I’ll regret asking, but what are freebirthers? People who think birth should be free? What does that mean? I’m confused
Unfortunately not - these are people who take the simple concept that giving birth is a natural phenomenon that shouldn’t be overmedicalised and take it to mean that you should always give birth by yourself in a yurt. Freebirthers think you should stay home no matter what because ‘your body knows what to do’, that you should avoid doctors’ appointments and check-ups, and that you shouldn’t even have a midwife with you - just your partner and possibly a like-minded friend. There are many horrifying stories of women losing their babies because of this idiocy, and of women speaking out against this movement and being violently doxxed as a result.
I have to say - I don’t know what hospitals are like in the US, and we should take obstetric violence seriously, but all the same - personally, I feel strongly about this issue because without a doctor and without a hospital I would have died during childbirth. This is not a hyperbole. I would have died, and many women do die, every day, because they don’t have access to good (or any) medical care during childbirth. Not to mention the danger to the baby. So, whatever - if you’re young and healthy and you feel like it, giving birth at home can be a wonderful experience. But you should see a doctor regularly during your pregnancy, and you should have a midwife there, and you should be able to get to a hospital in 15 minutes or less. It’s the twenty-first century - women have a right to safe childbirth, and your baby has a right to live.
(Just to clarify: that last bit is not an anti-abortion thing - I am pro-choice - but I just think that if you’re carrying your baby to term, then for God’s sake give them a fighting chance to live. It’s the bare minimum.)
