The reason why some Queensland women are opting for unassisted births

Olivia Ruby was 21 years old when she gave birth to her first child at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital. It was not the birthing experience the young mother had envisaged: she’d been in prodromal labour, a false type of labour that involves real and strong contractions, for a month before the baby began to arrive at 41 weeks. The actual labour was exhausting, lasting days. By the time doctors told her she needed a caesarean to give birth to her son, Ruby felt there were no other options. “It’s very easy beforehand to go [into the birthing experience] and say, ‘I’m going to be able to advocate for myself and tell them no’ … but when you’re actually in labour, it’s quite difficult to communicate,” she says.