Increasing numbers of women choose to birth without the assistance of a midwife or a doctor. The stories in this book, contributed by women who have freebirthed across the UK, help to explain why. These women describe how they came to be thinking about freebirth, how they prepared for it, and how their births unfolded. For some it was part of a journey following difficult past experiences with maternity services, for others it simply fitted with their beliefs and some grew in confidence with each pregnancy and birth. The women highlighted the failings in maternity care that can leave many traumatised, and told us about what they felt they needed to achieve a safe and positive pregnancy, labour and birth for them and their babies. Many describe how nourished they were by birth stories and hope that theirs will nourish others.
