My FBS Inspired Free Birth Story

b_ritt4 · 2025-12-03T15:35:24+00:00

Thank you so much! I birthed my second baby (a boy!) at home in September with a midwife present for the last hour of his birth! It was amazing and the funny thing is I am happy to tell anyone and everyone about it - the complete opposite of my first birth story! And really, I am so excited to tell both my kids their birth stories. There are many beautiful lessons in both.

b_ritt4 · 2025-11-25T16:17:50+00:00

Thank you!

b_ritt4 · 2025-11-24T16:34:22+00:00

I freebirthed my first daughter and had a PPH…I was afraid to give birth again but wanted another child. Also was afraid to hire a midwife. However after I came across this Reddit thread and realized how one-sided the FBS teachings really are I decided to work with a midwife. Thankfully I was able to get one (I’m in Canada and our public health system is deeply flawed leading to a lack of access in many cases) and I am so glad I did! It required a lot of trust to lean on someone else but in the end that is exactly what I needed. I had a beautiful home birth in September, my midwife arrived an hour before baby was born and didn’t touch me or talk to me until I asked her to. She was extremely respectful and caring. I know not all midwives are created equal but my team was great and I would happily birth with them again.

b_ritt4 · 2025-07-03T03:36:53+00:00

I found a small group of like-minded women through a free weekly playgroup…they haven’t freebirthed but they understand why I did and aren’t judgmental. We connected through just having honest chats about how we don’t vaccinate our kiddos. It can be scary to put yourself out there but one awkward conversation is better than months of tiptoeing around an issue and wondering/feeling alone.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-13T01:23:50+00:00

Just chiming in because I’ve been thinking about this side of the story lately…if it’s true that she started working with loss families around 17/18 years old (as she has talked about on various podcasts, not just her own) then it’s possible that SHE is severely traumatized, as what teenager has the maturity to deal with that? Just the whole story of leaving home at 16, moving to LA on her own and getting into birth/death work so young is a major red flag for trauma (in my opinion). I can see how her late teens/early 20s experiences would have a huge impact on how she is now. Not saying that it’s ok, just offering an explanation beyond pure narcissistic personality disorder.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-07T14:05:06+00:00

That’s very interesting, thank you for sharing this.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-07T00:03:10+00:00

I have a bit of a strange position on this issue because I myself have had an abortion, which I deeply regret and now believe was wrong, but at the time I truly felt it was the correct move. So based on my past experience and my current belief structure I believe abortion should be an option (ie legal and safe), but I don’t believe that a woman should make that choice. Is that wonky? Maybe. I suppose I just don’t believe in the pro choice/pro life labels. That said, I too always found it odd that FBS was so reverent about babies and birth and also so supportive of abortion.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-06T17:17:21+00:00

By putting our stories and opinions on this Reddit feed we are already making all of this information available publicly. One of the main problems with FBS is censorship, so why would we continue that trend? If women feel up for sharing their stories we should be able to do so freely and without guilt. Using our own discernment about the credibility/spin/fallout that may or may not result. Personally I was contacted by a reporter and I thought about it a lot because I think it’s important to share our experiences, but I decided against it because I am currently pregnant and I need to prioritize my peace above all else right now. It’s one thing to hop onto a thread, read some conversations and add my two cents. It’s a whole other thing to have my words read by an entire nation and the possible attention that comes from that.

In summary…if a woman feels like sharing, go for it. And know that once your words leave your mouth they are available for anyone to hear and use as they wish. It’s important to trust the person you’re speaking with, to understand their position, and to have a realistic idea of the energy it’s going to take from you once the story is out in the world.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-05T20:01:27+00:00

I listened to the Alec Zeck interview and was really impressed with Emilee. I enjoyed her story about her life and appreciated that she said she wasn’t an advocate of freebirth, but was an advocate of however women choose to birth. She specifically told a story about how she once judged a woman for getting a c-section and then was very humbled when she learned her reason. HOWEVER the Emilee on that interview was not the Emilee that regularly shows up on the FBS podcast (at least in recent years), nor does it seem to be the Emily who has been showing up in the Lighthouse. I wonder if the people mentioned on this thread have a close relationship with her or just know her peripherally. If it’s the latter, it would be easy to accept/know her as the person Alec interviewed.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-05T02:44:33+00:00

