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
Speaker 2
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, host, Emilee Saldaya. It's
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been a wild freedom change since I've left my rules back home.
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During Sparrow's free birth, she found herself unable to release her bladder. So when she arrived at the hospital seeking a catheter, instead, she was misdiagnosed with HIV and given a c section. She was kept from breastfeeding her son, harassed by social services, and spent the following next few days in a nightmarish hell as she fought for herself and her baby. So this episode is Sparrow's story, and it's also a celebration of who Sparrow is today and her new offering to the world. Sparrow is a very special woman who has devoted her life to serving pregnant women through high level bodywork and birthkeeping. Today, we are celebrating the launch of her new online program, Body Full of Grace, that I am so honored to be offering under Free Birth Society. It's a DIY prenatal care course for aligning with a pain free, even easy pregnancy. So if you're pregnant or planning to be soon, or work with pregnant women, check it out and add it to your toolkit. So Sparrow's here with us this week to tell her tale, what she learned, and to share a really important tip that we hope will help other women stay home to birth their babies. Okay. So we have a special episode for all of you this week. I'm really excited to have a dear friend of mine with us
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on the show today. Welcome, Sparrow. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3
So today is gonna be a couple different things. We are, first and foremost celebrating, the launch of a new program under the umbrella of Free Birth Society that Sparrow has crafted in her in her, absolute genius. And so we're gonna talk a little bit about that, and, we've got some tips and tricks for birth attendants. And if you're pregnant, you definitely will wanna listen to this episode. Yeah. Let's just get let's just get into it. First, why don't you why don't you tell us who you are and where you live and what you do and, what is this what is this course?
Speaker 4
Absolutely. Yeah. So I'm Sparrow Harrington. I, am located in Los Angeles. I have been a birth worker and, body worker, I would say, primarily for, last, like, eleven years and really, focusing on maternity, prenatal, postnatal, fertility work. And let's see. I've known Emilee for six years. I mean, definitely in the birth scene here, you know, worked with you as you were still doing and working through, you know, secondhand trauma of different different things different things happening in in the birth world here in LA. So, yeah, definitely have you know, my heart and my passion is around, supporting pregnant women and, you know, really having them feel as free and joyful in this process and being able to heal as fully, as possible. And so I've been facilitating that for a while, and it's what I love to do. And this course really grew out of my ability to not do that during COVID nineteen. Our our wellness center in LA was completely shut down. I couldn't do any hands on work for three months. And, you know, it was literally like one day we were working on, you know, working with a client. And the next day we were just, like, ripped off of their care team. And for some people, we were the center of their care team.
Speaker 3
I wanna brag about you for a quick second because Sparrow is a little famous in Los Angeles. She is she is the woman that when you're pregnant, you would be crazy not to not to have love on you. You know, as as a massage therapist, she really is the, I don't know. I mean, I was a pretty popular doula in LA, and everyone I knew knew of her, and she had her has and had a thriving, prenatal massage, you know, company and served a lot, and serves a lot, a lot, a lot of of women around Los Angeles. So, I'm at I'm also kind of giggling to myself right now remembering how you and I met because now in retrospect, it's even funnier. So let's just share it really briefly, which is that what I recall was, I was interested at this point. I think it was longer than six years ago, but I was interested in
Speaker 4
In the moment. Yeah.
Speaker 3
A midwifery school Yep. And was, you know, trying to figure out my my path with all of this. And, we got connected through a mutual contact because you had just decided you would put the deposit down and then decided, no way, the school is not for me. And we got connected because I was gonna take your spot in the school.
Speaker 4
Which was so rad because you didn't know me at all, and you were literally, like, going to save me a few thousand dollars of a deposit that I put down for, you know, being technically enrolled for only a few weeks. And and, yeah, I had realized that that was definitely not gonna be the right path for me. And, yeah, you swooped in, and you were just super cool, and it didn't work out.
Speaker 3
It didn't
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work out. Allow us to transfer.
Speaker 3
And I didn't wanna
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actually do it,
Speaker 3
it turns out.
Speaker 4
Yeah. But a friendship was born. Absolutely.
Speaker 3
And I remember, yeah, meeting you as as we were both, like, two doulas trying to figure out, you know, what the heck was this licensed midwifery whole thing about.
Speaker 0
Mhmm.
Speaker 3
And we just super bonded over our own struggles to find the integral path in birth work, which which we weren't really seeing any examples of. And that was kind of the the start and the spark of of our of our friendship as I as I recall.
Speaker 4
So Yeah.
Speaker 3
It's kinda crazy to be here so many years later, and children later, and and, you know, so much so so much to speak to. So, yeah, like you said, or like I was bragging about you, you were you were a busy, busy, amazing healer Thank you. In in Los Angeles. I greatly benefited from from your healing touch many times. And but then with COVID, you you weren't able to continue this practice, and so,
Speaker 4
you
Speaker 3
know, you shifted gears and created something that now intersects with our company, which I'm really excited about. So so To
Speaker 4
me too. I I love your company. I love everything that you put out. You know, this podcast has been, you know, life changing for me and for, you know, everyone that I share it with as well. So it's it feels really good to have landed here with you too.
