#443: Delusional Optimism: A Discussion of Recent Article On the Freebirth Society
Birthing Instincts
Dr. Stuart Fischbein + Midwife Blyss Young
4.8 • 692 Ratings
🗓️ 10 December 2025
⏱️ 114 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, Blyss and Stu address a recent Guardian article discussing free birth and the Free Birth Society. They welcome guests Joni Edelman and Ivy Joeva to explore the complexities of unassisted births, the importance of informed consent, and sovereignty in childbirth. The conversation highlights both the potential risks and benefits of free birth, as well as the influence of social media and the challenges within the medical system.
About Joni Edelman
Joni Edelman is a mother of six, grandmother, and traditional birth attendant who has walked beside more than 1,000 families through birth. Once an L&D and hospice nurse within the system, she stepped away in 2009 to honor a more sacred calling—guiding families with intuition, physiology, and sovereignty toward the births that feel safest and most aligned.
Website: 13moonsbirthwork.com
Instagram: @13moonsbirth
About Ivy Joeva
Ivy Joeva is a doula, coach, and educator serving women and couples seeking a conscious path to parenthood. She provides support throughout the childbearing year, including fertility coaching, holistic preparation for birth, postpartum recovery care, and counseling for all forms of pregnancy loss.
Rooted in a trauma-informed, mind-body approach, Ivy sees these transitions as opportunities for transformation and healing. A graduate of UC Berkeley and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Ivy became a doula in 2009 and serves clients across the United States and abroad.
Website: ivyjoeva.com
Instagram: @IvyJoeva
Mentioned in this Episode
Intentional Birth Pro https://community.intentionalbirth.co/a/2148190529/HUkqrEuo, code IBP2026 for 10% off
Unintended Consequences of Invoking the “Natural” in Breastfeeding Promotion
Guardian Articles:
- Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
- Five key findings from our investigation into the Free Birth Society
- ‘Ignorant and life-threatening’: experts condemn Free Birth Society misinformation
Discussed in This Episode
In-depth Discussion on Free Birth Society
The Complexity of Blame in Birth Outcomes
Informed Consent
The Influence of Social Media on Birth Choices
Navigating Risks and Medical Perspectives
The Role of Trust and Trauma in Birth Decisions
Medicalized Safety vs. Holistic Birth
Integrity and Honesty in Birth Practices
The Reality of Birth Complications
The Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of Birth
The Importance of Listening to Women
Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care
This show is supported by
- WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order, or wenatal.com/birthinginstinctswnp for the new Protein + offer.
- Wholesome Organics Beauty Company | Go to wholesomeOBC.com and use the code INSTINCTS for 20% off your order.
- Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
- Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off
Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss
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- Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
- Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
- Email: birthinginstinctspodcast@gmail.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Burling Instincts Podcast. |
| 0:05.0 | I'm Dr. Stewart Fishbein, community-based practicing obstetrician and long-time advocate for birth choices. |
| 0:10.0 | And I'm Bliss Young, a licensed midwife. |
| 0:13.0 | Join us in our conversational style podcast where we talk about everything birth. |
| 0:17.0 | Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry, but we're happy that you're here. So here we go. |
| 0:23.8 | Good morning. |
| 0:25.1 | Good afternoon. |
| 0:26.5 | Good evening and good middle of the night, fellow travelers. |
| 0:30.0 | It's another Wednesday, Wednesday morning, and I'm here with Bliss. |
| 0:33.7 | We're both in the same state, but we're not together. |
| 0:36.5 | Happy Thanksgiving belatedly to many of you |
| 0:38.7 | uh at least you are you americans and uh the rest of the world happy life |
| 0:44.7 | hope all things are going well for you today bliss we have a very interesting uh sort of an |
| 0:49.8 | urgent podcast today urgent yeah do you want to tell people we're going to talk about before I get to my mind attic here? |
| 0:58.5 | Sure. |
| 0:59.0 | Well, there was a Guardian article, I think came out four days ago. |
| 1:02.5 | And boy, there has been a flurry of attention and comments on this. |
| 1:08.8 | I mean, as you guys know, we did have Emily Saldana. Right. That's how you pronounce it. |
| 1:14.7 | Al-Dia. Yep. |
| 1:15.8 | El-Dia. Our podcast last year, and we did get some flack. We did make a public statement about how we |
| 1:24.1 | felt about the interview. And all the while, a lot of this was already going on because |
| 1:29.3 | the Guardian had been doing this article for a year. So it's an investigative piece. It's very long. |
... |
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