In today's episode, we're thrilled to introduce you to the trailblazing Emily Seeboonruang, a woman who defied convention and embraced the wild, natural power of childbirth. A first-time free birth mama Emily chose a birthing path that led her to her cozy cabin deep in the heart of the wilderness. With only the unwavering support of her husband by her side, Emily embarked on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery and empowerment. The story of Emily's beautiful, healthy son's arrival in the world is not just a tale of unconventional choices; it's a testament to the strength, resilience, and boundless love within every mother.
You can also ready Emily's story alongside many others published in 'Women of the Wild'
Tune into her podcast Mother Freedom on YouTube
Connect with Emily on Instagram @motherfreedom_
In today's episode, we're thrilled to introduce you to the trailblazing Emily Seeboonruang, a woman who defied convention and embraced the wild, natural power of childbirth. A first-time free birth mama Emily chose a birthing path that led her to her cozy cabin deep in the heart of the wilderness. With only the unwavering support of her husband by her side, Emily embarked on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery and empowerment. The story of Emily's beautiful, healthy son's arrival in the world is not just a tale of unconventional choices; it's a testament to the strength, resilience, and boundless love within every mother.
You can also ready Emily's story alongside many others published in 'Women of the Wild'
Tune into her podcast Mother Freedom on YouTube
Connect with Emily on Instagram @motherfreedom_
Welcome to Women of the Wild podcast. Here our community of wise women comes together to explore and discuss naturopathic medicine, fertility, free birth, and cultivating inner peace and joy through embracing alternative lifestyles. These are powerful women and pioneers in the modern age who choose to live and heal free of westernized limitations. Many we will speak to have bravely and successfully cured themselves from chronic and even terminal illness. Prior to setting forth on their mission to offer healing to others. Together, we return to our roots, to our inner wisdom and our birthrights, to the wild in all of us. And together we grow to change the world. I'm your host, Jenny Dice. Hi, Emily. Thank you so much for taking time to join me today and chat and share your beautiful story and wisdom. And oh, hi there, darling. You joining the show today?
Emily:Yes, he just got up from his nap. This is Bjorn. Okay. I also just wanted to share that. This, your book, Women of the Wild that I ordered has been so amazing and I love that you included some photos in it. So I'm so happy that I'm able to read it and that you made this for other women.
Jenni:I'm so excited that you got it and that you've been reading it. I love hearing it. I love hearing your thoughts on it. It's been really cool to see how all of that has progressed and I just love having you be part of it. And I'm so appreciative that you took time to share your story with that to include in the book. You're just fabulous. So I'm going to just let you begin by introducing yourself and You know, tell a little bit about you and your, your sweet family and what you're passionate about as far as naturopathic health, all that
Emily:fun stuff. Right. Well, I guess I'll just start with, I was, I was born in North Hollywood, California, and just. Two years ago, my husband and I moved to a very small town in Idaho, and we met in LA, and were together for four years until we moved here, and we knew that we wanted to Get out of the city to raise a family in nature and, and I even wanted to be pregnant out of the city to just from, you know, a natural healthy standpoint, like less stress. I won't have to drive and I'll get to breathe in clean, fresh air. And also I feel like my chances of getting into a car accident and getting hurt is definitely reduced when I come to a rural town here where there's only two stoplights. So just completely, you know, from fast lifestyle to slow living has just been, you know, we consciously made that decision before. I got pregnant. And so six months after we moved into this beautiful log cabin we made a conscious conception and I got pregnant and it was just such a lovely pregnancy. And I knew, I mean, for one, the kind of person I am, I've never relied on. I would say going to see a doctor. I mean, I'm lucky that I never had, you know, a very bad injury where I would go see a doctor. But, you know, the littlest things I just felt like, especially during pregnancy, I knew that I wanted to have a wild pregnancy and not have any medical technology involved. And so I made that commitment and I just trusted my body and it definitely triggered a lot of, you know, my mom and my mother in law and my father in law. And it was just a lot of, you sure you don't want to get checked? You know, because I did take a pregnancy test. I wanted to know if I got pregnant. But my mom was like, you sure you don't want to like go get checked to make sure you're okay. And the baby's okay. And I'm like, no, I'm fine. You know, whatever happens, whatever I find out, if I went to the doctor, it's not going to affect. the outcome, you know, I'm still going to have my baby and I know that ultrasounds are extremely dangerous and pose a lot of risks. Like it's very loud for the baby when the, when the ultrasound is happening and they're trying to even move away from, I don't know, the probe thing. And I just, I, I know it all causes heat cavitation in bone tissue. And so I really didn't want to put my baby under stress or risk any of that happening. And yeah, so I completely had a wild pregnancy
