Lauri Male and baby Jem at her home where she gave birth, with midwife Sheryl Sidery. Lauri knew she wanted a home birth with a midwife by her side in case she needed help. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Sunday Telegraph
Jess Martin (26 years old) with her four week-old baby daughter Alya at their home in Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains. Jess gave birth to Alya unassisted at home and without the use of drugs as she wanted a holistic birth. Pic: Dan Himbrechts Source: The Sunday Telegraph
IT'S been dubbed free-birthing -- the growing trend of women choosing to deliver their baby at home without any medical assistance.
But obstetricians warn the practice is too risky and can quickly turn deadly for the mother or baby.
University of Western Sydney research presented at the Australian College of Midwives conference in Sydney last week revealed more women were choosing to give birth unassisted.
PhD student and midwife Melanie Jackson, who is compiling the data, said many women were disappointed with hospital care and preferred to "stay in control".
"Free-birthing exists and it is quite prolific when you get into the communities. I have found many reasons why a woman would decide to birth unassisted," she said.
"Some women told me they couldn't find a midwife they were happy with. Others feared they would lose control of the birth in a hospital and didn't want to have any medications, and for others their choice was rooted in their desire to do it alone."
Ms Jackson said it was important the women who choose free birth are informed of risks and have access to a nearby hospital.
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Professor Hannah Dahlen of the Australian College of Midwives said she supported women having a choice of where they give birth, but ultimately the best birth was with a trained, competent and caring health professional.
She said there was no data yet available on the number of free births taking place in Australia each year, but anecdotal evidence suggested the trend was taking off.
"Free births are booming in Australia," she said.
"It's definitely increasing, there are websites and a real movement behind it.
"We demonise these free-birthing women, but what we are finding in this study is there is a lot of trauma and, sadly, much of it caused by our maternity system."
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists head Dr Rupert Sherwood said he opposed free births as they were unnecessarily risky.
"If people do choose to home birth or free birth we feel they should be fully informed of the risks," he said.
"We support birth in a setting where there is access to emergency care. This includes birth centres or midwife-led centres within hospitals. We recognise that things go wrong in childbirth very fast, they go wrong unexpectedly and . . . can be disastrous to the point of damage or even death for mother and baby."
Legislation requiring midwives to have indemnity insurance had forced many workers out of business.
"There is a witch-hunt on at the moment to find midwives," Professor Dahlen said.
"Now we have fewer and fewer midwives and women have no options left, so they are turning to free births and doulas for support."
A doula is a supportive carer who is not medically trained.
Professor Dahlen said more women were leaving the maternity system after past traumatic births and would not consider returning to hospital.
"They are turning to free birthing if they can't access a midwife," she said. "We have had women say essentially 'I would rather die than go back into that place'."
Women had also complained hospital staff don't listen, force intimate examinations or push medications that are unwanted.
"We have to have a very hard look at a maternity system that embraces all the ways and means a woman would like to give birth," she said.
Have baby wherever you want
WHEN Jessica Martin fell pregnant she decided the best birthing plan was to be at home supported only by her loved ones.
"I made a very informed decision to have both of my children at home with just family around," the 26-year-old said.
"I wanted it to be as close to natural as possible. I didn't want to be left feeling traumatised by invasive hospital procedures."
Ms Martin said her daughter was born breech, but she got through it with the support of her family.
"I honestly think a woman should give birth wherever she feels comfortable," she said. "If I felt something wrong of course I would have called an ambulance."
Ayla was born four weeks ago in the bathroom of her grandparents' Hazelbrook home in the Blue Mountains.
"Birth is one of the most natural things in this world.The fact I was able to deliver my baby at home breech with no hesitations, no violations was beautiful," she said.
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WHEN Lauri Male fell pregnant with her second child last year, she knew she wanted a home birth with a midwife by her side in case she needed help.
"For women to have their best birth they need to feel safe and undisturbed by onlookers they don't know. In my case that meant being at home with a midwife. It's up to each woman to find what's best for her and her family," she said.
The birth of her son Jem nine weeks ago went smoothly but there was a complication afterwards and the 31-year-old said she was grateful midwife Sheryl Sidery was there. "I would never go back to hospital birth unless there was a medical problem," Ms Male said. Ms Male said she chose a home birth after having her first child in hospital.
"While it was beautiful to have my first son Jude, I was disturbed so much while giving birth in hospital..
"The second time around I chose to be at home to quietly and efficiently give birth. It was such a peaceful and transforming experience."
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