Today we have first time mom Rachel, whose minimalist approach to life I found quite inspiring. She tells the beautiful story of her off-the-grid freebirth, and we have an important discussion on vaginal tearing and the cultural implications behind it.
Sep 28, 2018•1 hr 27 min
Today on the podcast we have Anna, who shares her journey of self discovery through conscious conception, freebirth, and motherhood. We also speak about her relationship to sacred stones and how that led her to create magical stone elixirs to promote healing, awareness, and self care.
Sep 21, 2018•1 hr 14 min
Have you ever heard of a ten minute birth? I hadn’t, until I sat with Lindsey and listened to her story. After having four deeply unsatisfactory births in the hospital, she knew she wanted something different with her fifth child. Realizing they wouldn’t be able to afford a midwife, Lindsey chose freebirth and began her life altering shift from playing the good girl, to becoming the self assured powerful woman she is today. Lindsey shares with us the story of her most recent birth, her first dau...
Sep 14, 2018•1 hr 1 min
This week we have a special episode on discussing the experience of and then the healing of birth trauma. As we know far too well, women across the globe are routinely victimized by normalized obstetrical violence and left traumatized from the many ways in which they and their babies were harmed in the system. I am joined by Diana, who experienced the unnecessary yet systematic cascade of interventions in her home birth transfer. This resulted in both a surgical birth she knew she didn’t need, s...
Sep 07, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Today on the show we have Jessyl, who after a hospital birth said never again, and freebirthed her second child in her home in Italy, and then her most recent baby in Virginia. Jessyl talks about navigating being a military family and freebirthing on base. She also shares how she dealt with her nervous husband and the actions she took to step outside the system, one birth at a time.
Aug 31, 2018•1 hr 20 min
This week on the podcast we have the beautiful Yoni, who on a whim, pregnant with her second child, journeyed from the mainland to Kauai with her partner to settle in their next chapter of life. She enjoyed a truly autonomous pregnancy with no outside management, and practiced deep listening and connectivity with her baby soon to be born. Yoni shares her gorgeous story of birthing wild and free outside, in the water, under the moon, on sacred land.
Aug 24, 2018•1 hr 5 min
This week we are joined by Lel from Tasmania. Having suffered a fourth degree tear that required surgery immediately following her unmedicated hospital birth, she was surprised to find no care providers would support her in a second vaginal birth. Facing a completely unnecessary and unwanted c-section, Lel randomly discovered Free Birth Society’s Instagram page, and then this very podcast. Lel tells us her story of birthing her second child, with just her husband and son by the fire, in her home...
Aug 10, 2018•53 min
Today we are joined by Dr. Eden Fromberg, an OB/GYN from New York who, get this, truly supports female autonomy, self authority, and freebirth. Dr. Fromberg shares her story of coming to OB/GYN and being appalled at what she saw in the system, witnessing abusive games and sexualized violence in the medical field. It became a mission for her to finish her training and present another way for this field to, quite literally, operate.
Aug 03, 2018•1 hr 19 min
We are joined this week by Morgan from Florida. With a history of sexual abuse and after experiencing obstetrical violence in her first two births, Morgan knew she would be staying home with this new baby. She shares her raw and real story about surprise pregnancies, overcoming addiction, and her discovery of self love through her freebirth. Finding no support in her husband to birth at home on her own terms, Morgan tells the incredible story of how she labored while he slept, and birthed the ba...
Jul 27, 2018•42 min
Today we are joined by Becca, who lives in a small village in Alaska. Due to colonialism, there hadn’t been a homebirth in this village for over 100 years, as everyone now leaves to have a medicalized birth. Becca decided not to follow suit, and tells the story of how she chose to have an unassisted pregnancy and birth in her home.
Jul 13, 2018•1 hr 22 min
It's our first breech episode! And a surprise breech no less. We are joined by Cari from Nebraska, who after her first birth in the hospital was told she was unlikely to have another vaginal birth. Cari tells her incredible tale of going past 42 weeks and birthing her daughter who was surprisingly breech with her cord wrapped around her neck three times.
Jul 06, 2018•1 hr 5 min
I’m excited to share with you today a truly joyful and fun story. We are joined by the wise, intuitive, and oh so lovely, Alexandra from the mountains of Northern California. She tell us about her idilic first birth, off the grid, in her Yurt. For her birth, she was snowed in with just her partner and her wolf dog, Avalon who played quite the role in her story. Alexandra shares how both she and her partner used plant medicine to flow with the power of birth and tells us all about her placenta ta...
Jun 29, 2018•1 hr 3 min
After being abused in the system in her first birth, Zsudayka knew in her next pregnancy she would not return to the hospital. She tells us what it was like to navigate a nervous partner and how she made a compromise of receiving obstetrical prenatal care for her partner's comfort with her second pregnancy. She describes her experience of being a black pregnant woman in America and speaks to the systemic racism in healthcare. Then of course, Zsudayka shares her gorgeous free birth story. Lastly ...
Jun 22, 2018•1 hr 15 min
How I Untransferred Myself While Pushing: Host Emilee Saldaya Tells Her Tale (Part 2) by Free Birth Society
May 04, 2018•43 min
Part 1 of my birth story is up!
Apr 26, 2018•52 min
Today on the show we have Keli, AKA Steamy Chick, the woman behind the new yet ancient vaginal steaming movement. I have been hearing women rave about the benefits of vaginal steaming for years and was thrilled to find out this badass mama had also free birthed her two children. Keli shares how unacceptable she was treated by her doctor in her first pregnancy and how she ultimately decided she wanted to rely on her own instincts and see what birth was really about. And of course, we get into vag...