Speaker 3
Yeah. So what is this program?
Speaker 4
So the course, yeah, really grew out of, how can I help people without being able to put my hands on them? And it was really interesting. It it kinda just started to grow out of Instagram stories. Like, just asking people, like, where are you having pain with? Like, and, you know, getting all these responses coming in and then being like, oh, you can do this at home. You can do this at home. And I was, you know, doing tutorials and doing tips. And I was like, oh my gosh. There's so much more here than I ever thought. You know, of course, like, my my passion is to work, you know, through my hands. But once that was kind of, like, completely ripped away as even an option, I think it really revealed a lot of, I think it revealed my role as as a teacher that I hadn't really, acknowledged. I think that had been growing along with my hands on practice. But once I didn't have that piece anymore, it was much easier to see that there there are a ton of things that I teach my clients at home to really take your care into your own hands. And I personally had a wild, pain free and really joyful pregnancy. And I've been able to, you know, help so many others with that as well. And I think that's where the course grew out of. So the course is really focused on self massage techniques, postural guidance, stretches and exercises and tips, that address is the top ten concerns that I hear from most, pregnant women. And then there's also, like, supplemental material to once your pain is gone to maintain it that way. These are these are exercises, you know, guidance, all of these, really great practices that help you use your body in a way that, you know, prevents pain from coming on, that can correct pain from coming on. And that I think even and more importantly, that gives you a deeper understanding and connection and kinesthetic awareness of your body, which I think adds to the joy of being pregnant and certainly will help in in labor and and postpartum recovery as well.
Speaker 3
And it's a DIY course, which we're all about at Freebird Society. Right? And that you don't necessarily have to, you know, go out to professionals for a lot of a lot of what could truly be, self care, you know, with with some with some wonderful guidance. So we're gonna be sharing, some little little tidbits that you can also find in the course. You know, we're putting out this episode to celebrate the launch of of the course. And so at this point, it'll be out, and so you can go ahead it's out today, so you can go ahead and, check it out at at our website, free birth society courses dot com, and the specific website is free birth society courses dot com slash body full of grace, which is the name of this beautiful program. So we're gonna be talking about, really Sparrow's personal journey of how she had a pain free pregnancy. I mean, that's a pretty it's a pretty incredible thing to hear, and not something that we really hear enough of. And then also, you know, how her story shifted throughout her her labor and how she used Yeah, majorly shifted and, some stuff that she was able to have a full recovery in her postpartum in a really healthy way. And then like we said at the beginning, there's also, I think really for birth workers, some important stuff that we're gonna be unpacking here that that will greatly benefit, your practice, really, to know to know kind of I guess the foreshadowing is is a big a big thing that you learned after the fact that that you wish you had known and and something I'm certainly grateful to know now. So where where do you wanna start with your story?
Speaker 4
Well, let's see. I think, you know, I think maybe just by saying that, you know, when we say that there was a big shift, you know, I I ended up with a pretty horrific birthing experience that, you know, got pathologized and, included a ton of extremely unnecessary trauma. And, you know, part of my healing, I think, with all this is that, you know, I've been able to go back and just unpack, like, where did things go off? Because I I I came into my birthing experience, like, truly and deeply, believing in the body's capacity and in my physiological birth. And, you know, I I learned a really hard lesson that I want to share with anyone who's pregnant and, you know, anyone who supports pregnant women. To ultimately, it I didn't need to be pathologized. Ultimately, there was something that I could have done at home without ever having to probably even reach out for any help. And that's that's really what I want to to give to everyone, not only for you to have that knowledge, but also, like I said, for me, just as a piece of my my own healing. If I can prevent, you know, anyone else from having to have a similar story, like, even one person would be, would be so deeply meaningful to me.
Speaker 3
Mhmm. Yeah. So being this many this many months out of of your birth, how do you see your story? Like, how I am curious how you would how you would tell that story now. Sure. Maybe I should just give, like, a kind of
Speaker 4
over arch of what happened, and we can break it down a little bit more. But, essentially, I I had a wild pregnancy. Yeah. And I I had a two days of of free labor, free birth labor, but then, yeah, ultimately ended up, in the hospital for something that I know now I likely did not need to, go there for. And when I went to the hospital and told them what I needed, they ignored me and sent me home, without the catheter that I requested, which was, you know, ultimately a very simple thing, like, super, super simple. Like, I didn't even need to they could have given that to me in triage and not even admitted me and just sent me home. And instead, they told me that that's not what I needed, but they didn't ever really even check. And I went home and laboured for a whole another day on a bladder that was literally blocking my baby from from passing.