Jenni:and that's amazing. Let me ask you. So like, I'm curious coming from LA, like, were you. You know, how did you go from that mentality of like the, the big city life to finding your path with this incredibly natural route of living and pregnancy and giving birth? Like, did this just click in your brain and you're like, this is what I need to do? Or did you learn it somewhere? Or, you know, were you raised this
Emily:way? Yeah, I think that was always the The end game, you know, even though I grew up in the valley, I still was always in tuned with myself. And I was thinking back on why am I different than my two older siblings? You know, we're totally on different paths. They're totally not in the natural world and they rely on the system. And I think when I was a kid being the youngest, I was. left alone a lot. And there could be, you know, that, that could be a double edged sword, right? Maybe I didn't get nurtured in the way I could have been, but also leaving me, you know, in the backyard playing with roly polies and shaking trees to let the petals fall. Like I, I played with myself a lot as a child and I always was outside and I I feel like I was left to my own devices and that created independence and also not just independence but just being, what's the word? I can't, I don't know, maybe just having my own moral compass within me by being around nature and myself and not being influenced perhaps by external forces like people and peers. If that makes sense and I
Jenni:just perfect sense. Yeah. Yeah. You're more raised by nature. Really? Yeah.
Emily:Yeah. Pretty much. And I feel like, you know, here in your story, you love. You know, like hiking and all that stuff, right? You do a lot of yoga and I feel like I've always been in tune with my body. I love summiting hard peaks in the Sierra Nevadas at that time. And I even did a solo pilgrimage in Japan. And for me, it's like facing, yeah, facing challenges and putting myself to the test. was always fun for me. So I know that being in the discomfort of whatever I'm facing, especially in, in nature, I don't know, it kind of thrills me. Yeah.
Jenni:You are speaking from my heart with that. I completely get it. It's like, it just like re solidifies just how strong you are. And I feel like, you know, everybody talks about creating new neural pathways and things of that nature. And that is definitely a way to, like, heal so many different things as you're going along and you're like conquering all of these different challenges and traveling by yourself. You know, I know it's a little off topic, but I am curious, like, how was your experience with that? Like as a woman traveling by yourself, did you love it?
Emily:I loved it. And I knew, you know, choosing Japan to do a pilgrimage was super. I wouldn't have. I wasn't concerned in any way, right? Japan and people keep to themselves. And, and, you know, there was, it was a five day pilgrimage. And so yes, he likes to make funny sounds. He's 14 months now. He just wants to be part of the conversation. Yeah, but there's these different routes. And so these old pilgrimage trails were, you know, were tracked by Samurais and monks. And so I was really intrigued by that. And What happened was I actually didn't plan where I was going to stay each night. I was kind of like, okay, however far I make it, I'm going to find lodging. But you know, these are like towns with maybe like three homes and it was so rural. And there was a day where I hiked for 20, I hiked 22 miles and I was so tired. I was so exhausted and. I couldn't stop because I had to get to the next town to get lodging and there came this point the sun was going down and there was a fork in the road, okay, and on the map It's either I take the flat route that was a little longer, or I take the steep route, which was shorter, and this is the sun going down, and I decide, you know, I'm so tired already, and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna choose the steeper route, because I need to get to where I need to go quicker, and I was scared, I would hear rustling, and there's no one else on the trail, and I would turn back, and it was just my backpack rustling on the, on the leaves and stuff, but Yeah, that was like the hardest I don't know, most challenging time and I could see these twinkling lights down, you know, in this little town and I made it and I don't know, it was, it was really fun.
