The Free Birth Society (FBS), led by Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark, promotes unassisted births without medical professionals. A year-long investigation linked FBS to 48 cases of serious harm, including stillbirths and neonatal deaths, found its claims conflict with medical advice, and revealed its leaders directly advised women during labor despite lacking qualifications. FBS profits significantly from this ideology, exploiting distrust in maternity services, and remains undeterred by criticism.
The Free Birth Society (FBS), a North Carolina-based business run by ex-doulas Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark, promotes the concept of unassisted birth without medical intervention. Through their podcast, which has millions of downloads, and online schools that train 'radical birth keepers' and 'authentic midwives,' FBS has gained a global following and generated over $13 million in revenue since 2018 from instructional guides and membership groups. A year-long investigation, involving reviews of FBS materials, interviews with former insiders and over 60 mothers, and consultations with medical experts, uncovered five key findings. First, many FBS claims contradict evidence-based medical advice. Experts, including Prof Soo Downe, a senior British midwife, stated that while low-risk freebirthing has generally low risk, professional support reduces overall risk. They found FBS's information 'medically illiterate, misleading or dangerous,' citing false claims about infection risk, incorrect guidance for shoulder dystocia, and risky newborn resuscitation advice. Second, FBS is linked to real-world harm globally, with 48 identified cases of late-term stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or serious harm involving FBS followers across multiple countries. In 18 of these cases, evidence suggested FBS significantly influenced decision-making, leading to potentially avoidable tragedies, such as the brain injury sustained by Gabrielle Lopez's son during birth. Third, Emilee Saldaya, the FBS chief executive, has directly advised women during labor via phone calls and messages. This occurred in the case of Lorren Holliday, who lost her baby, Journey Moon, in 2018 after Saldaya encouraged her despite medical emergencies and provided a script to deceive hospital staff. Saldaya also advised Haley Bordeaux, who suffered strokes from pre-eclampsia. Fourth, FBS profits by exploiting growing distrust in maternity services. Saldaya and Norris-Clark capitalize on concerns about over-medicalization and negligence, accusing medical professionals of 'sabotaging' births and even 'murder.' They monetise this ideology through expensive online courses, such as the $6,000 Radical Birth Keeper school and the $12,000 MatriBirth Midwifery Institute (now MatriBirth Mentor Institute). Finally, the leaders of FBS appear undeterred by mounting criticism. While they have made minor adaptations, such as renaming their 'midwifery' school and adding disclaimers, Saldaya and Norris-Clark actively push back against criticism, calling critics 'pathetic losers' and framing investigations as attempts to 'discredit' a 'disruptor.'
