Freebirthers: Delivering their
own babies at home, all alone
.The women dispel rearmongering' by doctors, midwives 'and
confidently catch their offspring as they leave the womb
children - all of whom were
London: They insist they"re
no superwomen, they have no
born at home without the help
of doctors or midwives.·
special powers, and are certainly not pain or adrenaline
Shanley
says that in
junkies. But 'freebirthers'
essence birth is only prob- ,
lematic because of three
choose to go through what
some call the most painful
main factors - poverty, inand potentially frightening
tervention and fear. As long
as clean water and reasonable
. experience of a woman's life
. with no drugs, no midwife
living standards are available
and no medical help.
- as they are to many women
Delivering their own bain the west - then the task is
to eliminate the other two fac-·
bies at home, often alone, they
tors and a natural birth will
dismiss what they say is
be as safe as it can be.
"fearmongering"
by doctors
and midwives and confident"As I began to understand
ly catch their offspring as
how fear affects the body, and
MOTHER COURAGE: An unidentified woman 'freebirths' a baby at
they leaVe the womb.
that birth is not inherently
"Birthing uses the same an undisclosed location in the United States on July 29, 2002
dangerous provided we don't
hormones as lovemakingtrigger the fight-flight reso why would you want any- was conceived, and it felt ab- In Britain, as in North Amer- sponse and shut down labour,
one poking and prodding
solutely 100percent right that ica, where its popularity is then tome it was natural to
you, observing you and put- we were the only people there growing, it is legal as long as want to just trust myself," she
tingyou under a spotlight?,"
when she was born," writes
delivery is not "assisted" by said. "It didn'tma.ke sense to
said Veronika Robinson, an Laura Fields from the US.
all unqualified partner, friend me that something that en~
. sures the continuation of the
Australian based in UK who
Robinson says medical es- or husband.
sees growing interest in free- tablishments in UK and other
To some, like new mum race would be a dangerous
birth among readers of The westernised nations have for Janet Sears, the idea of giv- and scary event."
Mother magazine.
~years been "taking something
ing birth alone, with no-one
Diana Drescher, a Dutch
Her comment is echoed by that's natural and making it around to help if things go freebirthing enthusiast who
into a disease", and now, with wrong, is little short of mad- lives in Britain, agrees. "We've
many i~ online' discussion
groups about freebirth, where freebirthing, "women are tak- ness: "It's my idea of hell,"
been giving birth for thouwomen insist having a baby ing their power back".
she said. But one of its most sands of years and we're still
Free- or unassisted birth
is as intimate an experience
prominent supporters, Laura
in this world. If it was that
as having sex. "We were the means having a baby with no Shanley, an author on child- dangerous we wouldn't be
only people there when she medical or professional help. birth, is now mother to four here," she said. REUTERS