After listening to Guardian podcast series Guardians of Birth, I feel compelled to share my own story. I believe it is important to share examples of the middle path between free birth and obstetric violence. Personally, I chose the middle path.
My child was born at home. At the time we were living off the grid in an isolated village in France. We knew of many women who chose to give birth at home in our village, accompanied by the only independent certified midwife in the area, who took on the risk of accompanying a home birth in this particularly isolated location.
We were also friends with a licensed physical therapist—a mother of three home-born children—who agreed to accompany me throughout my pregnancy and promised to be with us on our baby's birthday.
On the day the baby was born, under the guidance of our friend, I was in conscious movement all day throughout all the contractions. Our midwife arrived late in the evening, a couple of hours before the birth.
I was able to maintain control of my body in the presence of my child's father and two professional, very experienced women by my side to ensure my safety and the safety of my child.
We need evidence-based comparative studies of maternal and child mortality in unassisted and hospital births. Without clear numbers, women are left in a state of confusion and fear, making it difficult to make informed choices.
Olympia Bowman
Di, France
It is absolute nonsense to say that the risks of childbirth without medical assistance are “not fully understood” (Editorial, December 15). We know the risks from thousands of years of history, when many women died in childbirth and many children were stillborn, and when mothers and children were often seriously harmed if they survived; and now, based on other parts of the world, we know exactly what those risks are.
Helen Style
Richmond, London