Jenni:Isn't that the most amazing feeling though, too, when you finally see like the, the end result of where you're going when you come up over the mountaintop and you see lights and you see like the place where you're going to get to lay your head, you're like, fuck yes, I made
Emily:it. It's beautiful. It's such a beautiful feeling and like, it's that discomfort. It's addictive. Absolutely. And I think that's what built my mental fortitude to help me through birth, through pregnancy and the negativity that I was facing from family and friends. Yeah. So
Jenni:yeah. That's very cool that it all ties together like that. Did you get your family and friends on board with you Was your husband supportive? How did that all work out? As far as your support
Emily:system. Yeah, my husband was my number one supporter and I'm so grateful for that. You know, we just, I think us knowing who we were, each of us. That means when we came together, you know, found each other, we were on the same page and aligned in most things, right? Being in tune with nature, always wanting to go to hot springs. And so he viewed, you know, bringing our child in the most gentle way possible and not in a hospital was something we definitely believed in. That was one of our values. And, you know, outside of him, I feel like everyone else just didn't understand what physiological birth could look like. Cause just like, I mean, I didn't know what home birth looked like either. I knew about hospital birth because That's what everyone, my family, you know, I was born in the hospital, but I just knew myself that I just feel like for me, anything that's mainstream, I like doing the opposite. Like, it's such a turnoff for me to, you know, get the hottest shoe that everyone's wearing, you know, I'm like. It just turns me off and, and doing the typical gender view, like I would never do that. And I get that. I get that. Yeah. Yeah. So it was like, okay, I'm, did you find
Jenni:out, did you find out if it was a boy or not beforehand? Like I know they do like sneak peek tests and things like that, that you don't have to do the ultrasound. Did you?
Emily:Did you? No, I didn't. I know you could do the blood test, but No, I didn't do that. Yeah. I, I surrendered to. You know, the surprise of not knowing and I feel like that's also tied to, you know, some, some women want to know or some of the dads want to know just because they want to know, but I think it's also tied to so they can, you know, consumerism, you know, buy everything and get ready, you know, but I feel like that wasn't necessary because, you know, after Bjorn was born, we really needed very little things.
Jenni:It is funny, you know, like when you're pregnant, everybody's bombarding you with like, okay, you need to make this list, you need to do this, you need to have this party, you need to gather this, like, and really all the baby needs is the mom, when they're born, so I think all the rest is just a little bit of extra fluff and comfort if you want it, right? Yeah, totally,
Emily:totally. So because my friends and family, I mean, most of my friends, they hadn't gotten pregnant yet or or had kids yet. So I don't think they understood what I was. Going through or expressing and even when I mentioned to my best friend, I was like, yeah, I'm drinking raw milk She's like, whoa. I heard you're not supposed to have that and then so it's like, okay, like well, I'm having that and it's fine That's funny. Do
Jenni:they sell it like out in the open where you're at? In Florida, they sell it as bathing milk and it always makes me laugh a little bit. I'm like, who in the world in their right mind is going to pay 20 for like one gallon of milk to pour on themselves? Oh my
Emily:god, that's so interesting. Yeah, I'm so grateful that, yeah, in Idaho, they have it right in the supermarket and it's like dirt cheap. It's like for a gallon, it's like 7. And I know California is like triple the price. So yeah, it's good living here.
Jenni:Right. Lucky
Emily:duck. Yeah. So
Jenni:what did your prepping look like as far as, you know, you're in your husband getting ready? Like, what did you feel like you needed? What did you feel like you wanted to be the most comfortable during your
Emily:process? I think it was educating ourselves. And even though we were going to execute having this free birth, you know, this planned unassisted birth, like we were definitely going to execute it, but I think we both wanted a little peace of mind on the what ifs, not that any kind of fears came up, but it was also just to. Tell, you know, my father in law, like this is why, you know, postpartum hemorrhage is so rare and low lying placenta is going to be so rare. And so I think it was educating myself in that way, but also just knowing too. And so I did sign up for that complete guide to free birth, which really did help me understand. And I think, you know, listening to stories and hearing, women's experiences on them witnessing free births. It's kind of like that's, that's how, that's where we get our wisdom. And I think it's definitely been lost because ideally it would have been for my grandma. You know, or yeah, and then of course, I never asked for those stories. I wasn't there. I didn't have that mentality, you know, when I'm like 15, I'm not even thinking about that. And so yeah, so listening and educating myself on how rare emergencies truly are, is what really gave me and my husband a peace of mind, too. Yeah,
Jenni:absolutely. I did he feel like he was prepared to Assist you. You know what I mean? Or did he feel like a little bit nervous? I know some women were telling me that their husbands were more nervous than them.
