This article is a bigger load of **** than what I just found in my waterbirthed baby's nappy.

Natural birth units do not "put babies at risk"; that is the most defamatory statement I've seen in this publication in a while. This article makes it sound like choosing a natural birthing centre was akin to choosing to dangle our baby out the window. Natural births are by definition the safer and more logical option. Women did them for thousands of years before the NHS came along and turned labour into a sterile, clinical, medical process.

The author, who has obviously never given birth in Scotland, has chosen to deliberately ignore the fact that women in Scotland are given a tremendous amount of antenatal education and are fully briefed on all our options, much more so than women in the English NHS. If we opt for a natural birth, we are advised of all the possible complications and "what ifs". We give our consent to natural births knowing where we would be taken if something went wrong. Yet this author has chosen to present the minority of complications which would happen no matter what sort of birth as the norm, painting a picture of sick women being swept away from twee birth centres to modern hospitals in ignorant desperation.

And of course 1/3 of mothers had a traumatic trip to the place where they eventually give birth - that's what happens to women who live in the Highlands and Islands! If I had to take a ferry to give birth of course I'd be in pain!

If you have a good natural birth, as I did in an NHS birthing centre, it is a mind-blowing revelation to learn that birth can be a beautiful, amazing, empowering process, and the best experience of your life. It's not always the painful, defeating, exhausting ordeal that consultants and sensationalist writers would have you believe. And therein lies the answer to the vitriol against natural births - we wouldn't want women empowering themselves with their own dec

I do seem to remember being largely ignored my the duty midwives when I had my youngest under the Meadows Scheme. The Meadows modwives were fantastic and I would recommend their treatment to anyone, it was the obstructive attitude of non Meadows staff that put me in a potentially fatal position.

Jennifer, I said "not always the painful, defeating process", and in no way does that discount the experiences of women who have consultant-led births. I'm sorry that you had a less than positive birthing experience but having a positive and optimistic attitude is not being "smug", except in the West of Scotland.

Having had 5 babies (including 4 fantastic homebirths and 4 waterbirths), I have definitely found natural birth with a midwife to be perfectly safe. If I had listened to the consultant during all of my pregnancies, I would have had 3 inductions and 2 c-sections by now, which would almost certainly have resulted in unwanted complications.

In my experience consultants in hospitals expect problems and often create them with their awful advice.

#6 Well Said again! I think you say it all "in a nut shell!"
#2 I see you are passionate! on this subject, so between you both, I now don't need to say much more on the subject, you two "say it all"
If you Girls let them away with it, the health authorities would have you all in at 40weeks, induced birth, epidural, and when because off this, things start to go wrong and complications set in?? "YOVE GUESSED IT" get your CC!
"OFF COURSE" the Health Authorities want this for all you Ladies, after all it "SAVES THEM MONEY"
Now I Know its not Possible to have a smooth birth every time, and off course we need the Hospital at hand, but I have attended two births at Hospital, one was a production line catastrophe, one was in a lovely set "birthing room" and as #6 says its a bit like night and day!
DONT TAKE ANY S*** Ladies, its your baby, you have your say!!

#6 your web site is just "lovely" a true insight into womanhood! "well approved"