Susana Baig has some choice thoughts about Freebirth being “Trendy”.
I wholeheartedly applaud and endorse her words:
Link to the Telegraph Article she is responding to.

I have given birth unassisted 4 times. I do not birth this way for bragging rights or some competition. I did it because my two midwife attended hospital births were terrifying, painful and humiliating.

During my hospital births I didn’t get an episiotomy, even though the instruments were all laid out. I didn’t need forceps even though I was stuck in bed with my feet in stirrups with no less than 4 people staring at my crotch. I didn’t need a cesarean even though I had a monitor strapped to me. I didn’t get an epidural even though I cried like a baby.

Yes, vaginal birth in the hospital is possible, but let me tell you it was hard to do! Though I was able to birth vaginally, I would not call them natural births. And frankly I felt like a victim, powerless to help myself.

During our 4 freebirths I didn’t get any vaginal checks and didn’t even birth in bed (I actually gave birth in a different position every time, standing, sitting, kneeling.)

And guess what… I didn’t cry like a baby nor feel helpless. I enjoyed it, felt in control of my own body, and felt spiritually connected. (How dare I!)

Following my hospital births, yet before my UC births, I gave birth at home once with a midwife. I didn’t cry during that birth either but the midwife pressured me during labor and needlessly insisted on breaking my water.

I don’t embrace uc because it’s “trendy.” It seems to me what’s trendy and bragged about are the epidural and scheduled c-sections.

I can’t tell you how many women I have offered to help achieve a natural birth and they have almost all responded,”I don’t want a natural birth. I just want my epidural!”

Guess what…. If you don’t want a UC, don’t have one! But I believe that having a natural, private, powerful yet painless birth is almost impossible in the hospital so I have chosen UC.

How about spending your time writing articles that encourage the medical establishment to bridge the divide and provide better communication and a safety net for homebirths. We shouldn’t have to be completely on our own if we want a uc or midwife assisted homebirth. I wouldn’t have minded having a doctor, midwife or hospital to communicate with in case of emergency. But as it is now a days, (in my state esp.) there is this great chasm.

I know many believe that homebirthers don’t deserve help in case of emergency. Problems are their own fault because of their audacity!

To me that just shows how competitive and proud hospital birthers are. Such thoughts also reveal the “controlling perfectionist instincts,” that doctors and midwives are exhibiting on behalf of their “work place.”