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 on the show we have Kelly, aka Steamy Chick, the woman behind the new yet ancient

vaginal steaming movement.

I have been hearing women rave

about the benefits of vaginal steaming for years and was thrilled to find out that this

badass mama had also free-births her two children. Kelly shares how unacceptable she was

treated by her doctor in her first pregnancy and how she ultimately decided she

wanted to rely on her own instincts and see what birth was really about. And of course we get into vaginal steaming and how it can be used for postpartum

healing. So when I got pregnant and I started to think I wasn't well I work I work as I worked as a promotional tour manager and so my insurance, you know, I might have insurance for a couple months and then I wouldn't have insurance, right?

So I didn't really have like, I didn't have insurance when I got

pregnant. And so, you know, I had like Medi-Cal. And so I started to look around

for doctors and I started to visit all of the doctors in my area and the clinics that I was going into I just I just didn't see it. I didn't see anybody in those clinics

Whether or not they were wearing scrubs touching me.

I didn't like the way they were talking to me

I just I didn't see. I didn't see it.

I didn't see.

I couldn't imagine myself in any one of those spaces,

even receiving prenatal care.

And so I, to think, okay, well, I'll do a home birth.

And so I was looking into midwives and looking at the cost of midwives and I'm like,

...