Free Birthing

[megumic]

There was a special on Discovery Health (or something like that) about Free Birthing. It''s basically a home birth but without a midwife, doctor, nurse, or any medical professionals at all. A woman named Laura Shanley is a huge proponent of Free Birthing and offers her expertise to other women hoping for a free birth. More info here:

http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/

This is very controversial. One woman on the show had to go to the hospital post-birth because her placenta would not deliver. I was shocked when the doctor didn''t even want to help her because she had already given birth. He said, "Well, what do you want me to do now?" Like he couldn''t help her get the placenta out

He was extremely demeaning and even called child protective services on the parents - as far as I know it''s not illegal to give birth in your own home.

Although I don''t have kids yet, if I am low-risk I am hoping for home-births with a midwife and medical experts on board. I personally feel that pregnancy and child birth are not medical conditions and circumstances permitting, I hope to birth at home. However, free birthing most certainly takes home-births to the next level. I can''t imagine learning infant CPR to help my child with his/her very first breaths! What if, God forbid, something did go terribly wrong - there would only be one person to ultimately blame.

That said, have at it. Many of you are mom''s and have had the experience of childbirth. What do you think???

 

[jewelz617]

It doesn''t concern me how someone chooses to deliver their child. I opted for a hospital. I wanted lots of doctors and machines and oh yeah, my epidural!

Some people can''t stand hospitals and would rather birth on their own. As long as research and caution goes into a home birth, more power to the women who can do it! I should be so brave as them!

 

[gailrmv]

This truly frightens me. If I had attempted such a birth, I might not be alive today, as I required an emergency c-section. If a person wants to take her *own* life in her hands, fine, but it is not fair to the child, IMHO.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 3/8/2010 12:15:50 AM
Author: TanDogMom
This truly frightens me. If I had attempted such a birth, I might not be alive today, as I required an emergency c-section. If a person wants to take her *own* life in her hands, fine, but it is not fair to the child, IMHO.

Totally agree. This may be fine for people who end up having completely uncomplicated childbirth experiences, but what happens to the women who have last minute complications? Women who need a last minute unplanned c-section? What happens if the woman needs medical attention or the baby has complications or stops breathing? This is so dangerous to both the mother and baby to have no medical professional at all. It''s one thing to be irresponsible with one''s own life, but to put the baby at risk like that is just extremely unfair and careless.

 

[oobiecoo]

I can''t imagine ever doing it. I''m using a birthing center with midwives and would maybe even consider a midwife assisted homebirth but I''d never try it on my own. I have a feeling people do this all around the world though (probably developing countries) and just accept it as a part of life without worrying about the "what-ifs". I mean, I wonder what percentage of births really REQUIRE life-saving intervention? Do you have a higher risk of getting into a fatal car accident or losing your life or baby''s life in birth? Just something to think about.

 

[neatfreak]

I think homebirths, with a qualified midwife, and very strict emergency plans about when to go to the hospital are perfectly fine for low risk women.

That being said, I think it''s pretty selfish to have a "free birth" which not only endangers your own life, but the life of your child as well. There''s a reason that one out of three women used to die in childbirth and infant mortality rates used to be astronomical.

I can respect a woman''s choice to choose if she wants to have her child at home with the proper supervision, but I just cannot see any reason to risk the life of your child to have a free birth? It''s just selfish IMO.

 

[bee*]

While I can understand why a woman would like a homebirth with a midwife, I can''t understand why someone would have no medical professional there with them. Bare in mind I''m a panicker, so I do think of the worst case scenario, but its so risky for the baby and the mother if something goes wrong. Personally when (if) I am having a baby, I will be having it in hospital.

 

[Puppmom]

I''m way too *Type-A* to even consider anything like this. So, I can''t even wrap my head around why someone would voluntarily give birth without any professional support.

I''m pregnant with my second and would LOVE to have a home birth but I just know that I''m way too anxious for it. Maybe next time - with a midwife of course!

 

[Pandora II]

Having come extremely close to losing my life after a massive haemorrhage following my daughter's birth I think it's extremely selfish to do this.

There are women in developing countries who die every day giving birth and would give a lot to have the access to the healthcare facilities we have.

ETA: If I'd been that doctor I'd have been pretty rude to her too. You mess with the safety of your own and your child's life and then you want me to fix the bit that didn't suit you?

