Midwifery History and Medical Professionalization

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When did we decide women’s bodies couldn’t be trusted to give birth?



Childbirth is often the first place we’re taught to override intuition in favor of authority. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Nathan Riley about how modern systems shape pregnancy and birth — not just medically, but psychologically and culturally.

This conversation isn’t about rebellion or nostalgia. It’s about responsibility, trust, and what happens when we’re trained to hand those over.

We talk about natural birth, home birth, and the power of doing less instead of more. C-section rates keep climbing and fear is introduced early through institutional rituals. Education, compliance, and credentialed authority train us to outsource knowing, especially during pregnancy and birth. From midwifery to birth trauma, from holistic health to reclaiming responsibility, this conversation connects dots most people never think to question.

If you’re interested in birth sovereignty, health sovereignty, and the deeper implications of how humans enter the world, this episode will challenge you. Not with ideology, but with lived experience and uncomfortable clarity.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[04:07] Meeting Dr. Stu Fishbein at a breech delivery talk and the home birth that changed everything

[13:53] Why compulsory education conditions us to trust credentials over critical thinking and clinical experience

[27:53] The alternative health movement is still rooted in materialism

[39:01] The overuse of the word physiology when being directed towards childbirth

[52:35] Where the alternative health space is getting it wrong

[01:06:53] How asking about your own birth transforms your ability to hold space and trust intuition during labor

[01:16:40] Induction risks depend on your provider and why most inductions aren't medically necessary

[01:29:14] The HPV and cervical cancer story

[02:02:03] The graphic reality of circumcision

[02:22:10] Why midwives should be the default for prenatal care

[02:50:55] The nuanced case for free birth, the problems with rebirth certifications, and why "birth educator" replaced "midwife"

Related The Way Forward Episodes:

Rethinking DNA: Examining the Evidence with Dr. Tom Cowan | YouTube

The Heart is Not a Pump: Vortexes, Blood Flow & The Seat of the Soul with Dr. Stephen Hussey | YouTube

The Great Birth Revival: Birth Certificates, Circumcision, Postpartum & More with Veda Ray | YouTube

Flipping Birth Upside Down with Eyla Cuenca | YouTube

Resources Mentioned:

The Secret Life of the Unborn Child: Dr. Thomas Verny on the Embodied Mind, Epigenetics, and Transgenerational Healing | Podcast

50 Human Studies, in Utero, Conducted in Modern China, Indicate Extreme Risk for Prenatal Ultrasound by Jim West | Book or Audiobook

Learn more from Dr. Nathan Riley:

Born Free Method | Website

Beloved Holistics | Website

2026 Born Free Twins-Breech Gathering | Website

Find more from Alec:

Alec Zeck | Instagram

Alec Zeck | X

The Way Forward | Instagram

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