Joy Horner - Birth Joy

17/10/2025

“According to the myriad images that have survived from the great span of the human prehistory on the Eurasian continents, it was the sovereign mystery and creative power of the female as a source of life that developed into the earliest religious experiences. The Great Mother Goddess, who gives birth to all creation out of the darkness of her womb, became a metaphor for Nature herself, the cosmic giver and taker of life, ever able to renew Herself within the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth.” -Marija Gimbutas

Photo with God Giving Birth by Monica Sjöö at her exhibit in Stockholm in September 2023.

17/10/2025

We only have 1 cohort per year, limited to 15 students.

Join our waiting list and watch out for our live discovery calls in November and December.

Find out more by clicking the link in my bio.

17/10/2025

Newborn babies can be sleepy in the early days, so it's important to wake them regularly for feeds. They'll soon grow and be able to indicate when they need feeding, but in the early days feeding your baby every couple of hours is essential care.

17/10/2025

I love naming yhis moment of reverence the threshold pause

I wrote this for the door -
for those arriving to a home
where birth has just passed through....
the home of my beautiful clients.

A reminder to pause.
To feel the ground —
still holding the echo of becoming.

Inside: milk, breath, skin,
a newborn learning the world,
a woman remade,
a man re-shaping,
A slow dance unfolding.

Enter slowly.
Bring only what is calm,
what can listen,
what can serve.

Bring love.

17/10/2025

Have you wondered why breastmilk harvesting is being suggested? Hand expression before birth can give you confidence to breastfeed your baby. It's about learning a skill, not a test of how much milk you can extract. Many women don't produce colostrum until after birth - basically the release of your placenta switches on milk production. So dont stress if you cant collect any liquid gold before birthing your baby, you'll have learnt a valuable skill which you can use after birth if needed.

Ireland’s breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the world. However, this 2025 retrospective cohort study found that simply learning and practicing hand expression in the last month of a low-risk pregnancy resulted in more mothers starting and continuing breastfeeding. Read about it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613825003419?via%3Dihub

17/10/2025

Posted • .co 🍃A holistic approach to health involves reframing the modern perspective of fevers. Fevers are rarely dangerous, and have been found to SHORTEN the length of illness when SUPPORTED to “run their course” Fevers are usually not the illness itself, but the body’s brilliant response to handle it. The higher temperatures help the body overcome and triumph over the illness.

There are so many ways to help support the body through the illness for safe and quick recovery, as well as to help lower the temperature if genuinely needed without suppressing the bodies action. OTC meds are always one of your toolbox options, but there’s many more things that will be more effective, more healthy in the long term, and then my experience always safer for the body

Herbal approaches can be amazing, such as Elder flower and red raspberry. Homeopathic approaches offer tremendous options, depending on the nature of the fever, is it shivery, bright, red cheeks, or accompanied by bone aches?

This is a core topic for feeling comfortable helping your family move through their illness in healthy ways.

Check out my free webinar for an introduction to all kinds of ideas in this area. https://learn.indigoforest.com/GWSwebinar

My GET WELL SOON course for moms has an entire chapter on fever, along with natural approaches to everyday family illnesses. Especially look there for the complete directions to the lemon leg wraps, which in itself could be the one thing you need to solve fevers pretty much every time. https://www.indigoforest.com/getwellsoon

OR DM ME FOR A DIRECT, clickable link 💌

16/10/2025

Medical staff don't know everything they are fallible like all humans. Question everything.

FINE THEN, for all you nitpicking SOBs ;) Because when someone tells me they're going to the doctor, or their husband is a doctor, I always think they really mean some random PhD... ;P
~Kari

15/10/2025

One of our talented students from the Birthkeeper's Path has written this lovely book review.
Check out her work. 😍

Posted • Book Review 📖

I wrote this as a part of my coursework for my birthkeeping training and my partner told me I should share it. So here it is!

