Free Birth - Exploring Autonomy In Childbirth

I’m happy to share a playful, funny, and wonderful story today of a first time mama, Erica, living in Perth, Australia. Erica shares how open she was to birth and how she prepared for her birth to decimate her. Which it did, and in her words, 'then I had a baby, and it was cool.” Erica shares what it felt like to birth in total instinct and yet how unprepared she was for the intensity of postpartum.

I’ve got a special episode for you this week, as I am joined by Yolande Norris-Clark, my hero, dear friend, and partner in everything birth. She’s joining us today to share the story of her most recent birth, her 8th child, and why this particular birth may not have actually been an entirely undisturbed physiological birth. We are also thrilled to share that we just released Yolande’s newest creation, Through The Veil, so after you listen to this episode, be sure to head over to our website and get her course.

This week we are joined by Gala, from Montreal, Canada. While Gala did have a vaginal breech birth in a hospital with her first born, she was left devastated at how she was treated and hit with the realization that she had given up her power and authority in the process. Vowing never again, Gala goes on to have an incredible freebirth at home with her second child.

If you know me or follow me, you know I am obsessed with the book “Everything Below The Waist - Why Health Care Needs a Feminist Revolution”. The author is Jennifer Block and I’m happy to say she’s on the show today. You may know of her from her previous book Pushed which rocked the worlds of birth workers and parents alike. Everything Below The Waist is a continuation of the work she did in Pushed and is now broadening the conversation into all elements of female health care. 

I am joined by Ilona, who had a wonderful mother centered birth with her first child. Ilona went on a quite a journey with her wild pregnancy, having an unexpected pregnancy with a new partner and deciding to lean into fully embracing both her pregnancy, her intuition and her power. Ilona’s story is definitely an inspiring one as she shares how she chose to call on her yogic teachings and complete wisdom to create the birth of her dreams.

This week we have Mari from Tennessee who shares her powerful, and sometimes hilarious, VBAC story. After Mari had a completely unnecessary surgical birth, she committed to doing it her way and navigated a wild pregnancy and a fearless VBAC.

This week we are joined by Jani from North Carolina, who chose wild pregnancies and free births for both of her children. After witnessing a hospital birth prior to her first baby, she was launched into her passion to both understand and protect birth. When pregnant, she couldn’t find a midwife she connected with so the choice was simple; she will have a family centered birth without a medical provider. Jani tells us about how she chose to trust in her innate intelligence, how she accepted the what ifs, and how her 9 lb boy came out in two pushes.

Enough women in my life have made a point to tell me how Rachelle and I were destined to be friends and that we were kindred sisters who shared a mission, so I reached out to her, and asked her to be on the podcast. This is our first ever conversation of not only discovering our connection, but soaking in the deep well of Rachelle’s wisdom. An authentic midwife with a commitment to truth and spirit, Rachelle completely blew me away.

We are joined this week by my friend Michelle, who freebirthed her daughter earlier this year in total trust, courage, and power. Michelle is from Alberta, Canada and was coerced into a c-section with her son, a decade ago, because of his breech presentation. Having had her birth stolen from her, a fire was lit in her spirit to learn more, become a birth worker, and to eventually birth in sovereignty. Michelle also shares the painful journey of breastfeeding challenges, and her incredible commitment to seeing it through. 

We are opening Season Three with an incredible woman who describes her life as living spirit led, something that I deeply relate to. Ashley freebirthed her second daughter in California and then went on to freebirth twins in Costa Rica, and get this, the twins were a total surprise. We have a great conversation around the power of intention, her epiphanies with ganja, and working with source energy. Ashley tells us from a cafe in Costa Rica about the freebirth story of her twins, which she describes as experiencing ‘God Watsu’.

Season 3 Teaser - New Season Coming Friday September 20th, 2019 Are you all ready to start Season 3 with us next week!? We are coming back with our best season yet, and beginning next Friday September 20th, you can be in on all the powerful stories we’ve have been collecting. We’ve got episodes with surprise twins, authentic midwives, incredible VBAC stories, an epic 3 part surrogacy series, and Yolande’s and Katya’s recent stories with their new babies.

We are closing out Season 2 with the final episode of following Kim and her freebirth journey, bringing us to today’s episode: her freebirth and fourth trimester. Be sure to go back and listen to to the previous 3 episodes that follow her wild pregnancy and preparation for her upcoming birth, which includes her challenges with hyperemesis and the many lessons conscious conception, pregnancy outside the system, and impending labor taught her.

The word that comes to my mind when I think about this week’s guest, is refreshing. Sabali is a true inspiration to me, with her deep sense of self and no bullshit attitude. In Sabali’s first birth, she was literally abandoned by her birthing team during her home birth, and therefore eventually transferred herself to find support. So when she got pregnant with her second child, she was already highly attuned to what did and didn’t feel right. So halfway through her second pregnancy, she left her providers in the system, and prepared for her freebirth.

Brandi impressed me with her self awareness, humility, and connection to truth. After a typical industrialized birth, she goes on to have a surprise breech birth, in the water, at home. Then has another child at home, midwife attended. It’s with Brandi’s fourth daughter that she decides to freebirth, in the very bus her family lives in. Brandi shares her honest journey with her many lessons, in this week’s episode.

Over a decade ago, my friend Nancy attempted a home birth in Sweden that was unfortunately sabotaged by licensed midwives. This launches Nancy into healing, learning, and even becoming a birth worker. Finding herself with a new partner, in a new country, Nancy describes the beautiful journey of consciously conceiving her son in Mexico and birthing him in total power and freedom.

I am thrilled to be sharing this interview today with the lovely Jinti Fell, who, you could say, comes out of the closet about her freebirth on today’s episode. Jinti was thrown into motherhood with an accidental pregnancy and while she had a wonderful birth, she was left less than satisfied with the treatment by her midwives. Then, practicing conscious conception to call in her son, she finds herself deep in her own shadow work to prepare for her new child. Jinti shares openly about the highs and lows of being a public persona online and keeping her plans to freebirth private. And of course, she shares the beautiful story of her sons peaceful, outdoor, family centered, freebirth in the water.

Today on the show I sit down with Samantha Zipporah, an educator on body literacy and womb sovereignty, with an emphasis on conscious contraception and pregnancy release. We cover a lot in this episode, focusing on contraception, abortion, and miscarriage outside of the medical paradigm.

This week I sit down with Mitzi, who first shares her heartbreaking story of violence in the system. After her unnecessary c-section, Mitzi left England and returned home to Canada. In her second pregnancy, she found support in the wonderful traditional midwife, Gloria Lemay, who supported Mitzi in her powerful vbac. Then, Mitzi is shocked to become pregnant with her third child. She decides to freebirth on the tiny island where she herself was freebirthed, and so she did.

Gloria, to me, represents the power of woman. After the staff at the hospital attempted to sabotage her birth, Gloria demanded her epidural be turned off and did what she could to birth her baby her way. She left knowing she would not be back. 8 year laters, Gloria finds herself pregnant with twins. She made plans to birth her children her way, at home, and she did. At 34 weeks, Gloria birthed her twins at home, with her second baby breech, born in the caul.

Alright friends, this is the episode you have been waiting for. I sit down this week with the smartest woman I know, and one of my dearest friends, Yolande Clark. Today we are diving into some of the cornerstones of industrialized prenatal care, the gestational diabetes test, the GBS test, ultrasound technology, and navigating RH Factor. If you want to learn more, join our mailing list to hear about the release of Yolande Clark's upcoming book.