Speaker 0
Into the wild, I'm going into the wild, I am. It's been a wild freedom child, since I left my roots back home. Into the wild I'm good. Into the wild I am. It's been a while, freedom child, since I left my roots back home.
Speaker 1
Welcome to the Free Birth Society podcast. This is a radical space for women who are ready to celebrate their autonomous choices in birth, motherhood, and beyond. Together, we'll learn about wild birth through personal narrative. We'll explore the politics of birth, and we'll analyze everything that relates to our lives as women from a feminist perspective. Here's your host, Emilee Saldaya.
Speaker 0
It's been a wild freedom change since I've left my rules back home.
Speaker 2
If you're like most of my listeners, you are devouring these episodes, fascinated by the women's stories and wondering if you could do this too.
Speaker 3
Do you
Speaker 2
wish that you had a step by step strategy for how to actually plan and manifest your free birth? Our complete guide to free birth is the number one course for free birth, and we made it for women just like you. It's a self guided online intensive course that will teach you everything we think you need to know about how to birth freely and in your power. We'll take you all the way from unpacking industrial care to what DIY prenatal care looks like, how to pick and prep your support team, what to expect, look out for, and how to shift when more support could be needed. Yes. We'll cover the what ifs, how to prevent complications, and how to orient your entire life towards a powerful birth. So head on over to free birth society courses dot com now and take the first step towards the birth of your dreams. Today on the show, we have a rather unique story, the story of a solo mother who chose to free birth entirely alone. Jenny is a single, first time mom who knew free birth was her right path from the start. After a simple, integrated, wild pregnancy, Jenny free birthed her daughter completely alone in her garden, all in just a few hours. We talk about how her mental fortitude throughout the years of yoga, meditation, and solo hiking set her up to experience what birth could be like for women who claim what they want in their pregnancies and birth. Jenny shares why she chose to birth entirely alone and how much she loved her free birth.
Speaker 4
Welcome, Jenny. Thanks for coming on today. I'm so excited to hear your story. Jenny is calling in today from Florida, and, yeah, I'm just so excited to meet you and hear about another free birthday mom.
Speaker 3
Absolutely. I'm excited to be honest with you guys and get to share my story a little bit. So just as a person, I'm I'm very into yoga, meditation, and I tend to keep to myself a lot. And I've done a lot of hiking and a lot of soul searching. And I feel like I'm, you know, I'm very in tune with my body. And so when I found out I was pregnant, I actually had no, like, pregnancy test proof or anything like that at first, and it was just a feeling. You know? I think some ladies just know when it you know, it's like a spinning of extra energy, I guess, is what I'd like to call it. But I went out for a hike when I started getting that feeling, and I went out to Salem. And I spent about two weeks out in Salem just wandering around and thinking about what I was going to do and how I was going to process all of this as far as the pregnancy and the birth and, like, how I wanted things to happen, I guess. Because, you know, when you're surrounded by a bunch of people, everybody's got their different opinions, everybody's got their, like, what the right and proper way to do everything is. And so but for me, none of that just felt right. So I felt like taking some time alone to myself would help me figure out what the way I wanted to do it. So when I came home, I got the positive pregnancy test, so I was certain that, yes, okay. A little one is on the way. And I looked into having a midwife at first just because, you know, it's my first kid, and I was like, well, maybe it would be nice to have somebody here. And so when I was looking around, though, in Florida, there is not a whole lot of actual midwives near me. I don't know if there is in other spots of Florida, but by me, they're all kind of what I like to call midwives. And so I've spoke to a couple of them, and they were like, you know, if it goes past a couple hours of labor, we have to transfer you. And I was like, well
Speaker 4
Yeah. They're like, you don't stand a chance.
Speaker 3
Right. I was And
Speaker 4
and are you are you partnered at this point, or are you single mom in it? What's the deal? Me.
Speaker 3
I'm single mom in it. It's just me, you know. And it it was kinda like it was a surprise to me, but I I was, like, I was excited by it, you know.
Speaker 4
Was the guy just like a like a random guy, or is he in the picture?
Speaker 3
He was a I just call him a donor. So yes. It's okay. He served his purpose. You know? But, now I have my little girl, and it's just her and I. So, I'm
Speaker 4
Because that's a whole other layer, you know, like, navigating it alone.