This book honestly felt like finding a pot of golden love and care at a time where I felt so lost. When I started reading I had just quit working on the maternity ward as a safeguarding practitioner and was SO burnt out. This book picked me up, dusted me off and told me what’s what. GrateFULL 🌿🙏🏽

It’s genuinely an incredibly valuable resource for anyone whether you are pregnant, a birthkeeper or just wanting to learn how you can show up for new mamas and parents in your community - I genuinely think everyone should read!

Thank you this book is everything 🌺

13/10/2025

I'm not a midwife but I definitely nap during some births.

And my clients love it!

13/10/2025

Find out about The Birthkeeper's Path - A 10-Moons Journey into Sacred Birthwork in our free Discovery call.

Join us for an enriching hour of information and

The second cohort of our 10 moons journey on the Birthkeeper's Path starts February 2026. This course is an invitation to immerse yourself in the deep mysteries of women’s cycles, rituals, and the transformative journeys of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. As a skilled Birthkeeper, you become a trusted guide to families, supporting them through these powerful transitions with holistic care that honors body, mind, and spirit.

Fascilitated by seasoned birth wisdom-keepers Jady Mountjoy and Joy Horner, who together bring over 40 years of combined experience in working with pregnant, birthing, and postnatal families. This course is a blend of sacred wisdom and practical knowledge distilled from wisdom shared by their mentors. Drawing from their extensive experience, they offer a rich basket of teachings that prepare you to serve families in a way that is grounded, compassionate, and in service to the deep mysteries of birth.

This course invites you to examine your own beliefs, updating old assumptions and reframing your own perspective on birth. You’ll deepen your understanding of the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of pregnancy and birth, while learning how to support families on their sacred journeys.

Designed for those already working with childbearing families, as well as newcomers to this work, this course is suitable for midwives, doulas, antenatal teachers, yoga teachers, and other professionals. Whether you are looking to expand your knowledge or connect more deeply to your innate wisdom, the Birthkeeper’s Path will help you cultivate the skills and insights needed to walk alongside families during these life-altering experiences.

This course will not only equip you with practical skills, but will also help you develop the inner strength, wisdom, and integrity needed to walk this sacred path with respect and humility.

Whilst you will gain valuable skills, please note that this is not a midwifery training.
It is for those who wish to serve with love, integrity, and humility.

Course

11/10/2025

My traumatic first birth taught me some life changing lessons.

As a midwife planning a Homebirth I'd prepared my mind and body, truly believed I could give birth as easily as my mother had, but hadn't considered that my path would include a hospital transfer and unplanned caesarean for obstructed labour (due to baby being in a brow presentation).

It may sound crazy but I'm so grateful for my experiences which have helped me help so many families on their own healing journeys

Here are just some illumination born out of my trauma.

🌅Lesson 1
Birth is not totally under your control - nature and your baby may have their own plans.

🌅Lesson 2
Prepare for the births you don't want as well as the one you hope for.

🌅Lesson 3
Faced with the labour or birth you worked hard to avoid you will somehow find the strength to make the best decisions for you and your baby.

🌅Lesson 4
Health professionals are only human, they can make mistakes (so work with a doula or birthkeeper), but they are usually great at saving lives in an emergency.

🌅Lesson 5
Ask for and accept help after birth, you need and are worthy of it!
This lesson is best learnt before birth if possible.

🌅Lesson 6✨
Healing from mental trauma (as well as physical trauma from surgery) takes time and cannot be rushed.

There is no single cure for the effects of trauma. Each individual can find healing in different ways. The things that work best for my clients are

TIME - allowing time for your body to heal and your energy levels to start recovering.

FINDING ANSWERS - can include asking for help to decipher your medical notes

RITUAL AND CEREMONY - marking memories in a meaningful way.

DISCOVERING MEANING - a process of uncovering useful lessons about yourself and others.

3 STEP REWIND - can help relieve the ongoing syptome of trauma.

MINDFULNESS AND GRATITUDE - can help forge new neural pathways.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE helps clients set achievable goals and monitor progress.

Working with clients to formulate their own healing plan helps them heal at their own pace and in their own way.

A sure recipe for success!