Speaker 3
So were you able to urinate at all? Like, after they sent you home after they were like, no. Go fuck yourself. And then you go home. Are you able to
Speaker 4
I don't think so. Peeing all. No. And the thing was, Emilee, is that I had, you know, I had a high break in my waters which was the, you know, very first sign of my labor, and so I was trickling fluid. And so it was just one of those things where I was pretty sure that I wasn't peeing, and I was pretty sure that I needed a a catheter, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure. You know? And then when you go to the hospital and these quote unquote professionals tell you, nope, that's not what you need, and send you home. You know, there's piece of me that believed them. Meanwhile, by the time, you know, I went home and was laboring for a whole another day on a on a bladder that couldn't release. And, you know, I went I ended up having to go back to the hospital because I literally my body was disfigured by the size of my bladder. Like, it looked like I had two pregnant bellies, one on top of the other by the time I went back to the hospital. And when I went in, they were like, oh, yeah. There's actually twelve hundred cc's of fluid in your bladder. And it was literally like, my baby could not pass that. And so then, you know, I I got the catheter, but here's here's the doozy and here's the rest of it. We got my bladder out of the way. My blood my labor is progressing. And two doctors come into the room, ask all of my support people to leave and diagnose me, with HIV in the middle of my labor, which turned out to be completely false, completely wrong. They refused to retest me during labor when I requested it. And so treated me, as if I was HIV positive and then just presumed that my baby was. And so
Speaker 3
So when you say diagnose, you mean that in your admission labs and they drug test you?
Speaker 4
They I mean, they, you know, they were taking blood. They would they were running all sorts of but either way, they did a quick test, and which they also assured me was highly accurate, because I said that couldn't I said that's inaccurate, like please retest me, and they refused because they said they're and there was no time.
Speaker 3
So two doctors come in, tell everyone to leave, and they tell you, we just ran a test that you didn't even really know about, and by the way, you're HIV positive, and so we're going to assume that your baby's HIV positive as well. Correct. Holy fuck.
Speaker 4
Holy fuck. And you know, for me, it's really interesting because I I felt I was exhausted and I knew that I needed some help, but I had so much knowledge about my body. And, like, I'm really good at advocating for myself. And I literally thought that I could go in there and actually get help. And so when I when they said that, I remember having this moment of feeling like the the jaws of the beast Yeah. Closing around me. Yeah. Where I'm just like, oh my gosh. Like, I don't know how to navigate this. I really don't. Because, you know, it it instantly put me in the category of you are putting your baby in danger. And and, of course, I was, like, ninety nine percent sure that that couldn't be true. But, of course, there's that little tiny bit. I'm like, what if I what if I was putting my baby in some kind of danger? You know? And and so and I felt like it was instantly, like, my mothering instincts came up. I'm like, what do I need to do to make sure that my baby is okay? You know? So and they let me believe that for two days, Emilee. That's how long it took for them to get definitive test results that we were totally negative, that we were both completely healthy. Uh-huh. And they made a huge, huge mistake.
Speaker 3
So it was a false positive?
Speaker 4
It was a false positive on the quick test. And then when they sent in the for the definitive test, it was clearly negative.
Speaker 3
Yeah. Was there a point in those two days of hell that you started to believe maybe you were HIV positive?
Speaker 4
You know, it's funny because, like, I didn't really have that much time to think about that because I literally was dealing with CPS from the moment they wheeled me out of a c section, which I didn't need.
Speaker 3
You did not need. Even if you were HIV positive, you wouldn't need it.
Speaker 4
It was it was so crazy. But I think that ultimately, the decision to do the c section was based on the fact that at the by that time when I could have pushed the baby out, I I knew that I was gonna be somebody that needed like two, three hours based on how tired and unsafe I felt, like, super, super unsafe, and how tired my uterus was after three days of laboring against a full bladder. That I knew that they were gearing up to take that baby to the NICU for any reason. And I knew that if if they took him to the NICU, I sort of there was a good chance that I wasn't gonna see him again, you know, for however long. And, and I said, I want I just wanted my son out and in my arms. And and as soon as he was in my arms, like, he didn't leave my sight. And I spent the last yeah. I spent those two days, like, literally just fighting with CPS and social workers and moron doctors. And so I didn't really have that much time to think about, like, I don't know. I just I didn't I thought as long as the time went yeah. It was pure survival, but also, like, the more time went on, the more I actually thought that they were wrong because I started to just see how they all operated. And I was like, this is a shit show, you know. Like, I didn't feel like anything they did was professional. Right. And and so it was almost like the more time went by, the less scared I became of actually being sick, and the more scared I became of CPS not giving a shit about actual test results, and, you know, trying to take my baby regardless. So So So So Okay.
Speaker 3
So they tell you you're HIV positive, and you're well into your labor, and you're obviously admitted at this point. Yeah. And so they were just like, we need to get the baby out kind of classic c section line.
