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I'm appalled that anyone could say that women are the true experts in childbirth and then breathlessly dismiss the thought of a midwife. What a sad, discouraging thought; that in the name of 'freedom,' some women reject the very notion of sharing a birth. There was, for me, something terribly lonely about giving birth; having loved ones by me-- and an experienced labor nurse at my side-- made things infinitely easier.
And labor pains come from the fear of a hospital? I suppose my monthly cramps are the result of my fear of...months?
Lillian, for many years hospitals were a cause of the high maternal death rate, before handwashing became an accepted norm. I have no problems with home birth, as long as certain precautions are taken. But a home birth shouldn't be a lone birth.