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!

It was the year Kurt Cobain had his baby and told everyone on stage. If that helps! We could hardly see him from the back though.

Nirvana played in 91 and 92.

92 then - just looked it up!

She's a beautiful baby- and I dis'nt realise you could get tu thus that small!

ha I just looked it up too. Took me right back it did

That should be tu-tu!
She held my finger yesterday-hope you're all jealous!

Shagmundfreud Wed 15-Aug-12 13:29:30
Feel sad at the idea that hearing a woman in normal childbirth is intrinsically harmful for children and that we have an obligation to shield them from it.

Shag, have a look into the causes of primary tocophobia... seriously...

There is actually a potential problem here. When I've done a lot of looking into stuff about where primary tocophobia comes from and what causes it, what limited research there is suggests that there is a pattern. There seems that in a high number of cases, the woman can name a particular event or exposure to a traumatic experience related to childbirth from a very early age - perhaps seeing something on television or having overheard a parent speaking about childbirth in a very negative way. It then becomes a very deep rooted fear.

I'm not saying that childbirth is intrinsicially harmful for children, what I'm saying is that there does seem to be evidence that when childbirth is seen as frightening and kids don't understand whats going on, then long term problems do seem to result from it.

I, personally, think the big thing is the context of how/where/why a child is exposed to childbirth is the key to how they react to it - rather than necessarily the actual process. Which does make a lot of sense really. I'm sure if a child was exposed to childbirth in a positive way and understood what was going on, then I'm sure there wouldn't be the same problems.

However if you are in a tent next to someone giving birth, have no idea whats going on, find it frightening and upsetting, then I'd say theres a far chance you might be setting those kids up to have problems in the future. I don't think its disimilar in nature to how people develop PTSD.

Which is why I tend to think that if the woman concerned went out of her way to deliberately have the baby there (rather than it be unplanned) then I do think she's being incredibly selfish in not considering the impact it might have on other people also staying there.

Its not like in the middle of the night they can just up and leave if they are disturbed. Its inconsiderate to be drunk and rowdy at a camp site - so why does she think its acceptable to give birth there, with a fair old chance you are going to disturb others in the process? Its just not.

She's wearing a tu tu?

The baby's wearing a tutu? Or the mum? This is getting surreal.

went last year wearing a rainbow dress
but did you give birth in an organic wok while you were there?

Whilst a lentilfest was showering over your head?

that wouldn't be allowed at Cambridge half. No Fires, no barbeques outside the designated area and NO giving birth

Oooh seeker, your daughter has been very kind to my DS!

hope the campsite charge her for all the water she used .

"The screaming could well have panicked a young child. The screaming probably did keep many campers awake. This might have been the only holiday some of these people get, and it ended up centred around this one woman and her unnecessary, inconsiderate birth plans. "

My poor little niece was traumatized when my sis suddenly went into labour at home. (no phones and a bil delivered baby) Very short and very painful labour in less than an hour, but little dn was found whimpering in the corner saying mummys crying.

Oh look, another reason not to go camping

ooh, seeker, while you're there, tell everyone about the Gruffalo at the shop!
(1st september if you've missed it)

(especially your DD, because I'm sure she'll want to help out )

God yes HarrietSchulenberg, it might have been such a git if an ambulance had to come roaring into a festival at night for...say a heart attack or...some self absorbed fucking festival goer that had decided to drink too much or some other naturally completely selfish thing to do.

Geez! So each to their own! What crime have they exactly committed other than using up a bit too much shower water and making some birth noises - bet the shaggers at festivals make just as much creep out noise to weird out the kids right?

So it's not conventional, so you might not choose to do it, but why do they earn the right to be slammed and called 'self absorbed fucking hippies' because they had their baby (planned or not) in a tent in a field and she has an unusual name? - which - incidentally is the fault of her mother not her!

There are many, many things in life that are WAY more self absorbed.

Maryz - do you think people shouldn't have a homebirth either, for risk of their neighbours and children hearing them crying out? Because any amount of forewarning makes no difference in that situation if the neighbour has no choice other than to be at home at that time.

And actually many people who labour and birth at home do so with their children in the same house. I did. It's one of the reasons people choose homebirth - so they don't have to be separated from their older children.

In other words, all the arguments you're using here also apply to MOST home births.

Would you also argue that it's very selfish for people to visit camp sites with babies who may cry at night and disrupt the sleep of other people? Because people with small babies have no control over their crying do they? And babies DO cry. You could quite reasonably argue that anyone who is likely to make a noise in the night should accept that they shouldn't camp within earshot of anyone else.

"There seems that in a high number of cases, the woman can name a particular event or exposure to a traumatic experience related to childbirth from a very early age - perhaps seeing something on television or having overheard a parent speaking about childbirth in a very negative way. It then becomes a very deep rooted fear"

Are you making a case for a blanket suppression of all mention of childbirth, including portraying it in drama?

My understanding is that cases of primary tokophobia have increased significantly over the past 30 years. Since home birth has become a rarity. I think you could just as reasonably argue that the removal of birth from the normal social environment, so that all women know of birth is what they see in dramatised accounts, and the mystification of the reality of the process might be responsible at least in part for the very high levels of anxiety large numbers of women today appear to feel about it.

Chris, a volunteer sound engineer at Broadstairs Folk Week and other festivals, said: ?We were well prepared for this fantastic moment and had terrific support in the last two weeks from an independent midwife Kay Hardie who has travelled with us, and from Georgina Batterby, Galadriel?s doula (pregnancy and birth supporter).

Touring festivals around the UK and paid (I assume) for an independent midwife & Doula ?

Blimely that's the life !

All this analysis aside, this deliberate campbirthing is very drama queen.

Twizzy - this thread has teased out some seriously nasty attitudes.

We're talking about the most special, meaningful event of anyone's life, that they'll remember forever, and there are bosoms being hoiked in all directions because they used too much hot water and may have disturbed a few people's sleep for one night.

Fucking miserable gits you lot.

You can't get away with dissing home birth on this board any more because it's deemed politically incorrect, so people are using this as an opportunity to exercise their jealousy that someone else might have had a birth which took a bit of bottle to organise, and which clearly paid off by being an amazing experience.

Yep, jealousy. I want to wear stripy trousers and your the festivals. You've found me out.