Speaker 4
Well, first, they were trying to tell me that there was a lesser chance of the baby contracting it with a c section. And I was like, how does
Speaker 3
that make sense?
Speaker 4
And somebody explained that to me. Yeah. And and then it was like, you know, you could you could push the baby out. Like, we'll give you, like, a little bit of time. And of course, like, I couldn't like I said, I could have really fought for that, Emilee, and just been like, no. Like, I'm gonna take as long as I need, even that if that's three hours or whatever, which I kind of intuitive intuitively felt like that's what I my body would have needed under those circumstances to have a vaginal birth. But I just I I felt like they were looking for any reason to take that baby. It was BS. Like, it wasn't that I fully believed them. It was just that I could kind of see the writing on the wall in terms of the NICU unit that kept like kept coming in and kept coming in. Oh, we just need to set this up here. And I was like, no. I was like, I've asked you to leave so many times. So they started to do the whole, you know, he's having d cells, you know, he's not gonna tolerate labor and I, you know, all of that stuff.
Speaker 3
I get it. You are seeing this set up and you were like, let's just go before it becomes like Yes. Catastrophic. Yes. I see what you're saying.
Speaker 4
And I can't, you know, and I I I get why you want to, like, go in and figure out what was I thinking at that moment. And it's it's interesting because even when I look back on it, like, it wasn't so much a logical rational thought. It was intuition. Like, I just really felt, like, if I go this way, like, they're gonna take this baby. And if I go this way, they won't. And, I mean, ultimately, it did work out that way. You know, what a fucked fucked way to
Speaker 3
have to think
Speaker 4
It was while you're yeah.
Speaker 3
Like to strategize which path of abuse
Speaker 4
Right. Will help your baby stay with you. Yes. Yes.
Speaker 3
All from a goddamn false test.
Speaker 4
Correct.
Speaker 3
Yeah. And abusive system. Yeah. Okay. So you strategize the right survival move to keep keep your kiddo with you, and for two days, you're just dealing with a a total shit show.
Speaker 4
Complete shit show. I mean, people were in my room literally almost every ten minutes for, like, the two days that I was there. Like, and I mean, you know, until, like, you know, ten, eleven o'clock at night, there's just people in and out. And it was really, like, it was a thing. Like, I could feel, like, when I'm getting moved through the hallways, it was, like, that's the mom, you know, who
Speaker 3
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4
Yeah. I mean, the nurses who came actually came into my room, I didn't feel that from them. But, like, people passing. You know what I mean? The doctors, everybody. It was, like, I could feel I could feel them all getting off on this, to be honest. Like, it was really, really creepy, and I had to call off with them to keep my child safe.
Speaker 3
You said that you were wheeled from your c section to to talk with CPS?
Speaker 4
They met me in the recovery room. I wasn't even in a room yet. Like, my quote unquote golden hour that they're supposed to know about and respect was I literally kept saying that over and over. I was like, why are you here? It was nine people. It wasn't just like one social worker. I had, doctors, team of midwives, and social workers, nine people, as I'm coming out from my station. And I'm just like, what is going on here? Like Criminal. It, yeah, it really felt that way. It really felt that way. And I couldn't make this shit up, you know? I could not make this shit up. And like I said, having all of the experience that I had had, like, I went in there thinking, like, it's gonna be okay. Like, I know how to navigate this. And I was so wrong. You know? So
Speaker 3
What hospital were you at?
Speaker 4
Kaiser Sunset. On Sunset? Mhmm. Which is supposed to be better than most. Yeah. Whatever that means. Yeah.
Speaker 3
They're all using the same
Speaker 4
If they are. Test. No. They are. I mean,
Speaker 3
oh my god. I I mean, yeah, you really can't make this shit up.
Speaker 4
I couldn't. So, yeah.
Speaker 3
You went in there just to be clear for anyone, because we just went down a rabbit hole. Yeah. You you were clear prior to being in the hospital. You were clear that you needed help relieving your bladder.
Speaker 4
Right.
Speaker 3
You couldn't you couldn't figure it out. You tried everything you knew, and you you knew that you were not voiding properly, which absolutely is a serious problem. That's not, you know, that's not, like a casual thing. That that I mean, that can lead to infection. It can lead to pretty serious stuff. So you are clear that the bladder is not, relieving itself. You went in for a cath, and and you got the cath the second time around, and you also got a false diagnosis of HIV positive and a c section you didn't need. Right. And two straight days of harassment.
Speaker 4
Yeah. And the inability to breastfeed my newborn for until until the test results came back.
Speaker 3
Oh my god.
Speaker 4
And having to hustle the hospital just to get donor milk. Yeah.
Speaker 3
Yeah. So much rage is Ugh. I've seen through my body right now.
Speaker 0
Yeah.
Speaker 3
Okay. So then what?
