The Renegade Mama

Wow - here we are at the last episode of season 3! I was pondering what I should do for the last episode and then I thought - a lot of people have been asking to hear the speech I did at the Australia Homebirth Confernce in November last year. So here it is! The title of the presentation is: Freebirth - Taking Radical Responsibility. For those of you that already understand freebirth - I hope that it is affirming and uplifting. And for those who those of you who are still learning about freebirth - I hope it gives you some insight and understanding! I will be taking a break off the podcast till the end of the year and my energies will be focused on creating my upcoming Freebirth documentary. I will also be focusing on some teaching - so watch this space for classes in person and online. Enjoy this episode of my summations and thoughts on freebirth.

Today on the show I speak to Fiona about about her two vastly different births. For her first Fiona found out via ultrasound that her babies organs were forming on the outside of his body. An elective c-section was strongly advice and she consented under duress. She ponders if these early ultrasound may have contributed to this condition and talks about how the over medicalisation of this pregnancy made it very hard to connect in with her baby. After her baby was born - shockingly they overdosed her baby with drugs when a nurse missed a decimal point while administering. This delayed the surgery because her babe needed to recover from this first. After this experience Fiona knew next time would be different and decided on a freebirth and wild pregnancy. She had no scans and rather tapped into her intuition as her guiding beacon and light. Fiona’s freebirth was a long 48 hour labour with a trip to the hospital in between but the end stage was fast with her baby being born 20 minutes after waking up from a nap. Her placenta took 36 hours to emerge - although she suspects it detached much earlier. Breastfeeding was a dream - again a vast difference from her first where she only got to hold her son 3 days after he was born. Fiona’s story is a remarkable journey from polar opposites end of the spectrum. I just love this stories of where women return to their power despite their previous experiences. Thank you Fiona for sharing your story from such a warm and heart centred place.

More About Fiona. 

Standing as a beacon for heart-centered mamas, I’m cultivating a community of soul-aligned women living abundant lives of ease, standing in absolute power, and advocating for freedom in all aspects of life. Together, we're redefining motherhood, one sovereign choice at a time.

Today on the show I speak to Prue about the wild ride that led her to freebirth. Starting at 14 Prue started dabbling in drugs and alcohol. By her 20’s she realised it had become an addiction and she checked herself into rehab. She then ended up at the other end of the spectrum on extremely strong anti-depressants which she said made her a zombie and literally drool. She ended up weighing 100kg and knew something needed to change. She got off the pharmaceutical drugs and started body building but got down to a very unhealthy 35kg. When she finally let go of that and returned to a healthy weight and got her period back (which she had lost because she was so thin) she fell pregnant with her first. Her daughter was born in hospital and although straight forward for a hospital birth - it  still wasn’t the best experience and in the proceeding weeks she felt like something was off. At 6 weeks postpartum Prue was diagnosed with cancer and she tells us of how she felt like she was in a glass house looking at her daughter, not be able to be with her, bond with her or raise her in this hard time. Cut to covid - Prue felt forced to take the Pfizer vaccine and ended up with Pericarditis from it. This time Prue took the natural route and healed herself. This crazy story ultimately ended (or begun) with Prue choosing to Freebirth her next child - her little boy Koa. Although she had hired a midwife - she had always planned to not call her on the day and thats exactly what she did. Prue had a beautiful and simple birth at home despite a nuchal hand being present. I love Prue’s fire and passion and her commitment to being vulnerable and open so others can learn from her story. Thank you Prue! 

More about Prue:

35 year old mum to a 5yr old girl born in hospital and a 8MO Boy freebirthed at home. Some obstacles in life to get here has been: Addiction, rehabilitation, eating disorders, cancer and vaccination reaction during covid. As a result of the vaccine reaction I endeavoured onto a successful self healing journey after ditching the recommendations of the cardiologist and GPs. I turned to holistic healing where I tried everything you can imagine from homeopathy, ice baths, saunas, yoga, anti inflammatory diet and the list goes on. Through discovering the power of the body and it’s healing capabilities it was a no brained and complete certainty that freebirth was my dream when I fell pregnant with my second child.

Today on the show I speak with Cass about her 2 freebirths. I love a story where first time Mums freebirth. Cass herself was born at home and we hear the story of her growing up on the Wolery - the longest running intentional community in the south west of Western Australia. Even with her upbringing there was still some undoing of conditioning to be done and she dipped in and out of the system during the pregnancy. By the end of her pregnancy though she felt confident and ready - telling her birth plans to anyone who would listen. Cass tells us about her 12 hour labour where she went to her Dad’s house to birth - an hour drive from the shed they were living in. The birth was beautiful and straight forward and although she said she bled more than expected - she felt just fine. For her second she had a complete wild pregnancy - not even doing a pregnancy test. The birth was exactly how she and envisioned except a lot faster - only 2 hours! Cass is an absolute pleasure to talk with and is so logical and intuitive with her approach to birth. I loved hearing her stories and how birth is almost always just so simple! 

Today on the show I speak to mother of eight Elise. After losing her first (and only girl) in a hospital birth, Elise was devastated. She talks us through the process of being told her baby had died during labour and how having nearly every intervention possible didn’t save her baby. She doesn’t vilify the hospital or staff but rather reflects that sometimes as sad and as grief struck as we are - death happens. She then describes how her subsequent 3 pregnancies were test heavy and scheduled inductions. For number five she was with a new partner and decided on a homebirth with midwife which was a big change for her. Number 6 was an unnecessary home birth transfer and number 7 another home birth. For her last Elsie finally decided on a wild pregnancy and freebirth. Having experienced death of a baby first hand - Elise knew this was the safest option for her and her baby. She describes this birth as redeeming of her past traumas and cemented her trust in herself and her husband. 

More about Elise -

Hi, I'm Elise, a mum to a boisterous boy tribe! 

Having started my family journey young and green, I've moved through many levels of utilising the system, from blindly trusting.. to wholly trusting myself. 

After my first birth ended in tragedy, I learnt many lessons with each subsequent birth.. and an now a fierce advocate for women embracing bodily and birth autonomy.. and birthing in their own power. 

My family happily live outside the norm on a daily basis, as Unschoolers, life-learners, free birthers and (semi!) homesteaders.. generally finding our path off the beaten track.

