This week Blyss and Stu discuss the importance of understanding the menstrual cycle with guest Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, author of The Fifth Vital Sign. Lisa brings not only her personal experiences with menstrual health, but also her expertise in the roles of basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and cervical position in fertility awareness. They highlight the broader health implications of suppressing ovulation with birth control pills and shed light on how modern medicine often overlooks natural bodily functions.

About Lisa Hendrickson-Jack:

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who trains women’s health practitioners to use their menstrual cycle as a vital sign in their practices. She is the founder of the Fertility Awareness Mastery MentorshipTM program. She is the author of three bestselling books The Fifth Vital Sign, the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook, and her most recent book Real Food For Fertility, which she co-authored with Lily Nichols RDN. Lisa works tirelessly to debunk the myth that regular ovulation is only important when you want children by recognizing the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Drawing heavily from the current scientific literature, Lisa presents an evidence-based approach to help women connect to their fifth vital sign by uncovering the connection between the menstrual cycle, fertility, and overall health. With well over 4 million downloads, her podcast, Fertility Friday, is the #1 source for information about fertility awareness and menstrual cycle health.

Website: http://fertilityfriday.com

Instagram: @fertilityfriday

Resources

Real Food For Fertility: realfoodforfertility.com

The Fifth Vital Sign: thefifthvitalsignbook.com

In This Episode

The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign

The Birth Control Pill: History and Controversies

The Hidden Dangers of Birth Control Pills

The Importance of Understanding Your Cycle

Side Effects of Suppressing Ovulation

Impact on Partner Attraction and Genetic Compatibility

The Role of Cervical Fluid and Ovulation

Fertility Awareness Methods

The Influence of Big Pharma and Research Bias

Natural Ways to Support Your System

This show is supported by

• Birth Sling | Go to https://thebirthsling.com/ code INSTINCTS for 10% off your sling.
• Restorative Roots | Go to https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Meredith Nelson and Alicia Fishbein, board-certified patient advocates and seasoned doulas from Intentional Birth. The episode explores the critical role of advocacy in childbirth, covering topics from prenatal visits to labor and NICU challenges. Learn how to navigate hospitals, advocate effectively for clients, and transform traumatic experiences into empowering and supportive births. The discussion includes real-life stories, practical tools, and heartwarming successes, emphasizing the need for stronger advocacy in maternity care.

About Meredith Nelson & Alicia Fishbein

Meredith and Alicia are board-certified patient advocates, seasoned doulas, and the founders of Intentional Birth and of the Perinatal Patient Advocacy Center.

When they attended their original doula trainings, they were taught not to speak up on their clients' behalf. Don't rock the boat. Doulas don't advocate. Smile and nod at care providers. Then they began attending births, and realized that their clients were walking away feeling powerless and traumatized (they were, too). They knew there was a bigger role for them to play.

More than a dozen years later, they are training birth professionals as patient advocates. They teach the confidence-building strategies, the detailed systems for educating and preparing their clients, and the robust set of communication and advocacy tools that they developed as they transformed their practices toward true support of their clients' legal rights and human needs.

Website: intentionalbirth.co

E-mail: [email protected]

Instagram: @intentional.birth

Resources

Intentional Birth: https://www.intentionalbirth.co/

Perinatal Patient Advocacy Center: https://perinatalpatientadvocacy.org/

ACOG Opinion Piece: Refusal of Medically Recommended Treatment During Pregnancy

In This Episode

Advocacy and Patient Rights

The Role of Doulas and Patient Advocates

Training and Empowering Doulas

Understanding Hospital Culture and Hierarchy

Empathy as a Foundational Advocacy Tool

Humanizing the Room: Practical Tools for Doulas

The Importance of Partner Advocacy

Navigating Prenatal Visits and Hospital Advocacy

This show is supported by

• Birth Sling | Go to https://thebirthsling.com/ code INSTINCTS for 10% off your sling.
• Restorative Roots | Go to  https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

While Dr. Stu was busy teaching breech in Texas, Blyss hosted Valerie Wiesner to discuss the practice of vaginal steaming, its benefits, and the ancient traditions associated with it. Valerie shares her extensive experience in sacred postpartum care and describes how steaming can help with postpartum recovery, menstrual irregularities, fertility issues, and even prostate health in men. Additionally, Valerie talks about her vision for making sacred postpartum practices more accessible through community co-ops and international training programs. 