Emily:Yeah, I don't. He was not nervous at all. And I think it was just more of like him. Finally, like digesting like, okay, like. It's gonna be me and you like I'm gonna be there for you and supporting you and I think he just intuitively knows How to be there for me and how to be present and so I was really grateful for that But you know, I did give him logistics like hey, make sure you time, you know Let me know after 45 minutes if my placenta hasn't come out like let me know. Hey, it's been 45 minutes after birth or Make sure you write down the timer and record, you know, and take pictures. So that was the basic things, but yeah, he was totally not, not nervous because I think he trusted me.
Jenni:Very cool. I mean, that's the most important thing really, you know cause you're the one that knows what's going on and really like anybody else present is really just kind of, really just kind of there. It's a little bit funny to me, you know, like some people will ask me with the way that my daughter was born of like, you know, Weren't you afraid not having a doctor there are, you know, like, how in the world were you going to deliver without a doctor? I'm like, well, all mothers deliver without the doctor. We don't need them. They're just there for the aftermath if you want them to be, you know, and it really is just kind of, it's an extra additive that's not really necessary. So I just find it incredibly beautiful when. You know, stories like yours, you get the people that you really want to be there, that you're really close with and that you get to share that unbelievable experience with. I feel like that's got to be such a beautiful bond, you know?
Emily:Yeah, it definitely, it truly was. And I even thought, Oh, I, what if I had my family friend come in and be the birth photographer? And I was like, no, and it's not that it'd be her. I would. I would want to be the host. I'd be like, do you want water or something? You know, I feel like I have to host her just like out of my own nature.
Jenni:Yeah, that's funny. And you're the one that's meant to be taken care of at this time. Did you find that that was a little bit of a hard transition after the birth to have to just kind of like sit and relax? Are you a go go go person that You know, like with me, it took me a second after my girl was born to be like, okay, it's okay to sit down and just enjoy this little time that we have together
Emily:yeah, I actually, no, I had no problem being, you know, bedridden, but also I did make the mistake, you know, I gave birth upstairs and my little oasis is upstairs and I did go down the stairs immediately to the kitchen. So, you know, cause we did a Lotus birth and I kind of wish I hadn't done the up and down. thing just to have given myself, you know, more chill time. Not that it really impacted myself, but I don't think that would have been good, you know, moving my legs like that. Yeah. The next time I think I know to just. Do the salting thing and everything upstairs.
Jenni:Just kind of stay put. Yeah. So I'm going to let you tell your story if you're open to it. I would love for everybody to get your beautiful wisdom from your experience.
