think about it. Birth is the foundation of the human species and has taken place since the true beginning of time! Doesn’t that seem important enough to talk about on a regular basis? I think so!
Overall, Birth As We Know It™️ is not just any other podcast. It is different from other birth story podcasts because I take in the perspective of partners, providers, family members, and others who have been in the space. I decided to do this because the person giving birth is just one person in the room during the process and everyone is impacted by the overall experience in their own way. This podcast was created and intended for those who are pregnant, support pregnant people or people that just want to learn more about pregnancy and birth through the experiences of others. So take a listen! And if you’re up to it, share your own birth story or experience with me on the podcast. I would love to hear from you!
Host & Producer
If you are interested in sharing your birth story or experience with me, fill out the Guest Request Form.