Speaker 4
So well, I mean, I kinda feel like that's what everybody needs to know in terms of why I would love to give you this tip that I learned after the fact. You know, because I think that that was a huge piece of, you know, reflecting on yeah. This was it was horrendous birth. You know, horrible treatment, horrible, abusive, horribly unnecessary, all of it. And so I think for me, you know, I I can see, of course, why so many people, it's you want to go down that path of, like, oh, this was so necessary and the doctor saved me from x, y, and z in emergency. And it's like, there's there was none of that with me. So I'm just like, how did I end up there? You know, like, what can I reflect on? What can I learn from this? What can I take away from this? And, you know, I learned something from a dear friend of mine who is a pelvic floor physical therapist, and we just went through the, like, the birth step by step, like, how my labor started, what happened, you know. And and that was really great for me because I was, like, did I need to be pathologized? And did I need to be pathologized to that degree? And like you said, like, not being able to void the bladder and having a little literal physical barrier to my baby being able to come down and make contact with my cervix. Like, yes, that's serious. But could there have been something that if I had known, I could have done at home? And I was so, like, I was so grateful to know that the answer is yes. And that's really what I wanna speak to today so that I can give that to everybody else. The the knowledge that I wish I had had, so that I wouldn't have even had to leave my home, you know, so that I could have voided my bladder. So, you cool if I just go into to that? Absolutely. So, so what what I talked through with my, pelvic floor friend was that the first sign of my labor beginning was a high and complete break in my water. So probably, like, my son's, like, toenail or something, like, broke my waters. And it was just a little splash of water, but, that we are pretty sure dropped him down onto my urethral sphincter so that his head was actually compressing, the sphincter that controlled my bladder being able to relieve itself. And so I, at that point, no longer had conscious control over that. And because the water was, you know, incompletely broken, I had fluid leaving me, but none of that, was clearly I I didn't know that, but it wasn't urine that whole time. So there was, you know, a bunch of time that passed that I probably thought that I was peeing and then started to realize, like, I don't I just remember feeling like my contractions were strong, but they didn't feel, they didn't feel like they were progressing in a way. And, of course, like, being a first time mom, I didn't know exactly what that meant. It was just kind of this inner knowing of, like, this doesn't feel efficient even though I can feel my body working really hard. And so I would say I was in labor for about a day and a half of just really trying to figure out, you know, what was going on. And and then I I I kinda came to the just intuitive conclusion that, yeah, I'm not peeing, and I need I need to get my bladder, relieved. So, my my good friend, as we're walking walking through all of this, she was explaining to me that, you know, the bladder as it's connected to the urethral sphincter, that only one of them can be contracted at the same time. So because my son's head was, you know, compressing it, my your urethral sphincter was contracted, like, my entire labor. And so she explained that if you were to, like, tap hard enough on the on your actual bladder to get the muscle fibers of the bladder to contract, that that would, by default, release your urethral sphincter to allow your your bladder to empty. So that's really what I wanted to share and what I wish I had known and wish I had been able to try at home before I ever had to reach out for help. That should have only been at most a catheter, but, you know, turned into, you know, really So
Speaker 3
let me make sure I'm under understanding. So if if if you, you know, whatever, could go back and do it again and and had been able to you're saying tap, like what? Like tap rhythmically for a couple of minutes? I think that it's,
Speaker 4
you know, it's it's tap hard enough to give give give the bladder enough stimulus that the muscle fibers are like, oh, I need to contract and respond to this stimulus. So however that tapping needed to to be in order for that to happen, getting your getting the muscle fibers of your bladder to contract would have released. Because they were because they they were Yeah. Yeah. They work in symmetry with each other. So they one cannot be contract while the other is relaxed. So if you were to ask the one that is relaxed to now contract, it would by default release the one that had been contracted. Does that make sense? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
Speaker 3
I just wanna make sure that's like clear and how we're how we're explaining it.
Speaker 4
Yeah. And I mean, I Because this is very important,
Speaker 3
you know, for for anyone who's listening who is a new birth worker or if you're a mother, you know, who is is just learning about this stuff, you know, I really wanna say here that, this this bladder thing can sometimes be a thing. Yeah. It's not super rare. It's not one of those, I guess I'll call it a complication. It's it's not one of those circumstances that is like almost never happens, like a lot of things that that that, you know, get overblown in in the system as as you're familiar with if you hear this podcast. This really is, you know, the bladder not not emptying and, a laboring mother's awareness, not being on the bladder, you know, is also very understandable and common. And so if you are listening to this and you're planning a free birth, it I think it's really wise to have if you have a witness, if your partner, whoever is there, to have the the witness hold awareness around your bladder, and that somebody basically, somebody in the room needs to be thinking about your bladder, you know, first of all.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
Because it it might not be you, you know. I I recently did a a session with a woman who was like, I had a great birth. Everything was great, but I couldn't pee the whole time. I just couldn't pee. And then afterwards, I couldn't pee, and I was so uncomfortable. I was crying in discomfort hours and hours after. I couldn't pee afterwards, and so we went to the hospital for a cath. You know, and and this is that's not necessarily a problem except who wants to leave, you know, after they've just given birth. Obviously, that's not that's not the vision. And so there are, you know, in the free birth world, I think that these kind of possibly correctable potential complications need to get talked about, so that we are not running to the system unless it's truly needed. Because unfortunately, as Sparrow's story, you know, shows, you just never know. It's such a slippery slope, and once you're in, like she said, like the claws, you know, just kind of Yeah. Or the jaws of the system just kind of came around you with, like, an unimaginable scenario.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
I mean unimaginable. I could
Speaker 4
have never ever dreamed up dreamed that up.
