5: She Freebirthed In The Middle Of The Ukraine/Russia War

Free Birth Society

Emilee Saldaya

Society & Culture, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What would you do if you had to give birth in the middle of a war?

In this episode, I sit down with Natalia, a Ukrainian mother of two, to hear her incredible story of freebirthing her second child during the 2022 Russian invasion.

After one homebirth, Natalia chose to walk an even more radical path with her second—preparing to give birth without medical support, while bombs dropped around her and sirens became part of daily life.

What’s most striking is that on the day her son was born, the chaos paused. For the first time in weeks, there was silence. A stillness descended over her city, allowing Natalia to give birth in a sacred bubble of peace amidst the war. A divine mercy.

We speak candidly about what it was like to prepare for a physiological birth during trauma and survival mode. We explore how she tended to herself postpartum while navigating a broken system that refused to acknowledge her birth. We talk about stopping her hemorrhage, the bureaucratic battle to register her baby, and the heartbreaking search for breast milk when her body struggled to produce.

This conversation is a living testament to maternal instinct, spiritual resilience, and the unshakable power of sovereign birth—even in the most unimaginable of circumstances.

Inside this episode:

How Natalia prepared for freebirth while her country was under siege
The eerie silence that fell over her city as she birthed her son
Navigating postpartum hemorrhage alone—and what she did to stop it
Her struggle to obtain a birth certificate in a system that denied her reality
What it took to find donor breast milk for her newborn
The spiritual strength and sovereignty required to give birth during war

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction

[12:14] The beginning of a wild pregnancy and the realization that she would give birth alone

[16:42] Preparing for a freebirth as war begins

[21:19] Fleeing home as war erupts during late pregnancy

[26:16] Giving birth in the middle of war and finding unexpected peace

[32:33] Facing postpartum hemorrhage and delivering the placenta

[44:53] Struggling to register a home birth during war and navigating survival choices

Resources Mentioned:

The Power of Women by Sister MorningStar | Book

Sister Morningstar | Website

If you want to connect with Natalia, follow her on Instagram and visit her website.

Find more from Emilee on Instagram, YouTube and the Free Birth Society website.

Disclaimer: Free Birth Society, LLC of North Carolina shares personal and educational stories and experiences related to freebirth and holistic care. This content is not medical advice, and we are not a licensed midwifery practice. Testimonials reflect individual experiences; results may vary. For services or scheduling, contact [email protected]. See full disclaimer at freebirthsociety.com/youtubeterms.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Free Birth Society. I'm Emily Saldea, and this is where we break the spell of medicalized birth, remember what's been forgotten, and rise together into our birthright to live birth and mother as sovereign women.
0:19.2	All right. welcome, Natalie.
0:21.6	Hi.
0:22.6	So I'm excited to hear your story today. I know it's a big story.
0:25.6	You know, all I really know is what you shared in one of our MMI classes that you gave birth to your second child when there were bombs dropping in your country in Ukraine?
0:39.3	I mean, wow.
0:41.3	So that obviously just caught my attention, and I just wanted to give you all the space to
0:48.3	walk us through what happened and how it was.
0:51.3	And, you know, I think there was a midwife involved in the beginning and then
0:54.9	she left. So you were really faced with free birth. That's kind of all I remember. And so, yeah,
1:01.1	I'm just excited for you to have, you know, this full hour to really flesh out your story as, as you
1:07.4	want, as you can. But let's start with your first child and as you became a mother.
1:12.6	What do you want to share about your first birth?
1:15.6	It was my intention, the authority to give birth at home.
1:20.6	But it also surprising me this decision I made, because back then,
1:26.6	I worked at the big companies and supported insurance
1:30.6	issues with employees so I knew that hospital is the only way and I knew the better ones
1:39.9	or worse and so on and then I quit from my job at some point,
1:48.1	and I guess it five years later,
1:52.0	I gave birth to my first.
1:54.2	And being on the 30 or 28 weeks pregnant,
2:06.6	I first time visited red tent gathering of women. And the dula who organized this red tent, she shared information about homework and about
	...

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