Emily:Yeah, so I, it was Thursday night. So this is kind of funny because we were actually going to go out of town and stay in like this tiny home because we had postponed it because there was this was like in April, but there was like snow at that time still where we were going to go and we're like, okay, let's just postpone it. And so we were going to go the weekend I gave birth, but something inside me was like, no, you know, I'm like. 36 weeks. I don't, I don't think I want to give birth in someone else's tiny home. And so I was like, let's just cancel it. And so, yeah, the next week rolls around and it's Thursday night at 10 PM and I go into bed and then I feel. Something trickled down my leg and I was like, Oh my God, is this my waters? You know, I, at that time I was, yeah, 37 weeks and I get some tissue and I look and I'm like, Oh, there's like a pink tinge to it. And so I was looking in the complete guide to free birth on like, what that meant. Like, is that just normal? Or I was more like, okay, so this means that birth is, is going to happen. You know, I wanted to know where I was at and I couldn't find anything about it. And so I was like, okay, let's just see. And so I went to sleep and I had no sensations. And then the next morning, my waters continued to trickle down my leg. And I didn't really have any sensations. And I actually was in the radical birthkeeper school at the time. And I told Yolanda Norris Clark that I, you know, my, my waters, my waters are leaking. I may give birth, you know, sooner, I'm not sure. And she's like, Oh my God, here's my phone number. And I was really grateful that. She gave me her number. And so I think during the afternoon so this is Friday now. I think I, my mucus plug comes out and I'm still unsure, but I think when I looked it up, cause I took a picture of it, it's like, It looks like mucus, right? And it's, it, there's like a streak of blood in it. And so I think that was my mucus plug that came out as my waters were leaking. And yeah, so Friday night rolls around and I'm making coleslaw and pulled pork and the sensations around 7. PM, like really start to get intense where I like have to take a pause, lean on the counter, but still eat, you know, and I tell Cody, Hey, like. I don't know if it's happening, but can you like deep clean upstairs and the bathroom and stock the fridge? Because I knew I wanted to give birth upstairs. That's how I pictured it. And at first, you know, before getting pregnant and everything, I was like, Oh, I want to have a water birth and all this stuff. But thinking about logistics, because we don't even have a tub in our, in our home. It's just shower stalls. I was thinking the water birth. thing would have just been a little hectic on how to get water, you know, hot and all that stuff. And I think it would have been a lot and I have really dry skin anyways. So I think I'm a land girl. I'm a land girl anyways. And so I tell Yolanda what's happening and she's like, okay, just continue to pee and dance and go outside. And I was like, okay. And Yeah, I go to sleep, and then suddenly, at 2am, I tell Cody, my husband, Oh my god, I think I'm gonna puke. Go get the little potty, because we already bought like this little potty. And he grabs it, and then I like puke three times all of the pulled pork and coleslaw. Ugh. Yeah, exactly. Delicious. I was like, there goes all my food so much for eating. Yeah. And you know, when I heard stories about women having diarrhea or throwing up, I was like, oh, please don't let any of that happen to you. Yeah. I mean, I guess I wouldn't mind the diarrhea, but I hate throwing up. It's never fun. Yeah,
Jenni:no, I feel you. Yeah. But in the moment you're kind of just like, well, whatever. Were you excited, like knowing that it was. Coming the time or were you still grossed out by yourself?
Emily:I was, I was kind of grossed out. And I think I still didn't know what was happening because we were still expecting. Well, I was just expecting, you know, this could be five days of labor and sensations from hearing stories. I don't want to have any expectations. I didn't want to hang on to anything. And so me and Cody were really thinking, okay, yeah, this could be a while. So we didn't set up the camera or tripod or anything, you know? And so, yeah, so it's like 2am I puke and then I can't really go back to sleep because the sensations are even more intense. And I, like, try to sit L shaped on the floor with my back against the bed. Cody has these, you know, workout mats, foam mats on the floor. And, like, I even pumped my stability ball thinking, like, I could roll around. But no, it was definitely uncomfortable. I had to stay still, which is really interesting. And Yeah, I just, I try to breathe through them all and then I kind of fall asleep and then I wake up, it's sunrise, so this is Saturday morning, and I'm like, oh my god, thank god another day has gone by, you know, we made it through a night, and yeah, the, the contractions were even more intense, and so I get out of bed and I eat some apples, and then I, yeah. Come downstairs and I'm still like butt naked. I'm lying on the couch, like slightly reclined. And then I puke again. I puke up the apples.
Jenni:He just didn't want anything else in there. Taking up space, right?
Emily:It's so weird. It's interesting. Yeah. The energy. Yeah. And I was very adamant about, you know, Cody, I need my water and my electrolyte drink. So I was like, electrolytes. And then he would just pass it. To me, I'm like water. And so I just felt like I was like in the boxing ring, you know, I was just laying on the couch and Cody has a clip of me where I'm just like, can't talk, don't turn on the water. Cause I was so sensitive to sounds and even him turning on the water in the kitchen it would kind of distract me away from my sensations, which I didn't like. And so I was like, can you not turn on the water? And so I just really leaned into the contractions and breathing through each of them. And what was interesting was Every contraction was, I had to breathe through it differently. So some was like, or some was long and slow and that kind of just came naturally for me.