Obiecoo, an OB friend of mine said that the most dangerous thing a woman ever does is get pregnant and give birth...

 

[fieryred33143]

I was low-risk throughout my entire pregnancy. During labor, I had trouble breathing and needed an oxygen mask the entire time. DD was sunny side up and needed to be turned prior to delivery. I also was laboring and didn''t know. Very minor complications (for lack of a better word) but would not have been able to handle that by myself.

Just because you are low-risk, that doesn''t mean you won''t run into complications during birth. It''s not a chance I''d be willing to take.

 

[megumic]

Date: 3/8/2010 1:30:34 AM
Author: oobiecoo
I can''t imagine ever doing it. I''m using a birthing center with midwives and would maybe even consider a midwife assisted homebirth but I''d never try it on my own. I have a feeling people do this all around the world though (probably developing countries) and just accept it as a part of life without worrying about the ''what-ifs''. I mean, I wonder what percentage of births really REQUIRE life-saving intervention? Do you have a higher risk of getting into a fatal car accident or losing your life or baby''s life in birth? Just something to think about.

I think this is a great way to think about it, but hard to quantify. Doctor''s and couples opt for C-sections far more than ever before, so if a C-section qualifies as life-saving intervention I''m not sure the stats would be telling.

I also think it''s important to think about the mother. While baby may deliver just fine, mom may hemmoraghe, among many other complications.

Interestingly, an Aussie free birth advocate, Janet Fraser, lost her baby during delivery. Her baby suffered cardiac arrest during the water home birth. I cannot imagine the amount of backlash she has received, nor the amount of guilt.

 

[lilyfoot]

I''m not the biggest fan, or "believer" in doctor visits, but this is something I would never do. If something went wrong and me or my child was injured, or was lost because of that decision .. well, obviously, it would be horrible. I guess in theory, it sounds like a nice idea, but as the women in this thread have shown, a lot of things can go wrong during and after labor.

It''s not a risk I would be willing to take with my and my child''s life.

 

[AussieNic]

I don''t think it''s fair to take an option away from someone. You can present them with facts. The pros and cons of freebirth, homebirth etc.. but that''s about it.


Right here now, in Australia (and I''m not fully up with all what is going on, so if someone else here is, that would be fantastic ) they are trying to pass legislation that pretty much makes it illegal to homebirth, even with an independant midwife. I think it sucks that we are now being told that we can choose from A & B, because option C & D are not on anymore, in the eyes of our government.


I know there are serious situations during childbirth, pregnancy etc (my poor DH thought I was dead after the birth of our first child) but I don''t think you can tell someone how they should, and are going to be birthing their own child. You can help guide them and hope they make a well informed decision. But at the end of the day it is their body, their choice, their baby, their life.. Freebirth would not be something that I would opt to try, (even if I could) but i think if there are people who wish to bring their child into the world this way, then they should be allowed, without having some medico''s breathing down their neck about how they are horrible for making a decision on how to birth their child, that goes against the masses.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Date: 3/8/2010 12:15:50 AM
Author: TanDogMom
This truly frightens me. If I had attempted such a birth, I might not be alive today, as I required an emergency c-section. If a person wants to take her *own* life in her hands, fine, but it is not fair to the child, IMHO.

I agree also.

I had a rather uncomplicated pregnancy, however, like Pandora, I hemorraged after delivering and required an immediate blood transfusion (ended up having two) or I would have been in pretty bad shape. My son was also pre-term and needed immediate medical attention when he was born to make sure he was ok.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/8/2010 9:34:02 AM
Author: AussieNic
I don''t think it''s fair to take an option away from someone. You can present them with facts. The pros and cons of freebirth, homebirth etc.. but that''s about it.


Right here now, in Australia (and I''m not fully up with all what is going on, so if someone else here is, that would be fantastic ) they are trying to pass legislation that pretty much makes it illegal to homebirth, even with an independant midwife. I think it sucks that we are now being told that we can choose from A & B, because option C & D are not on anymore, in the eyes of our government.


I know there are serious situations during childbirth, pregnancy etc (my poor DH thought I was dead after the birth of our first child) but I don''t think you can tell someone how they should, and are going to be birthing their own child. You can help guide them and hope they make a well informed decision. But at the end of the day it is their body, their choice, their baby, their life.. Freebirth would not be something that I would opt to try, (even if I could) but i think if there are people who wish to bring their child into the world this way, then they should be allowed, without having some medico''s breathing down their neck about how they are horrible for making a decision on how to birth their child, that goes against the masses.

