Death of the Maiden: Raquel’s Journey into Motherhood at 41
Free Birth Society
Emilee Saldaya
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 December 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, Emilee is joined by Raquel, who shares her extraordinary first pregnancy and sovereign birth at the age of 41.
Raquel speaks candidly about the profound transitions she navigated during this time. The death of her mother, leaving her job, moving homes, and entering into the work of congruency, boundaries, and privacy. Choosing a wild pregnancy, she hired a Radical Birth Keeper graduate to hold space as she walked this sacred path.
She opens up about the challenges she faced postpartum with nursing and her child’s tongue tie, reflecting on what she might do differently now. And she speaks with clarity about her sense of completion after one child, naming that she does not desire more.
This conversation carries the archetype of the death of the maiden, a story of initiation, sovereignty, and the power of claiming motherhood on one’s own terms.
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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 | Hi, women, before we dive in today, I need to name something important. This episode, |
| 0:08.4 | along with all episodes that you will hear until our winter break in mid-December, was recorded |
| 0:14.7 | before my birth prior to mid-August. Since then, our family has walked through the unimaginable. |
| 0:23.6 | Our son was stillborn, and we are in deep mourning. |
| 0:29.6 | As the show's air, you'll hear and see you pregnant, |
| 0:33.6 | which now feels incredibly painful and weird, given that you are holding the |
| 0:41.1 | sacred knowledge of what came after. So please forgive the dissonance. These stories still deserve |
| 0:48.6 | to be shared and heard. We welcome your prayers, your loving thoughts, and your support as we navigate this spiral of such deep grief. |
| 1:00.6 | I hope you find resonance and nourishment in this conversation today. |
| 1:05.5 | Thank you. |
| 1:06.6 | Welcome to Free Birth Society. |
| 1:08.9 | I'm Emily Saldaya, and this is where we break the spell of medicalized |
| 1:13.2 | birth. Remember what's been forgotten and rise together into our birthright to live birth and mother |
| 1:20.6 | as sovereign women. Hoo! Hi, Rock. Hey, yeah. Hello. Coming in hot. |
| 1:28.8 | Yeah, right? |
| 1:29.6 | I love it. |
| 1:30.6 | I know. |
| 1:31.1 | I was just telling you, I thought I was having a baby last night. |
| 1:34.5 | I'm fully contracting right now. |
| 1:37.2 | It's like hard as a rock. |
| 1:41.0 | So I'm going to be over here breathing away. |
| 1:43.8 | My honey is about to bring me a latte. |
... |
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