Freebirthing...birthing on a budget?

All kidding aside about the low cost of freebirthing, this was something that crossed my mind when I was pregnant with my now 1 year old.

What is freebirthing? Also called an unassisted birth, it is when a woman chooses to birth at home, without any assistance by a licensed medical professional. Laura Shanley, who owns the website unassistedchildbirth.org , has given birth to four children at home, unassisted. Read HER STORY.

Is this just a crazy movement by crazy women? Here is a short explanation: Why choose an unassisted birth?

On a personal level, my first three birth experiences were horrible--the first, an induction for PIH with every intervention possible but, thank goodness, a vaginal birth after 23 hours. My second I went into labor naturally but had heavy meconium in the fluid so the doctor scared me to death with the idea of respiratory problems--I was restricted to the bed for 3 hours of labor. My third was 8 days late and I had my water broken to start delivery--again, meconium, same issue of being restricted to the bed. With my first three labors, my dream of natural childbirth was shattered.

But it wasn't just that I didn't have natural childbirth. I felt completely out of control. I didn't get to make my own decisions--in fact, I'm rather educated in biology and medicine and even then, I had a hard time saying "no" to the interventions that were pushed on me. After each birth, I came home feeling spiritually and physically robbed (I'd like to say "raped," but many people don't understand that word for what it is). In each instance, the result was a beautiful little baby girl that was healthy...wasn't that most important?

Each pregnancy was an education for me; add to that the stories from women I knew about false positive genetic tests (and abortion recommendations), interventions that led to c-sections, babies who couldn't breastfeed because they were too drugged up after a c-section-- and I slowly became embittered about the whole process of labor and delivery with a medical professional present.

Half way through my 4th pregnancy, a lightbulb went off. If I didn't AT LEAST change medical providers, nothing would change. I was over 35 years old for my 4th pregnancy and was pushed very hard about early screening for genetic problems and was, in not so many words, told that I was ignorant not to get the testing considering my age. This was my first prenatal visit. On my third visit (16 weeks gestation) the doctor asked what date I'd like to be induced. I'd had enough!

I went to a provider referred to me by someone who had experienced natural childbirth twice. This doctor was said to be very supportive of NCB. I finally got the birth experience I wanted, even though it was at a hospital. I learned that you have to demand what you want and not let the doctor or staff walk all over you. I consented to 10 minutes of monitoring--while I stood rocking through the contractions. I then spent an hour in a jacuzzi tub, just DH and myself, when suddenly she was ready to deliver. My doctor didn't even make it to the hospital in time!


I watched the documentary "Freebirthing" on the Discovery Health Channel last night. I was in awe of the short labors of the women and I couldn't help relate it to my own short labor. In the documentary, the comment was that when you feel safe, comfortable and relaxed your body changes much faster. I noticed this as my husband and I were all alone in a jacuzzi tub for an hour and I was relaxed. I went from 4-5 cm to 10 cm in an hour in the tub! No one poked and prodded me, no monitors, no medical staff, just a room, a tub and a husband. I'm sure part of the dilation can be attributed to the fact that I'd already had 3 previous pregnancies, but I was still amazed at the difference. The contractions didn't even feel as painful as those in previous pregnancies.


My thought of freebirthing occured to me even after I'd switched providers. I had a friend that planned to do so (she was due 4 moths before me), but ended up in the hospital (the doc freaked her out about being Strep B positive). In fact, she ended up with a c-section. I was resigned to the fact that I would stay home until the last minute possible and deliver on the way in the hospital, if necessary. I even had visions of waiting too long, having the baby, and the ambulance coming to the house after I'd delivered. Ironically, that vision was a calm one for me.


Is freebirthing just the result of some crazy women afraid of physicians and hospitals? I'm sure that will be the general consensus among the medical community, but as someone who seriously considered it, I don't think so. It's a result of the frustration of women who despise how giving birth has become a major medical intervention, not a natural biological process. Even homebirth midwives have been scared into over-monitoring a woman because of law and a sue-happy society. Women who freebirth simply want to have a wonderful experience without vaginal checks, IVs, and interventions. When you're giving birth, even touch can be distracting.


One has to wonder how we got to this place; have you noticed how many women are high risk now? Have you watched the shows on satellite that scare you into thinking that you can't give birth unless your water is broken for you? (I have news for you, it's much less painful to give birth if you let your water break naturally--with my last, my water broke as I was delivering and it was great!) Watch enough of these shows and you'll be convinced that it was a miracle any woman ever managed to give birth before modern medicine.


Freebirthing can be very risky if a woman is uneducated about it, but any movement meant to wake up the mainstream world is often risky. It's not a choice I'd make, but I've seen some amazing results from it.