Speaker 3
That's a
Speaker 0
whole other
Speaker 3
yeah. It is. And especially so when I came out here moving from COVID and all of that, when I was telling you I came from Hawaii, I ended up here, and none of my family and friends are here. So that was the point of where I was going. It's like, I am I was really going to be in this alone if I didn't have somebody, like, a midwife or go to the hospital or something like that. So I really had to think it through, and I really had to do my research and my studying once I decided that this is what I wanted because I was talking like I said, talking to the midwife, and with two hours labor or three hours labor, whatever their rule is to transfer you, it's just kind of ridiculous. Like, I don't really think that any women I mean, maybe there's a few that are super lucky and just shoot them right out. You know? But I feel like I feel like every woman needs their own time and space to, like, you know, feel comfortable and go through their own process. So that's what I chose to do.
Speaker 4
So you strike out with the midwives and have you heard about free birth before? Like, how does this come into your year even as an option? Because most women, if they strike out a home birth, they just succumb to the hospital system.
Speaker 3
True. True. It's a little funny, actually. I was talking to my sister after I struck out the last midwife in the area, and I was like, you know what? I think I'm just gonna end up doing this by my damn self. And I was sad jokingly, but as soon as I said it, there was something that just felt absolutely right about that Mhmm. To me. So I talked to my sister a little bit more. She's, you know, she's a lot like me, so she was very supportive. And it was good to have her have her, like, sister support, you know. And so, she encouraged me through it and sent me books and sites and and I did a little research together, so I wasn't completely alone. You know? But she lives out in Cali, so it's a good bit of a distance. But
Speaker 4
So had you actually heard about the, like, movement of free birth, Or was it just
Speaker 3
I had not. It was a totally new new thing to me, but, I mean, you know, the concept of women just giving birth by themselves has been forever. You know? And so, I guess, you know, it wasn't that I heard the term rebirth before, but I did know that women have done this for a long time, and it wasn't the craziest thing in the world. You know? And so that encouraged me a little bit. And your plan
Speaker 4
sounds like from pretty early on was to be completely alone? Like, did you
Speaker 3
It was. I I felt for me that that was just something that was right. Like, I I don't really know how to explain why it felt right to me. You know? And maybe it was just, you know, I like I was mentioning my personality, I am a bit of a loner. I'm a bit shy. And the thought of having a bunch of people around looking at me and all of that, just in all the hustle bustle, it just felt like it would be not to my nature, you know. And so a little later down the road, I did end up inviting my sister to come out because she is supportive and I knew that she would be, you know, do whatever I needed to be there. But it ended up that she left the day before. So
Speaker 4
Oh my god.
Speaker 3
And the third thing, she's she's stayed for an entire month with me because, I didn't know the date, you know, and I just kinda had my guest date of, like, okay. She's probably gonna arrive somewhere around this time. And so my poor sister showed up, and she was like, it's gonna be within this month. I know it. And she hung out with me. We did all of the labor inducing things, and I took her to the, airport, drop drop, and she texted me on the plane. And it was like I knew I was in labor then at that moment. I was like, my body and my mind and my baby just knew that I was meant to be by myself. Damn. Wow. Okay.
Speaker 4
So so let's let's just talk about your pregnancy a little bit before we get into the the birth story. So what choices do you make? Do you engage in the system at all? Are you getting any tests or checkups with any medical providers, or are you just cruising along doing your own thing?
Speaker 3
I cruised along and did my own thing. I ended up having one ultrasound at the very beginning. It was prior to, like, all of my research on how, you know, not great they are really to do. And so I didn't really know at the time that they were, not the healthiest thing to do. So I did get one. I'd also had a couple miscarriages prior to that and one ectopic pregnancy. And so I did want to know, I guess, that, you know, she was everything looked good and she was in there, I guess, if that makes sense. So I had the first one. Everything checked out. She was in there. She was healthy. I was healthy. And so I never went back after that. And I never did any of the hospital visits or anything like that. I just used, you know, nature, intuition, and a lot of research on my own part of, you know, what what's beneficial and what's not, this and that. So I did a lot of yoga, a lot of walks, all that fun stuff.
Speaker 4
Love that. I love it.