Jenni:That is interesting. Was there any sort of consistency to them at all or you just kind of went with the flow and focused your attention on every single one of them as they were coming?
Emily:Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I, I went with the flow. I had a hard time not, not focusing, you know, I, I, if I were to distract myself with something, it would just hurt more. Gotcha. Yeah. I don't know if that makes
Jenni:sense. It does. It was the same for me. I, I needed to be just in the moment. And it's funny you say that about the sound, because I was exactly the same way. Like even leading up to giving birth, I was telling my sister, I was like, Even like the lawn care guys come with their machines and it makes me want to like, go out there with the saw and just take one of their heads off because it's like, they're so
Emily:loud. Yeah. Yeah. And I, you know, I'm very curious. I'm hypersensitive. Yes. It's hypersensitive and it totally makes sense because if we were, you know, with Matt, if we were in nature, you know, as animals, we have our senses, senses has to be heightened. To protect ourselves and our young.
Jenni:Exactly. Exactly. Protection mode. That's very, very interesting. Very cool. So I'll let you continue. Yeah.
Emily:And so you know, Cody listened to a lot of free birth stories with me. And so I think he knew that there had to be a time of rest if it was possible. And so I think it was like 11 AM and he's like, We should all take a nap. Why don't we go lay in bed and try to nap? And I was like, okay. So I like go up the stairs. And at this point, I actually already I had taken a shower because I thought hot water would make my sensations go away. This is me still not really understanding physiological birth, right? But just thinking, oh, maybe it's just going to relieve the sensation, but it absolutely didn't work. No such luck. Yeah. Yeah. It was nice to change the environment though. Yeah. I'm
Jenni:impressed that you were going up and down the stairs this whole time. Like I,
Emily:it's a short flight, but yeah, so we both take a nap. I'm sitting at a recline on my bed and I somehow, yeah, I pass out and I kind of go in and out of sleep. And then I think it was like for an hour and. I turn to my left and I'm like, whoa, this is like the strongest sensation I've felt so far. And I get out of bed and then I see that I'm spotting blood on the, on the sheets. And I'm like, huh, what does that mean? And so I, Message Yolanda and I'm like, Hey, like is spotting normal? And she's like, yeah, it's, it's completely normal. Everything is fine. And I said, okay. And so then I suddenly feel like I have to poop and I go to the toilet trying, like, I just feel like I have to poop. No poop comes out and. It's just getting so intense. And I, I asked Yolanda like, how long is all of this going to last? And she's like, oh, you know, it could be two hours, it could be two days. And I was like,
Jenni:okay, that is not what I wanna hear.
Emily:Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, okay, you know, if all the women before me and the stories I've heard can do this, I can do it. I can do it. And I remember there was a point Cody told me that there was a point where I was like, I can't do it. And I think. That's like a sign, you know, and it wasn't like, I can't do it. I want to go to the hospital. It was just like agony. Like, I can't do this. And he's like, no, you can do it. And yeah, after Yolanda tells me it could be two days or two hours, something kind of shifts. And I, I'm on my knees next to my bed and my forearms are on the bed. And suddenly my body just like pushes and I feel like my, my butthole and my, my vagina are just involuntarily pushing and I don't know what's going on still. And I actually didn't watch any birth videos. I don't know. I, yeah, I, I kind of saw some during RBK school, but I never like took the time to, to really watch a video. So maybe I would have known what was going on, but yeah, so it just felt like. Everything was just pushing and I was this is where my screams came out like at the top of my lungs and I can't repeat it now, but it was just screams that that were really loud and intense and it was even like freaking out the dogs because they were coming up, you know, like what's going on? You're like mom. Yeah, yeah. And this goes on for like, I don't know. There is no time, you know, during burn, but it feels like it's going on for a while and I, I say to myself, okay, maybe I should try to stand up and maybe like, this is all going to stop if I change my position and, and I was still so hyper aware because it was really hot. Cause we had the wood burning oven downstairs and you know, heat rises. So Cody had like a shirt off and he was sweating and. He kept opening and closing the window, but I was so hyper aware, and I don't think anyone could have heard me now that I know because we have a creek in the backyard, but I would kind of wait for him to close the window for me to like scream again, because I felt like I was being observed in that sense.