As many of you are aware, in the mainstream media recently there has been a great deal of interest in freebirth. With numerous sensationalist articles flying around I thought it would be of interest to the listeners to hear a response. So on Saturday afternoon this week, as I hung out my washing, I dialled the number of my good friend and authentic birth keeper Emily Lal. As she picked up in Melbourne, I asked her if she’d jump on a zoom call to share her thoughts. It was a hard yes and just hours later - there we were chatting in-between putting our babies to bed on the other side of the country. Emily and I share our personal reasons for free birthing and how we see it as the safest way to birth. We ponder over the double standards held with freebirth and medically attended births and question why freebirth deaths are almost always consider ‘avoidable’ yet a hospital death is rarely spotlighted and considered ‘unavoidable’. We respond to some of the comments in the articles circulating and rejoice in the fact that we have a media outlet to share our thoughts where they will be heard in their entirety and not misconstrued. This focus in the mainstream media really excites me and I thank the journalists for bringing freebirth the zeitgeist and minds of people who may not ever considered or heard of it before. Freebirth is changing the world for the better and this is only the beginning.  Enjoy.

Today on the show my husband Oliver Wenn and I discuss 10 reasons why we homeschool and why you might want to too. 

In recent years the new wave of homeschooling has increased exponentially. Why is this so? Well - here are our top 10 reasons of why we homeschool: 

1. Intuitively feels right

2. Freedom and sovereignty

3. Keeping the light in their eyes ablaze 

4. Travel

5. Play

6. Mixed age learning

7. Family comes first

8. We create the culture, ethics and value for our children

9. Likeminded community

10. Kids can learn at their own pace

I hope you enjoy this personal insight into why we do what we do! We’d love for you to join us! 

Today on the show I speak to the wonderful and bubbly Sarah. Hailing from Ireland - Sarah is a natural story teller and you just won’t be able to stop listening to this one. Sarah has 3 children and has had 4 losses. She is the epitome of ‘high risk’ for the system! Having had a c-section with her first, an advanced maternal age because she is 40, she’d had significant postpartum haemorrhages and also had taken a cocktail of drugs to ‘sustain’ this pregnancy - she had all the high risk boxes ticked. Sarah talks us through her absolutely horrific first birth where she was taken for a c-section at 10cm dilated - she was separated from her baby and only met her many hours after. Her second was a VBAC in hospital and although at the time is was comparatively amazing - in retrospect she realises all the flaws there. For her last pregnancy - she decided to freebirth late into the pregnancy and had the most amazing perfect birth. Sarah tells us how she handled her postpartum haemorrhage at home - clue - just look to nature. She finishes by telling us how amazing the feeling is after a freebirth and how she believes every mother deserves to feel this. You can hear in the interview how genuine and necessary this feeling is. Sarah is an absolute delight to listen and I hope you get as big a thrill out of listening to her as I did.  

Today on the show I speak with radical registered midwife Sharon Robinson. Hailing from the US, Sharon tells us of her training in Brooklyn, New York and how she promptly left, and continued learning on the job, helping serve birthing women in Cambodia. Sharon now lives in New Zealand and is a local community midwife there, but it has not all has always been smooth sailing. She tells us how her registration was threatened and put on hold (unsurprisingly because she is a radical midwife) after some other midwifes reported her to the government bodies. This process for her was HUGE and she ended up leaving the small town where she was living due to the dramas and traumas it all caused. Sharon has recently returned to that district and is now happily continuing to serve the women in that community. Sharon is also known as a travelling midwife and has attended births as far afield as the Amazon Jungle in Peru! I really like Sharon. She is so real and raw and just generally a really good person with a big heart. I hope you see her big heart and her passion for serving women in this interview. 

Sharron's Bio :

Sharon Robinson, originally from the US, trained as a midwife in Brooklyn, New York. She was a physical therapist when she had her own two birth children. It was after their births that she describes what felt like a spiritual awakening to what she believes is her authentic purpose, midwifery. Her clinical training was all done in 2 big city hospitals in the Bronx. While she was grateful for the education and experiences, she felt she was being groomed to be more of a physician's assistant than the midwife she had been called to be. 

Since graduating in 2000, she has traveled extensively and supported women to birth in various countries around the world. Those countries include Cambodia, Tonga, New Zealand, Benin, Mexico and even the Amazon Jungle in Peru! 

She is passionate about women holding the reigns for their own birthing journeys. She knows that “positive” birth outcomes most often occur when space is held for birth to unfold in the ways that Mother Nature has designed. She also knows that “good births” are important and can help women heal from previous traumatic births. She has often gone above and beyond routine guidelines and protocols to support those positive healing births to occur. 

She is a strong advocate for homebirth realizing that most women have been culturally conditioned to believe that birthing in hospitals, even for “low-risk” women, is the “safest option.” She also realizes that the unfortunate truth is that routine hospital interventions, designed to avoid adverse outcomes caused by "risk factors," all too often end up sabotaging women’s own innate birthing wisdom, power and positive outcomes.

She says that when care providers and birthing women are saturated in the hormones of fear it leads to mostly “well-meaning” interventions that unfortunately, all too often, derail the process of normal physiological birth. Sharon is doing what she can, one sacred birth at a time, to welcome our new citizens of the world with the love and respect that, she believes, they all deserve.

Today on the show I speak to Jacqui about the peaceful birth and death of her baby girl Elise. Death is not often something talked about openly, especially since it’s almost always institutionalised and hidden away from the community. I personally feel it’s so important to honour death and become friends with it, as it’s a given we will all have to face it one day. Jacqui tells us of her wild pregnancy and freebirth and how some hours after, her baby girl passed away peacefully at home. Even though this was the hardest thing Jacqui has ever had to do (some parts of the interview are truly heart breaking) and there was a lot of grief for her and her family  - she feels at peace with what happened. She talks about the benefits of freebirth when your baby dies and how she has integrated the experience. It’s an incredible honour to share Jacqui’s story and I am so grateful that she is open and vulnerable enough to let us in on one of the hardest yet most powerful experiences of her life. Thank you Jacqui.

Today on the show I speak to Jas - mother of 5 and ex-midwife. Some of you may also know Jas from her popular Instagram account - Chasing The Summerfields  where she showcases her photography and beautiful life in the south west of Australia. Jas has been on quite the journey for her births and has ticked nearly all the boxes from hospital birth, birth centre, an accidental birth in the car before arrival, home birth with midwife and finally a wild pregnancy and freebirth. Jas talks about all the undoing from her training she has had to shed over the years and tells us how she ended free birthing her last babe. What is also interesting about her story is that her freebirth was also a breech birth. We ponder how this could have ended up in the system and how grateful she is, that she chose freebirth, where her birth was unhindered and unsuprisingly - straight forward. I love Jas’ kind hearted nature and her commitment to live her current truth even though she started almost at the opposite end of the street. Enjoy this conversation of 5 wildly different births. 