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Speaker 4
I mean, that's what's up. You know? It's really quite intuitive and simple and, you know, the the the term that Yolanda, you know, coined is wild pregnancy, and it's just, like, integrated. It's just not
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Speaker 4
It's just not like a thing outside of our lives, you know. It's just an integrated aspect of our life to be pregnant and carry life and go through the stages of it and
Speaker 3
It was so much more simple and peaceful than what everybody told me. You know? Everybody is like, oh, you're going to be miserable. You know? You're gonna be so sick, this and that, and just, you know, I was very negative, like, what the, like, the everybody's opinion widely is about pregnancy and birth and all of that. It was completely the opposite. Like, I've had no morning sickness and, you know, I ate what I craved. I didn't gain a ton of weight, but whatever. You know? I mean, like, it was kinda, like, you you just I just let my body be what it wanted to be, I guess. And I think that it hormonally even that mindset going into it helps so much. Like, just being able to keep the peace through it. Mhmm.
Speaker 4
And so how did you contend I mean, it just sounds like it was a fairly simple, not heady process for you, and also still a really big deal to be navigating this on your own, be going against the mainstream, be going against what everybody else in your life and culture chooses. Like, how how much work did it feel like it took you to navigate the what ifs and the being alone? You know that because that's another layer. Right? It's like one thing to birth outside the system with people. It's a whole another thing to just go it alone. Right? Which I love.
Speaker 3
Yeah. I know
Speaker 4
a lot of women who do make that choice, but the average bear does not know a lot of women who make that choice. You know? Yeah. Just speak to that. Would you especially as it draws closer, like, the the spiritual or or psychological work of really surrendering and saying yes to something that I get is so natural and normal and also, like, basically unheard of in in our upbringings.
Speaker 3
Yeah. Well, I guess, for me, I mean, I did I did a lot of research. Like, because when I first, you know, decided or really I didn't even decide. It was just kinda decided for me this was happening, you know, the way that the universe intended. But I didn't wanna go to it ignorantly, I guess, you know, because it is good to go with your intuition and, you know, trust your body and all of that. And a lot of meditation went into that part and that aspect of it, but there's another side of it where you do have to know the basics at least of what to do in an emergency and things like that. And, you know, doing my research and knowing those things was really helpful to my peace of mind as it got closer because I was like, okay. You know? Like, what if I'm bleeding too much, or what if the cord is wrapped around the neck, which is, by the way, not that big of a deal. You know? Everybody makes it out to be such a huge thing. The more reading, the more research I did, the more comfortable I got with the process. I guess that's what I would suggest if anybody is, you know, leaning towards it. Just make sure you know you know, educate yourself on every way that you you possibly can for your own safety and for your babies, you know.
Speaker 4
I mean, it really depends because I know some women who consciously very, very intentionally choose to not read the books and educate themselves because they wanna drop into their primal brain. Yeah. And reading all the books is I think it really just depends on your personality.
Speaker 3
Yeah. I agree with that for sure.
Speaker 4
There's plenty of women on this podcast that just are like, I didn't read a book.
Speaker 5
I went
Speaker 4
into the woods. I just popped a baby out, and other women are like, I took every course I read every book.
Speaker 3
Yeah. You know? So Yeah.
Speaker 4
It's not it's not driving a car. It's not like learning how to operate a death machine. You know? It's like Absolutely. Allowing Yeah. Biological release. You figured out your own barometer of what you needed to feel confident. Right?
Speaker 3
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Exactly. You know? And, I mean, exactly like you said, every woman is different and everybody's, you know, process is different than expectations and everything. Just for me, it helped a lot. Helped me calm.
Speaker 4
Is there anything else specific you wanna share about the work of preparing to birth for the first time ever completely alone? Because I was just like, woah. It's such a big deal. Like,
Speaker 3
there's gotta be more to say about it. There is more, I guess. You know? Like, I spent a lot of time soul searching and spending a lot of time meditating and talking to my baby as she was growing and a lot of time in my garden and a lot of time at the beach. And it was kinda just interesting, like, you know, it'd be speaking to the universe and get little signs that everything was okay type thing. You know what I mean? And for me, it was a lot of, like, paying attention to the surroundings and to nature and to myself, and it kept kept my head really calm, through the process just to feel like, you know, I'm looked after by whoever or whatever is out there. Right? So it was I don't know. It was a very spiritual process for me. Getting to the headspace is it's interesting. I don't know if everybody is this way, but for me, it just felt right from the beginning. So it wasn't like I really needed to get to a place where I wasn't nervous or I didn't think everything was going to go properly. It was just you know, the preparation was just to educate myself, I guess, because that's what I like to do. But in my heart, I already knew everything was going to be fine.
