Best pregnancy & birth podcast to listen to in 2023

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Yes, the rumors are true. I’ve been pregnant all of 2023 and haven’t told a soul. People around me IRL obviously knew (I’m not that skilled to be able to hide a 9-month pregnant belly lol). But to the rest of the world, I had decided this pregnancy was going to be mine, and my alone. I recently birthed our son, Edwin – in complete freedom and sovereignty, on our farm in the heart of Europe. Along with the floodgates of my waters, I am opening the gates of all the pregnancy & birth-related topics. I’m finally kicking off a long-awaited section of the Free to Flower blog. Pregnancy and birth coming in hot! First up: The best pregnancy podcast to listen to in 2023 & why I love it so much!

While I do love reading, consuming content in audio format is always my first choice. I learn best when I can give my hands a simple task so that my brain can focus on the material I’m listening to. A welcome side effect is that I can learn new things while I’m getting things done around the house, driving, or exercising. I know many of you feel the same. In this post, I want to tell you about my all-time favorite podcast when it comes to pregnancy and birth. 

Why I started listening to this podcast

When I was first considering diving into the infinite waters of pregnancy for the second time, a big factor that helped me find healing from my last birth experience and jump into it again was this very podcast. It’s not just a podcast, but a community of wild women and a global movement of mothers. These women are determined to birth their children in freedom. I remember driving in California, delivering my MicroGreens to clients. I was weeping in the car as I listened to story after story – so many resembling mine. 

That is when my lightbulb moment happened for the first time. I woke up to the reality that I was not a “special case” a “rare life or death scenario”. That I was not saved by the birth workers I had hired, but put in harm’s way by them.

I was able to take a step back. Through the birth stories of countless other women, I deciphered the steps and interventions that had cascaded me toward a birth experience that almost broke me. Almost broke my human body – don’t let anyone ever tell you that a cesarean birth is easier than a physiological birth. It almost broke my confidence as a new mother – how can I be enough for my baby son if I couldn’t even birth him? And it also almost broke my spirit as a woman. Finding the strength to go on and continue living in a body that ached for months, and a heart that ached for years – I only have God to thank for. 

What this pregnancy & birth podcast helped me with

This podcast was my best friend as I walked the path toward healing. It helped me to rediscover my inner desire for more children. Peeling back the layers that I had used to protect myself from the terrible pain of having my birth stolen from me. Rediscovering that while I do love to work, I also have a very deep inner desire to bring new souls into this world. That I love pregnancy and birth. And that this topic is possibly one of the most interesting ones of all for me. 

The Best Pregnancy & birth podcast to listen to in 2023

The name of the podcast is the Freebirth Society Podcast with Emilee Saldaya. In my opinion – one of the best pregnancy podcasts for expectant mothers to listen to. However, this is no ordinary pregnancy & birth podcast. If the only version of birth that you’ve been acquainted with up until now is a hospital birth, prepare to be shaken. If you feel like you’re walking on the edge of crunchy & alternative for choosing natural childbirth, or God forbid a homebirth (like I did with my first birth) you’re up for a surprise. 

The Freebirth Society is a movement of women who are pioneering their way out of the corrupt medical system and into birthing in freedom. While this looks different for everyone (my definition of freedom is going to be inherently different than yours) there are a lot of similarities. Very often, women whose birth experiences included being betrayed by the system once (or more) discover that birthing in freedom is the best option. They very often forgo all prenatal care and opt for a wild pregnancy instead. Sometimes they hire a traditional birth attendant. Sometimes they choose to birth in complete solitude. One thing is always constant though: the birthing mother always remains the highest authority at her birth. No medical professionals sticking their gloved hands into places without permission. No barraging with “evidence-based information” or other medical advice geared towards fear-mongering. 

What to expect from this great podcast on pregnancy & birth

Just like many other podcasts, the Freebirth Society Podcast runs in seasons – meaning there are several months each year without new podcast episodes. Outside of those, however, it is a weekly podcast that covers a range of topics surrounding natural birth, parenting, and life outside of the conventional systems. You can look forward to new episodes filled with women’s personal experience accounts of giving birth in freedom, as well as their pregnancy journey, often without prenatal care. Emilee also often hosts special guests with a range of knowledge or experience on different topics in this niche.  

Who is this pregnancy & birth podcast for?

The short answer is anyone and everyone interested in exploring the fascinating world of physiological birth. New mothers, women currently pregnant and considering their options, maidens dreaming about their conscious conception journeys. But also any new parent – a partner perhaps – who might be looking for answers outside of the conventionally dictated norms of the system. Families with different birth experiences looking to untangle what exactly happened at their birth, and how to prepare for their next birth adventure. Women with fertility issues who are looking to approach their conception journeys outside of the system. New moms processing their own births and looking for a community of other women that get it. 