What about the child''s rights?

You can extend the argument to other things: why is it illegal to wea

Date: 3/8/2010 9:34:02 AM
Author: AussieNic
I don''t think it''s fair to take an option away from someone. You can present them with facts. The pros and cons of freebirth, homebirth etc.. but that''s about it.


Right here now, in Australia (and I''m not fully up with all what is going on, so if someone else here is, that would be fantastic ) they are trying to pass legislation that pretty much makes it illegal to homebirth, even with an independant midwife. I think it sucks that we are now being told that we can choose from A & B, because option C & D are not on anymore, in the eyes of our government.


I know there are serious situations during childbirth, pregnancy etc (my poor DH thought I was dead after the birth of our first child) but I don''t think you can tell someone how they should, and are going to be birthing their own child. You can help guide them and hope they make a well informed decision. But at the end of the day it is their body, their choice, their baby, their life.. Freebirth would not be something that I would opt to try, (even if I could) but i think if there are people who wish to bring their child into the world this way, then they should be allowed, without having some medico''s breathing down their neck about how they are horrible for making a decision on how to birth their child, that goes against the masses.

What about the child''s rights? I''m pro-choice, but that stops for me once the baby could survive independently. What right do you have to endanger your child needlessly?

Extend this to other things: why should it be illegal to not wear a seat belt? Surely it''s up to you if you want to risk your life so you can have a better ''driving experience''?

Personally I don''t get this whole modern ''birth experience'' thing. Sure, there should be respect and kindness and making a woman felt like a partner in the proceedings, but all I can see is that a whole load of women feel inadequate and like they failed at giving birth because it wasn''t some uplifting experience.

 

[AussieNic]

Date: 3/8/2010 9:52:06 AM
Author: Pandora II

Date: 3/8/2010 9:34:02 AM

What about the child''s rights? I''m pro-choice, but that stops for me once the baby could survive independently. What right do you have to endanger your child needlessly?


Extend this to other things: why should it be illegal to not wear a seat belt? Surely it''s up to you if you want to risk your life so you can have a better ''driving experience''?


Personally I don''t get this whole modern ''birth experience'' thing. Sure, there should be respect and kindness and making a woman felt like a partner in the proceedings, but all I can see is that a whole load of women feel inadequate and like they failed at giving birth because it wasn''t some uplifting experience.

Some good points there Pandora For some people, freebirthing/homebirthing is not endagering their child needlessly. It is bringing their child, that they chose to conceive, into the world the way they want. We all choose to bring our children up differently, with different beliefs etc.. it doesn''t make someone else''s ideals better or worse, or right or wrong...it just makes it different. I know someone who went to a hospital, with their pregnnt wife, to have a baby in a ''safe'' environment, and then left that hospital, having to organise a funeral for his wife and daughter.. He lost them both, in the 21st century in a hospital. I bet they didn''t think they were endangering their child when they arrived at that safe hospital

As for "why should it be illegal to not wear a seat belt" For me, where I live, it is illegal to not wear a seatbelt. It is also illegal to put a child under the age of 12 in the front passenger seat due to the air bags. I choose for my 10 yr old to sit in the back. My SIL, is quite happy to have her child in the front seat.. but that is her decision. her child, her decision.



Wish I could discuss some more. I have a toddler up for a early morning bottle.. must go

 

[Anastasia]

While I love the idea of giving birth at home, I don''t think I could ever do it, either with or without medical help. (NOT that I will be giving birth again, I have three children and am done with that phase of my life).

The way I see it is that, yes, women have been giving birth on their own forever. Our bodies are made to do this. However, women and babies have been dying in childbirth forever also. My grandmother gave birth to 12 children, only 8 of whom survived. (This would have been in the 1910''s - 1920''s). I''m guessing that if she had those children with the medical knowledge that we have now, maybe they would have all survived. My mother, who was born in 1929, is the youngest, and was the only one of the births that occured in a hospital.