Speaker 4
And so you have any freak out moments in your pregnancy?
Speaker 3
I didn't. Like, I really, really didn't. At the very, very end, after I dropped my sister off from the airport, and I believe it was the beginning of my labor, I just, like, burst into tears. And so I think I maybe just for me, I just got so emotional. It was just, like, an emotional moment of, like, realizing, yes, I am one hundred percent gonna be alone. You know? Because up until that point, I guess, the there was still the possibility that my sister would be there with me. And so it was just this moment of, holy. Alright. We're we're doing this, and it's gonna really happen. And, you know, and she's really going to be arriving very soon. And it was just overwhelming for me in a in a good way, like, I guess. You know? So it was like it was tears of happiness of, like, you know, I'm gonna have a little person here soon. And did you know
Speaker 4
it was a female?
Speaker 3
I knew in my heart that it was. Yeah. It's just funny how we know these things sometimes. Right?
Speaker 4
K. So tell us so tell us from you drop your sister off. Holy shit. It's real. This is happening, and it's happening this way. And then just tell us
Speaker 3
your Yeah. Story. Yeah. Okay. So I got home, after dropping her off, and I had myself a good cry. I still wasn't in any pain or anything like that. And for about the week prior, I've been having a little bit I don't even wanna call it Braxton Hicks because there was no real like, it was hardly anything. It was like somebody was just hugging my waist a little bit, and that was about it. So I was having that again still after, you know, I had dropped her off, and I was like, yeah, it's probably I'd probably nothing, but also I just got emotional out of nowhere, so it might be. You know? And so I did a little bit of cleaning around the house and did my regular routine, did some yoga, and I went to sleep. And I woke up at five AM and was like, okay. I think something is really happening because I could feel it was like waves coming. Right? And it was still like somebody was just squeezing me, hugging me. It was nothing, like, no painful. There was no water breaking everywhere. There was no, like, crazy drama or anything like that. It was just I woke up kind of in this dreamy state, and I had downloaded a contraction timing app just for the heck of it. And so I was like, I wonder what it is, you know, and I went to use it. And it immediately was like, go to the hospital. And so I, you know, I was like, no. That's okay. But it's good to know, like, I guess that they're so close together that it might be time soon. Right? So I got up and I did a little bit more cleaning because I my mind was just, I want everything to be perfect and all of this, you know. And I thought about setting up my birth pool because I had gotten a pool, but I kinda waited around a little bit too long for that. And I felt like it was happening soon. Right? And I was like, there's no way I'm half filling this pool up by myself right now. Screw it.
Speaker 4
You know? It'll be silly for
Speaker 3
her to play in later. So
Speaker 5
So it's still in the closet. It's still in the box. And
Speaker 3
so, yeah, I took the dog for a walk, and when I came back home, I was, like, really, really hungry. And so I started making a little bit of bone broth, and about partway onto boiling it, there was just, like, something that hit me that I just wanted to go, and I wanted to be in the dark in the cold. And still no pain, nothing like that, but it was just this intense urge of I need darkness. And so I ran into my bedroom, and I have this big fur blanket and everything. I threw it on the floor, and I closed all the windows. Everything turned the air up as cold as it would go, and I just stayed in the room and on this blanket. And I was just moving around on this blanket along with the waves, and it was just the most beautiful feeling I that I had just like, I knew that she was coming soon, you know, and it was just this piece about that and just the experience of, like, every moment of the sensations that were happening. It was really cool to me, I guess, because, you know, just feeling what your body is doing, feeling the work that it's doing was is just fascinating, I guess. You know? Like, yeah, it really was. It was just I had a huge appreciation for what my body was doing. I, I was there was moments of it where I would just, like, go out, you know, and it was it was like you're on another planet on this other little world, you know, and, I couldn't even tell you if my eyes were open or closed or how long I was there or anything like that. And I was listening to myself, and there was, like, these little growls coming out. And I remember thinking for a second of, like, how animalistic it was and how freaking cool that is, I guess. And then I was back out in space. You know? And then all of a sudden, I snapped back into my body, and it was, like, everything you know, I was back in the present completely, and there was still no pain, nothing like that, but it was just a huge urge to go be in the water. And, like I said, I didn't have the pool set up, so I went and I just ran the bath and got in the bathroom. I think I was only in there for maybe, like, twenty minutes, and, I could tell that she was coming. And so I got up out of the bath, and I went to my garden. That's where I wanted to have her. And I had all of my little things in there, and I have a plumeria tree that was blooming, so I just wanted to be close to that. Oh. And yeah. So I went into my little garden, and it was the second I stepped foot into the garden, she arrived.