Speaker 3
I thought you were fucking with me. Oh, god.
Speaker 4
I wish I was. I know. Me too. Yeah.
Speaker 3
I I mean, it was so so incredulous. It it it really took me, like, a couple days of wrapping my head around this story that that it that this is just, like, another story. This is just another way that that the the system totally lets us down. So Yeah. Anyway, so the bladder, you know, the bladder is an important thing, and it's it's something that yeah. I just I I'm glad we're kind of opening this up, and I hope this feels, you know, really, like, applicable to to birth workers. Because if you think that you you know, if you're planning or if you do attend births and you aren't a medical provider and you don't cath your your clients, you know, which I'm assuming you don't, if you're not a medical provider, the this even this basic trick of of tapping to help, you know, release the bladder, could be the thing that that helps helps the family you're serving stay home.
Speaker 4
Yeah. And that's really I mean, if I could if I could save one family from having to leave their home, that would be amazing to me. You know? Like, I learned a really, really, really hard lesson in this. And like I said, if I can share and help make it better for others, like, that's really healing for me. Like, it's it's helping me kind of feel more complete with just my my story, you know. And I love that you are speaking to, you know, having someone else kind of hold awareness of the bladder because I've I've heard you say that also of having someone else hold awareness of the placenta as well. Yeah. So I think that Yeah. It's wonderful.
Speaker 3
So then let's shift into your recovery, and I'm kind of specifically, I guess, interested in in and, I mean, I guess, if there's anything about the pregnancy too, you know, using using this term pain free pregnancy, I think, is gonna peak a lot of people's interest. It probably peaks mine. And and knowing that you had, you know, surgical birth and and just so much fuckery those first couple days, and then you come home. And and then it's like the genius of your work and everything you've devoted your life to starts to really shine because
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
You do breastfeed, you do recover, and you're you're physically thriving, you know? Yeah. And I know because I know you that so much of it is around the tools and the the the information that you've put in this course for other women to access. So I'd love to to hear about that.
Speaker 4
Yeah. So I had a pretty remarkable recovery considering everything that that went down. I had plenty of milk. I, you know, I healed my my scar. I had my hands on my scar, you know, even just sending it love and light, like, from the moment, you know, I got home, and then continued to do, like, work on my actual score. But I I think that really, like, the underlying structures that I had really trained to be in, like, optimal alignment and optimal, you know, health, all during my pregnancy. And like I said, it I had a completely wonderful pregnancy. Never could have guessed the birth went that way. But then, yeah, in postpartum, like, I I have full range of motion in my body, which so many women, you know, post surgical birth do not. And, you know, I have no residual back pain, which so many women after surgical births cannot say that. You know, I was fully able to to breastfeed, and I'm still breastfeeding, which so many women, that's not true for them either. Yeah. And amazingly, I have no residual issues with my bladder, which I think is huge. You know, like, I I and I really think that that is a huge piece of all of the work that I all of the things that I implemented during my pregnancy. And and that served me just completely into into a really intense postpartum, but ultimately one that, you know, with everything that I had implemented from the course, these are things that I've lived and that have helped, you know, real life women with all of that's in the course, that, you know, I've been able to to thrive in postpartum. And and also, I should say, like, I also rested. So please also plan on doing that if you're listening to this. Like, I really, really rested, and I I asked for help, and I accepted help.
Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's like the most fundamentally important Yeah. Important double banger. So if you're willing to rest and you're willing to ask for help, then also get the program. Yeah. And do all of it together.
Speaker 4
Yeah. Because I do think, like, what's your body your body is not a completely different thing right on the other side of birth. I mean, it's a definitely definitive transformation. I'm not saying that. But what you do up leading up until your birth is the body that is going to then be recovering Exactly. On the other side. And so, yeah, I just feel like everything that's that's in this course from, you know, the postural stuff is huge. Like, how are you habitually using your body every day leading up to your birth and to your postpartum? You know, how to get to know your body with self massage techniques. Like and and I really show you, like, sometimes the things that hurt are not always where you think it is in pregnancy and just, you know, knowing how to navigate the pregnant body so well. Like, I'm just gonna show you where to look, you know, and where to find things on yourself and and to really deepen your connection with your body. You know, tons of exercises and stretches as well, that I know will will serve you and that, I I'm so excited to just be able to, you know, put this in your own hands. Because like you said, like, not everybody might have a massage therapist or a chiropractor that they, you know, can access, can afford, you know, can, you know, that they know, like, and trust, all of those things that that really make for a good therapist. And even if you happen to, like, that person's not going to be there in the middle of the night if any of these things come up. Like, I'm a great massage therapist, but I don't do midnight house calls. You know what I mean? So just being able to have this, you know, I hope that it really serves everyone who's who's listening to this. And this can also be for, you know, any birth keepers who just wanna have tools to help their clients. Mhmm. You know, because everything in here is the things that I've seen over and over and over again for over a decade of doing this work. So,
Speaker 3
So give us some like specific things that it addresses so that so that we know for those who are interested.