While I can respect the desire to have a birth experience that is less "clinical", I just know that I could never forgive myself if something happened to my child, and I was not in a medical facility where they would have the best chance of survival. I had three relatively easy and uncomplicated labors and deliveries, and I probably would have been a good candidate for a home birth, but it was not a risk I was willing to take. My feeling is that giving birth is less about MY birth experience, and more about giving my baby every chance of a healthy start.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I''m an advocate for a woman''s right to choose and this is extended to how she wants to birth her children. It''s not my place, regardless of what I''d personally choose for myself, to judge someone or inflict my opinion on their decision. Personally I couldn''t do it, but I know women who have (on purpose and on accident) and luckily things have turned out OK. And I don''t think the law should get involved in this.

 

[partgypsy]

I also find this strange and rather self-centered to tell the truth. I can''t think of a single culture, even the most segregated, traditional culture, who do "free births" (maybe there have been ones in the past, but they died out

). Even in cultures with with low technology/medical access there is still someone to assist with the birth, be it a doula or nurse, more if the women has higher status and/or income. Yes, women have given birth at home, in a taxi, in a tree, but that is certainly not what one should aspire to, if they have a choice.

I also think people need to think about the difference between personal preferences/desires that do not impact on other people''s rights, versus actions that do. People have freedom to do things, as long as they do not impact on other''s rights. There is probably not a law outlawing third trimester moms from sky diving, but one is assuming people use common sense.

 

[megumic]

Date: 3/8/2010 10:40:00 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I''m an advocate for a woman''s right to choose and this is extended to how she wants to birth her children. It''s not my place, regardless of what I''d personally choose for myself, to judge someone or inflict my opinion on their decision. Personally I couldn''t do it, but I know women who have (on purpose and on accident) and luckily things have turned out OK. And I don''t think the law should get involved in this.

I agree with this 100%. The law should definitely stay out of how a woman chooses to birth. While it does involve the baby''s life and safety, the baby is not yet born yet and although the mother is a vessel, it is still her body albeit shared.

It''s sad to me that the woman who went to the hospital have her placenta delivered then had to deal with child protective services, which quite frankly, probably showed up and checked for window guards, a crib, food in the fridge and looked to see if the baby had bruises.

It will be interesting to see if free birthing becomes a bit of a trend and sparks some legislation...

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 3/8/2010 10:40:00 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I''m an advocate for a woman''s right to choose and this is extended to how she wants to birth her children. It''s not my place, regardless of what I''d personally choose for myself, to judge someone or inflict my opinion on their decision. Personally I couldn''t do it, but I know women who have (on purpose and on accident) and luckily things have turned out OK. And I don''t think the law should get involved in this.

Wait - since when are women capable of making their own decisions?

 

[Steel]

I would be too scared.

I am always in awe of the stories where women have birthed while waiting for the ambulance or stranded somewhere and imagine they are very thankful they did not have any complications.

I wonder how the fathers feel? I know that DH would not be happy if I decided to have an unassisted birth if it were available. He sees his job as taking care of me and would hate to be put in that situation in case of complications.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

I''m probably the only one on here that would consider this if I were having more children.

My background: 4 kids born in hospitals (2 with medication, 2 without) and the last 2 were born at home with a certified nurse midwife.

Reasons I''d consider unassisted childbirth:

1. I would have the standard prenatal care with a midwife because I would not be comfortable with unassisted pregnancy. I would only do UC if I were low-risk, obviously.
2. I have had uncomplicated pregnancies and births before, so I know this is normal for me. However, if there were problems, I would change my plan to go unassisted, and I would either plan a midwife-attended homebirth or hospital birth. What I consider problems include: preterm labor, breech baby, pre-eclampsia, placental abruption, post-partum hemhorrage. Note that all of the preceeding situations can risk a person out of homebirth.
3. I live 5 minutes away from a hospital.

UC isn''t something that should be taken lightly, and if you hang around some of the UC message boards, you''ll see that most of these women put a LOT of preparation into their births.

My main reason for moving away from hospital birth is that I really hate hospitals. I also believe that a low-risk pregnancy is not a medical issue that needs to be managed, and I believe the high rate of c-sections in the US is mostly a result of OBs over-managing birth and adding interventions. Maybe this wouldn''t be so bad if we didn''t have an absolutely appalling infant mortality rate.

I have a number of friends that are convinced that if they and their babies hadn''t been in the hospital, they would have died because of the various complications that came up. OTOH, I believe that many of the complications arose *because* they were in the hospital and were victims of the medical model of childbirth. Of course, without being there, it''s hard to say which it is. It''s a chicken and egg sort of thing. Did my one friend end up with a c-section because she was induced, forced to labor on her back because of the constant monitoring, and only given a certain amount of time to progress? Or did she need the induction and failed to progress because somehow her body is faulty? I really don''t believe her body is faulty, but she sure does.

