Ok, so which MNer gave birth in my campsite this morning? I have some questions....

[TorchlightMcKenzie]

like, how did you fill the birth pool?
How did you keep hot?
How did you empty it?
Did you also deliver the placenta in the bell tent?

And many MANY more!

And, can I meet you? Am also in bell tent with 7 week old!

hugging a tree as she pushed no doubt!
What the f is a hand fasting ceremony.

Travelling the festivals... so are they teachers then?

no they are entitled middle class twats who don't need to earn a living.

silly me, & is that her real name or is it made up in a strange fairy kissing naming ceremony

her real name is Cressida

Blimey. Some one people seem very invested in this lady.

I'm trying to see the loveliness of this, and fully appreciate that the kind of people who attend Briadstairs folk festival are probably a little more receptive to having their sleep disturbed by a woman called galadriel in the throes of labour than I would be, but... I'm still coming down on the side of pretentious moron.

It wouldn't happen at center parcs, let's put it like that.

ah but how do you KNOW it wouldn't happen at Center Parcs??
lol

Well I wouldn't know. That's the point. I wouldn't be woken up by a hippy trying to fill a birthing pool from a tap in a shower cubicle with a hose. I would be safely asleep in my Biden pull ons.

If someone tried to use the Acqua Sana spa as a birthing pool I would have words.

yes well we will have to be careful where we choose to holiday, Cressida/Galadriel may well have started a nationwide craze, no paddling pool in the country will be safe.

Still trying-and failing- to mentally re engineer BroadstIrs Folk Week as a tree hugging, fairy attracting zone of spritual renewal.

A few hours no one else should have the inconsideration to disrupt.

It's a real shame birth is seen as something that should be locked away in hospitals and no-one else should hear about until - lo! - baby appears .... Reminds me a little of the same squeamish debate around breastfeeding in public.

FiveMonths- I suspect you have never been to a festival!

Well I have, Seeker...see earlier posts...even Broadstairs! but I take your point

Bealos - I'm not sure the breastfeeding thing is totally comparable though I can see what you mean, obviously...people not liking certain things to be done within the public arena.

But breastfeeding disturbs no one, it's not noisy, it doesn't use up shower facilities and it's not a matter that would gain anyone the attention of masses, should it happen on a campsite.

Personally I breastfed both children, the second one till he started school, and though I didn't much like doing it in public, I did so at times even when he was a large toddler. I tried to ignore the funny looks and whispered comments, but I wasn't doing it to get attention or show off, I was very embarrassed actually - just that it needed doing, at that moment, so I did it.

I wouldn't have planned it to cause inconvenience to others in any way.

It's a real shame birth is seen as something that should be locked away in hospitals and no-one else should hear about until - lo! - baby appears .... Reminds me a little of the same squeamish debate around breastfeeding in public
that's quite an extreme analogy......
tbh, although I have joined the anti galadriel bunfight with glee, I really do admire anyone who is brave enough to sidestep the whole hospital and overmedicalised birth thing.....a home birth must be so much more chilled.

Melanie - from my experience it's hugely preferable to being in a hospital, but then I had a fairly poor experience of hospital birth which really put me off.

I was lucky enough not to have to go there again - it was a close call as I had a PPH, but it was managed at home in the end.

Labour and birth at home were very very painful, and still traumatic, for me anyway. But at least there's not so much in the way of red tape and being told what to do for no good reason, iyswim.

Well, three of us managed to have showers during "the event" so it can't have been too disruptive of the facilities!

That's good. I hope tbh that it wasn't as bad as I imagined. I'm sure they wouldnt have intended to annoy people - just perhaps were a bit thoughtless.

Not asking the campsite owners beforehand was incredibly rude.

Sounds like Cressida was either ignorant to the fact that she should have asked, or she wasn't and just decided that her needs trump everything and everyone.

Its nothing to do with birthing being locked away in hospital. Its a huge jump to make when the main issue is about the mum to be informing the neighbouring campers not to worry if they hear her screaming in the night ( or day) as she's planning to give birth in the tent next door. I've got nothing against her wanting to actually give birth in a tent at a festival, whatever floats your boat. I made the effort to tell my neighbours when I was having a home birth and theres brick walls between us, not canvas. Its just manners really.

I don't think they need to give birth locales away behind doors, but do think a little warning to others would have been polite and reasonable. So then at least it's a choice to weather you want to hear this woman giving birth.

Yes and she was loading the tent with her midwife! There's planning and not knowing, but normally of I saw a heavy pregnant woman at camp, I would assume she would go into labour and take herself off to hospital, not to fill the pool and birth there.

How would she be expected to 'warn' the other campers? Put posters up?

No, just say sorry if I go into labour my plan is to give birth here, just those next door would be good