A short bio:

I’m Jas, a 32 year old mother of five living back home in the deep south of Western Australia.

My journey to freebirthing has been a long one- a hospital birth, birth centre birth, a car on the side of the road birth, a homebirth, and finally our freebirth. Each experience left me learning and adapting, but still taking the long way around to end up exactly where we needed to be. 

I trained as a midwife before all of my own births and had many layers of conditioning to strip back. Learning to trust my ever present intuition was pivotal during my pregnancy and birth. 

After years of not being willing to return to work, I gave up my midwifery registration in 2020. I realised that  I couldn’t re-enter the system and work with the restrictions and boundaries that aren’t at all geared to be ‘with woman.’ 

I’m still so passionate about birth- I know that will always be part of me- but I know that I can’t change the system while working  within it. I’m currently sinking in to all the possibilities and mapping out exactly where my heart lies to find my place back in the birth realm in the near future. 

Today on the show I speak to the phenomenal Gloria Le May. Gloria is a ex-midwife turned birth attendant after the Canadian government co-opted the word in 1998. Gloria starts by telling us of her own birth story and how she gave up her daughter for adoption when she was 17. Later she met her husband who was a physician and was a stockbroker herself. She never thought she would get into birth work, but how wrong she was. When she had her second daughter - she looked for the ‘best obstetrician’ and when none of them would meet her very basic requests, she sort help from a dutch midwife and had her baby at home. From then, there was no going back. Gloria since then has spent most of her time in birth work and talks us through her career including the very public court cases and 2 months in jail due to the witch hunt for midwives in Canada. If there ever was a picture of integrity - Gloria is it. She walks her talk and has so much wisdom to impart to us all. We end by talking about how she has changed over the years as a birth worker and where she sees birth heading in the future. Gloria is so much fun to talk to and I love how bold and brash she is - just what we need in the world right now! 

Bio: 

Gloria is an author, teacher and grandmother. She has worked in the childbirth field for the past 40 years, (17 of those as a midwife) and has had experience with over 1500 births. Gloria's film “Birth with Gloria Lemay” has sold over a thousand copies. Gloria has written many articles and has been published in Midwifery Today magazine and she is a popular online blogger at www.wisewomanwayofbirth.com. Gloria is a passionate advocate for the bodily integrity of boys and girls. She lives in Canada and travels all over North America in her role as a teacher and speak

Today on the show I speak to the wonderful, mother of 3, Reanne Waddell. Reanne came into this world at 27 weeks via c-section after her mother had a placental abruption. Reanne also contracted sepsis and spent the first few months of her life in hospital. Her start to life definitely wasn’t the best and why I think her story is so amazing. Her first she had in hospital and ended in a c-section at the pushing stage which she says felt really let down about. For her second ,with the support of her husband and a doula she had a freebirth at home after disengaging her midwife half way through the pregnancy due to financial reasons. For her third she had a complete wild pregnancy and a longer (although still straight forward) birth. Reanne also touches on her breastfeeding struggles and how she realised that some of the struggles were related to trauma during childhood - I really appreciated her sharing this as I know it’s not always easy to go there. Reanne is very mild mannered and quiet but really a powerhouse of strength underneath it all. I loved chatting to her and hearing her discoveries along the way. 

Bio: 

Born premature at 27+3, 27th June 1995

1 of 5 children, I'm the 4th child

Born via emergency c section 

1st 6 years of life was in Perth, then 7 years in Geraldton before moving back to Perth, where I've stayed since.

 Met my husband in 2017, he has 2 children from a previous marriage, we married in 2019, had our first son in 2020, second son in 2022 and our 3rd son in August 2023.

Today on the show I speak with Hayley Wilson about her journey to surrogacy. Hayley had two children of her own and decided she wanted to experience having another birth but without the baby at the end. She researched surrogacy and found a family she aligned with to carry their biological baby for them. She had five attempts to fall pregnant with the embryo, and it finally took on the last attempt. The pregnancy as you would suspect was a lot of drugs which she now sees as  probably unnecessary. She said it was a hard pregnancy and in retrospect puts this down to the energetics of carrying someone else’s baby. Even though her and the parents were on the same page and both very respectful of each other - she talks about how there were still bumps in the road regarding bodily autonomy and conflicts in the birth space. In Australia commercial surrogacy is not legal and you can not be paid to be a surrogate, which you many may think is a better system. Altruistic Surrogacy which is legal in Australia and what Hayley did, still has it’s problems though. Hayley ends by telling us why she would never be a surrogate again and in reflection the other reasons why she did it. Hayley is beautifully honest and respectful. I loved hearing her journey of surrogacy and ultimately of her personal growth. 

Bio:

Hayley Wilson is a self-led, matriarchal birth worker and mentor who wants every woman to access her inner depth, intuition and power. She believes in embodying matriarchy and uses a range of heart-led energetic practices to guide women toward their internal wisdom. Hayley supports her clients to unlearn and live in feminine alignment so they can curate the births and businesses of their dreams.

Today on the show I speak to Christie about her home birth and subsequent freebirth on her partners family farm in New Zealand. Although her first birth was overall “pretty great” there were things that she wasn’t quite happy with such as coached pushing, her babe being yanked out and a syntocinon shot for the placenta. For her second, even though her partner was gunning for a freebirth right from the start she was still unsure. She dipped in and out of the system and just a few weeks before the birth she decided to freebirth. This birth she decided to breath her baby out and said she slipped out with the perfect ‘textbook twist’. Her placenta didn’t come out straight away and she called the midwife who gave her the syntocinon shot in her first birth for advice.  The midwife suggested for her to go to hospital but that didn’t feel right and she waited it out with her placenta being born 7.5 hours later. Christie and her partner Ben are such a beautiful couple and I love the faith and trust they have in each other.  

More about Christie: 

A couple of months after discovering she was pregnant covid hit and Christie and her long time partner chose his family farm in NZ to ride out the lockdowns and start their family. In a small hut on the property without power or hot water they water birthed their first child with the local midwife and chose the same spot to have their second. This time a simple free birth with no one but themselves. Their family now complete, they travel around the world following their whims and work.

Today on the show I speak to the gorgeous and young first time Mama Emma. Hailing from Burma Emma grew up in a world of pathology with both her parents as doctors and her Mum  a literal pathologist. Emma’s birth was as far as you could get from freebirth with a planned c-section and her Mum making a decision from the start to not breastfeed her. After meeting her husband and them both converting to Catholicism - they fell pregnant and delved into their options. After a short period of denial about the pregnancy, Emma decided on freebirth as the most logical option. Although her husband didn’t agree he was supportive of her and her decision. The birth was a 3 day long labour but relatively pain free and simple. Breastfeeding was a breeze and Emma is absolutely loving motherhood. I love Emma’s confident and sure of herself nature. It’s inspiring to see this next generation coming through who’s rebellion is returning to their intuition, natural living and traditional values. 