Speaker 4
So this is outside, obviously. So did you bring, like, a blanket?
Speaker 3
I had I had it all set up from that morning. I had, like, tons of blankets out there, and I have some herbs, like, just in case, you know, I was bleeding too much or anything. I had all my herbs ready and everything, so it was all set up and beautiful out there. And it's very quiet, and there's no, like, no people around or anything. So it was a really great place to just be. And That's cool. Having all the flowers bloom and everything. Yeah. She it was it was crazy how fast she came, though. When I finally looked at the timing, it was only, like, a three and a half hour labor altogether. And it's, like, parts of it, you know, parts of it you lose track of, like, how, you know, how long you've been anywhere. So I was like, has it been, like, three days? Has it been three minutes? Like I know. It's so weird. K.
Speaker 5
Okay. So you got into
Speaker 4
the garden. Do you, like, make it onto the blanket?
Speaker 3
One foot on the blanket and I was in a lunge, and I was, like, going down. So it's, like, the mid lunge, you know, and I felt her head come. And I was like, oh, okay. So I, like, had my hand in her head, and it was just, like, not even a push or anything, but my body just did it. You know? And everything, like, tensed up for a second, and she was in my hands. So and it was crazy. She came out eyes wide open looking around, and I swear she had a smile. It was so so wild. My god. Wow. Yeah. It was wild. So I sat there in the garden for a little bit. I was looking at her and just enjoying it, you know, and ended up I was bleeding a little bit too much, and her cord was very short. So when I went to, like, pull her up, I pulled the placenta a little bit, and it, like, tugged a little too much, you know? But, fortunately, like, I stood up. I took my herbs that I had. I had Angelica, and it released the placenta, like, right away, and the bleeding was fine. So it was crazy, like, just, you know, that little moment of, like, I had such appreciation for the fact that I was able to stay coherent, I guess, if that makes sense. You know?
Speaker 4
Like, what what are you evaluating is too much?
Speaker 3
So well, to me, it just felt like it was gushing, like, gushing and gushing and gushing, and it wasn't stopping, and I was starting to get dizzy. And so I did put put my feet up for a second. I took the Angelica. I had the placenta came out. Everything was good. It's a little couple pieces of membrane, so I could tell that I did end up tearing a little bit, but everything came out fine. You know? And the bleeding stopped just fine as soon as the placenta was released all the way.
Speaker 4
So then did you stay in the garden?
Speaker 3
I did. I just sat as soon as everything was calm again. You know? Like, it was it was beautiful to be able to, you know, not be out of my head space, I guess. Like and it's cool to see, like, how how your body reacts to things. And you'll be in, like, this little high of, you know, the middle of nowhere in space, and then all of a sudden, if you need to, your body snaps back. Like, same as when she was arriving, it was, like, the whole labor process. I was in and out in the clouds, and then as soon as she was arriving, my body was like, alright. Time to catch her. You know? Like, without without thinking or anything, you just do it. You know? So that was cool. Mhmm. Yeah. And then we just hung out in the garden.
Speaker 4
What time of day was it?
Speaker 3
It was at four twenty in the afternoon she was born. At least around there, I think. You know, I that was when I reached her my phone to text my sister that she arrived. So Wow. Yeah. You miss it by a day. Yeah.
Speaker 4
That's amazing. Yeah. You weren't totally clear on your dates and your adjusting time?
Speaker 3
I had I had no idea. You know? Like, I mean, a little bit of an idea. We all have a little bit of an idea. Right? But it wasn't, you know, anything specific. And even if you know the date of that, it's still kinda up in there.
Speaker 4
Of course. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3
Of when they're gonna arrive. So it was kinda just whenever she's gonna get here, she'll get here.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
But my poor sister, she had just landed in Cali, and I was like, she's here. Oh my god. She hop hopped back on a plane and flew back out to Houston. Good. Yeah. Good. So she helped with all that. But for the first few hours well, it was, like, twelve hours before my sister was able to get back here. Oh, good. I I just got to be with my baby, and it was so beautiful. I left her attached for as long as, you know, as long as I could to because it I did need to be able to carry her around and stuff being by myself and, like, move myself around, kinda clean up a little bit.