Speaker 4
Yeah. I mean, it covers everything from, round ligament pain to edema and swelling in the body, carpal tunnel syndrome in pregnancy, which is its own unique thing, you know, general back pain, sleeplessness. It addresses headaches. It addresses rib cage pain, shortness of breath, and how that ties into anxiety. Just that whole feedback loop, calf cramps and restless legs, sciatica and broad ligament referral pain into the sides of your pelvis and sometimes down your legs. Yeah. So that those are the ten core lessons. Oh, and, of course, pubic symphysis pain. And that, I feel like, is huge because it's like even if you have a great chiropractor and you're getting your pubic bone, you know, readjusted, that joint is so unstable that it could literally go out later that day. And so I teach you how to adjust it yourself. So whenever you need it, it's just there for you. And then so those are the ten core lessons. And then I've got a bunch of, like, additional lessons that are really about, like, maintaining the goodness once you've got it going. I show you all of the things that I did morning and evening during my pregnancy. There's a pelvic tilt breakdown. There's postural guidance breakdown. There's the a baby lift breakdown, which is really good for combining with a pelvic tilt to elongate your low back to relieve edema that can really kind of dam up, in your inguinal ligament, which is where your your legs and your pelvis meet kind of what would be a bikini line. And then, you know, I I wanted to, like, do more than just, like, okay. Let's get you out of pain. Let's teach you how to, like, stay pain free. And then I've got, like, some bonus sections in there that that really move into once you are pain free and maintaining that, like here's some juicy, like self nurturance stuff that you can do as well. So, we've got some guided breath work bonus material and like some DIY foot soak and facial lessons in there in there as well so that you can actually get to the piece of just really thriving and just soaking up the joy of the special time.
Speaker 3
It's really making me think about how much I didn't do any of that, and had a pretty serious neck injury at five weeks postpartum. I remember that. Yeah. That became like a chronic problem for, gosh, it was like seven months. Wow. You know? And I, like, couldn't pick up my baby without pain, and I couldn't carry her, and we had to get a stroller, and I, like, never thought I would have a stroller. And, you know, I still have, like, almost never worn her. Like, when we go hiking, like, I would not wear her in the backpack just because of the extra compression on my cervical vertebrae. But I appreciate you kind of pointing out, like, the cyclical you know, like, the body that that you're in now is obviously the body that you're gonna be pregnant in. It's obviously the body that's then gonna be recovering.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
And, you
Speaker 4
know, I
Speaker 3
think we all obviously struggle in our own ways with self care and and kind of like the cognitive dissonance around that very concept, you know. Yeah. And like, oh, yeah, I'll totally get to it later. But on the on the brink of, you know, really thinking about my next conception, you know, this is the big this is the big thing kind of on my mind of like, what am I willing to do and kind of contend with, and it's coming you know, this course coming out now is is, selfishly really wonderful for me because, you know, getting to to commit to this course for my own upcoming pregnancy and and explore. I mean, I had a pretty easy pregnancy, but I did have a lot of swelling towards the end, like it was pretty very bad.
Speaker 4
And there was a little bit of time there too where you were dealing with heartburn. So I've also got a section in the course on
Speaker 3
Yes. And the headaches. Yeah. The headaches, the second trimester headaches were brutal. And then yeah, there was a little I remember the heartburn now. It's all coming back. It's all coming back. And then I didn't really have insomnia, but the, the, I remember waking up with a charley horse in the middle of the night one time thinking I was gonna die.
Speaker 4
They can be really intense. Yeah.
Speaker 3
Oh my god. I hadn't had that since I was, like, a kid or something. Yeah. That was crazy. But anyway, I feel I'm feeling excited thinking about this in in my own life, and and kind of tracking Right. And like hindsight. Right? Like tracking back, you know, had I known I was gonna have that injury, I would have probably taken better care of myself. And in some ways, I mean, I felt like I was taking really good care of myself, but but these this program is it's such an easy thing to implement, you know, because like we're saying that you don't have to go to a chiropractor. That was the other thing is I lived really rurally Right. And so there just wasn't anyone.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Speaker 3
Yeah. So I'm totally gonna do it as I as I get close to my pregnancy. So that was, I guess, kind of my last question about the program. Like, when do you suggest someone starts it? It sounds like it's pretty made for once you're already pregnant, or what what would you say?