Today on the show I speak my good friend and now ex-midwife Norafiah Lever. Norafiah is a picture of integrity and vibrancy. She used to tell me every year that she questioned herself each time she went to renew her registration.  Could she still continue to work in the system that was so egregious to women.   Despite working with the guidelines of private practice, the reporting to AHPRA by other professionals took its toll, and she finally de-registered herself voluntarily.   She does not believe as a midwife that you can truly ‘be with woman’ when theres a conflict of allegiance. Norafiah and I have such a good time on this podcast, having so many laughs and getting all passionate - talking about birth, women’s rights and of course spirituality. 

Today on the show I speak with mother of 3 Mary Allen. After becoming a Doula, understanding real birth and seeing the abuse that occurred in hospitals, she began accepting freebirth clients. When she became pregnant with her third, after having two inductions, she knew  she wasn't stepping into a hospital. Her baby came when she was ready, at 40 weeks and 4 days and was caught into her daddy's arms. She says it was the most beautiful and incredible experience she could have wished for and would do it again and again just for the experience itself! Mary Allen is exactly the kind of freebirth doula you’d want - someone who’s lived it themselves! 

More about Mary Allen: 

I’m Mary, a mother of 3 in the beautiful Fraser Coast, QLD. I'm a doula who supports women who choose to birth undisturbed and completely on their own terms.

Insta - wbdoulaservices

Today on the show I speak with Jamie about the freebirth of her fourth child. After 2 unnecessary caesarean’s - Jaime had a left the system at 30 weeks and had a freebirth for her 3rd. You can listen this story in season 2 of the podcast. 

For 4th, of course, there was no going back and she had a wild pregnancy and freebirth. We get to hear about how this baby come to her, even though her husband had said they were done and challenges with her friends along the way.

Overall though Jamie had uneventful pregnancy and a short 3.5 hour birth. The most remarkable thing about Jamie’s story is, how calm and centred she was when her babe took some minutes to take their first proper breath. 

As we know in hospital this would have been completely pathologised and the interventions would have likely endangered her and her baby. 

Jamie welcomed her baby into the world in their own time by simply talking, kissing and gently stroking him. She says she was not worried once and if you watch the video on her insta @thebondsofbirth you can see how natural and normal this process was for her. 

What I love about Jamie is her no bullshit approach, what you see is what you get. She is so relatable and unpretentious you just want to be her friend. Enjoy this interview of this bold and strong woman. 

More about Jamie: 

My FBA2C, fourth pregnancy, first wild pregnancy, second freebirth; was a journey of how to handle things when shit gets hard and rewriting/changing the cycles and reactions to them instead of falling into the victim mode.

Navigating the loss of friendships and plans constantly falling through whilst trying to set myself up for a relaxed postpartum. Then working through an intense and fast 3.5 hour labour and honouring my babe as he took an extra long time to come into his body.

Today on the show I speak with The Authentic Birth - Emily Lal. Em talks us through her (almost) pain free freebirth. She says in retrospect, she attributes it to the pelvic release work she did in pregnancy. We discuss how getting in touch with our female anatomy, namely our vaginas and breast, can really help us in birth and breastfeeding. Many women never touch there vaginas or breasts much until they become mothers and this dissociation can be challenging. Another interesting thing about her pregnancy was that her babe was breech right up until the day she went into labour. We also talk about fear of death, how this was her healthiest yet heaviest pregnancy, the challenges of working on call as a birth keeper while pregnant and how part of her birth video went viral. Em and I get on oh so well and the conversation just flows - even if we don’t agree on exactly everything, we have the utter most respect for each other that allows an honest conversation. Em is such a rock star who has a wealth of knowledge from her birth work and such a unique perspective of birth. I love this lady and I know you will too. 

More about Em:
Emily is a wife, mother to three children, freebirther and birthkeeper.

Supporting women to birth in full sovereignty and autonomy, Emily has a deep belief and trust in the power and wisdom of women’s bodies and their babies, to navigate the birth process together, uninihibited and undisturbed. She is passionate about bringing women back to themselves and brining birth back to its roots - in the home - rejecting the current medical birth paradigm and its mistrust in women’s bodies.

Today on the show I speak with Fin McKenna Fox from the The Grounded Masculine. Fin is a father of 3, podcaster and empowerment coach for fathers. I get many requests for a podcast from a Dad’s point of view so here it is! We start by hearing Fin’s baptism of fire into fatherhood and how it was mixed with bliss and struggle and then talk through to his journey to where he is today. We talk about how fathers can serve themselves first so they can serve their families and what this looks like practically. We end by touching on his role in his children’s birth (including 2 freebirths) and how it was for him. Fin is such a kind, gentle and compassionate soul who is a champion for fathers and I hope both Mothers and Fathers alike gain some insight and wisdom from this conversation. 

Today on the show I have first time mama Asha who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult. Going into her first pregnancy she wanted a home birth but of course with her diagnoses the system labelled her automatically as ‘high risk’. Knowing that taking full responsibility for her birth was what was needed, Asha’s journey led her to Freebirth, with the support of her husband and a like minded doula. Asha did have some medical prenatal appointments but always knew she would Freebirth at home. Asha had a very straight forward and uneventful 4.5 hour birth which went so so smoothly. Baby was born healthy and she felt great! Asha then called the hospital to let them know baby was here and all was well. Although they were friendly on the phone - a disgruntled midwife then called child protection on the family and what happened next completely disrupted their postpartum bliss bubble. It’s a lesson on how easily it all can be disrupted when we invite authority into the birth process - at whatever stage it may be. Although all was well with the authorities in the end, Asha gives us some advice of what she will not be doing next time! Asha is such a gorgeous, informed, level headed and logical Mama who was an absolute pleasure to speak with!