About Valerie Wiesner

Valerie Wiesner, mama to 15, leads women Worldwide in the Ancient Art of Sacred Postpartum care in both online and live retreats. This includes many practices, from Ceremony to Vaginal Steaming, honoring and supporting women in the tender postpartum recovery period. She serves women in all stages of life, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in Northern Arizona.

In 1980, Valerie and her partner hitchhiked to The Farm in Tennessee to birth her first baby with Ina May Gaskin. This experience of sacred birth and postpartum care surrounded by love and community, set her on the path she walks today.

Valerie lives in the mountains of Prescott Arizona with her soulmate of 46 years where she grows abundant food and herbs and holds epic family gatherings.

Website: sacredbirthtraditions.com and sacredpostpartum.net

Listeners will get 20% discount on any of Valerie’s programs, reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Instagram: @sacredpostpartum @sacredbirthtraditions

Resources

Valerie’s Birth Stories on Indie Birth

Katy Barnes, Doula

Mountain Rose Herbs

In This Episode

Ancient Practices and Modern Benefits of Vaginal Steaming

Vaginal Steaming for Women's Health Issues

Emotional and Physical Healing through Vaginal Steaming

Postpartum Care and Vaginal Steaming

Herbal Recommendations

Vaginal Steaming for Various Health Conditions

The Role of Vaginal Steaming in Sexual Health

Resources and Training for Vaginal Steaming

This show is supported by

• Birth Sling | Go to https://thebirthsling.com/ code INSTINCTS for 10% off your sling.
• Restorative Roots | Go to https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

In this episode, Blyss is joined by Lara Jason, an assistant professor of sociology at Grinnell College, as she shares her powerful and emotional story about her breech birth experience. Despite her extensive preparations and strong advocacy skills, Lara experienced a traumatic birth intervention that violated her consent, echoing her past experiences with sexual assault. This episode underscores the importance of trauma-informed care and the need for systemic changes to respect and prioritize women's autonomy during childbirth.

Guest Lara Janson:

Lara Janson is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at Grinnell College. A sociologist specializing in gender, sexuality, law, education, and qualitative/mixed research methods, she is interested in researching and teaching about intersections of inequality. In addition to teaching introductory sociology, social movements, social media, and gender courses on the Grinnell campus, Lara also teaches at Newton Correctional Facility and the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women as part of Grinnell’s Liberal Arts in Prison Program (LAPP).

Dr. Janson’s current book project, Sexual Violence on Campus: Title IX and the New Era of Accountability (forthcoming with NYU Press), examines how college campuses adjudicate sexual assault complaints, with particular emphasis on the competing legal jurisdictions at play. Related research interests include sexuality, social movements, feminist jurisprudence, and crime/incarceration.

Before pursuing her doctorate, Janson researched interculturalism and gender as a Fulbright Scholar in the Andes, where she also taught courses at a men’s prison and in rural Indigenous/Afro communities. After conducting street outreach and educational programs in juvenile detention centers for a non-profit in the U.S., she studied Peace and Conflict as a George J. Mitchell Scholar in Northern Ireland, where she helped develop curricula linking gender and peace/conflict.

 For more information about Dr. Janson and her work, check out www.larajanson.com.

Website: www.larajanson.com

Instagram: @lhjanson

Resources

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/

In This Episode

Laura's Pregnancy Journey

Advocating for Individualized Maternity Care

Challenges with Hypermobile EDS in Pregnancy

Navigating Hospital Birth Preferences

The Role of a Doula in Childbirth

Power Struggles and Advocacy in Hospital Births

The Impact of Past Trauma on Childbirth

Reporting and Seeking Justice Post-Birth Trauma

This show is supported by

• The Birth Sling by Dr. Jess Michaels | Go to thebirthsling.com code Instincts for 10% off your sling
• Restorative Roots | Go to  https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for  25% off your first order of weekly fresh meals or $20 off frozen postpartum meals.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week we welcome Dr. Stanton Hom, to discuss a variety of topics from the impacts of vaccinations on children to the decline in global fertility rates.  

