free birthing (please don't post if you don't like the idea)

[workstostaysane]

anyone done it, interested in it, read the books?
i'm only just pregnant for the 2nd time - had a totally drug free wonderful home birth first time around and now keep thinking i'd love to do it without a midwife this time. just interested to know if there is anyone else really.

wow, on your own completely or with a birth partner of sorts...

think it is a great if brave thing to want to do...but what was it about the midwife that made you think you'd rather not have her this time around? was she independant and therefore is it the money? or do you just want privacy, control etc?

There are some interesting websites on this - google freebirthing - and some videos on youtube.

Is a happy medium to have the midwife in the next room within hollering distance?

I did - but it wasn't planned so I don't think it counts.....

Can't think of anything positive to post.
Sorry, but why would you not have a midwife there? In what way would a midwife present at a homebirth be a bad thing.

Yes, agree with whomovedmychocolate. A midwife present but not interfering?

I accidentally freebirthed - had a doula tho'. She was amazing. My labour was terribly terribly quick so it was good to have someone there to support me, better than my husband who didn't understand that "that's really stinging" meant baby was crowning and get warm towels for him NOW! As a consequence my shit-smeared, bloody, marvellous baby was wrapped in my best bath-sheet1

I was quite panicky and the doula kept me calm. Maybe I was panicky because I was thinking "where the hell are the midwives!?!" tho'.

Also, midwives arrived in time to stitch me up!

good luck!

i am interested in the idea

but in practice, i don;t think i could do it, personally.

a good MW will be really hands off and respectful of your wishes to birth your baby yourself, but can help you should there be a problem with you or the baby

i read something once on a freebirth site, a couple of years ago, where parents had lifted their baby out of the birth pool in such a way the baby breathed in water , and was very unwell as a result. cannot remember exactly what happened, and i have never read about or heard about water birth causing an issue like this before, but i think if you are going to freebirth , you need to be so sure that the way you plan to give birth is safe for baby, who does not have a choice about being born without medical back up.

as a doula ,i have every faith in womens' ability to birth, but i am not totally comfortable with birth without someone qualified around, just in case

i think the idea of a midwife in the next room is a good one

what is it that attracts you to freebirthing? seeing as your experience last time was so positive.....

I also had a totally wonderful drug free home water birth with DS, don't know if I'm confident enough to go it totally alone next time, not that there was anything we couldn't have done ourselves. Maybe we hear too many horror stories but I think I'd keep the safety cushion there personally. Good luck if its what you want

i don;t believe it is illegal

someone else acting as a midwife or deliberately in place of a MW ,when they are not qualified is illegal

I'd love to do it. I too had a wonderful homebirth with ds, and would love to have done it without the midwives there, one of whom just made me feel quite uncomfortable. My sister said all along with her dd she wanted to do it with just her and her dp, had a homebirth planned and midwife didnt quite get there in time - I often wonder if she did that on purpose

I have had a homebirth myself but loved having the MWs there, they were so supportive when I was losing it.

Why not have a MW in the room but hands off just to watch and jump in if anything was going wrong?

argh but giving birth is NOT being ill and in normal circs it is a very safe process.

think that we are all conditioned to believe taht medical back up will save the day, in fact half the time it is allopathic: it harms rather than helps in terms of the birth process.

i think if you are psychologically comfortable with the idea, in striking distance of a hospital and have no reason to suspect any problems during the pregnancy, and this is a second birth, it is a great choice to feel free enough of scaremongering and a culture of medical intervention to make.

personally, I'd want a (wise and experienced) woman there, which is a tradition in most cultures. not for medical reasons, but to support me through the process, having said that, if you prefer not to have that, why should you?

thanks for respecting the 'no negative posts' request.
free birthing is not illegal. its illegal to have someone there who is not a midwife but who is claiming to perform the services of a midwife.

my midwife last time was great actually. i was lucky she showed on the day cos the others couldn't really have given a toss. i'd like to do it alone because it felt really natural (even easy) last time. Afterwards the midwives regularly forgot to come and check up on me, but i think thats because i was doing fine and they had other people who needed them more. so i suppose i'm wondering if i read enough and prepare enough myself, i could do it alone. they left me pretty much alone last time and i coped.

mainly i just love the idea of being alone giving birth to my child - just her/him and me doing it together. it would be such a powerful start to a new life. i'll never forget the gloriousness of being at home with dd and dh an hour after having her.

I have had two babies where the midwife only got there as I was pushing.

I prefer to labour alone, but want the confidence of a midwife around just in case.

Neither time did the midwife do anything, she just sat back and observed.

What about asking for a midwife happy to do a hands off birth, all being well? Maybe an IM if you can afford it?

I personally think that going solo is a tad irresponsible, sorry.

also, if the midwife is next door 'just in case', you are already embracing the idea that something can go wrong, which in my (very humble) experience, is exactly when things do go wrong. so for that reason alone i wouldn't want one there

MMJ - noone eased dd's shoulders or any other part of her out, she just oozed out. dh is a lawyer so would not be on for breaking the law

WTSS - if things are going to go wrong, they will. The presence of a friendly m/w in the next room making a cup of tea isn't going to cause it.

Maybe you could work on some of your 'worry' feelings about the presence of health professionals?

I sort of get what you are saying - I have read Odent and know about how a physiological birth should be free from medical interventions and unwanted presences etc etc, but really, a m/w in the next room isn't a problem unless you make it into one, surely?

if the midwife is next door 'just in case', you are already embracing the idea that something can go wrong,>>

it is a tiny , tiny, tiny chance if you are low risk , normal pregnancy with one straightforward birth behind you

as i posted earlier, i am a doula, and have every confidence in womens' abilities to give birth , esepcially when they are not interfered with or disturbed during labour.

but midwives are experts in normal birth.. and should be on hand IMO

if you choose to give birth without a MW, then go for it, it is your choice and your birth, just don;t expect everyone to understand or condone your choice.

it is a shame that we do not have traditional MWs, women who have not neccesarily trained medically but have attended lots of births and are trained in the traditions of birth... who could attend as a mw without the issue of legality

think that would be an option a number of women would go for

anyway, those are my thoughts on it

certainly an interesting topic

Sounds lovely. I'd like just a doula if I ever had another.

I cant see it happening though.