Welcome to the Free Birth Podcast, a supportive space for people who are learning, exploring and

celebrating their autonomous choices in childbirth.

Together, we'll unpack truths, share personal stories,

and claim our ability to birth freely and intuitively. Here's your host, Emily Sal day. Today we have our first Grand Multipara on the show, meaning a woman who has given birth five or more times. Julie has had 11

children and is currently living in Arizona. From her first baby at 16 years

old in the hospital with forced intervention and rough treatment,

she went on to continue to be induced

with her next three children in hospital.

So after four babies, she chose with the support of her husband

to birth on her own and trust and allow labor to work its magic.

Julie goes on to have six completely unassisted births and celebrated her most recent birth

her 11,

in the presence of two trusted traditional birth attendance.

My first pregnancy, I got pregnant when I was 15 and

birth that baby two weeks after my 16th birthday.

Wow. And you know I didn't know a lot about birth.

I took the regular hospital, you know, pregnancy class or whatever, which was so lame, basically preparing you for the epidural.

And so I did that.

That birth was a little traumatic in the fact that I didn't really know a lot and I was 16 and you know it was a 15 hour labor and the

doctor was threatening sea section if she wasn't born soon.

So they use forceps and suction and a nurse's fist in the top of my fundus,

you know, pushing this child out.

...