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Dec. 26, 2008:
I added my "Naked New York" interview to my main page.
Nov. 19, 2008:
I finally added a new birth story - yet another unassisted birth of unexpected twins!
Oct. 18, 2008:
I'm happy to announce that I'm now selling copies of the new DVD "Orgasmic Birth." To purchase a copy click here.
Sept. 27, 2008:
There have been a rash of articles in the UK about unassisted childbirth, or what the media refers to as "freebirthing." Most
of the articles have been barely researched, and are overly critical of women that choose to give birth this way. Therefore, I'm not linking
to the articles! :) But this one was an exception.
Aug. 10, 2008:
Links to all the recent press about unassisted childbirth are now on my media page.
Aug. 5, 2008:
I added Clio Howie's lovely birth video to my main page, posted a slide show with photos of Clio and her family,
added links to an article
published in the Daily Mail, an article published in the Guardian, and
a transcript
from a UC radio show. I also updated my Birth Consulting
page, and put up a page about Meghan Rice's beautiful unassisted childbirth pendants.
July 8, 2008:
I added a link to this article that was published today in the UK newspaper,
The Independent.
June 25, 2008:
I added a link to this wonderful article
in Baltimore's City Paper about homebirth/unassisted childbirth, and posted information
about the unassisted childbirth documentary "Outlaw Births" which will be airing on UK TV on July 9th.
June 18, 2008:
I scanned in this article that was recently published in Mother and Baby Magazine (UK), and updated
several of the pages in the Shanleys section.
June 12, 2008:
Due to various problems with my web hosting company, we had to (once again) create a new forum. Re-registration may be required.
Click here to join or visit the new forum.
May 5, 2008:
At the suggestion of a friend, I've added a donation box to the donation page of my site. If you've found my
site helpful, please consider making either a monthly or one-time donation. Thank you!
Apr. 21, 2008:
I added a clip from the film "Milk Men: Can we Deliver" to my Milkmen: Fathers who Breastfeed article.
Mar. 28, 2008:
I added a link to an interview I did for Associated Press TV which was shown on the Today Show in Australia.
Mar. 22, 2008:
I added a lovely birth video by Reyvene to my main page.
Mar. 21, 2008:
I scanned in a nice article that was recently published in the UK magazine, Junior Pregnancy and Baby,
added a link from my main page to this UC article on the iParenting
web site, and updated my Birth Pictures/Videos page. To read my blog posting on the two
new articles click here.
Mar. 16, 2008:
I added a lovely video by Sarahjeanne to my main page, and a link to this fantastic article about a woman who had an unassisted birth in India.
Jan. 7, 2008:
To those of you who are wondering where the old forum is, we were hacked! Please join our new and improved (and hopefully more
secure!) forum by clicking here.
Dec. 20, 2007:
Check out this video of my family and me
swimming with dolphins in
Mexico last year. I also posted links on the left side
of my main page to more newspaper and magazine articles that have been written about unassisted childbirth.
Dec. 1, 2007:
I scanned in three articles that were recently published in the New York Post, the Sunday Express (UK), and Eve Magazine (UK). I also added a wonderful new
story by Vicki Williams called Born Free.
Oct. 7, 2007:
I've added five more stories (the last five on the page) to my birth stories section, and several fascinating
newspaper articles from the 1950's and '60's here and here (bottom of the page).
August 19, 2007:
Thanks to my friend Augusta who kindly volunteered to help me with my site, I’ve posted several wonderful new stories:
A Stormy Night, a Kitchen Sink, and a Freebirth by Felicity Dowker,
Beatrice's Birth of Albion by Beatrice Jasper, and Augusta’s own story, Natural Birth in a Foreign Land. I've also added a great
vintage birth clip to my article Laughter in Labor, and added Felicity Dowker's essay
I Am to my Unassisted Childbirth section.
Sept.
26, 2006:
We've added lots of new
stories in the past few months, and hope to be adding more soon!
May
17, 2005:
The
Bornfree Community Forums are now set up! The majority of the website
has been redone now, if you find any discrepancies or errors let me know asap!
April
20, 2005:
I am making a lot of changes to the website. It would be pointless to list them
all as there are so many! The links in the menu above should all work and some
may go to old pages. It will all be updated soon!
April
10, 2005:
NEW BORNFREE! BOOKSTORE ADDITIONS! - At long
last, this wonderful childbirth book, "Childbirth Without Fear" by
Grantly Dick-Read is back in print!!
A shipment of this book should be arriving within a week!
Also just in is a shipment of "A Clear Road to Birth" DVDs for those of
you who don't want it in VHS format.
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What's
new in the world of Unassisted Childbirth?
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by Laura Shanley
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June 7, 2009:
This month, three programs featuring unassisted births will be airing on the
Discovery Health Channel. "Twins By Surprise" (June 14th) and
"Births Beyond Belief" (June 16th) each recreate one unassisted birth (along with several midwife and doctor assisted
births), and "Freebirthing" (the unassisted childbirth documentary) will be airing once again on June 18th.