About Dr. Stanton Hom – DC, DACCP, CCWP is the Founder of Future Generations: a global movement normalizing vibrant health for life by providing freedom focused care and education so we can experience our innate genetic potential.

Together, he and his team have built one of the top clinics in the world through their innovative and against the grain approach that catalyzes radical healing of chronic health issues in patients of all ages.

His own self-healing has inspired him to take on a new mission of chiropractic that eventually led to a breakthrough method in 2013 that he now teaches through a powerfully transformative course called “Future Foundations.”

As the Host of the Future Generations Podcast, an informed dad and prenatal/pediatric chiropractic specialist, he leads a worldwide movement that stands for Self Healing, Natural Living and Health Freedom for All Generations.

Websites: https://www.FutureGenerationsSD.com / https://portal.thefuturegen.com/futurefoundations / Future Foundations Course

Podcast: https://thefuturegen.com 

Instagram: @drstantonhom @thefuturegenSD @futuregenpodcast

Resources

Books: The Truth About Contagion: Exploring Theories of How Disease Spreads, by Thomas S. Cowan MD, Sally Fallon Morell

Vaccine A: The Covert Government Experiment That's Killing Our Soldiers--and Why GI's Are Only the First Victims, by Gary Matsumoto

Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program: The Proven Plan to Prevent Disease and Premature Aging, Optimize Weight and Live Longer! Tapa blanda, by Joseph Mercola

Reuters Article: US House panel launches antitrust probe of medical residency system By Mike Scarcella 

Journal Article: Vaccination and Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Study of Nine-Year-Old Children Enrolled in Medicaid, Anthony R. Mawson, Binu Jacob

Film: Infertility: A Diabolical Agenda

In This Episode

Health Challenges Within the Military

Children's Health

Vaccination and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Vaccine Ingredients

The Debate on Vaccine Safety

Questioning COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

Fertility Issues and Theories

This show is supported by

• Restorative Roots | Go to https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]

Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week, with Blyss still on the road, Stu is joined by guest co-host Raquel Hernandez as they talk to guest Lia Berquist about the importance of birth plans. Lia, a doula and birth educator, provides insights on what it takes to create a strong birth plan. She emphasizes the foundational role of comprehensive childbirth education and the need for individualized, flexible, and positively framed birth plans. The conversation touches on key preferences to include, such as avoiding unnecessary interventions, ensuring immediate and constant skin-to-skin contact, and specifying newborn care procedures. 

About Lia Berquist:

Lia Berquist, is a Childbirth Educator, Doula, and birth worker. She is committed to supporting her clients physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She has given birth to two beautiful babies (who are now grown/and almost grown) herself. Both of her births were vaginal and unmedicated by choice - one in a hospital, one at home - and feels like she couldn't have done it without her doula. Lia has a Bachelors of Science in Human Environmental Sciences – which equates to commercial interior design - but childbirth has been her passion since 1998. She has been teaching childbirth classes in The Bradley Method ® in Long Beach, California since 2011. In 2012, she became a certified Doula and has since had the honor of witnessing over 350 births. It is her goal to empower women, birthing people, and their partners, through positive, evidence-based education and doula care, to give birth in the way THEY choose.

Website: https://www.yournaturalbirth.net

Instagram: @yournaturalbirth

Resources

Dr. Stu’s Informed Consent for Twin Delivery at Home

Milli Hill Substack Article, A life less apologetic

Bradley Method: bradleybirth.com

In This Episode

The Importance of Birth Plans

The Bradley Method Explained

Benefits for Dads and Birth Coaches

Choosing the Right Childbirth Class

Introducing Your Birth Plan to Your Provider

Importance of Including a Plan for C-Sections

The Do’s and Don’ts of a Birth Plan

This show is supported by

• Restorative Roots | Go to https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

In this week's episode of The Birthing Instincts Podcast, Blyss and Stu welcome renowned pediatrician and author Dr. Paul Thomas to discuss his book, Vax Facts. They discuss a range of topics related to pediatric health and vaccinations. Dr. Thomas talks about his background, the studies he's conducted on vaccine safety, and the differences in health outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. The conversation dives into the troubling financial incentives within the medical system that promote vaccination and underscores the importance of integrity, informed consent, and the need for parents to trust their instincts in making health decisions for their children. 

