Fundie family YouTuber has “wild pregnancy” and “freebirth”

[GiggleOfGirls]

EC is legitimate. I did it with all 4 of mine. Poverty definitely factored in and I wasn’t working so it was a good way to save money. 
 

I thought infant pottying was absolutely insane when I first heard about it. So I researched it and it made a lot of sense (which really surprised me). My children were all reliably dry at night from about 5 months old and could reliably sign to let me know they needed to potty by the time they were about 8 months old.

 

it’s also an incredibly privileged thing to be able to do. Parents who work can do it part-time and it’s still beneficial to open the lines of communication about elimination sensations and such, but it’s definitely not a viable option for everyone. 
 

EC 100% sounds nutty, but it works and it’s amazing how aware tiny babies can be about their bodily functions. I was frequently impressed by my babies during those years.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I admit it blows my mind since I have a child who basically pooped himself for so long. Potty training was hell. And he still has pee accidents at age 8. 

[FluffySnowball]

I haven’t done any research on this woman but it has been mentioned here that she’s fundy and I wonder if birthing outside the medical system gives her a sense of independence and strength that’s otherwise diminished in her circle. As in, women are supposed to be meek and quiet and she was subconsciously looking for a way to feel confident and empowered. So she took one of the only roles allowed for fundamentalist Christian women and dedicated herself to an individualistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth. Do you guys think that’s possible or am I way off? It was a random thought that popped into my head so I’m not sure. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

21 minutes ago, FluffySnowball said:

I haven’t done any research on this woman but it has been mentioned here that she’s fundy and I wonder if birthing outside the medical system gives her a sense of independence and strength that’s otherwise diminished in her circle. As in, women are supposed to be meek and quiet and she was subconsciously looking for a way to feel confident and empowered. So she took one of the only roles allowed for fundamentalist Christian women and dedicated herself to an individualistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth. Do you guys think that’s possible or am I way off? It was a random thought that popped into my head so I’m not sure. 

I don’t know where she attends church or generally what flavor of fundie she is. I only came across her because she’s friends with Karissa. And Karissa definitely believes in unassisted homebirth. She was so obsessed with having her perfect unassisted home birth with her last child that she had to take him to the hospital a few hours after her perfect birth. She has to stay due to an infection and he stayed for a few weeks due to an infection. So she got her perfect intervention free homebirth until a few hours after. And then it was all the medical technology she could get for the next few weeks. I’m betting she could have avoided those weeks her baby spent in the hospital if she has gotten actual medical care before and during his birth. 

[GiggleOfGirls]

43 minutes ago, FluffySnowball said:

I haven’t done any research on this woman but it has been mentioned here that she’s fundy and I wonder if birthing outside the medical system gives her a sense of independence and strength that’s otherwise diminished in her circle. As in, women are supposed to be meek and quiet and she was subconsciously looking for a way to feel confident and empowered. So she took one of the only roles allowed for fundamentalist Christian women and dedicated herself to an individualistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth. Do you guys think that’s possible or am I way off? It was a random thought that popped into my head so I’m not sure. 

I don’t know if that’s the case for her specifically, but I’ve definitely known other fundamentalist women who made choices like unassisted birthing in part due to the feelings of empowerment. So it’s very possible! 
 

It does often feel good to make decisions that go against the mainstream. Being at home for a birth generally gives much more freedom and autonomy than being in the hospital. I’ve both assisted at home births and been a doula at hospital births (all mine were born at home with a licensed midwife) and there really is a huge difference. If someone doesn’t have much autonomy in the rest of their life then having autonomy in birthing choice can feel extra important. 
 

To be clear, I’m not in favor of unassisted birthing. My labors were super fast and I would never have made it to the hospital without a scheduled induction, which is what I would’ve done if I’d been higher risk. Since I was low-risk it seemed safer to plan to birth at home with a licensed professional than to have an unassisted car baby 😱 or an unnecessary induction. 
 

Mostly I’d like there to be more (safer) out of hospital birth options (including home birth) and more (affordable) hospital options (I’m in the USA) so that each pregnant person could make a decision they’re comfortable with, keeps them/baby as safe as possible, and won’t ruin them financially. 

[FilleMondaine]

@GiggleOfGirls interesting stuff about your experience of EC. It wasn’t for me when I had Tiny Fille, yet so am glad that it worked for you. It is common in China, and like I said in a post above, Jennifer Worth wrote about it in the impoverished East End. Definitely preferable to soggy diapers and diaper rash for those who cannot afford diapers. But in those communities, there was so much community support! (I hope that you also had all the support that you wanted) This lady just seems dangerous!

And so I was also interested in reading @FluffySnowball take on fundie women taking their power where they can. I definitely see how weddings are one of the few ways, and thus childbirth as well.

Outside of knowing Karissa Collins, I wonder just how fundie/crazy/dangerous this woman is!

[JermajestyDuggar]

I think there’s an online community of women who are pushing each other to free birth. I think that’s how Karissa fell down all her rabbit holes. She never used to be anti vax. She never used to be quiverful. She never used to be a free birther. I think online forums and fb groups got her sucked in. The internet if full of little cults that can heavily influence peoples lives.

[noseybutt]

On 7/3/2023 at 6:25 AM, FluffySnowball said:

I haven’t done any research on this woman but it has been mentioned here that she’s fundy and I wonder if birthing outside the medical system gives her a sense of independence and strength that’s otherwise diminished in her circle. As in, women are supposed to be meek and quiet and she was subconsciously looking for a way to feel confident and empowered. So she took one of the only roles allowed for fundamentalist Christian women and dedicated herself to an individualistic approach to pregnancy and childbirth. Do you guys think that’s possible or am I way off? It was a random thought that popped into my head so I’m not sure. 

Oh I agree. It makes sense that this is one area of their life where they can assert power and control.

 I also think it’s about emotional connection. The free birth movement makes it all about this deep emotional connection with the baby (and/or male partner) and I would imagine that is extra appealing if you are within a religion that minimizes the importance of female emotional experiences.

[FilleMondaine]

I know it says “free birth”, but all I read is “freebird”.

In seriousness, it’s really just so sad that these women have to jump through such hoops in order to feel like a person worthy of respect.

[Expectopatronus]

On 7/2/2023 at 10:32 AM, Sk8ter said:

Against my better judgment, I clicked on that link. Just.....wow. 

Me too. The baby’s slow start to breathing frightens me; if he has brain damage from oxygen deprivation it won’t show up right away. What a loon! 

[shesinsane]

From a health and safety standpoint free birthing is dangerous, but in the US at least, I think the fact that free birthing is free in terms of "no medical bills" helps women justify their choice to free birth. The lack of cost would be extra incentive for fundie families that are barely scraping by; instead of worrying how they're going to pay the hospital bills, they just have to pray for a safe home birth and God will take care of the rest.

[Ozlsn]

On 7/5/2023 at 5:00 AM, Expectopatronus said:

Me too. The baby’s slow start to breathing frightens me; if he has brain damage from oxygen deprivation it won’t show up right away. What a loon! 

The whole bit with the baby halfway out and "sleeping" submerged in the bathing pool freaked me out a bit, even with the umbilical cord still going. I have no idea how long babies take to breathe after birth, but the stuck halfway underwater bit sounded utterly bizarre.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I guess they have a pet deer now. These people try so hard. They make me cringe.