There are very few times when there''s a complication that comes up that couldn''t be handled some way while homebirthing. Generally speaking, if a complication arises, you have time to get to the hospital, provided you don''t screw around. Being in a hospital with the same complication is really no different because no hospitals keep a surgery team ready while women are birthing. Even when a woman needs a c-section, it takes time to assemble the team and ready the operating room. Really horrific complications, such as the worst placental abruptions, are rare and frankly, if you have that kind of complication, it''s not going to matter much where you are.

The biggest issue IMHO with unassisted childbirth is responsibility. The couple that decide to do UC have no choice but to bear the responsibility of any outcome, good or bad. A child that dies during UC is a tragedy, just as a child that dies during childbirth in a hospital is a tragedy. The only difference is where the responsibility seems to lie. If a child dies in a hospital, whether during birth or soon after, it''s easy to put the blame on the hospital. For example, if a baby acquires a nosocomial infection, most people would say the parents couldn''t have done anything about it, right? Really, they could have -- they could have avoided exposing their newborn to a place that is crawling with nasties! MSRA and H1N1 are two reasons why we were even more committed to homebirth this year than with our 3 year old.

A lot of research and preparation went into our homebirths. We were willing to take the responsibility for whatever the outcomes, just as we take responsibility for our other choices, such as co-sleeping and delaying certain vaccines. We believe that nothing in life is risk-free.

As for the doctor, I''m appalled at his reaction to that woman, but not surprised. Many OBs are threatened by homebirth (whether assisted or unassisted) and midwives.

 

[jewelz617]

I think a few have brought up the good point of UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.

I could never, throughout my pregnancy latch onto a preconceived notion about what my "birth plan" would be, even though I was encouraged to make one. Ultimately I didn''t end up doing it and I''m glad! I had vaguely planned on a natural birth to begin with, which wasn''t going to be a reality for me once I started on pitocin. And even though I had resolved to be pain medication free, that changed once I was 24 hours into feeling like I was being sawed in half (back labor).

None of this made me question my mettle as a woman. It just made me truly realize, the way ANY woman gives birth is to be admired, whether it be unassisted in the back of a taxi, or a planned c-section.

It''s these unrealistic birthing expectations, especially during first pregnancies that need to change. If you want a free birth because you have deep rooted beliefs that stray away from western medical intervention, that''s fine. But don''t do it to prove to yourself how much of a woman you are. Or to prove anything at all, for that matter.

And I also don''t believe anyone has the right to interfere in a free birth, should that be what the mother chooses. Least of all the law.

 

[sbde]

i saw the documentary on tv and was pretty aghast during most of it - having visited many impoverished countries where the mothers would give an arm and a leg to be able to have even one tenth of the medical support available to us i just found that the ladies featured in the documentary came across as selfish and maybe a bit naive.

 

[Jas12]

I am planning a home birth in 3 mos time. The stats show that homebirth WITH a trained professional is just as safe as a hospital birth for normal, low risk woman.

The key here for me is WITH a professional. My midwife community practice has 2 certified midwives per home birth plus an assistant (assistant helps a bit with early coaching, set up, clean up etc.)
Midwives can basically do everything but the c-section (in which case they transfer you) so i feel very confident in their abilities.

I do know of a woman who had 2 free-births. She has 5 kids. Two were hospital born, 1 was with a midwife and the last 2 were alone with her husband, totally complication free, but not something i would ever do. Also, my sister and i were born at home. At that time, midwives were not regulated in the country and so she had midwives that were essentially educated doulas. Today that would be considered close to free-birthing, but back then it was just the alternative to the hospital birth.

 

[princesss]

Date: 3/8/2010 10:40:00 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I''m an advocate for a woman''s right to choose and this is extended to how she wants to birth her children. It''s not my place, regardless of what I''d personally choose for myself, to judge someone or inflict my opinion on their decision. Personally I couldn''t do it, but I know women who have (on purpose and on accident) and luckily things have turned out OK. And I don''t think the law should get involved in this.

Agreed.

