How One Mom Prevented Cholestasis, Doubled Her Iron Naturally, and Had Her Dream Homebirth

What happens when a woman decides she's done being a passenger in her own birth story?

In this episode of the Happy Homebirth Podcast, Angelica Gay — a homeschooling mother of five from Niagara, Canada — walks us through one of the most layered transformation arcs we've heard: from a surprise first pregnancy that ended in an emergency C-section with a baby born blue, to a fifth birth in her own home, her husband by her side, baby Caleb arriving in a moment of pure embodied instinct.

The Road There Wasn't Straight

Angelica's first birth began with a cholestasis diagnosis at 38 weeks and unfolded into a cascade of interventions she wasn't prepared for — Pitocin, an epidural, a fetal heart rate drop, an emergency C-section, and a baby who needed resuscitation. She and her husband describe it as "the best case of worst case scenarios."

Her second birth, a COVID-era hospital delivery, went smoothly but came with the same sense of being on a conveyor belt — moved from one protocol to the next, discharged in three hours.

By her third pregnancy, she'd had enough. Knowing she wouldn't be approved for a homebirth, she got far enough into labor at home that going anywhere else was no longer an option. Her midwives arrived to find a birth pool set up and a woman with no intention of leaving. That birth — two and a half hours, a nine-pound baby girl born in her own bed — was the turning point. "I'm never doing this any other way again," she told her husband afterward.

Her fourth pregnancy brought cholestasis back at 30 weeks, a transfer to OB care, and another hospital birth — though this time, with a supportive team that respected her autonomy. When her waters broke, so much fluid was released (a side effect of her cholestasis medication) that the room needed a new bed. The OB called her placenta one of the biggest she'd ever seen.

The Fifth Pregnancy: A Different Approach

Determined to avoid cholestasis a third time — and to have the homebirth she knew was possible — Angelica spent the time between pregnancies rebuilding her health from the inside out. She investigated her liver function, did a 21-day carnivore reset, took methylated vitamins (suspecting an MTHFR gene mutation), and added milk thistle and dandelion root. For the first time since high school, her cycle regulated.

When she became pregnant with Caleb, she continued those protocols throughout. Midway through pregnancy, her iron levels dropped significantly. The prescribed supplement — plant-based and low in bioavailability — turned out to contain six food dyes. She declined an IV iron infusion that required hospital monitoring for anaphylactic shock, stopped the supplement, and began eating raw bovine spleen instead.

Within four weeks, her iron and hemoglobin had doubled. Her care team's response: "Don't know what you're doing, but keep doing it."

Notably, when she switched off the food-dye-laden supplement, she also noticed a dramatic change in her baby's movement — from hyperactive to calm. She's not sure of the connection, but she's not not sure, either.

She made it to 37–38 weeks without a cholestasis recurrence — something her midwife said she had never seen in their practice once a mother had experienced it.

The Birth

Caleb arrived after weeks of prodromal labor. The morning of his birth, Angelica let her husband rest, made breakfast for the kids, and managed early labor alone — knowing she would need him fully present for the final stretch.

When her midwives checked her and determined she was nearing transition, they offered her the quiet and space to let her body work. In her own room, lights off, counterp pressure from her husband, she labored until the switch flipped.

Baby came down asynclitic — turned slightly, creating resistance. Angelica's body moved into a half lunge off the side of the bed: one leg up, one hanging, holding the headboard. Her midwife, watching, said she'd never seen it before. In the next push, he was there.

She rolled onto her back, held her baby, and said, "Thank you, Jesus."

Ten days postpartum, Angelica passed large clots and was diagnosed with retained placenta, requiring a D&C. It was not the ending she'd planned. But she didn't hemorrhage. Her body had what it needed. Her husband reminded her: if she hadn't done everything she did, she would not have been better off.

What This Episode Is Really About

Angelica's story is about what it means to be body literate — and what it costs us when we're not. She talks about women entering every stage of life, from cycle to pregnancy to menopause, without the knowledge that should be their inheritance. She talks about asking questions at every appointment — not because she distrusts her care providers, but because a blind decision is not a real decision. She talks about the difference between fighting the system with your fists and standing firmly in what you know is right for you.

"We're given this gift of intuition," she says, "and we don't use it enough with our own bodies and bringing life into the world."

Topics covered include: cholestasis prevention through nutrition and supplementation, iron deficiency in pregnancy, the bioavailability of plant-based vs. animal-based iron, MTHFR gene mutation and methylated vitamins, organ meats in pregnancy, asynclitic positioning, homebirth after Cesarean (HBAC considerations), prodromal labor, retained placenta, delayed cord clamping, and the role of the birth partner.

Please note: This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always work with your care providers when making decisions about your pregnancy and birth.