Today on the show I have a family interview with Hikari, her husband Yohei and her gorgeous 12 year old daughter Haruko. Hikari hails from Japan and requested we did the interview all together and I am so glad we did. Her daughter helps translate but more importantly it becomes apparent quickly how integral she was in the pregnancy and birth of her little brother Kotaro. With her first 3 children, Hikari had c-sections and thought she was destined for another one until her daughter Haruko said, ‘Mum of course you can give birth vaginally.’ It gives me absolute shivers to hear the wisdom of Haruko and how she is light years ahead with her intuition and perspective of the world. It makes me so excited and grateful for the next generation coming through. I also love the trust and connection this family have with each other and reminds me of why the family unit needs to be honoured and how much strength families have in togetherness. In a world where families are often torn apart and pitted against each other - this is a story of hope and ultimate love. Overall Hikari and her family just blow me away. Haruko - I have never met a more amazing 12 year old! After this interview we ended up having the best afternoon together with our families combined and I hope you have the warm fuzzy feeling I had after listening to this conversation.

Today on the show I speak with Neala about her surprise twin freebirth. Neala started her birth journey in the hospital with her first 3 babes but by the 4th had realised freebirth was most in alignment for her and has now had more Freebirth’s than hospital births. For this birth she decided to have a complete wild pregnancy and although she suspected twins she thought maybe it was just a fantasy of hers.  This lady is the queen of Law of Attraction and managed to get the time, length of labour and exact date manifested of the birth of her twins - it really is unbelievable how accurate she was. Her first twin was breech and her second was born en caul.  It’s a powerful and magical story which makes you realise how simple birth is - however it comes. We also talk about her losses and how her first loss was her first freebirth and teacher. Neala is such a bright shining energy and has some much wisdom to share -  this is one you will absolutely want to make sure you listen to!  

Today on the show I finally get to tell you, together with my beautiful husband, Oliver Wenn, the story of the pregnancy and birth of our third child Margot Kimberley Wenn. Margot’s birth was incredibly straight forward and so simple. A 2 hour labour which was in flow the whole time and she was caught in my arms under the wisdom of the stars and universe. Her story is proof that really you need nothing for birth except some safe land to birth on. We discuss the pregnancy and how travelling up to 30 weeks had it’s challenges. How it seems to be a pattern of mine to birth at 42 weeks and ponder if this is my biological norm or my tendency to keep on doing things right up to the last minute and not let go. I also discuss why I didn’t do a pregnancy test this time and how it benefitted me and the pregnancy. We end by talking about how I honoured (although not dogmatically) the idea of the first 40 days and how I had never felt happier in the special postpartum time. Lastly I forget to mention that she was 4.2kg (9.2 pounds) - probably because it didn’t make an ounce of difference to the birth - if anything her birth was my easiest yet even though she was my biggest babe! I hope you enjoy this frank and honest conservation between me and my husband! 

Today on the show I speak to the ever popular Kim Anami. Kim is a holistic sex and relationship coach who also had a freebirth herself. I’ve been following Kim for years and it was no surprise to me when I heard she had had a freebirth. We talk about the intrinsic link between birth and sex and how sex can teach us so much about birth and visa versa. We also chat about porn, masturbation, yoni eggs, junk food sex, connected sex and everything above, below and in between. I hope you enjoy hearing about a topic that is very rarely discussed - but really needs to be!

More about Kim:

SHE IS A HOLISTIC SEX + RELATIONSHIP COACH,

WRITER AND SPEAKER. Her work is a spiritual synthesis of

over two decades of Tantra, Taoism, Transpersonal psychology,

philosophy and a host of quantum growth-accelerating practices

she uses to propel clients into higher stratospheres of connection,

intimacy, energy and creativity.

Her musings on life and love have graced The Sunday Times

(UK), Elle, InStyle, Women’s Health, O magazine, GQ, Playboy and

national TV and talk shows from E! Network to CNN and NPR.

She divides her time between Bali and Los Angeles and a host of

beaches in between, where she not only lives and surfs, but lifts

objects with her vagina.

Follow her globetrotting, weight-lifting and global-mediasensation

vagina and adventures on Instagram with the hashtag:

#thingsiliftwithmyvagina; view her sex education videos on

YouTube, and listen to her top-rated Orgasmic Enlightenment

podcast. Please find her online all-things-intimacy programs at

www.kimanami.com.

Today on the show I speak to Shona McFox. Shona was on the podcast last season and discussed her ‘accidental’ freebirth which was a long stop/start labour over 4 days. This year Shona has had another baby and right from the start Shona decided to have an intentional freebirth. The differenceS were remarkable with her having a very quick (and very intense) labour this time around. It reaffirmed for me that fact that when we engage in a system that is not aligned with our birth wishes it can obviously really affect the outcome. Shona also discusses her surprise conception, going into a dark place in her second trimester, the NEED for a village and how her decision to seek medical care twice in her pregnancy only confirmed her intuition. Shona has an incredibly sunny personality who is so beautifully vulnerable in the way she shares her story. I know you’ll love listening to Shona and her lyrical Irish accent!

More about Shona:

Shóna is a mother of three, holder of sacred space, and bad ass light worker. She runs regular mother circles and mama blessings, connecting likeminded mamas with their tribe.

The accidental freebirth of her second daughter, launched her into the world of planning an intentional freebirth for her Son.

This wild, Irish pregnancy and birth goddess emanates the wisdom of her ancestors and weaves magic into everything she does.

Today on the show I speak to my beautiful friend and midwife - Norafiah Lever. Norafiah was my second episode in the first season and it was so fun to check in with her and see what has happened in the past 18 months for her. Firstly Norafiah has joined the ranks of reported midwives with 2 reports to APRHA - Australia’s regulatory body for registered midwives. We discuss about one of the cases she was reported for, the muzzling of midwives and how she dealt with it. We also chat about spirituality in pregnancy and birth and what that looks like for her and her clients. We discuss working with the physical body in pregnancy through massage and how she believes it’s helpful for the process. We talk about standing in our integrity and united in these changing times, what the mandates might mean for her registration and how attending pro-choice protests have really been a beautiful experience for both of us. Lastly we pondering about where Norafiah will be this time next year…will she still be registered? Or will she choose FREEDOM?! Norafiah is one of my dearest friends and I know you will love this interview as much as I did!

More about Norafiah:

Norafiah – still the natural mystic, freedom lover, truth seeker, wildling spirit. Still walking the spiritual path as an Endorsed midwife evolving her practice to facilitate women birthing in power and sovereignty.

Today on the show I invited my beautiful husband, Oliver Wenn to interview me and ask me about my journey to freebirth from my point of view. Oliver told his side of the story last season and now here is mine! We chat about my grandmother freebirthing my Mum, my own birth to my Mum (an induction) and then my homebirth transfer (with midwife) with my son Charlie. Lastly we chat about about my simple freebirth of my daughter Stella and being in my full power. We also delve into patterns of shame around my menarche and needing a deeper connection to myself, my cycle and womanhood. We also talk about how the pill was a cover up for this and what a revelation it was for me to be free of the pill. I talk about how the pill is actually anti-feminist and how retrospectively I felt like I was under a spell while I was on it. Lastly we chat how this current climate is a time a chance to create the world we want to live in and one of the best ways to start is with birth!