 

[swimmer]

Yes, I totally believe that hospitals overly "medicalize" birth. We all got here somehow... And expecting that all of us will conform to the bell curved of "normal" does create a situation where interventions are done when most likely nature would take its course. The avg gestational period in the US (so reduced by selective C-sections and other issues) is 41 weeks and a day. Yet many women are told to go in for the pitocin long before that. In much of Europe the time-frame for gestation is in the 42 week range and inductions are seldom seen. Fascinating! Oxford University recently put out their findings that Gestational Diabetes might not actually exist! I am flabbergasted the more I read...

Some people in my crunchy town have really questioned my desire to use an OB rather than a MW or to do the shabang at home and I just think of how I would never recover from the guilt of having hurt the baby if something went wrong. Also, DH is great at fixing bikes and our internet, but directing rather than assisting in delivery? oh my. Yes, childbirth is natural, so is arsenic, lead, and venom. Pandora hit the nail on the head with this guilt-ladden expectations that childbirth must be a transcendental experience; my personal plan is to wait as long as we can and then get medical attention. I am very happy to have the choice about what to do with my body.

 

[jas]

Date: 3/8/2010 1:47:26 PM
Author: swimmer
Yes, I totally believe that hospitals overly ''medicalize'' birth. We all got here somehow... And expecting that all of us will conform to the bell curved of ''normal'' does create a situation where interventions are done when most likely nature would take its course. The avg gestational period in the US (so reduced by selective C-sections and other issues) is 41 weeks and a day. Yet many women are told to go in for the pitocin long before that. In much of Europe the time-frame for gestation is in the 42 week range and inductions are seldom seen. Fascinating! Oxford University recently put out their findings that Gestational Diabetes might not actually exist! I am flabbergasted the more I read...

Some people in my crunchy town have really questioned my desire to use an OB rather than a MW or to do the shabang at home and I just think of how I would never recover from the guilt of having hurt the baby if something went wrong. Also, DH is great at fixing bikes and our internet, but directing rather than assisting in delivery? oh my. Yes, childbirth is natural, so is arsenic, lead, and venom. Pandora hit the nail on the head with this guilt-ladden expectations that childbirth must be a transcendental experience; my personal plan is to wait as long as we can and then get medical attention. I am very happy to have the choice about what to do with my body.

I agree with this.

For me, I viewed L&D much like I viewed my wedding day. It''s ONE day, the first day, an important day, in my life. My wedding day was the first day of my marriage. My sons'' birth (I believe it was their birth, I had mine 37 year ago) was the first day of their life and the first day of my post-uterine motherhood. I personally was grateful for the c/s I had, which saved my son''s life. I don''t feel less of a mother cuz they didn''t come out via v-birth. Now, 18 months later, I almost never think about how they came out...I think about how I felt when I held them the first time...which was many minutes later for one of them because he was in serious need of oxygen. Many people I know commented that I didn''t get to "bond" with them because they didn''t nurse right away..many commented that I was cheated out of some magical, powerful experience. I don''t feel that way at all.

Nature is magnificent, and I agree that we need to trust the natural birth process more (all things being equal and safe). I also believe we are a social species, and I believe that being in some form of community (be it medical or midwife or doula or older tribal females) is not an unnatural thing during the birthing process.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I am enjoying reading the diversity of opinions on this topic.

 

[somethingshiny]

I would never consider it myself. But, I''ve had high risk pregnancies, an emergency c-section and a planned c-section in July. So I would never have been a good candidate.

Home births to me are a scary thing because of my only REAL experience with it. A friend had a home birth (our whole area is very rural and therefore a bit far from a medical facility.) During delivery after an uncomplicated pregnancy (with a midwife) the baby lost oxygen. He was immediately taken to the hospital and then flown to a bigger hospital for care. That child is severely handicapped. Since I don''t have any positive experiences to counter this one, it''s all I can think about with home delivery.

Free birthing scares me even more. Not only for the possibilities of something catastrophic happening, but also because I fear that this will become the new standard to live up to. The highest standard of deliveries have been rooted in unassisted, natural, drug-free labor and delivery. Great, it''s what I had hoped for myself. But, adding in that you don''t even require a medical professional is just too much for me.

I feel it''s selfish and possibly negligent to go unassisted and I don''t support it, but I don''t think that there should be any law preventing the practice. If unassisted birth became a crime, the terrified woman in the bathroom who gives birth on the floor could be criminally liable for an unintentional delivery.