Jenni:Yeah, yeah, that's, crazy to think about. I didn't even consider my neighbors I'm in a condo and I was just like, Oh, fuck them.
Emily:I think that's
Jenni:really funny. I mean, so what were you like in your moments of where it was like, That agony, as you were saying, where you were trying to push through, what was it that you told yourself or did or felt that helped you get through that moment and power through it and and birth your baby? I
Emily:think it was just, there is no other way. This is the only way. There is no other option. You know, if I, if I want my baby to be born peacefully the way I want to, the way God intended for babies to be born, this is the only way. so I muster up the energy to stand, and I'm leaning on Cody. Cody is half kneeling, and he says, Oh, so I somehow wanna, wanna feel my yoni down there. And I'm like, oh my god, I think I feel the head. And he looks and he, you know, Cody later on tells me that he saw like a very cone cone shaped head sticking out and he's like, Whoa, like in his head, he's like, is this normal? Like it was freaking me out, but he didn't say anything, of course. And I was like, Oh my God, I think it's the head. And he's like, yeah, it's the head. And so I kind of just breathe. Cause I know there's no rush and I, what crosses my mind is like, I don't have an urge to push. Where is my urge to push? And I think about that and because I kind of want the process to just, you know, happen, right? I kind of think of it like, if I know, you know, to get from A to B and I have a wagon, I'm not just gonna like, I mean, maybe that's a bad analogy. Either way, I pushed three times because I wanted things to happen. Yeah. Me, Bjorn, quicker, I'll, I'll push and so I push three times, I feel the ring of fire and I push through that and what's interesting is that was the only point of, I don't even want to say pain, like discomfort during that happening, right, because the contraction stopped, well not stopped, but it wasn't like how it was earlier, it was just different, now my body's pushing, right, and yeah, so I, I push through the ring of fire and then I, Cody catches him with his left hand and that's when my water breaks. It's my water breaks and then Bjorn comes out. Oh cool.
Jenni:Yeah, so he Like right beforehand.
Emily:Yeah, yeah, and so he hands him to me and I'm like sitting on the floor and I, you know, I, the only fear that I had was I wouldn't know if My baby was going to be a boy or a girl. Like that sounds really dumb, but I thought the genitals would be so small. I wouldn't be able to
Jenni:tell. That's really funny though. Like the things that you think about and the things that cross your mind. And then afterwards, like after the whole process, you're like, why did that even like, yeah, it's clearly
Emily:visible. So I looked down and I'm like, I think that's a boy, Cody, is this a boy? And he's like, yes, that's a boy. We have a boy.
Jenni:How exciting was that? Like, what, what was that moment for you? Like, how did that feel that just like complete elation? I'm sure.
Emily:Yeah, I was just so happy. And, you know, I had dreams that I had a boy, like a blonde, blue eyed boy. And I had a feeling he was going to be a boy, you know, I was open to both. And when, when we found out it was a boy, it was just, we were just so happy and I don't know, we were just, we were high, like, for the whole week, and, yeah, I, I knew I wanted to do the lotus birth, but I was also open to, you know, cutting the cord if it was cold and uncomfortable on, on Bjorn, and It wasn't he didn't seem bothered by it. So, yeah, so 45 minutes goes by and Cody's like, yeah, it's been 45 minutes. Do you want to birth your placenta or whatever? And I was like, yeah, like, I feel a little bit of cramping. So let's do it. So I go into like a tall kneeling on both of my knees on over on the mattress and we put The insert, the potty insert in between my legs. And I just do like a little, not like a bear down and like a little cough and then it plops right out.
