Who is Emilee Saldaya, the woman behind the Free Birth Society movement? And how did she meet her business partner Yolande Norris-Clark? Do either women have the credentials they are claiming? This is episode two of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
Continue reading...The Free Birth Society (FBS) was selling pregnant women a simple message. They could exit the medical system and take back their power: by free birthing. But Nicole Garrison believes FBS ideology nearly cost her her life. This is episode one of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne
Continue reading...Olympia Bowman champions a middle way. Helen Style says the risks of giving birth without medical assistance are well known
After listening to the Guardian podcast series the Birth Keepers, I feel compelled to share my own story. I believe that it is important to share examples of a middle way somewhere between free birthing and obstetrical violence. Personally, I chose the middle way.
My child was born at home. At the time, we were living off grid in an isolated village in France. We knew of many women who had chosen to give birth at home in our village accompanied by the only independent certified midwife in the area who accepted the risk of accompanying home births in this particularly isolated place.
Continue reading...Suze Lopez found out she was pregnant only days before giving birth, due to fetus hiding behind 22lb ovarian cyst
A California family is celebrating their first holiday following the delivery of their latest child, a baby that had been growing outside of the mother’s womb.
Suze Lopez, a 41-year-old emergency room nurse in Bakersfield, California, delivered baby Ryu via surgery in August, so the newborn is celebrating his first Christmas. He had been an ectopic pregnancy – when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the uterus – and was hidden behind a large ovarian cyst.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Analysis of NHS data shows rates of most serious tears are nearly double those for white and black women
Asian women in England are almost twice as likely to suffer the most severe birth injuries during labour, with many healthcare professionals unaware of this greater risk, analysis has found.
Third- and fourth-degree tears, also known as obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI), are the most severe forms of vaginal tearing during childbirth.
Continue reading...Nicola Slawson on her decision to have a baby with her best friend Tom rather than a romantic partner
We are revisiting some of our favourite episodes from 2025. This one was first broadcast on Friday 21 March.
Nicola Slawson, a journalist and the author of Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms, has been single for 10 years. She didn’t think it was going to be possible for her to have a baby. She had looked into solo parenthood but didn’t think she would be able to afford it.
Continue reading...Our 20 favourite pieces of in-depth reporting, essays and profiles from the year
Victor Pelevin made his name in 90s Russia with scathing satires of authoritarianism. But while his literary peers have faced censorship and fled the country, he still sells millions. Has he become a Kremlin apologist?
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