About Paul Thomas:

Dr. Paul Thomas went to Dartmouth Medical School. He finished in 1985, board certified as a pediatrician from 1990 to 2020. He was board certified in Addiction Medicine in 2010. He's authored three major books: the Vaccine Friendly Plan in 2015, the Addiction Spectrum in 2018, and his new book is called Vax Facts, What You Need To Know If You're Considering Vaccinating Your Child, was released in 2024. 

Publications include:

1. “Acute exposure and chronic retention of aluminum in three vaccine schedules and effects of genetic and environmental variation,” and

2. “Relative Incidence of Office Visits and Cumulative Rates of Billed Diagnoses Along the Axis of Vaccination.” And

3. Vaccine Practice Payment Schedules Create Perverse Incentives for Unnecessary Medical Procedures – at What Cost to Patients?

Host of the show “With the Wind: Science Revealed” covering COVID, childhood vaccines, and health and wellness at www.doctorsandscience.com.

Host of a weekly show “Good Morning CHD: Pediatric Perspectives”

Social Media:

youtube.com/user/paulthomasmd 

facebook.com/DrPaulThomasMD

substack.com/@kidsfirst4ever

Resources

Vax Facts: What to Consider Before Vaccinating at All Ages & Stages of Life

The Vaccine-Friendly Plan: Dr. Paul's Safe and Effective Approach to Immunity and Health - from Pregnancy Through Your Child's Teen Years

What to Consider Before Vaccinating at All Ages & Stages of Life

Individual coaching available at https://www.kidsfirst4ever.com

Relative Incidence of Office Visits and Cumulative Rates of Billed Diagnoses Along the Axis of Vaccination, Study by Paul Thomas

Vaxxed v Unvaxxed Graphs

Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History 10th Anniversary Edition

Turtles All The Way Down: Vaccine Science and Myth

EXCLUSIVE Interview: The CDC Nomination That TERRIFIED Big Pharma | Dr. Dave Weldon

Joe Rogan Podcast #2294 - Dr. Suzanne Humphries

Dr. Stu’s Live with Pure Sacred Roots

midwiferx.com

Online Pediatricians:

 Meehan md. 

CarissaStantonmd.com

Mindset-Kids.com

In This Episode

Rise of Autism and Neurological Issues 

Vaccine Concerns and Research Findings 

Health Comparisons: Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated 

Addressing SIDS and Vaccine Correlations 

Lack of Vaccine Safety Testing 

Advocating for Yourself at Doctor Visits 

Financial Incentives for Vaccinations 

The Importance of Natural Immunity

This show is supported by

• Restorative Roots | Go to https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week Dr. Stu and Midwife emphasizes discuss newborn jaundice, including its types, causes, and treatments. They explore physiologic jaundice, breastfeeding jaundice, and human milk jaundice, explaining the pathophysiology behind each and the typical clinical signs to observe. Blyss emphasizes the importance of vigilant yet balanced medical care and the role of physiologic processes in newborns, promoting a more holistic and individualized approach to treating jaundice.

