Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world.

It's almost like you shouldn't take health advice from an influencer.

For $299, she joined FBS’s paid-for, private online community, the Lighthouse, where she met the three friends in the room when Esau was born. To prepare for her freebirth, she purchased The Complete Guide to Freebirth in May 2022 for $399 – a vast sum to the then 23-year-old nanny.

…aaand there it is.

This is one of those situations where China has (in my opinion) nailed it. It is against the law for any influencer to post content about things like law, medicine, finance or education without having a degree in said field. Not a doctor? Stfu about free births and vaccines.

There's definitely a problem with doctors who treat mothers as an obstacle to the process of birth, and belittle and humiliate them through the whole ordeal.

Going cold turkey on all medical assistance in response is insane. But frankly I have a hard time believing that the American medical system especially will work to fix things quickly from their end.

The real solution is getting more people back in the field, and more importantly, purging the misogynistic shit that is rampant amongst medical professionals. And this extends well beyond childbirth too of course, its just the most prevalent pressure point next to failure to diagnose cancer.

According to the CDC, 1 in 5 women are mistreated during maternity care in the US. 1 in 3 if you're Black or Hispanic. 45% of pregnant women are held back from asking questions or sharing concerns.

Birthing mothers are frequently deprived of self-agency. When a woman gives birth, everyone starts assuming they know what's best for her without ever asking for her opinion or consent.

If you know about the husband stitch, or how women are made give birth while reclined for the doctor's convenience, or how frequently women's complaints of abnormal pain are dismissed, or how often women are yelled at while in labour, or they are threatened and withheld treatment, or how little their privacy is respected, you would know why women are turning to home births.

This isn't an issue of women being silly and brainwashed on social media. Women are being actively failed by a medical system that refuses to treat them like people and not just walking uteruses.

Everyone like to talk about how stupid women are dying in childbirth to preventable causes, and yet no one wants to talk about how suicide due to post-partum depression is a leading cause of death in the perinatal period.

So before you belittle women for choosing a home birth, ask them what kind of shit they have been through at a hospital that they would rather risk death than go back there again.

We've had two kids.

The first one was in a major birthing hospital, huge building that pretty much did only maternal/ob&gyn/neonatal.

The second one was a small suburban network hospital.

Without a doubt, hands down, no questions, even if we were in the parking lot of the other when she went into labor...we would choose the second one.

The first one literally treated us like we were buying a car. Just, constantly upselling us everywhere. Talked her into an unnecessary C-section because he had a large head and shoulders. Treated us like bad parents when she struggled with breastfeeding (seriously, the breast-is-best folks, and the LLL, can all get fucked).

The second one...the kid was trending larger and they were incredibly supportive of a VBAC. Which went very well.

All this to say...I really do not get surprised when people get skeptical of the medical industrial complex. In this particular instance, they did it to themselves. And of course that has rippling effects in other healthcare (i.e. vaccination).

Bonus story, A year or so after the birth of our second, my wife met a woman with two little kids at a COVID playgroup (like, an outdoor playgroup during COVID...not like a pox party), the same age as ours.

Over time they (and our kids) became best friends. We come to realize and piece stories together...she was one of the overnight maternity nurses taking care of us with our second.

Absolutely wild ride of an article. Unusually long for The Guardian, but totally worth the read, regardless of your personal interest in birthing methods. Went in expecting medical woohoo beliefs, left with a better understanding of the growth and formation of radical online movements. Make sure to read to the end!

Currently anticipating the inevitable sequel once they get hit with manslaughter charges.