To think free birthing should be entirely banned

[StandFirm]

I have come across this article earlier which made me feel so very angry at the cynical extremists who brainwashed a mum into an entirely avoidable tragedy: https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/nov/22/free-birth-society-linked-to-babies-deaths-investigation
If I'd listened to similar cretins, I would have died in childbirth aged 19 and none of my three DCs would have been born alive or at the very least without severe disabilities. 'Pearls of wisdom' which gave me the rage include:
-ultrasounds are not safe
-women’s “bodies do not grow babies that we cannot birth”
Such ignorant perfidious lies. I hope the cult leader gets sent down for a very long time. That poor little child was robbed of a healthy body and many more actually died. I really hate the internet's ability to spawn dangerous cults entirely unchecked.

I don’t think it should be banned. But I do think if a woman wants to free-birth, or even home birth, they need to sign a waiver that they are aware of the risks and will not seek compensation/blame NHS services if things go tits up.

women considered high risk who are advised against free or home births should sign a form to say they are being negligent and if anything goes wrong they risk being investigated by SS.

No, free birthing should not be banned. There’s no way to enforce it. I was in labour and the local hospital was on divert so I was faced with an hour’s drive to the next hospital. I thought it would be safer to have the baby at home rather than on the side of the motorway. In the end I was accepted to my local hospital (just in the nick of time!). In your proposed scenario I would have been committing a crime for trying to keep my baby and I safe by staying home.

The issue is the medical misinformation and general ignorance. It boggles my mind that some women think that childbirth is anything other than extremely dangerous for both mother and baby.

When I say banned, I've clarified earlier that I don't want to criminalise mums - but something along the lines you suggest if the free birth is a truly independent decision OR if there is a malicious influence in their lives such as a guru or cult-like community (even just online), I would focus on prosecuting them/the organisation.

In general, much more should be done to contain the spread of disinformation, especially medical.

I think all Mums to be should have the choice how they want to give birth. However, I do think all Mums should be more educated on what can go wrong during birth & encourage them to seek advice from their midwife if they have any concerns or questions. I definitely think Mums should have a choice of treatment & give consent to what they do & don't want done during their birthing experiences. Doing a C Section to suit the medical Team & not the Mum is wrong as is doing procedures like an episiotomy without consent. Mums should be in control & if she or her baby are in danger then they need the options available to them asap. It's also very important for birthing partners to be aware of what the Mum wants before the birth starts so they can speak up for them if they're not able to decide because they're having to be anaesthetised etc. I'm sure a lot of women have had a wonderful free birth experience but to promote it as the only way it should be is wrong on so many levels.

I find it interesting to note that since this article was published, the instagram pages of both ES and YNC have gone very quiet.

Well yes there is because abortion is not allowed past 24 weeks as at that point the baby could survive outside the mother although with a lot of help needed. Not saying I agree with abortion either but someone having an abortion at 6 weeks is very different to someone having one past 30 weeks when by then they coukd just wait a few weeks and give birth to a healthy baby.
You say abortion is what they effectively did but they didnt as abortion is when you intentionally kill the baby. They didnt set out for the baby to die even if their decisions might have led to it it wasn't their intention.

That really is so sad.

I had a baby on my own
he was my 3rd child and I had my first 2 at home with a midwife
so my third child wasn’t progressing properly so I gave up my home birth and went to hospital where they promptly told me I was not in labour and sent my DH home
a couple of hours later in a side room on my own I gave birth to my baby alone
the midwife’s had tutted at me telling me I’m not in labour earlier and then left me to it

I did a little smug ‘told you’ when they eventually came into me but I am still traumatised 16 years later

I just rang my husband and took my baby home after that - my one hospital birth was a shit show and soon after that maternity wing closed down

I did feel sort of special and private and like it was all about me and my baby I can’t explain it but I can see why women want to free birth

I wouldn’t choose it but when it happened by accident it left me feeling many emotions (relief, strength, trauma) all at the same time

When you opt for a homebirth you have the risks explained to you. When my consultant finished listing the risks of homebirth, I asked him to list the risks involved in hospital birth. And yes, there are documented risks associated with hospital birth, but no one talks about them.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30063-8/fulltext

What a stupid comment tell that to the millions of women and babies who have died in childbirth over the years.

Yes I have twins myself and they wanted to give me a c section because my 1st one was breech but I said no I will give birth naturally but unfortunately they went transverse during the labour so I ended up having one anyway.

birth isn't supposed to be a life and death situation.

That's exactly what childbirth has been throughout history.

@NeverDropYourMooncup Birth really isn't "a life and death situation" for the vast majorty of women. It is ultimately a natural and normal physiological process that our bodies are designed to do.

Explain to me how doctors might have caused eclampsia?.. Or umbilical cord wrapped around baby's neck - in my friend's case. Or massive bleed after placenta separated - my cousin. Or my baby being a "stargazer" and refusing to turn over. None of these would be fixed by doing it at home without medical help.

A week post date due date - firstly, no one would have given you an induction without your consent, so stop this bull. Secondly, you are aware that the longer the baby is overdue, the more is the risk its going to be stillborn. Seems like a reason enough to me, but you be you.

You want to check history and what happens in countries where care isn't freely available,

@NeverDropYourMooncup You don't think there are a huge wealth of confoundong variables at play in both history and underdeveloped countries?!!!
Birth is not life and death - just look at the 1800s statistic quoted (and that was obviously many years ago so again, confounding variables).

Also, we must not forget that one of the leading causes of death in postpartum women is associated with mental health e.g. suicide.
It matters.
The birth process should never be: "Well the baby is healthy and that's all that matters."
Absolutely it is not.

Like the absence of medical treatment, you mean?

As long as women birthing in hospital have the sign the same form. They acknowledge that birth carries risks and there is no guarantee they won't have complications, including ones induced by interventions (forceps, induction leading to c-section, etc) and they won't take action if it goes wrong. After all, birth carries risks for all and they chose to have a baby, so take that risk.

I can't imagine that my signed consent form prior to attempting a ventouse delivery including a list of potential complications in case they had to proceed urgently to section was unique to the UK in 1999, personally.

It isn't just the giving birth, it is also the risk of infection afterwards.

How does being in a hospital for a few hours after birth prevent infection? More germs there id have thought

Post natal checks, they monitor your temperature, take your blood
occassionally get it wrong and miss something terrible, but balance of probability

I found childbirth awful, but I think if I’d had a clearer knowledge of just how painful and messy and distressing it can be, even for a normal birth, it would have been found less awful