Speaker 4
I mean, if I feel like it absolutely could be for anyone who's currently trying to conceive or even, you know, contemplating that. Because if you can get your body in proper alignment, like, if you can work on the postural stuff and, like, start implementing some of these exercises and then maybe even, like, watch the stuff ahead of time, like, you will already just have all this stuff in
Speaker 3
your pocket.
Speaker 4
So, like, you don't have to wait till, like, carpal tunnel is, like, excruciating for you to be, like, shit. I think I need that course. And the lessons you can be, like, oh, I'm feeling a little bit of this. I know exactly what to do. You know, ahead of time, like, instead of, you know, the first the first whisper that your body is giving you of, like, things are starting to get a little bit off. Like, you're gonna have tools right there for you. Mhmm. And, you know, and we price this too, but it's, you know, it's really it's cost less than what it would cost to get a prenatal massage. Yeah. And, you know, I I hope and I want it to be accessible for everyone. You know, it really is, you know, the same explanations that I give my clients. You know, I I I really tried to make the course. It's not it's not dumbed down, but you certainly don't need to know anatomy. Like, I walk you through everything that's going on. And I do talk about, like, what's going on in the underlying structures, which I think is good for birth keepers. But I think it's also good for pregnant women just because I feel like you being able to visualize what you're doing and why you're doing it makes what you're doing more effective. But I really wanted it to feel like it's just like a knowledgeable, helpful friend walking me through all of these great things that you can do at home. And I feel like it was also like a way for me to just kind of break away from the thing that drives me insane that I've heard from so many clients, you know, for so many years. I'm just like, oh, you know, I've heard that this will just go away after I give birth. As if you just have to suffer, you know, through your whole pregnancy and then magically it's just gonna go away. And it's just like
Speaker 3
Mhmm.
Speaker 4
That to me just also speaks to, you know, we know the system just it's so fucked. And, you know, it starts long before birth, you know, it starts with even just normalizing. Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. That just comes along with being pregnant, you know. Exactly. Suck it up or whatever.
Speaker 3
Not that it's like a sign, you know, of your body asking you to
Speaker 4
Yeah. To come
Speaker 3
back into it.
Speaker 4
Absolutely. Like, I just I I really truly believe that pregnancy is the bot is one of, like, the fullest expressions of wellness that we will ever have Totally. In a lifetime. Right?
Speaker 3
Not not like pregnancy equals suffering, which is, you know, a long standing kind of historical Exactly.
Speaker 4
Narrative. Right? Totally. And anyhow, that's that's also why I feel really proud of of this course, because I wanted to just have, you know, just a body of, like, here. This is why you don't have to accept that bullshit, you know.
Speaker 3
Yeah. And take responsibility.
Speaker 4
Yes. And yeah. And participate in your care, you know. Yeah. Be your care. It's your it's your body. It's your baby like mother yourself. So that you will be the best mother to, you know, this little one on the other side. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3
Awesome. Love it. So it's out now. I'm so proud of you. I'm so honored to be able to offer this under under this umbrella of of amazing programs that we have and that that we get to add your genius to the to the beautiful
Speaker 4
I'm so deeply honored to be included in, like, the other amazing offerings that you have and, you know, just the amazing work that you're putting out in this world. Yeah.
Speaker 3
And to do and, you know, just to, like yeah. I have a lot of respect for you for taking your story and really trying to to make something of it, you know, both internally, like, critiquing it and working with it and and dissecting it, and just seeing, like, what was here for your learning and how and what there is to do and what there how this affects your work. And
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Speaker 3
I'm so happy you had such a good recovery. And and Thank you.
Speaker 4
Yeah. And I
Speaker 3
know for a fact, a lot of it had to do with your very work, your actual devotion to understanding the body and coming into alignment and and that you really walk your walk your talk. So I'm excited to for all the women who are gonna explore this course and you can all take it with me because I'm gonna start
Speaker 4
it now too. Yay. Well, thank you so much. Yeah. Just for for having this platform, for giving me the opportunity to to share this, and, yeah. Just love and appreciate you.
Speaker 3
And that's it for today, my sisters. Check out everything we do including one on one and group coaching, learn about our private membership, in person retreats, and more on free birth society dot com. Our online courses are on free birth society courses dot com, including our flagship course, the complete guide to free birth. Don't miss the radical birth keeper school if you're ready to become the authentic midwife that women are searching for. Together we rise, and the revolution starts inside each of us. Our opening song is by Shyla Rae. And now, I'll leave you with our Freebird Society theme song, Wild Woman by Aruba Red.
Speaker 1
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 we define from burning our wild women to paralyzing us and drugging out 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 poison. We reject your fear. We choose love. Everything with intention. Death, ascension. I will fly and bring her back from the star.
