Sara Rosser, CPM, and I (Nathan Riley, MD), reunited in Florida for an organizing meeting ahead of the 2026 Born Free Twins-Breech Gathering, which takes place in Austin, TX, November 12-15, 2026. While we were awaiting the rest of our amazing team, we sat down to discuss Sara’s recent home birth to which I was an attendant. There were a number of things that arose that could have resulted in a hospital transfer and probably c-section, but she knew herself and trusted her team. At the heart of her birth was workshopping between Sara, me, and Sara’s midwife, leading to this episode’s conversation around consent, disagreement, parenting, and more, such as vaccines. This conversation also gave us the opportunity to reflect on the value that we bring to our Born Free Method Community members on a daily basis.Follow Sara and Bornfreemethod on Instagram!If you’re currently pregnant, planning to have kids in the future, already parents, or if you’re a birthworker, come try out the Born Free Method for FREE.
[00:04:15] - Nathan attended Sara’s surprise breech birth; building a birth team that you trust; workshopping before hospital transfer
[00:20:15] - we must not let our fear of hospitals delay transfer, especially when a birthing woman senses something is off
[00:27:05] - exercising freedom requires that you also own the outcomes of your decisions (vaccines as a case study); a reminder on what it means for a family to provide consent; when parents disagree about interventions, who gets veto power?; struggling with pediatric decisions
[00:38:00] - you can’t undo decisions related to your child, so you must start working on your parenting styles as soon as you consider trying to conceive; the power of saying “not now” to interventions
[00:48:00] - advice for families risking social ostracization as the cost of exercising their autonomy; don’t presume that you know the position of your friends and family on various
Related episodes:
* Dr. Larry Palevsky: the Pediatrician You Didn’t Know You Needed
* Who Holds the Wisdom? Learning to Transgress Hegemony in Midwifery and Maternity Care
* In the Waters of Rememberance: Honoring an Obstetrics Hero
This episode was sponsored by Born Free Method.
The Born Free Method digital playground includes over 60 hrs of pre-recorded lessons (w/ slides) spread out over 180+ lessons when you enroll. You will also be invited to a Zoom call (recorded) every other week hosted by me, Sara, and both. We also often have guest speakers, and you will have access to recordings for all 100+ of our past calls/interviews. Enroll for your 7-day free trial!More ways to work with Nathan:Support for Midwives | Private Consultation | Clear & FreeMedical Disclaimer: Born Free Method: The Podcast is an educational program. No information conveyed through this podcast should be construed as medical advice. These conversations are available to the public for educational and entertainment purposes only.Music provided by RealMovieScores / Pond5
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