Today on the show I speak to Mama of 2 Phoebe Reynolds. Phoebe transitioned to a wild pregnancy at around 24 weeks after realising she would be spending her whole pregnancy fighting her doctor, a space she did care or need to be in. Leaving the system and finding a birth path that aligned completely with her truth was pivotal in healing her birth trauma from her first birth and helped her step fully into her power as a woman. We also talk about how Phoebe naturally and instinctively dealt with her bubba turning blue after she gave birth. We talk about how she had postpartum depression and anxiety with her first and now the postpartum rage she is feeling currently. Phoebe is a genuine, tender soul who’s insights and strength are bound to inspire you.

More about Phoebe:

Hi, I’m Phoebe! I’m 35 years old, a Mother of two, Wife and avid student of life. We live a very simple, healthy and holistic life following the winter seasons and are excited to share our passion for snowboarding with our girls.

I feel like I’ve lived several lifetimes already and have spent most of my adulthood seeking, searching and connecting with my true self. I’ve never followed a linear path in my career or personal life and it makes sense that my pregnancies and births were no different. They are the gifts that keep on giving and I feel as though I have been reborn each time. Being 5 weeks postpartum at time of recording I am still very much in the infancy of this current rebirth and don’t quite know who I am in this new form, so I am finding it hard to summarise myself. But I love experiencing the transformation and am excited to meet this next version of me, whilst growing and learning alongside my children.

Today on the show I speak to musician and Mama of two Sarah Saunders. Sarah planned to have her first child in the birth centre but promptly turned into a hospital transfer with an episiotomy, which then turned into a 3rd degree tear. She then ended up in theatre with an epidural (after a drug free birth) to fix the tear and with the combination of drugs and the trauma of what had just happened Sarah came into motherhood with tears streaming down her face. Skip to her next pregnancy - Sarah knew what she wanted this birth to be different. She knew mainly the thing she needed was a lot of spiritual growth and that she did, with the help of some beautiful friends and her much beloved unicorn midwife Norafiah Lever (who is also a dear friend of mine). She talks about how she did the processing by talking over the phone to her friend Asha, almost daily. She says it was like journalling which helped her reflect and grow and work through some blockages, especially around her mother’s death when she was 19. Her birth - like a lot of freebirths, was completely normal and straightforward - just another day she says. These simple birth stories are becoming more and more common for those women that do the work and then leave birth alone. Sarah is such a bubbly personality with a contagious laugh, you are sure to smile while listening to this one.

More about Sarah:

Musician, mother, wife, sister, daughter and student of life! Sarah’s dances in a world of piano playing, music education and being Mumma to two beautiful girls among her friends, family and community ❤️

Her professional career and passion as a pianist and accordionist has taken seen her performing in many festivals and shows across WA over the past 15 years, and she specialises in both world music and classical. After studying Argentine Tango music in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a rich decade of journeying into this art form has drawn her across Australia, to the USA and Europe in her creative pursuits. She’s passionate about bringing the cultural milieu of Argentine Tango to the hearts and ears of Perth audiences and is the director, founder and pianist of the Perth Tango Orchestra.

Also performing on accordion in local Irish band, The Rogues, Sarah can be seen jigging in local pubs and folk festivals.

Music education has always been the ying to the yang of her musical expression and she has spent over 15 years nourishing (and being nourished!) by a beautiful community of young pianists from her home studio and in schools across Perth.

The journey deep into the women’s world of pregnancy, birth and beyond has been empowering, enriching and completely infused into her life as a mother, musician and again, student of life.

Today on the show I speak will with Birth Cartographer, PhD Student and Freebirthing Mama Catherine Bell. Catherine’s concept of The Birth Map differs from a birth plan in that is allows a map of different options rather than fixed ideas or outcomes in birth. For example for freebirthers it might be an option of what does it look life if I don’t get the pool up in time? Do I land Birth? Or what does it look like if I transfer? The idea is to explore all your options and decisions very throughly so in the moment of birthing you don’t need to enter into your thinking brain at all. We also chat about Catherine’s silent 1st stage and 20 minute freebirth of the 3rd child as well as the freebirth of her 4th child when she was grieving her grandmothers passing. We talk about the power that comes with responsibility and accepting death as part of freebirth or any birth for that matter! Catherine is a delight to speak with and I love the work she is doing in the birth community. Enjoy!

More about Catherine:

I have been summed up in three words: Birth, Death and Playgrounds. 
As The Birth Cartographer and author of The Birth Map: boldly going where no birth plan has gone before,  I support pregnant women and their partners to create Birth Maps so that they can navigate the maternity landscape with confidence.  I also provide Birth Cartography training to doulas, midwives and obstetricians.   My PhD at the university of Canberra will evaluate The Birth Map as a way to facilitate communication and informed decision making in maternity services.   
The death industry posed similar challenges to the birth industry.  To help address this, I have joined the board of Tender Funerals Canberra Region.  Tender Funerals is a not-for-profit, community-led approach to funerals.  I came to this path after doing Death Walker training with Zenith Virago, who opened my eyes to the parallels between birth and death.  
Playgrounds fill the space between, be this the metaphorical 'playground' of a life lived in love and kindness, with peace and needs met or the physical playgrounds, I seek to fill the space in between with fairness and connection.  This all began with the new playground for my town, Braidwood.  This was a process of building connections, communication and fundraising.  What resulted was a fabulous mutli-generational space to gather in.  With this project, our community honed it's strengths and created a forum for all voices to be heard.  
Mostly I am a Mother.  We have 4 naturally-learning children and live on Feral Farm in Sth East NSW.

Today on the show I speak with Alisha Charles. Alisha is a mama of 1 and lives in NSW, Australia. For a few years prior to falling pregnant ALisha researched freebirth thoroughly and decided that this is what she would do when she fell pregnant. When she eventually did fall pregnant though mainly fear of judgment saw her signing up for the local government funded homebirth program. Alisha prayed that she would get the “right” kind of midwife - and she absolutely did, someone who she didn’t align or click with at all. This blessing of lack of alignment pushed Alisha back onto the path of freebirth and even when she was eventually given a midwife she aligned with - she’d already knew it was time to say goodbye to the system. Alisha had a beautiful birth supported by a birthkeeper and even though the long pushing phase would have been patholigised in the system Alisha knew everything was perfect and indeed it was. I just absolutely love first time Mamas birthing in their power and I hope this story gives inspiration to other first time Mums. Alisha is a pleasure to chat to with her bubbly nature and raw vulnerability - this is one you are sure to enjoy!