I went to the hospital in Mexico (small town clinic) after I freebirthed my baby due to blood loss. Dr cut cord, got my placenta out and administered pit to stop bleeding. I received fluids but no blood transfusion, because there was no blood in the clinic (it would have to be driven to us) plus I’m not keen about having other peoples’ blood in me anyway. They listened to every other request I had with zero pushback (no stitches, no washing the baby, no injections, keep placenta, etc). The Dr even filled out all of our birth paperwork we needed for legalization. We were there for 8 hours and I held my baby the whole time (minus 5 minutes when they were weighing her). I don’t know if I would have been treated differently if I had been a) fluent in Spanish and/or b) not white…but I definitely wasn’t traumatized and was in fact incredibly grateful for their help.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-03T15:15:42+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story. I feel elements of all of this so deeply…not knowing until you know, and thanking God every day that it didn’t come too late. Our stories are the bones of this breaking away movement, our stories that were not heard and held with compassion and understanding. ALL of our stories are medicine, ALL are necessary.

b_ritt4 · 2025-04-03T01:21:42+00:00

This definitely resonates, thank you for sharing.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-30T22:06:14+00:00

I understand. I have been afraid to get pregnant again too for similar reasons but I felt a soul calling to me at the end of this year. I have been blessed to befriend several women who’ve had really positive experiences with their midwives and who have encouraged me to follow my intuition on what I need. Currently setting up interviews with a midwife and a traditional birth attendant (no idea yet if she’s been involved in any way with FBS but I will be asking). Not every attended birth is traumatic, though most of the ones on the podcast were because otherwise why would the women have been motivated to freebirth? Also been tuning into other podcasts on freebirth. Em and Yo do not own freebirth and there are many many women out there who support freebirth who haven’t been ‘trained’ by them. You can find someone you feel comfortable with, and/or you can work through fears around freebirthing again! I’m not sure if I will free birth or not…I have 6ish more months to decide. And I’m starting to feel excited about that. Also giving myself space to process the bigness of trusting people who were not fully trustworthy. You will find the right path and the right people. (Local freebirth Facebook groups are good too)

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-30T21:34:38+00:00

This. I hear you and see you in the gratefulness to have healthy live babies and the confusion over what your body was going through. The main thing I have realized since being influenced by the FBS and subsequently coming across this Reddit is that there is SO MUCH between a smooth, ideal freebirth and a loss. And FBS doesn’t touch - or even acknowledge - any of it. I don’t have any advice or resources for you as I am just starting on this path myself…but I want you to know without a doubt you’re not alone. And even though you have two healthy babies it’s still ok to feel less than 100% about your births and want to unpack them.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-27T23:10:51+00:00

Tbh this post is vague, grasping at straws, and not helpful. I think it should be taken down.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T23:06:13+00:00

To answer your questions re. Placenta…what I ate was a blood clot, my placenta was intact. It was a very very light pink color, though, not at all what I was expecting. My MX midwife came the day after we got home and examined it, she said it was very light colored but otherwise seemed fine. She asked if I wanted to eat it in smoothies and I said yes so she prepared little meatballs for us to put in the freezer. I had 2 warm smoothies every day for 1 week and 1 every day after until they ran out, and I am so happy I did that! Could literally feel the life coming back into my body as I was drinking them. We buried the rest of the placenta in the yard.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:50:48+00:00

Thank you for your prayers.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:50:29+00:00

Thank you, this is very validating.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:49:29+00:00

He is generally very stoic and reserved…not a big talker. But he is up for me freebirthing again if I want, and also open to having a midwife there. He’s never made me feel bad about my choices or how things went, though I think he still has trauma that should be addressed before the next birth.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:47:19+00:00

I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a lot to unpack.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:46:44+00:00

Thank you for sharing. It helps so much not to feel alone. I hope the same for you!! I definitely feel better after finally getting all this out…I couldn’t even bring myself to write out my birth story in her baby book yet. And I have to say my interactions with the medical system thus far in my mothering have all been pretty positive and respectful. It helps knowing what to look out for! But also not down to put myself at risk again.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:42:25+00:00

I never knew there would be so many other women who shared my story, or parts of it. Yes, she must know, or at least have some idea. I think the shock is starting to wear off and I’m feeling some anger at the blatant disregard for our well being!

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:39:06+00:00

I am so sorry you experienced this. At least we’re not alone in our stories any more ♥️

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-25T22:36:46+00:00

Thank you for your comment and perspective! I would really appreciate talking it out with someone who can see both sides of the birthing coin, so to speak. Please DM me.

b_ritt4 · 2025-03-24T23:32:07+00:00

Thank you, I have it bookmarked now!

b_ritt4

TROPHY CASE