<p><strong></strong><a href="https://whosebodyisit.substack.com/">⁠<strong>⁠♡ </strong><em><strong>Support the podcast by becoming a paid Substack subscriber </strong></em><strong>→⁠</strong>⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode with Mary Lou Singleton, we explore her lifelong call to serve women in birth, and how she witnessed midwifery shift from an intuitive, woman-centered craft into a standardized profession shaped by regulation and Science™-driven conformity. We unpack the tensions between medicalized midwifery and the rise of free birth culture, the dogmas that have taken root on both sides, and the pressure some women feel when transferring to a hospital becomes framed as the ultimate failure. Mary Lou explains why she supports voluntary licensure, reflects on the role of heroism in midwifery, and highlights essential factors in homebirth risks— including breech, twins, and two key studies every woman should know.</p><p>We also dive into the commodification of free birth “cool-girl culture,” the trend-following that can override a woman’s intuition, and what happens when neither medical nor radical birth spaces provide grounded, empowering risk assessment. Mary Lou shares guidance for women discerning whether free birth is truly aligned for them, how to reconnect with intuition, and what responsibility should look like for birth attendants. For aspiring birth workers, we discuss where real learning still happens, who is worth learning from, and the irreplaceable value of having a woman at your birth who is willing to climb Everest with you.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://whosebodyisit.substack.com/p/bonus-isabellas-birth-work-journey" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Access Bonus Content</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://substack.com/@marylousingleton" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Follow Mary Lou Singleton on Substack</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.enchantedfamilymedicine.com/a/2148084809/qLAGzdHK" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Check out Mary Lou&#39;s upcoming Herbalism course</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.enchantedfamilymedicine.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Mary Lou&#39;s Website</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4kVizTR" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Birthing From Within by Pam England</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4kOwJ98" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4hz0M1U" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S009121829600153X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Physician- and midwife-attended home births Effects of breech, twin, and post-dates outcome data on mortality rates by Dr. Lewis Mehl</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC28632/#:~:text=At%20least%2018%20deaths%20(36%25)%20in%20this,presentation%20and%201%20in%207%20for%20twins" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Perinatal death associated with planned home birth in Australia: population based study</a> </p><p><br></p><p>✦✦✦</p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/coaching" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/protect-kids" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Keep Your Kids Out of The Trans Cult →⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/shop" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop Activist Stickers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Whose Body Is It Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Music //<a href="https://soundcloud.com/grandakt" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>Time by ASHUTOSH</em>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a><em></em><a href="https://www.free-stock-music.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>Music promoted by Free Stock Music</em>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a><em></em><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</em></a></p>

Whose Body Is It

Isabella Malbin

Recovering Our Instincts & Free Birth in the Age of Undue Influence(s) | Mary Lou Singleton

MAR 23, 202579 MIN
Whose Body Is It

Recovering Our Instincts & Free Birth in the Age of Undue Influence(s) | Mary Lou Singleton

MAR 23, 202579 MIN

Description

<p><strong></strong><a href="https://whosebodyisit.substack.com/">⁠<strong>⁠♡ </strong><em><strong>Support the podcast by becoming a paid Substack subscriber </strong></em><strong>→⁠</strong>⁠</a></p><p><br></p><p>In this episode with Mary Lou Singleton, we explore her lifelong call to serve women in birth, and how she witnessed midwifery shift from an intuitive, woman-centered craft into a standardized profession shaped by regulation and Science™-driven conformity. We unpack the tensions between medicalized midwifery and the rise of free birth culture, the dogmas that have taken root on both sides, and the pressure some women feel when transferring to a hospital becomes framed as the ultimate failure. Mary Lou explains why she supports voluntary licensure, reflects on the role of heroism in midwifery, and highlights essential factors in homebirth risks— including breech, twins, and two key studies every woman should know.</p><p>We also dive into the commodification of free birth “cool-girl culture,” the trend-following that can override a woman’s intuition, and what happens when neither medical nor radical birth spaces provide grounded, empowering risk assessment. Mary Lou shares guidance for women discerning whether free birth is truly aligned for them, how to reconnect with intuition, and what responsibility should look like for birth attendants. For aspiring birth workers, we discuss where real learning still happens, who is worth learning from, and the irreplaceable value of having a woman at your birth who is willing to climb Everest with you.</p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://whosebodyisit.substack.com/p/bonus-isabellas-birth-work-journey" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Access Bonus Content</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://substack.com/@marylousingleton" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Follow Mary Lou Singleton on Substack</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.enchantedfamilymedicine.com/a/2148084809/qLAGzdHK" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Check out Mary Lou&#39;s upcoming Herbalism course</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.enchantedfamilymedicine.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Mary Lou&#39;s Website</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4kVizTR" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Birthing From Within by Pam England</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4kOwJ98" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4hz0M1U" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley</a> </p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S009121829600153X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Physician- and midwife-attended home births Effects of breech, twin, and post-dates outcome data on mortality rates by Dr. Lewis Mehl</a></p><p><br></p><p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC28632/#:~:text=At%20least%2018%20deaths%20(36%25)%20in%20this,presentation%20and%201%20in%207%20for%20twins" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Perinatal death associated with planned home birth in Australia: population based study</a> </p><p><br></p><p>✦✦✦</p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/coaching" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/protect-kids" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Keep Your Kids Out of The Trans Cult →⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/shop" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop Activist Stickers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p><a href="https://www.whosebodyisit.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Whose Body Is It Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></p><p>Music //<a href="https://soundcloud.com/grandakt" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>Time by ASHUTOSH</em>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a><em></em><a href="https://www.free-stock-music.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>Music promoted by Free Stock Music</em>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a><em></em><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<em>Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</em></a></p>