I gave birth two weeks ago and by the standards of the earthy crunchy brigade, it was a medicalized nightmare. My labor was induced (Pitocin--the horror!). The doctor broke my water because my labor wasn't progressing much after the first eight hours. And I had an epidural after nine and a half hours.

Well, guess what? My labor only lasted 17 hours and the epidural allowed me to sleep through most of it. Because I slept through the early stages, I had strength for the transition stage and only pushed for 20 minutes (it helped that I had been physically active prior to my pregnancy). Because my labor was relatively easy, I was on my feet and moving around within days of giving birth, making caring for my infant much easier. And my son had an Apgar score of 9, so obviously he weathered the labor well.

My doctor and nurses were very attentive, my hospital room was comfortable and my husband was by my side and supported me through the entire birth.

I don't understand why women see a drug-free birth as a badge of honor and why they view doctors as the enemy. If there is an intervention that makes labor safer and easier, why not use it? I couldn't be happier with my childbirth experience.

One in 125 pregnancies have serious medical complications for the mother or child. If you had a 5-year-old, and he/she wanted to participate in an activity that had a 1 in 125 chance of serious medical injury or death, would you say okay?

This is irresponisble parenting at its worst.

My sister was born blue, not breathing. She was given oxygen immediately in the hospital, and recovered completely. But maybe my mother would have preferred watching her choke to death in her first minutes from the comfort of a candlelit bathtub.

Giving birth alone is child endangerment, unless you really are an expert in the birth process. I'm unaware of any time in history when women gave birth without experienced women surrounding them. It's arrogant to believe that you can control every aspect of life. The idea that midwives are simply extensions of the medical system is ridiculous. It's not that hard to find a midwife who is sympathetic and can guide you through the process, and who knows when to call 911 to get help. And there is just no excuse to not get prenatal care. A lot of things can go wrong during birth, with results ranging from minor injury to the baby to death or permanent disability. I believe that once a woman chooses to have a baby, she is obligated to bring it into this world in as good a condition as possible. What is an acceptable number of dead babies? 1 in 100? 1 in 50? 1 in 1000?

There's also legal liability to consider. If something goes wrong, who's there to witness that it was an accident, an unforseen complication, etc, instead of criminal negligence or outright infanticide? (What, other than intent, separates freebirthing from those horror stories about teens giving birth in the school bathrooms and dumpng the babies in the trash?) An extreme examplem to be sure, but with a zealous DA and a freebirthed baby, say, strangled by the umbilical cord (a not uncommon scenario, that can be easily fied in a hospital setting, but can be fatal if not corrected before the baby is delivered), a woman could find herself in serious legal jeopardy. (Who can prove no one strangled the baby after birth?)

Were I to lose a baby in childbirth, I'd be out of my mind with grief. To face criminal charges as well would make me suicidal. A medically trained, inpartial party (whether it's a doctor, midwife or doula) is not only important medical protection, but legal protection as well.

Dear Editor:

All four of my children arrived at freestanding midwife centers in NYC. I didn't take any drugs - and neither did my husband who was always more exhausted than me.

I'm not saying having a baby is a walk in the park - and I did a lot of walking around Central Park during #3.

My uncle, Dr. Grantly Dick Read, got the whole "natural childbirth" movement rolling when his book "Childbirth Without Fear" was first published long before I was born. While he observed women in the African bush and in the bomb shelters of WWII London giving birth without assistance - that wasn't what his book and his philosophy was all about.

In a nutshell, if you are in good health with no complications, consider using a midwife in a free standing clinic or in a hospital-provided midwife program. If a complication arises, go to the hospital right away. If there is an issue, or you are more comfortable in a hospital setting, use a hospital. Whatever you do, have medical care all through the pregnancy and after. Take the classes, even Lamaze classes. The social interaction with others in the same place in life is educational and fun. My aunt, Jessica Winters, Grantly's second wife, "invented" the breathing exercises for the labor classes that she originated.

But, squatting alone in a tub at home is not a good idea. The husband, father, sperm donor or life-partner is good to have around, but I'd definately want a calm, collected, experienced midwife or OB doctor in the room.

Yes, the mother delivers the baby - but the midwife or doctor is there for ensure things progress safely for both. Yup, I've had four kids, but that doesn't make me a childbirth expert and I wouldn't want to do it alone.

Most younger OB/GYNs today are comfortable with midwives. The really smart ones welcome midwifery and recruit midwives for their practices and hospitals. It makes sense to have a warm welcoming childbirth, opposed to something cold and scary, like a scene from ER.

Back in the day, laboring Western women were being drugged into unconsciousness regardless of their ability to deliver a baby without problems. With the mother unconscious - and possibly the infant too - labor often stopped, forcing doctors to heroically "intervene." C-sections and forceps. Mechanical beds, invasive fetal monitors that prevented women from moving around during labor,IV tubes, enemas, shaving the pubic area, non-essential interns who dropped by to stick a hand up to check, avacado green rooms and plastic bed covers - all made having a baby an unpleasant, mechanical experience that pretty much turned the mother into an observer, not a participant.

All my kids were born on elegant beds with pretty floral sheets that someone else had to clean up afterwards. Midwives scurried to check out baby, daddy and me, deal with legal paperwork, administer mandated shots, and advise us on the first few days. Family members, friends and older siblings were always in the room. A few hours later, we all went home.

And I'd cook dinner.

Go it alone? Squat in a tub? No thank you! Not my cup of tea. And not good for the baby, either.

Wendi Winters

Annapolis