ABSTRACT
Much has been written about why women choose home birth (e.g. Pilley Edwards 2005; Viisainen 2001), and this book aims to revisit that topic only briefly in this chapter. The women whose stories are interwoven through the following chapters are unusual because they chose to have their babies at home when doctors and midwives advised them not to. The issues their stories raise are to do with defining normality and risk in childbirth; they highlight uncomfortable issues to do with bullying and coercion in the health service; they demonstrate the serious consequences of iatrogenic stress on maternal well-being and the huge importance of receiving support and encountering empathy when making decisions that are contested by powerful institutions. These stories illustrate the immense complexity of providing care that is truly holistic. None of these issues is uncharted territory; all have figured in the literature. However, these women’s stories throw everything into particularly sharp relief, providing raw insights revealing how midwives, doctors and women interact when all parties believe that key principles are at stake.