Jenni:Perfect. No issues at all. So, you know, you're one of the few women that I know that have done a full Lotus birth. So I would love you to share your experience with that
Emily:I think it's ritually a really beautiful thing because I don't think we get to see placentas well often right if we're not around friends or family who birth or yeah and so just experiencing how and how quick the cord, the umbilical cord dries up and witnessing that. And just being right next to the placenta and having my son be right next to his placenta. It was just really beautiful. Even in the pictures, you know, and I think it's now, even with becoming more popular in our community, it's still not popular, right? Overall. And I think it is very ceremonious. And I think there's ways to ease, ease into it or around it better, you know, cause the first day or two, we had like a, like a metal mixing bowl and the cord actually would like clink on the drive court would clink on the bowl. And like, it was kind of loud. And so that was when I was like, Oh, I think this is what this placenta bag that my friend got me was for that got me was, was for, so we put it in the placenta bag and yeah, and I think it's just taking care of. Bjorn's life organ, you know, over the course of four or five days was just very ritualistic.
Jenni:Yeah, absolutely. I, I'm curious, like what aside from the placenta bag, like what made it easier to kind of maneuver with it and things like that? Because I think that that deters. other moms from even attempting it? Just because it seems like it will be difficult to work around. Did you find that it was hard to work around or not?
Emily:A little bit. We just had to move very mindful. And I think this is when doing a lotus birth makes you move slow, makes you have others to show up and help you, you know, versus not having that in that way. Right. I needed my husband to help me like, okay, move this. Let me move a little slower and more mindful. Maybe actually just stay in bed So I don't have to move with the placenta and hold the baby in that way. So yeah, it
Jenni:forces. Yeah Yeah, it did for sure forces you to slow down a little bit. Well As we kind of wrap up here, I would love to hear whatever you feel like your best advice for new moms or pregnant moms that are seeking the path to free birth or home birth.
Emily:I think it's making sure that your partner or husband Is on board like if you have one for them to be on board and not just, you know, if you truly desire to have a home birth, but your partner's not on board, it's like, don't just hand the reins over like this is your birth. This is how your baby is going to be born, right? I know this is a rite of passage for for the mother, but also consider the baby. Does your baby deserve to be born mindfully with, you know, in your hands? With you carrying the responsibility versus handing it over to someone else, like, those are questions to ask yourself. And what would it take to execute it and to feel comfortable with that? Is it educating yourself? Because it's absolutely worth educating yourself if you know your baby's not going to be messed with or scooped up away, you know, to go do some Apgar tests and be vigorously wiped down if you have a hospital birth. And so. I think it's just, you know, there's so many resources out there now, so. It's giving and sharing education around physiological birth with you and your partner, husband and yourself and finding the support and the community and being surrounding yourself with what you want and what you want to manifest for your birth because it will change your life.
Jenni:That's so, so powerful. And, you know, I, you said you were a radical birth keeper. Do you work with. Mamas now or is that something that you're going to be doing in the future?
Emily:Yeah, I'm doing it now. I'm totally open to serving women in my community in Sam and Idaho if they're looking for it. And yeah, I definitely do home birth coaching online. And yeah, also nutrition and fitness. consultations as well for pregnant women.
Jenni:And how can anybody find you if they're looking to connect with you and maybe work
Emily:together? They can go to my website, www. emilyceboo. com, E M I L Y S E E B O O. com, or go to my Instagram, motherfreedom. Underscore and connect with me there. I also have a YouTube channel where I share birth stories and interview also experts in, you know, this radical field like authors on ultrasounds and the filmmaker who made the movie American Circumcision. So those are all going to be out on my YouTube, Mother Freedom YouTube.
Jenni:Very cool. And I'll keep links for all of that in the show notes as well so that everybody can have easy access. And thank you so much for taking time out of your day today to be with us and to share your wisdom. And I really appreciate getting to talk with you. Thank you, Jenny.
Emily:Love to you.
Jenni:Love to you as well. If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of Women of the Wild, you can find a link for that in the show notes or on my Instagram as well. Or simply just pop over to Amazon and type Women of the Wild into the search bar. It's positively full of amazing first hand birth stories and birthing prep wisdom from women all over the world and definitely worth the read if you're exploring the ideas of free birth or home birth. Thank you all for being here with us today. If you would like to further discuss this topic or if you're ready to begin a healing journey of your own, I am here for you through the link in our show notes or through Instagram at liveyourlegend. Love and gratitude till Tuesday.