What Exactly is Freebirth?

Freebirth – just as the name suggests – involves birthing in freedom. While there are different perspectives on what this exactly encompasses, the main unifying factor is the absence of any medical staff. A free birth always occurs outside of any medical institutions (hospitals or birthing centers), as women who choose it recognize that their familiar environment is a great place for birth. Who is or is not present at the birth is in the sole control of the expectant moms. For some, this might mean husband only. Others opt for a family birth, with older children present at the birth. Some might choose to hire a traditional birthkeeper (even though in those cases it is up for debate whether this can still be labeled as a free birth). Others choose to birth in complete solitude.  

What is Wild Pregnancy? 

Expectant parents whose birth plans include a free birth often choose to have a wild pregnancy. All this means is that they choose to opt out of all conventional prenatal care. Instead, they assume full responsibility for their healthy pregnancy. In practice, this means not taking any prenatal appointments with medical professionals licensed by the system. Also saying no to ultrasounds and all other forms of neonatal testing and interventions. 

My Wild Pregnancy

From my own experience, one of the biggest differences between having a homebirth midwife-monitored pregnancy last time to a wild pregnancy this time is the mental health benefits. I was able to fully tune into my body & intuition. I didn’t feel like I had to outsource knowing whether my baby and I were ok to any “professional”. Bearing full responsibility for my pregnancy means that I’m the ultimate authority over every choice – so liberating. In addition to that, I loved not having any weekly check-ins. No need to wade through piles of medical information. I’ve come to learn that covers mostly the incredibly rare scenarios anyway. Do I benefit from knowing about the 1% chance of something happening? Or will this knowing only bring about feelings of stress & fear, that will turn the awesome adventure of pregnancy into one riddled with fear & doubt?

Just like I cross the street…

Every time I cross the street with my child, we *could* get run over by a car. And yet I choose not to review all the statistics and latest research before crossing the road each time. The amount of stress this would induce in me would not make it worth it to venture out at all. I, of course, behave responsibly. I check to see that no cars are coming and escort my child across the road safely. But I don’t labor the potential risks more than needed. 

I decided to adopt the same approach to my pregnancy, as I do to crossing the road with my son. I behave responsibly, I follow all the practices that I deem to be best. Should I ever feel like I need support I would of course act on that instinctual prodding. But apart from that, I choose to release myself into the depths of the magical unknown that pregnancy & birth are. To swim in the water without seeing to the bottom and yet trusting that it is there. I connect to the millions of women who have birthed freedom before me and draw on their steadfastness and strength. The outcome? A blissful, easy pregnancy. An ecstatic birth. A peaceful welcoming of my new baby. A radically different postpartum experience than my first. 

Is Wild Pregnancy & Freebirth Dangerous? 

This question is written all over people’s faces a lot of the time when I choose to share my pregnancy & birth stories. It makes me chuckle and it also makes me a little sad. We as a society have become so indoctrinated with the mainstream narrative, that without questioning or thinking for ourselves, we merrily accept the limitations set upon us. And not just on us – but also on our unborn children – including one of the biggest rites of passage they will ever go through – their birth. 

The truthful answer to this question is that nothing is without risk & dangers. Going back to crossing the street with my son – I choose this risk numerous times a day, every single day. For many years I took on this risk in New York City (before my son was born) where I was more likely to get run over by a car than most other places. And yet – it was worth it for the life experience of living in NYC and all the opportunities it had to offer me at the time. 

Birth in the hospital invovles risks. In my opinion, from personal experiences, reading hundreds of birth accounts and research – the dangers of birthing in the hospital far outweigh that of birthing at home. Birthing at home with a midwife is risky too – I am living proof of that. And birthing in freedom poses risks and dangers as well. The ultimate choice that we as birthing mothers have to take, in which risks are we more comfortable with? 

Why I made this choice

For me, I will always bet on my body & my capacity to carry out a process I was born to do. I will always be my own biggest fan, standing in my corner, and reminding myself of all the reasons why I CAN do this. I will always choose to bet on myself over outsourcing responsibility to someone else when it comes to a completely natural and normal physiological process. One that countless women have successfully gone through before me, and countless will after me. A process that is a marker of health, not illness. That is a sign that my body is working amazingly well and can handle it, not that it is broken and in need of “saving”. 

My choice might not be your choice, but I encourage you to explore the feelings that are coming up for you while reading about my experience & perhaps even listening to this great pregnancy and birth podcast. The beautiful thing about freedom is that it looks different for every one of us. What might be liberation for one person could feel like a prison sentence to another. But understanding where our preferences come from, and always striving to make a choice rather than just blindly accepting a given narrative, is, in my opinion, one of the basic recipes for a happy life.