Speaker 4
I'm curious about the logistics of of that afterwards.
Speaker 3
Yeah. So that I mean, I kinda honestly, I left everything a mess because I I was just in, like, you know, this happy, beautiful place of my baby's here and screw everything else. It can wait. You know? And so it was just me. Like, I I cleaned her up. I cut the cord eventually, and I had, like, made a little cord tie for her myself. And that part to me was just a really beautiful moment of getting the opportunity to do that myself. That's you know, that was what was connecting us and keeping her alive all this time. And so it kinda was, like, a really special thing to be the one to connect her to the earth, I guess, you know, and cut that cord myself. Yeah. After that, I cleaned us both up and sat on my couch, and I just left the whole rest of the house a complete mess. One of my neighbors came up because she knew that I was close to having the baby, so she just came up to, like, see how I was and walked in and there was blood everywhere. And, like, my footprints and everything too because I
Speaker 5
had walked through it. And so when she walked in,
Speaker 3
all that's all she saw and she was in a panic, like, not knowing what happened. All she see is, like, all this huge mess everywhere. She ran around, and it's just me and the baby sitting on the couch all cozy together. So she brought me pizza and hung out with me till my sister came. Nice. Yeah.
Speaker 4
And so it sounds like the way you've described this three and a half hour labor experience was that it was totally painless.
Speaker 3
It was for me. And it's it's not to say that there wasn't sensations or anything like that that and there wasn't moments of intensity because sensations or anything like that that and there wasn't moments of intensity because there was there was a moment where, like, it was my mind though more than my body of, you know, from what I read, it's transition time, you know, where most women are like, shit. I can't do this. I'm gonna die. This and that, you know. And then you just you can pull yourself back from that, though. And it's it's more of a mental challenge than physical in in my opinion, you know.
Speaker 4
It sounds like you have such strong reference points for mental fortitude and meditation and, you know, yoga and all of these things that push, you know, your physical boundaries. So uncomfortable meditating or or the discipline that that takes or, you know, all the push in yoga. And yeah, I'm sure that had a lot of support for you as, like, a resource
Speaker 3
Oh, yeah.
Speaker 4
Base. Right?
Speaker 3
Absolutely. Including, you know, a lot of the hikes that I've done. Like, I spent three months in New Zealand just by myself with me and my dog wandering around in the mountains and, you know, like, hunting and things like that. And so, like, your mind goes back to, like, moments of you know, everybody's got their moments where they feel powerful and they feel strong. And so I felt like, you know, your mind will go back to those moments and remind yourself when it's hard like that, and it's terrifying for a second.
Speaker 4
Right. And you survive.
Speaker 3
Hold on. You're like, I can do this. You know? I've already I've already survived this and that. I can do this too. And so it's a cool thing to, like, get to that. You know? The way that the way that it changes your mind after that, I guess, is, like not changes your mind, but changes your your core of who you are, I guess, a bit. It just solidifies everything a bit more of your own strength.
Speaker 4
So how has it been adjusting to single motherhood or solo solo parenting, you know, with a newborn? How old is your baby now, and and kinda who are you now? Like, what do you what do you wanna share about that?
Speaker 3
Yeah. She's four months old now, and she's awesome. She's very, very chunky little babe. I've been doing exclusive breastfeeding, which has been really fun for me. Like, I just personally, like, I like the connection of it, and I like the time with her. You know? And I just feel like it bonds us a bit. And I've been really lucky that I get to work from home, so I've not had to worry about, you know, what to do and all of that. So it's been a little bit of an adjustment, though. Like, because you're working from home, you're working, you know, twenty four seven really sometimes and then twenty four seven taking care of a newborn. So finding the balance of that in the very beginning was a little bit Did
Speaker 5
you have to keep
Speaker 4
working or was there a period?
Speaker 3
I did. I I went right back to work four days later. So Oh my god. She was born on Thursday, and I went back to work on Monday. So Oh, that's good. Yeah. It was a little intense, but I, you know, I I took it slow, and I did whatever I needed to do. And I figured if they fire me, fuck it. You know? So it is what it is. So she was more important, really. You know? But our time together was nice in the very beginning and everything too. She was such an easy baby and still is. She just kinda hangs out and laughs and sleeps, so not not a whole lot of effort.
Speaker 4
So how did you get that photo? That big photo.