Resources

Chelsea Poyo-Nieto: WWW.AGEOFRAYA.ORG

TO REGISTER:

Email [email protected]

“Beginners Guide” in the subject line!

discount code BIRTHING30 for 30% off

Bili Tool

AAP: Hyperbilirubinemia

Clinical Practice Guideline Revision: Management of Hyperbilirubinemia in the Newborn Infant 35 or More Weeks of Gestation

Merck Manual: Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

Blyss Jaundice Resource Document

In This Episode

Understanding Jaundice and Its Causes

Evaluating Hyperbilirubinemia in Newborns

Practical Tips for New Parents

Medical History and Risk Factors

Diagnostic Tests and Treatments

Phototherapy and Hospital Protocols

This show is supported by

• Restorative Roots | Go to  https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.
• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

•

•

•

#birthinginstinctspodcast #drstuspodcast #homebirth #midwife #santabarbaramidwife #intervention #birthpodcast #informedbirth #losangeleshomebirth #naturalbirth #homebirth #midwifelife #birthmatters #prenatalcare #birthplan #midwifeycare #midwifery #birthpartner #postivebirth #childbirth #birtheducation #naturalchildbirth #birthprep #birthsupport #doulas #doulasupport #informedbirth #birthstory #Patreon #VIPTraveler #reteachbreech

Blyss and Stu discuss a wide range of topics affecting maternity and healthcare, from home births and their underestimated safety to the new regulations threatening the role of doulas. They critique flawed studies, including the infamous Wax paper, and highlight a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice holding doctors accountable for administering COVID-19 vaccines without proper prescriptions. They also address the ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals, and underscore the importance of storytelling in preserving factual information about birth practices. The episode concludes with a listener letter, reinforcing the need for informed, compassionate care in maternity services. 

Resources

Planned Home Birth - Marty Makary’s Blind Spot

Article: FOIA Reveals Troubling Relationship between HHS/CDC & the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Pregnancy and Prenatal Vaccines

European Court of Justice - doctors will be solely responsible for the consequences of covid injections - Europe Reloaded

AJOG Study: Accuracy of antenatal ultrasound in predicting large-for-gestational-age babies: population-based cohort study

Join The Birthing Instincts Patreon at patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast

In This Episode

Home Birth Safety and Medical Studies

Legal Accountability for COVID Vaccinations

Montana's Doula Regulation Controversy

Ultrasound Accuracy in Predicting Large Babies

Vaccine Information and Misinformation

A Listener's Personal Birth Story and Experiences

Building Community in Patreon

This show is supported by

• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!
• Restorative Roots | Go to  https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off pantry items.

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Call-in line: 805-399-0439

Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

Since the airing of this episode, we have been made aware of a Reddit post sharing a number of allegations against the practices and character of our guest. We are aware of the situation and encourage everyone to be diligent when seeking out resources/support.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeBirthSocietyScam/

______

This week Blyss and Stu invite Emilee Saldaya, the founder of the Free Birth Society, onto the podcast. Emilee shares her journey from working within the medicalized birth system to advocating and supporting free birth. They discuss the philosophy of free birth, the importance of owning your 'no', and the challenges and misconceptions surrounding autonomous births. Together they explore the impact of societal norms on birthing practices and the power of creating supportive, non-hierarchical birth environments.

About Emilee:

Emilee is a birth educator, birth witness, midwifery teacher, women's elevation coach, host of the viral Free Birth Society podcast, and the founder of Free Birth Society.

Emilee started her birth work journey in 2003. Before long, Emilee witnessed the fundamental fracture that takes place when women give birth within the medical system. Rather than look the other way, Emilee chose to be the revolution she wished to see and transform birthing culture as we know it.

From the belly of the beast to a place of recognition and revolution, Emilee brings two decades of birth work experience and expertise to this space, having supported thousands of births, and knowing with certainty that freebirth has the power to change the world, one motherbaby at a time. Emilee is warm, kind, fierce — and incredibly adept at providing a spacious witnessing that supports women to step into their power.

Having chosen wild pregnancy and freebirth herself with both of her children, Emilee teaches from an inspiring and embodied spirit, with enthusiasm that is truly contagious.

In This Episode

Discovering Free Birth

Leaving the System

Facing Financial and Social Fears

Philosophy of Responsibility in Birth

The Role of Medical Providers

The Importance of Trust and Autonomy

This show is supported by

• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order. 
• BIRTHFIT | Go to birthfit.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off any fitness program.
• Pique Life| Go to https://piquelife.com/birthing to get 10% off for life on Pique's Herbal Teas!
• Restorative Roots | Go to  https://restorativemeals.com/ code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS for 10% off weekly meal plans.

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com