A concerned NHS midwife has issued a powerful response to a recent Guardian article investigating the Free Birth Society, expressing despair over the trend while highlighting the tragic loss of access to autonomous midwifery as a root cause of the problem.
The Exploitation of Real Fears
The midwife, who chose to remain anonymous, acknowledged that the influencers promoting 'wild' or free births are exploiting genuine concerns. She stated that medical overreach does blight lives and agreed that women can and should trust their bodies, noting that a healthy body rarely grows a baby it cannot birth.
However, she provided a crucial counterpoint, arguing that human physiology is not a perfected endpoint. She explained that evolution continues through 'survival of the fittest,' a process that in the wild leads to the least well-adapted not surviving. Humanity, she contends, has rightly sought to improve these odds not just through medical intervention, but through a body of life-saving social knowledge passed down through generations to facilitate successful birth.
The Vital Role of the Modern Midwife
The core of the midwife's argument centres on the essential, multifaceted role of a midwife. She described how midwives provide respectful emotional support that acts as pain relief. A good modern midwife, she elaborates, expertly balances clinical duties, such as monitoring for deadly conditions like pre-eclampsia, with the human touch of holding a mother's hand and breathing with her through contractions.
Perhaps most importantly, she highlighted the critical practice of 'watchful waiting' enacted by experienced midwives. This involves being discreetly present, ready to intervene directly or escalate care to medically focused colleagues the moment it becomes necessary.
A Call for Accessible, Autonomous Midwifery
The midwife labels the descent of the profession into what she terms 'obstetric nursing' as a raging western misogynist tragedy. She argues this systemic failure has two devastating consequences: it perpetuates heinous obstetric violence and pushes some towards the 'Russian roulette' of free birthing.
Her proposed solution is clear and direct. The answer to both extremes, she asserts, is the restoration of accessible, respectful, experienced, and autonomous midwifery care. For her, this is the key to ensuring safety and dignity for all mothers and babies.
