‘No prenatal checks’ Why many Scottish women are choosing a wild way to give birth
It may sound horrifying to some, but for Scotland’s ‘wild pregnancy’ and freebirth advocates, ‘opting out’ of NHS care means taking back control of the birth process
THE woman closes her eyes, part elation and part relief as those first indignant cries fill the room.
Her partner can be heard exclaiming “yes” in the background, and a curlyhaired toddler looks on in shy amazement.
There’s something deeply primal about the scene, raw and sacred – and it’s been watched by almost five million people around the world.
Autumn Robinson is a little bemused that her home birth went viral, and quickly learned to brush off damning opinions from hundreds of strangers online.
In the black-and-white footage, she calmly unwraps the cord from around her baby’s neck, a scenario which many consider to be a medical emergency.
There is no midwife present, a decision which she did not take lightly.
Originally from Shetland and now living in Aberdeen, Ms Robinson has joined a growing number of women who are opting for both pregnancy and subsequent home birth with a difference.
The freebirth movement, as it is known, signals a change in narrative, a shifting of attitudes and a return to the days of old.
Ms Robinson is now pregnant with baby number three, and has declined all scans in what is termed a wild pregnancy.
There was no peeing on a stick – the traditional right of passage which has since become part of elaborate gender reveals online. Wild pregnancy means no prenatal checks at all, and in Ms Robinson’s eyes she has “opted out” of the service offered by the NHS.
This may sound horrifying to some, but for her and fellow wild pregnancy and freebirth advocates, it is a means of taking back control in the face of rising induction rates and emergency C-sections.
Women can be offered induction for any number of reasons, from predicted high or low birth weight to issues with blood pressure, or going past full term which is believed to impact the effectiveness of the placenta.
We caught up with Ms Robinson alongside a doula based in the Highlands
and a hypnotherapy expert, to find out more. Ms Robinson said: “I have not even peed on a stick, my mind is constantly blown.”
With two children under the age of three, you’d be forgiven for thinking she might look exhausted. She looks anything but, her dark curly hair gathered artfully in an up-do and bold lipstick perfectly applied.
Pregnant with baby number three, any sign of a bump is unintentionally hidden beneath the folds of her billowing dress.
She has a due date in mind, but she’s keeping it close to her chest. There’s been no ultrasound pictures this time round, and she “checks in” with her baby each day, normally in a moment of calm.
She openly accepts that in an age of medicine and technology, many might struggle to grasp her decision.
But it is exactly that – her choice – and she has never felt so empowered.
“Freebirth has been a journey for me over the past couple of years. Looking back, I never questioned the entire process of scans etc first time round,” she says. “My decision to give birth at home never came from a distrust in the system, but rather a trust in myself.”
There’s so much fear attached to birth, and my decisions seem to trigger people in their own choices. We’ve been conditioned to birth going a certain way
‘Exactly right’
MS Robinson was supported by NHS Grampian midwife Nick Berry, who she believes was “exactly the right midwife for us at the time” when she had her first baby.
She opted for a water birth following an “excruciating” back-to-back labour which went on for several days.
“I laboured at home for 48 hours before calling the midwives in – I held off calling them until I felt I needed the support,” recalls Ms Robinson.
Second time round, she declined the extra scans which were offered linked to her age. She went on to give birth at almost 42 weeks having rejected the offer of a cervical sweep, a process which may induce labour.
“It seems as soon as you reach 40 weeks, there’s pressure to be induced, whereas in France there is a 40 to 42-week window,” she says.
“My baby knew the right time to come out, and there was no midwife present at the birth.
“You have to be 100% comfortable with whoever is in your birth space – it can be a real test of your relationship.
“The freebirth movement is a return to how it used to be – being pregnant is not a sickness or a medical emergency.
“There will always be people who disagree with you, but I know I can trust my body and my baby.”
Ms Robinson hopes that the viral footage from her second birth may inspire others to go down a similar route.
“I didn’t know it was being filmed at the time. I’m just a normal person and I hope that it can inspire even just one person to think they can do it too,” she says.
“There’s so much fear attached to birth, and my decisions seem to trigger people in their own choices.
“We’ve been conditioned to birth going a certain way, but thankfully due to social media there’s more awareness of the roles of doulas, for example.”
A doula can provide support prior, during and after the birth in a non-medical context – with a focus for advocating and empowering.
“I think there is a misconception about freebirthers – they are somehow irresponsible,” says Ms Robinson.
Every single person I have read about, met or connected with that has freebirthed are, in fact, the most educated women around birth.
“In deciding to freebirth you are 100% taking responsibility for the birth of your baby, rather than outsourcing that responsibility.
“That is a decision, never taken lightly – it means deep-diving, researching and learning all there is to know about physiological birth, what your body is actually doing, what to expect, what to do in the event of the unexpected occurring etc.
“After all of that learning and researching, for the outcome to be an educated decision that the safest place to birth your baby is at home in peace, unobserved and unmonitored, held only in love by those closest to you and your baby – tells me a lot about the mindset and the mentality of freebirthers.”
Mum of two Jade Gordon walks a fine line between advocating for positive induction and empowering parents through hypnobirthing.
She believes high induction rates partly created a need for positive induction stories, which she struggled to find when she was induced first time round. The former oil and gas geophysicist went on to launch a positive induction group on Facebook which has gathered thousands of followers around the world, and also trained in hypnotherapy.
She has been teaching hypnobirthing, a method beloved by Kate, the Princess of Wales, for the past nine years across both Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and believes parents want to be listened to more than ever before.
“We’ve made a lot of progress obviously over the years, but I think we’ve come away from understanding and respecting people’s intuition,” she says.
“Understanding you have choices is so important.
“It is a strange situation to go to hospital when you’re in labour because every other time you go to the hospital, you think to yourself ‘something’s wrong with me, help me’. But when you’re in labour, your body is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.”
Regardless of the desire to take back control, Ms Gordon believes the concept of freebirthing will not become commonplace any time soon.
“When people say they’ve had a home birth, they still are met with ‘Oh, you’re so brave’,” she says.
“We still have a long way to go.” Former primary school teacher Fiona Reilly has a rota few would envy, and needs to keep her phone with her at all times. She has witnessed dozens of births across Scotland, but she’s not a midwife as you might assume.
Call for doulas
SHE trained as a doula 15 years ago, and is now based in Forres on the Moray coast. Having worked in Edinburgh and Glasgow where the need for doulas grew steadily, she believes more doulas are “desperately” needed further north.
“I can be on call for two weeks prior, and up to two weeks after the due date,” explains Ms Reilly.
“It’s my role to provide emotionl, physical and practical support to the woman and her birth partner. “Sometimes that can also be spiritual and, of course, educational. “I can never speak on behalf of the mother or indeed the couple, but in my experience, NHS professionals will check in with me during the birth about what the person may or may not want.” Ms Reilly largely attends home births, but has also provided support in hospital.
She believes birth has become medicalised, when women in fact “do best” in a quiet, dark space undisturbed.
“Seeing women come into their power is phenomenal, and the difference a physiological birth can make to a woman in those months and even years after birth is huge,” she says.
“The freebirths I have attended have felt sacred, peaceful and empowering.
“It’s a beautiful, gentle and peaceful way for a baby to begin life.”