More about Alisha:

I’m an early childhood educator and children’s entertainer. I now nanny for unvaccinated children who can’t get into childcare because of no jab no play. I grew up in Sydney and moved to Newcastle almost 4 years ago with my husband. We didn’t know anyone, however in that time I’ve made such strong connections with like minded mamas in the area- your vibe attracts your tribe.

I love writing poetry and being a mama to my son- mothering how my biology remembers makes it feel like the most natural thing in the world, however lacking the village we all crave makes it harder than it should be.

My journey from fearing childbirth to birthing with sovereignty took years of self work and unpacking deep conditioning. Choosing to free birth was the bravest thing I’ve ever done, my son’s soul demanded sovereignty and I’m so glad I tuned in to hear his wisdom.

Today on the show I speak to Avalon Darnesh, who was my first guest from season one. Avalon describes herself as a visionary who is midwifing cultural evolution as we unravel the old and birth the new. The theme for today is standing in your sovereignty in all aspects of your life in these changing times. We talk about how knowing your rights is paramount, how to stay centred and calm and our excitement for this changing world and what is to come. We also chat about how these changes have brought into focus how controlled we are as a society and how breaking free from the system is inevitable if we want our sovereignty. We reflect on how freebirth and other choices such as homeschooling have been an important step in moving outside the system and how it has been easier for us in some ways because of this. I know for many people this time can be scary but it really is the most exciting time to be alive and the opportunity to take your power back into your hands has never been more important or more exhilarating. 

More about Avalon: 

Avalon is a multidimensional mama and visionary, midwifing cultural evolution as we unravel the old and birth the new... she guides women into deep alignment with their heart, womb and voice, activating our collective power to create change and weave a more beautiful world for our children.

Today on the show I speak with ex hospital midwife and ex-child health nurse Kimberely Rose. Kim now works in the somatic sex area as well as studying Naturopathy. Kim’s first birth was a hospital birth, second homebirth with midwife and the last two were fabulous free births. We ponder over a lot if things including her time in the system and the second hand trauma she experienced even though most births would have been considered “good” births. As well as chatting about her somatic sex work and debating over pornography - I hold very strong views on this! I loved chatting to Kim - she is open aware and considered. Enjoy this conversation!

More about Kimberley:

Kimberley has a passion for working with women and supporting them on their journey through all areas of their life.

She is particularly passionate about a woman’s birth journey from preconception through to motherhood.

Her background working as a midwife and as a child and family health nurse, together with her studies in natural health, have prepared her to work with women’s health in a uniquely holistic way.

Kimberley has also completed a Womb Awakening Apprenticeship with The Fountain of Life which has shown her the great potential we all have when we live life from our power centre... the womb.

More recently Kimberley has experienced somatic training in sexological bodywork. A hands on/hands in therapy to address the wide spectrum of imbalances with embodying our sexuality. This, combined with her midwifery experience has become a powerful blend to assist women preparing for birth and healing from birth trauma.

Kimberley’s gentle, intuitive manner and her natural ability to create safety and ease provides a great combination working with women in this field.

Today on the show I speak with Mama of 2 Emma Penno who lives in remote WA in Port Headland. Emma herself was a c-section baby and so were her 3 siblings. Emma believed for a long time that c-sections were the safest and best option. But, fast forward to her first pregnancy Emma intuitively knew she wanted a natural birth but lost her her first baby at 8 weeks. She fell pregnant for the second time shortly after and had a straight forward physiological birth in hospital. After this birth she decided to freebirth her 2nd son and although she did have prenatal care at the hospital she was always in her power and had a very intuitive pregnancy and birth. Her second sons birth was so simple that her husband came home only a mere hour before he was earth side. When I asked Emma to be on the podcast she said - I don’t know what I’d say about it because my freebirth was really a non event. And I replied - that is what I love about it. We also talk about womb regression, how important it is to work on yourself and spirit babies. Enjoy this conversation a very simple but still spiritual birth.

More about Emma:

Emma is a curious, independent, wild woman. Also, a Mother of two boys living in the remote town of Port Hedland, Western Australia.

It was after the birth of Emma's first baby she became really passionate about birth, to then realise 4 years later that her passion for the way we are born actually began at the time of her own birth.

After spending the last 6 years understanding more about why and how we birth like we do and creating a business, Emma has shifted her focus to mastering the art of honouring a 'slow' Mother phase, for herself and her family. This looks like getting back to basics, connecting to herself through her inner cycles and nature, slowing down her days and bringing more ritual into her life.

From seeing freebirth as dangerous and risky, to thinking a c section would be safer, here is Emma's story of freebirthing her own baby.

Photo Credit - Bobbi Lockyer/@Hedlandphotographer

Today on the show I speak with Allyce Ananda who describes herself as a expressionist, sound and vibrational healer and Mama Diviner. Allyce and I had crossed paths in our previous lives as actors but we had never met - until now. Allyce free birthed her first baby Aria and also had an autonomous pregnancy. We talk about the spiritual and emotional side of pregnancy and how it can be such a massive time of growth. We also delve into the way we express ourselves in birth and how important it is to feel comfortable in vocalising - especially when the sounds we make aren’t familiar to ourselves or others and aren’t considered “pretty”. We ponder over watching beautiful home births on youtube with the whale music playing behind them and how this image has not matched our experience at all and the intensity of a primal birth. Although there is not “right” way to do it we talk about how important it is to give ourselves permission to roar our babies into the world uninhibited and in a full bodied expression. We also talk about how Allyce dealt with a partial retained placenta naturally at home, the power of laughter in labour and why she thinks she had morning sickness. Enjoy this deep and meaningful conversation between two performers who’s worlds have now aligned.

ALLYCE ANANDA:
Expressionist. Sound & Vibrational Healer. Mama Diviner.

Allyce is here to support women into full authentic expression of their body wisdom.

Feeling at home within their voice, their body, and their emotions - this is her mastery.

Ever since she was a child she wanted to sing, and she has spent her life studying how we make sound, how we express, why we do, and what motivates us.

Over that time she has learnt many techniques of voice, dance, yoga, womb work, meditation, spirituality… as well as working professionally as a music theatre performer in both Australia and overseas for over 10 years.

But it didn’t weave together fully until 2018 when she became pregnant ‘unexpectedly’.

