From Free Birth Movement to “Zero Trimester” trend

Some people claim America has no culture. However, there can be a strong argument made for the fact that America has two culture traits it can claim. Rebellion - I mean that’s how we became independent - and extremism. From extreme challenges, food contests, house sizes, vehicle sizes, and health trends it is hard to argue against the fact America is a country of extremes.

I gave birth to my daughter in the age before social media and even before everyone had their own emails. I was still serving on active duty and lived in Japan with my husband. I kept active, walked, lifted weights and ate what I wanted. The only reliable source for pregnancy information were the books What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I read them, thought all of the information was fascinating and didn’t worry much more than that. My biggest hurdle at that time was figuring out how to lace up and tie combat boots with a pregnant belly in the way.

Today I teach prenatal yoga - which wasn’t really a thing when I was pregnant. Through this I have met quite a few pregnant women. Each of their paths to pregnancy and through it were unique. But there is one thing that each of them have in common. The volumes of information, opinions, advice and hacks in this era of Facebook Groups, Momfluencers and Wellness Influencers. All this on top of prenatal treatment from OB doctors.

Among this ocean of pregnancy opinions there is bound to be multiple conflicting ideas. When ever I come across prenatal or pregnancy articles I read them to keep up with modern trends and scientific advances so I can keep adding to my education. This is how I came across two extreme ends of the pregnancy trends - Free Birth Society and Zero Trimester.

I first came across something called “Free Birth Society” in an podcast from The Guardian. It sounds simple but they have a very extreme (and deadly) practice. It is a US based, multi-million dollar business that promotes unassisted births with absolutely no medical care what so ever.

We are not talking about the typical home births you might be familiar with. A regular home birth will have a licensed midwife in attendance with the option to always be able to go to a hospital if the mother or baby might be in any danger.

Founded by and ex-doula Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark, Free Birth Society (FBS) started with podcasts, blogs and Facebook Groups. Now for $299 they let you join a  private, online community and for $399 you can purchase a guide to do your own “free-birth”. Their online “rules” are extreme. Any mention of doctors, hospitals or any interventions is strictly forbidden and grounds to be removed or blocked.

The basis of FBS says they are giving women their power back and helping them avoid traumatic hospital birthing experiences. With the cost of US healthcare, high rates of episiotomies without consent, C-sections and more it is understandable the lure of FBS.

Every woman is free to decide what is best for her, her body and her baby. In the podcast I listened to about FBS I found out some very sad, very tragic endings to what should have been beautiful beginnings to motherhood. The control the FBS founders have over their members leads women to believe that if they can’t do the free birth on their own and have to go to hospitals they are failures. More than one mother in FBS have experienced births that were drawn out over multiple days. When they reach out to the leaders asking about dark colored fluid after days in labor they are told it is all part of the process and a “variation of normal”. More than one child has been born dead at home or dead at the hospital because they have to go. These women are told to lie when asked about when their water broke.

The main irony I saw in FBS is their claim they are fighting an expensive medical system that has traumatized women in their birthing process and yet they charge to learn something called “free” birthing. The power they claim they are giving women while still holding exacting control about how they are to give birth is beyond hypocritical.

Moving onto the complete opposite of this spectrum I came across something called “zero trimester” wellness trend. What is the same is, again, a specialized, pricey course to help you be pregnancy ready and at your “healthiest” before you get pregnant.

If you could hear me right now, it would be a huge audible sigh.

“Zero Trimester” was born out of the extreme obsession our culture has with “wellness”. The belief that if you purge your environment of everything “toxic”, eat only organic, “high quality” foods and follow a certain regimen of exercise then you are able to control your health outcome.

According to an article in Wired on this subject, influencers see study in 2019 published by Harvard suggesting that carrying a baby is equivalent to running a dozen marathons or more and things kick off. Here comes the extremism.

Why not train before you plan on even getting pregnant as if you were training for a marathon? It’s one thing to try and be a little more healthy before you get pregnant so your body can handle carrying an extra human and the energy of giving birth. Training for a marathon? Talk about jumping the shark.

It’s not just training - it’s also the obsession of anything “toxic”. Getting rid of anything in the kitchen that might be considered “toxic” to replace it with natural items. Getting all “natural” clothing, washing in organic soaps, using essential oils and more.

Hey, if you have the expendable income to spend on all this extra stuff that’s great. However, raising one child alone will set you back financially as it is. Starting in “zero trimester” in bankruptcy is not going to help you raise a “healthy child” or even help your health in the long run.

Is it good that women are thinking about making better outcomes for themselves when it comes to getting pregnant and after they give birth. Absolutely. Does this mentality raise the anxiety women (young women in particular) have about their own fertility and if they will ever be able to conceive? Sadly, yes.

In this new age of social media and internet we have lost the physical connection we used to have and the knowledge that used to be passed down from women to women in our families. There is also too much focus on social media influencers and what worked for them and not on professionally vetted obstetricians and gynecologists.

Probably one of saddest things I read in this article from Wired was the fact some of these “Zero Trimester” influencers peddle the lie that raw milk can help. Not only does it not help but it can cause miscarriages and is very harmful for a fetus. Even if the prenatal woman isn’t drinking raw milk, the extreme diets and supplements that are encouraged end up working against fertility in the long run.

These “Zero Trimester” influencers aren’t sharing their knowledge online out of the goodness of their own hearts, either. No. They have a “program” you can buy that you can follow. At lease with your boring old doctors you know that when you pay it is for someone who trained and studied for years before they even got to see a pregnant woman and the advice they give is peer reviewed.

As you can tell, I have a very strong opinion on these two extremes for women. When I teach prenatal yoga I want each woman to feel in charge of her own body, the good and even the discouraging parts. Each of us women already have enough to battle with inside when it comes to just being a woman. Adding more pressure to be perfect trying to conceive and giving birth is not what women need and definitely not what a growing child inside us needs. Acceptance for our own bodies will only help make a loving environment and life for any child we have.