One mother described how she recently gave birth to her third child for free in the comfort of her trailer without any medical intervention.
Chloe Patchett, 32, from Cornwall, welcomed her youngest daughter, Romilly, after giving birth completely alone at her camp six weeks ago, while her husband remained with their two oldest children.
A mother of three, she gave birth to four-year-old daughter Ona and two-year-old son Coby as free children, both born in the static trailers where the family lived at the time.
Chloe says she heard so many negative stories about medical intervention during childbirth and that hospitals didn’t seem like a natural place to give birth, so she decided she wanted her babies to give birth for free.
“Free birth means taking responsibility for your health and education, becoming more aware of how to take care of yourself and your body.
No statistics are available on the number of free births occurring worldwide each year, but the number is believed to be small but growing.
The case sparked controversy after a California woman’s baby was born dead in 2018 after six days of giving birth without medical attention.
Chloe Patchett, 32, from Cornwall, her partner and children, Ona is two, and Coby is four. She gave birth to her two oldest children in mobile homes without medical attention
Family trailer where Chloe gives birth to newborn Romilly while her husband stays at another camper with their older children
Six-week-old Romily was born after two and a half hours of work without medical assistance.
“A different look at birth. It is not considered a medical event. It’s a natural process and you don’t need doctors to be there.
‘I had heard about free birth from some online books and my friend also gave free birth to her son.
“So my daughter was inspired when I first got pregnant with her and it just felt right to do it that way.
“I had heard so many horror stories about hospital births that it didn’t seem natural to me.
Romilly with her older sister Ona. Their mother, Chloe, said her other two children were asleep when she gave birth in a nearby trailer.
Coby and Ona were also born without medical attention. Their mother, Chloe, said some of her friends and family were worried but that if something went wrong she would call an ambulance.
“There were definitely some concerns from my family and friends when I first decided to give birth for free.
“However, I tried to reassure them that if anything went wrong, I would call an ambulance.
“The first, second and third time after a successful delivery, people believed me more and didn’t think I was crazy or reckless.”
While all of Chloe’s children were accepted into the world through free birth, they were all born in slightly different places.
Romilly with her older brother Coby. When Coby was born, Chloe said her loved ones trusted her to make an informed decision after a successful free birth with her daughter Ona.
Chloe, seen in the pregnant photo of Romilly, said she doesn’t believe a natural process like childbirth requires “control.”
Partner of little Romily and Chloe. She witnessed the birth of her two oldest children, but Chloe gave birth to her youngest on her own.
He was born to her in a mobile home where the family lived in Devon, Coby was born in another mobile home, and Romilly was born in the family camper in Cornwall.
Chloe said: “My most recent pregnancy and birth experience went well.
“I didn’t have any scans, I relied on my body to raise my baby.
“I didn’t have to prepare for the birth. I only had towels in the trailer and tonight was when I was alone in the trailer.
“My wife Carl was with the kids in our other campervan and they slept through the night.
“I called my daughter when the baby came.
‘Birth is a personal and intimate experience. I think it would be unpleasant for me to be observed doing this.
“Obviously I would have been fine with my wife as well as with our first two children, but being alone meant there was nothing to distract me and I could get into the zone.
“It took about two and a half hours to invite Romilly into the world.”
After the placenta was born, Chloe buried it in her garden.
She says that free birth is an empowering experience and means your birth plan isn’t likely to be overlooked.
Chloe added: “If nobody’s involved, that means there’s nobody who didn’t respect your wishes before you were born.
“It is also a positive experience for the child as he/she is welcomed in a calm and peaceful environment.
“All of my babies were born very awake and crying. I immediately rub them on my skin and immediately breastfeed.
‘It’s a nice experience.
“It’s an intuitive experience rather than needing an outsider to check and control it.
“I was able to connect with my body and my baby and let the natural process happen by itself and surrender to the process.
“People don’t need to be in control of something that should naturally happen.”
Source: Daily Mail