Through the wild pregnancy and empowering freebirth of her daughter in 2019, Allyce was able to have the incredible experience of truly inhabiting everything she had been learning about a woman’s body and its expression.

Becoming a mother was the gateway for Allyce to truly begin to understand the glorious links between a woman’s body and her sound, and to move her life’s work from performing to embodying.

Both the voice and the pelvic bowl are loves of hers - when we work on one, we work on the other.

She is passionate about supporting women to reconnect to the magic of their womb portal and all its creations, and creating a safe space for them to explore their true and authentic emotional expression through their innate sound.

Today on the show I speak with Mama of 5 Khristie Castledine. Khristie says that she and her husband had their kids in two sets, the first two, then the next three. She started in one world with her first and ended in the other with her last. From c-section to freebirth. From vaccinating to not vaccinating. From 5 months breastfeeding to 5 years breastfeeding. Her experiences are really worlds apart. What I love about Khristie story is that it shows us how we can all grow and evolve and not to have judgement on ourselves or others when things are done differently. And for us to remember where we have come from. It makes me wonder where I will grow and evolve to next? And maybe it’ll do the same for you? Enjoy this episode with the wonderful Khristie!

More about Khristie:

I am Wifey to Krys and Mumma to 5 amazing kids. I care for the elderly in their own homes and I also support families through pregnancy, birth and end of life here in Adelaide as well.

I am a very passionate, strong-willed woman and am honoured to share my journey of having complete faith and trust in the system to having complete faith and trust in myself and the universe.

I am all about love and autonomy. I want everyone to know there is no greater authority on yourself or your children than you. If anyone would like to connect, feel free to send me a msg ❤️

Today on the show I speak with my good friend Arisa Yura. Arisa and I go way back and she was actually one of my bridesmaids! The reason I wanted to get Arisa on the show was, besides being an all round awesome person - Arisa is Japanese Australian and she is represents a group in the homebirth community that is so often underrepresented. Arisa went into homebirth a little unsure and a comment from a friend’s friend saying that the “Asian anatomy is not suitable for homebirth.” surely didn’t help. This kind of racism is baffling and obviously utterly ridiculous. Arisa’s post about this on Facebook, caused quite a stir here in an Australian Homebirth Facebook group with many outraged. Arisa went on to have a beautiful homebirth and proved that her anatomy is designed perfectly for her and her baby! Arisa is so different to me and this is what I love about her - the ying to my yang . She gives such a unique perspective on homebirth and she is so gentle and consider in her approach. I hope you enjoy this conversation between two friends.

More about Arisa:

Hello! I’m Arisa. I’m a great friend of Renegade Mama, Nat!

I’m an Aquarian mother to gorgeous boy Renon and wife to my ‘Kei Nishikori & Michael Chang’ power team husband, Gareth. We are both actors and are very proud of what we do.

I’m a 1.5 generation Japanese Australian and Gareth is a 3rd generation Chinese Australian.

As a first time home birther, I didn’t know many other Asian home birth mums before my pregnancy but leading up to the birth, it was really comforting and encouraging to meet and find them all.

So I want to share my birth story especially to mums with Asian heritage that’s thinking and dreaming of home birth

Today on the show I speak with Cat Price. Cat is a Mama of 2, an ex-midwifery student and more recently a birthkeeper. Cat had a wonderful first homebirth with a midwife which opened up a whole new world to her. For her second pregnancy she went on to decide that she’d like a freebirth but says that she was only 90% there. I find Cat’s story really interesting, as it’s an example of when we are not 100% aligned - how things can have the potential to go haywire. Although the birth was relatively straight forward - a comment from her doula really affected her. When her daughter was born - she decided to call an ambulance at the suggestion of the doula. These kind of power leaks where we listen to others over ourselves can have detrimental effects. The ambulance came - Cat knew everything was well and they left. But - consequently in the coming days - social services rocked up on her door unannounced. They berated her and harassed her in her vulnerable postpartum state. Cat understandably felt overwhelmed and shut done - she even started to question herself. She endured some very dark days postpartum but has recently come out the other side and has graciously been brave enough to share her story, which I know will be able to help others. I thank Cat for her open vulnerability - I am honoured to share her story.

More about Cat -

My name is Cat. I was born in South Africa but have lived in the UK since I was a baby. I am a wife and a mother-of-two. I'm a birthkeeper, a holder of sacred spaces and a weaver of words.

In 2017 I was training as a midwife in the system when I became unexpectedly pregnant with my first child. I gave birth to him in a simple and powerful birth at home (midwife-attended) that undid everything. As a result I swore off attending births myself and left my training, instead immersing myself in full-time mothering.

I later returned to assisting a local doula in running groups for new mothers and trained as a postpartum doula myself. I became unexpectedly pregnant again just before the Covid madness descended. After a wild pregnancy and freebirth (which was ultimately disturbed) with my daughter, I was subject to a Social Services investigation which desecrated my sacred postpartum time. These events inspired the darkest night of the soul that I've ever experienced.

Subsequently in early 2021, I witnessed the death of my beloved father-in-law at home. It opened my heart to the magic inherent in the rites of passage of both birth AND death.

With all that I have learned and embodied in the past few years, I have been moved recently to claim the title of "birthkeeper" and to begin to hold sacred space once again. It feels like coming home after the most arduous journey.

Today on the show I speak with mama of 3 and fellow birth nerd Laura Shelley Butler. Laura experience with ultrasound is really interesting.

For many one of the main reasons they may get an ultrasound, is to pick up any congenital conditions prior to birth. The intriguing thing with Laura was that, although they did pick up some kind of abnormality via ultrasound, they never picked up the severity of it. As we all know - ultrasounds aren’t the fail proof saviours they are often praised to be and they are potentially harmful in more ways than one; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It was only Laura’s mother’s instinct after the birth of her son - that she knew something was wrong and took him to hospital where he had surgery. Knowing this and that her mother’s instinct was more powerful and accurate than any ultrasound could be, she went on to have a wild pregnancy and freebirth for her next babe. Laura also talks about why she think her babe may have had the congenital condition and what precautions she took for her wild pregnancy and freebirth of her next babe. I totally vibe with Laura and love who she is as a person. Enjoy this informative and fun conversation.

Bio:

I’m Laura. I’m a birth nerd, trained doula and unschooling mama. I currently live in Melbourne alongside my love of 11 years, Michael, and our 3 beautiful wild children, Esther, Theodore and Banksia. I enjoy reading lots of books, being creative and going on adventures.

You can find me at @this.wild.mama on Instagram.

Photo by Nicole Mroue.