What Is “Free” Birth?
The ultimate birth and rebirth: Women doin’ it for themselves.
I mentioned last week in my post about Birth Orgasms, that there were two big birth taboos:
1) Birth can be pleasurable. A woman can actually orgasm her baby out.
2) Birth can be wild and free. A woman is most likely to have a natural, pleasurable birth when left alone. Or, with a minimum of people around her. And those who are, she already knows intimately and trusts.
What we see happen over and over again, is that a woman’s birth process is going smoothly, and then she arrives at the hospital, and everything stops.
This is because her body has gone into flight or flight. Or it just freezes.
It perceives an unknown, unsafe environment, i.e. not her home, surrounded by people she loves. But instead, a strange place, with bright lights, and loud sounds, with strange people and strange hands inserting themselves into her, and a door wide open to her “birthing room”, with a myriad of people coming in and out.
Think about when you’ve seen an animal or pet give birth.
What do they do instinctually?
They seek out a dark, private, quiet space, crawling under a bed or into a closet.
They need to go inside of themselves and tune in.
They don’t climb up onto the kitchen table and ask for all the lights on, and for the entire neighbourhood to come over and watch.
If any woman manages to have an intervention-free birth in these circumstances, it would be a miracle.
In the Handmaid’s Tale reality we all find ourselves in, the idea of women birthing their own babies, in their own environments, might seem radical to you, but I assure you it isn’t.
In contrast to this, there is an entire movement afoot to restore the power of birth back to where it belongs: in the hands of vaginas of women.
In today’s podcast, we have a double-up for you:
I interview Emilee Saldaya, the founder of the Free Birth Society.
She’ll speak on her experiences as a doula in hospitals and what inspired her to instead focus on women birthing in their own environments and power, on their own.
I also interview the beautiful Hannah-Grace —that’s her pictured above—who birthed her baby at home, outside.
By herself.
Even if these concepts seem far out of your reality, I encourage you to listen with an open mind and hear the truth in these women’s voices and experiences.
When you hear Hannah-Grace tell her story, it’s utterly moving how she was able to tune into herself at the deepest level, and bring her baby out into the world. And, how during her pregnancy, she cleared the story and energy of her own mother’s emergency C-section births of her and her sister, so that history wouldn’t repeat itself.
Listen to the episode now.
Download and listen on the go:
Meet Emilee Saldaya:
Emilee Saldaya is the trail-blazing leader and founder of Free Birth Society. She was a doula for over ten years, until the reality of her complicity with the obstetric system and the harm that it does to women and babies, prompted her to find a better way. She evolved into a “Radical Birth Keeper” who serves women birthing outside the system.
She founded Free Birth Society prior to the conscious conception of her first child, and went on to give birth to her daughter freely, on Maui, Hawaii.
Emilee’s acclaimed podcast The Free Birth Society Podcast, quickly became a fan favorite and has reached millions of people.
Meet Hannah-Grace
Hannah-Grace is a young woman following her innate and primal wisdom in all avenues of her existence. She lives life rooted in her power and is devoted to mothering wildly and intuitively. She birthed her first child a year ago in ecstasy and bliss, unhindered and medically unassisted. Her free birth experience continues to heal her and her ancestors in profound ways. Hannah-Grace, her partner, and child live a love-centered life prioritizing wellness and intimate connection with each other. You can learn more about Hannah-Grace by following her on Instagram where she shares about her motherhood journey, eco-friendly living, nutritious recipes, and more.
Coffee table book of free birthing.
And the song she wrote to beckon her baby.
~Kxx
I just wanted to say that in The Netherlands all women give birth at home – except when something goes wrong, then they rush to the hospital. Of course our country is tiny, so hospitals are near.
xxx
Margreet
That’s so great, and how things ought to be: trusting in the natural process and creating the ideal circumstances for women.