"Helping a baby breathe at birth, is a parenting skill" - Reclaiming Common Birth Knowledge with Billie Harrigan In this instalment of the Birth Series, Keshia sits down with Integrative Perinatal Health Consultant and Educator Billie Harrigan to talk about "becoming a more useful human" — the idea that ordinary, common-sense birth skills have been co-opted, medicalised, and locked behind licensing requirements that Billie argues make birth more dangerous, not less. The conversation traces the history of "calling the neighbour" — the once-ordinary practice of a knowledgeable community member attending a birth — back through the criminalisation of midwifery in Canada, and asks what was lost when that knowledge left common hands. From there, Billie and Keshia work through nutrition's role in preventing preeclampsia, cholestasis, and gestational diabetes; the three birth emergencies Billie believes everyone should know how to respond to; and what trauma-informed care actually requires from anyone in a birth space. They also revisit the fallout from the Free Birth Society exposé, and where Billie feels the reporting missed the mark. This episode doesn't land on a tidy verdict either — it's an invitation to think about who currently holds birth knowledge, who's allowed to use it, and what that's costing women. This Episode Is Supported By INBLUEM Skincare Pure, plant-based skincare made in Byron Bay — no toxins, no fillers, no fuss. In Bloom is offering Return to Wisdom listeners a discount. 👉 Use code RETURNTOWISDOMPODCAST at inbluem.com Kim Anami Holistic sex and relationship coaching for reconnecting with your body and your partner. Link https://kimanami.ontraport.com/t?orid=511555&opid=36 to register for courses— using it also supports the podcast. This Episode is brought to you by Superfeast Enjoy 10% off your order with the code RETURNTOWISDOM https://www.superfeast.com.au/ Key Topics Discussed "Being a more useful human" — reclaiming everyday birth and first-aid-style skills that Billie argues have been unnecessarily medicalised and gatekept The history of "calling the neighbour" — how midwifery was made illegal in Upper Canada, why it stayed criminalised for most of Canada's history, and what the mortality data from that era suggests about community-based care Common birth knowledge and skills — prenatal nutrition, tracking baby's position, recognising the difference between a baby needing time versus a baby needing help, and basic kitchen herbalism (shepherd's purse, yarrow, bay berry, ladies mantle, witch hazel) Nutrition as prevention — Billie's perspective on diet's role in preeclampsia, cholestasis, and gestational diabetes, including a discussion of folic acid fortification and insulin signalling The three birth emergencies — Billie's framework for what she believes everyone in a birth space should be equipped to respond to: a baby getting stuck, a baby not reviving, and postpartum haemorrhage Trauma-informed care as a learnable skill — maternal mortality from suicide, the brain-injury model of birth trauma, and what Billie's course for the "childbearing client" is designed to teach Restricted birthing legislation in Australia — the push for other states to adopt South Australia-style laws restricting unregistered birth workers, even within hospital settings Revisiting the Free Birth Society exposé — where Billie felt the reporting was fair, where she felt it missed the broader context of birth trauma in the medical system, and how online discourse shaped the narrative "Refugees from the medical industry" — Billie's description of the women she supports who've had coercive experiences with maternity care, and how nervous-system safety factors into their outcomes Mentioned in This Episode Billie Harrigan's Traditional Birth Companion Course - https://billieharrigan.com/becoming-a-traditional-birth-companion Billie Harrigan's trauma-informed care course for childbearing clients - https://billieharrigan.com/becoming-trauma-informed Breech Without Borders - https://www.breechwithoutborders.org/ Dr. Brewer's research on nutrition and preeclampsia Links: billieharrigan.com thehivecollective.life birthtraumaontario.ca harriganhive.com @billieharrigan @birthtraumaontario FG: https://www.facebook.com/billieharriganconsulting/ https://www.facebook.com/birthtraumaontario/