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"Freebirthers", are women who chose to go through the birthing process without drugs or professional help. Also called Unassisted Childbirth, Unhindered Birth or Couples Birth, is not a result of an emergency situation but a mother's preference.

Veronica Robinson, an advocate of free birthing says that Western nations have been taking the natural process of giving birth and making it into a disease. Fear mongering among doctors and midwives leaves the mother to believe that giving birth without seeking medical help is unthinkable. That shouldn't be the case since birthing uses the same hormones as lovemaking.

Laura Stanley, also an advocate of free birthing in the United States, believes that, as long as clean water and reasonable living standards are available, then natural birth is safe.

However, not everyone is as enthusiastic with free birthing. Free birthing is frowned upon in Great Britain and Germany. Dr. Crippen, an award winning blogger, believes that babies born through free birth should have a legal recourse later in life. Citing the fact, that if a baby dies during a free birth, then the mother should be prosecuted for manslaughter, since it is the mother's responsibility to care for the baby. And in case the baby suffers during the birthing process, basically due to the mother's negligence then the child should be able to take action against the mother.

I salute all the mothers who undergo (or underwent) free birthing. It takes guts and confidence to get through it without professional care and help. However, I cannot even imagine myself giving birth at home with the help of a midwife. For me, birthing should be made in the hospital, since there's always the possibility that something might go wrong. Better be on the safe side, where medical help is just on stand by.

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