Apr 20, 2018•57 min
Today on the show I have the brilliant Yolande Clark from New Brunswick, Canada. Yolande is a traditional birth attendant, writer, and educator of autonomous birth. We dive into the controversial topic of using ultrasound technology as a part of routine care in pregnancy; a subject Yolande has spent the last 18 years researching. We discuss what exactly they are, the studies, the social impact of this technology, risks vs benefits, and of course we share our many opinions. Check out Yolande’s 3 ...
Apr 12, 2018•1 hr 8 min
Today on the show we have Chelsea from Idaho. She shares her journey of birthing her first two children in birth centers and then free birthing her next two babies at home. Chelsea shares her wisdom on how she chose to fiercely protect the privacy of her birthing choices. We talk about how Chelsea went through every labor stage prior to her final birth of her daughter and achieved a painless birth experience.
Apr 06, 2018•58 min
Today on the show we have Kristie from Manitoba, Canada. Kristie has free birthed all three of her children. She shares the story of how she registered for a midwife with her first pregnancy and quickly discovered she wanted to opt out of the system and instead be the leader of her own experience. We talk about lotus birth, using Fertility Awareness Method for conceiving, and intuitive self prenatal care.
Mar 29, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Today on the show we have Lorena from South Carolina. After a less than desirable hospital birth that included an unconsenting episiotomy and having her baby taken away, Lorena sought to have her second child at a birth center. Towards the end of her pregnancy, her midwives dropped her with little explanation. Left with no other options, Lorena settled into the reality that she was going to free birth at her home. She educated herself and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Lorena had a ...
Mar 22, 2018•49 min
Today on the show we have Kiara from Queensland, Australia. She tells her story of first having an induction with her twins in hospital, to a birth center in hospital with her next. Kiara then describes the impact a miscarriage of a second set of twins had on herself and her family - that ultimately led her to free birthing her last baby, Percy. Kiara shares how her faith both tested her and carried her through to have the strength and trust to birth Percy at home with her family.
Mar 15, 2018•1 hr 15 min
Today on the show we have Sirgun Kaur Khalsa from Arizona, who after a homebirth transfer with her first child, decided to free birth her second child with just her husband. After carrying past 42 weeks, her nervous midwife called 911 towards the end of her birth and Sirgun experienced a dramatic transfer resulting in unnecessarily intervention and obstetrical abuse. Thankfully, following her intuition with her second pregnancy she tells the story of her healing and powerful birth at home, on he...
Mar 08, 2018•59 min
This week on the Free Birth Podcast we have Sarah from Georgia who shares the story of birthing her first child. She tells the journey that led her to choose free birth and the shock of having an unexpectedly quick labor.
Feb 23, 2018•39 min
Today on the show we have Aileen from North Carolina with quite the story to share. From losing a premature baby to hospital interventions as a teenager, Aileen went on to experience both a traumatic abortion and then an abusive hospital birth. Finally, with just her husband, outside at their home, she Free Birthed her daughter, drumming the night away as she labored, finally able to fully claim her body, baby, and birth experience.
Feb 15, 2018•1 hr 40 min
We have a special episode this week with an insider look at Emilee's journey with pregnancy. She is joined by her husband, Jonny, who offers his perspective of supporting an autonomous pregnancy and Free Birth. Together, they share the story of their conscious conception, the challenges of the different trimesters, their decision to move to Hawaii, and how they are both feeling so close to the birth.
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 34 min
Today on the show we are welcoming in 2018 with our first episode of the new year! We have Eleanor from the Big Island of Hawaii, sharing her story of free birthing her first born. After carrying her baby for 43 long weeks, she was surprised by a precipitous 3 hour labor and delivery. I was struck by Eleanor’s sense of self authority and brutal honesty as she shares her story of the rawness of her birth and postpartum.
Jan 17, 2018•56 min
Today on the show we have author and mother Kimberly Johnson with her new book on postpartum titled “The 4th Trimester”. Kimberly shares her personal story of birthing in a foreign country and suffering from a serious injury and how that led to her own self healing and life’s work. Her book on the sacred postpartum time came out this week. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
Dec 29, 2017•1 hr 8 min
Today we pivot to directly discuss hospital culture and the regularly violated legal and human rights of women. I am privileged to be joined by an incredible lawyer and human rights activist Hermine Hayes-Klein, founder of Human Rights in Childbirth. She worked for five years to organize international conferences of maternity care stakeholders to discuss women’s fundamental rights in childbirth. Hermine is a huge force in advocating and shifting the focus on the huge gap in care between honoring...
Dec 13, 2017•59 min
This week I’m joined by Kristin from Orange County, California who shares her intimate story of self discovery through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. I particularly love Kristin’s story because she chose to work with a regulated midwife and created a way to still be the captain of her pregnancy and birth. Kristin also shares about her struggles postpartum with breastfeeding due to her son’s lip and tongue ties, and speaks to how the postpartum period is a true journey of the underworld....
Dec 06, 2017•1 hr 20 min
Who knows what a FBA5C is? That’s a free birth after 5 c-sections. This episode goes out to all the moms with previous c-sections being told that subsequent surgery is the only way. Carrie, from Southern California tells her story of needing to find a better way. Pregnant with her sixth baby and having no one in the medical models willing to support her, she decided to stayed at home with her husband and birthed her baby in her bath tub. Carrie is freshly postpartum at the time of this recording...
Nov 22, 2017•1 hr 15 min