Speaker 3
I had a tripod set up because I was like, I don't wanna miss the whole thing, you know. And so it was, like, towards the very end though because I had it set up in the garden, and I was wandering around the whole house and the yard and everything. And so I missed, like, you know, somebody, like, I guess, filming the whole labor, but I wouldn't have been comfortable, like, having a camera in my face and all that the whole time. But, you know, from when I got to the garden, I turned it on, so I got the very end of it. That's what I was saying. It's funny, like, how focused and how not focused your mind is at the same time. You're like, okay. I need to do this, this, this, and this. You know? And yeah. That was funny. So I gotta get Literally,
Speaker 4
like, as she was coming out, as you're walking to the garden,
Speaker 3
you just, like, turned your camera on. I was like, oh, wait. The camera.
Speaker 4
Wow. That is, that's a woman right there, able
Speaker 3
to make their task. Right. You know, we have gifts. We have a gift. Wow. I love
Speaker 4
that. That's awesome. And then your sis was able to come care for you for a couple of weeks?
Speaker 3
She stayed for a week and a half after. So she was able to, you know, get me through the roughest parts. And then, my dad and my stepmom came to visit and stayed for a few more days after that. So I had, like, about two weeks of help altogether at the very end. You know? And then
Speaker 4
the healing of your body and breastfeeding was all fairly simple?
Speaker 3
It was. You know? I I took care to, you know, take everything easy because it was a little bit difficult mentally for me because I'm used to moving all the time. You know, even when I was pregnant, I was able to walk and I was able to do all my yoga and I was able to kayak all the way until the very end and all this. So actually having to sit still for, two months' time is the length that I took, you know, just to make sure everything was cozy and all that because my stomach was kind of, like, a little rough. Like, you know, I'm sure everybody's is. Right? We just grew human. So
Speaker 4
I was like So much coming back together. Yeah.
Speaker 3
Right. Exactly. So I gave myself the time. Physically, it was it was fine. Everything was good. There was one point where I tried to, like, go again to take a long walk or whatever, and I overdid it a bit and started bleeding too much. But, you know, your body lets you know when you need to slow down.
Speaker 4
It does. Yeah. Wow. Beautiful. Where is there anything else you wanna share or say before we close?
Speaker 3
I don't think so. I think we covered pretty much everything.
Speaker 4
Awesome. Love it. It's really that's
Speaker 3
a wild story. Thank you. Thank you for letting me share.
Speaker 4
Our pain free garden solo first.
Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah. I think, honestly, it helped me so much with the pain part of it, just getting to do it the way that I was comfortable, you know. And yeah. And everybody's different with that, but I feel like it's so important that, you know, women get the opportunity to do whatever works for them, like and it makes the experience so much more beautiful.
Speaker 4
I mean, even even if if women could slow down and even ask themselves what would work for them, you know, that's not even part of the equation for most women's decision making
Speaker 3
Right.
Speaker 4
Birth. You know?
Speaker 3
Right. And, well, I think a lot of people, they just feel pressure because it's what everybody else does all the time. You know what I mean? And this is just what you do. You get pregnant. You go to all the doctors. You have the hospital and do all of this, you know, and so it's kind of just They're missing out. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. There's a lot more to it.
Speaker 4
Well, how can women find you on Instagram?
Speaker 3
My handle is live your legend with a period in between each word.
Speaker 4
Beautiful. Awesome, Jenny. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2
And that's it for today, my sisters. Check out everything course, the complete guide
Speaker 3
to
Speaker 6
free birth.
Speaker 1
Don't miss the radical birthkeeper school if you're ready to become
Speaker 2
the authentic midwife that women are searching for. Together, we rise, and the revolution starts inside each of us. I'll leave you with our Freebird Society theme song, Wild Woman by Aruba Red.
Speaker 6
I honor you for the wisdom you held, the ancient traditions of plant medicine and womb magic. I feel the spirit of the ancestors as I place my hands upon my belly. This sacred portal will be honored. Eons upon light beams of survival, withstanding the eradication of our power by design. I will not allow the separation of our young to be forced upon me. My sisters will no longer birth in captivity. The picket line redefined from burning our wild women to paralyzing us and drugging our babes. Strapped down in a clinical white bed drying up the milk from our breasts, keep your needles. My family will never again be doomed to chase those dragons all your quarter. We reject your fear. We choose love. Everything with intention. Death, ascension. I will fly and bring her back to the star.