Feb. 10, 2009:
Feb. 24th, the unassisted childbirth documentary "Freebirthing" is airing once again on the
Discovery Health Channel. Click here to read more about it.
Jan. 24, 2009:
Last week I took a quick trip to Hollywood where I spoke ever so briefly about
orgasmic birth on The Doctors (CBS TV). The show airs this Monday (Jan. 26). Because it's syndicated, in some areas
it airs on other networks. For local listings click here.
The show is called "Shocking Health Trends" so prepare to be shocked! :) "From a gold facial, to swimming without water to having an orgasm during childbirth, The Doctors
brings you the 10 most shocking health trends of the year, and helps you decide whether or not they are right for you!"
Jan. 7, 2009:
Well, the "20/20" motherhood show finally aired! It wasn't too bad! It was shorter than I expected (5 minutes) but I felt they
presented me in a positive light. To see the segment, click on the video in this article. To read my blog posting about it click here.
Dec. 11, 2008:
OK, so we were bumped again! New tentative air date for the "20/20"
motherhood show is Jan. 2nd. An article I was interviewed for was just posted on the ABC news web site. Click here to read it.
Dec. 9, 2008:
It looks like the "20/20" motherhood show is finally airing this Friday night!
The show features a brief interview with me about unassisted childbirth, as well as segments on homebirth with midwives, orgasmic birth and long-term breastfeeding. An article about orgasmic birth was
posted today on the ABC news web site. I've written several articles about orgasmic birth (see the sensual birth section of my site), and was actually interviewed for this segment as well, but as far
as I know, my comments about this ended up on the cutting room floor.
Nov. 22, 2008:
This past Thurs. I was interviewed about unassisted childbirth and
orgasmic birth on BlogTalkRadio. The host, Denika Laurie (aka Lady Finex) was very receptive! To listen to the hour-long show click here.
Nov. 19, 2008:
The response to "Freebirthing has been overwhelmingly positive! Discovery
has told me it was their highest ratest show! It's set to air again on Nov. 22, 23, and 24. Once again,
we have a new tentative air date for the "20/20" motherhood show - Dec. 12. Despite the title, "Extreme Motherhood," the producer has assured me that the homebirth
segment is presented in a fair and balanced way.
Nov. 2, 2008:
"Freebirthing" will be airing again on the Discovery Health
Channel on Nov. 18th and 22nd. For more information click here.
Oct. 29, 2008:
Well, I've been bumped for Sarah Palin! "20/20" decided to delay the
childbirth show once again, and instead air an interview with Sarah Palin. I'm actually fine with it, as I wasn't thrilled with the show airing on Halloween. I can't say I'm too pleased with the title of the show: "Extreme Motherhood." But hopefully some truth will get through.
Oct. 18, 2008:
We have a new (tentative) air date for the "20/20" childbirth show: Oct. 31st. The
show will include segments on unassisted childbirth (featuring yours truly), homebirth with midwives, and orgasmic birth.
Oct. 9, 2008:
"Freebirthing" will be premiering on the Discovery Health Channel on Oct. 21st! For
more information click here.
Sept. 27, 2008:
"Outlaw Births" has been purchased by the Discovery Health Channel, and will be
airing soon in the US, and possibly elsewhere. I'll post info as soon as I get a definite date. I believe the title has been changed, and there will be a new narration. In other news
I'm off to Austin to speak at the Hypnobirthing conference. Should be fun!
July 8, 2008:
"Outlaw Births," a British documentary about unassisted childbirth, will
be airing tomorrow on Channel 5 in the UK at 9pm. I put up a small web site about it here and blogged about it
here. I don't know what their take on it will be but I'm hoping for the best!
May 1, 2008:
The "20/20" motherhood show has been postponed. As soon as a new air date has been announced I'll
post it here.
Apr. 21, 2008:
I'm excited to announce that I'll be appearing on ABC's "20/20" on May 16th. I'll be
speaking about unassisted childbirth and orgasmic birth!
Mar. 21, 2008:
The Trust Birth Conference was fabulous! You can read about it
in my blog.
Dec. 1, 2007:
Several weeks ago I was asked to speak at the
Trust Birth Conference! I hope to see many of you there!
August 19, 2007:
Unassisted Childbirth (freebirth) articles continue to appear in the news. I've
posted links to most of the articles on the left side of my main page.
July 18, 2007:
I'm pleased to say that a major TV station in the UK has
commissioned a documentary about unassisted childbirth! The producers are hoping to find three women or couples either in the US or the UK that are
planning unassisted births and are willing to be interviewed both before and after the birth. They may also be interested in speaking with women who have already had
unassisted births (but only in the UK). Those of you who are interested can email me and I'll put you in touch with the producers. In other UK news, I wrote about
my recent UK TV appearance in my blog. Check it out - UC on UK TV.
July 3, 2007:
I finally have a moment to breathe! The Guardian article
inspired a wave of publicity that is just now subsiding! I've done nine interviews in the past two weeks, including one for a
TV show in London!
May 13, 2007:
It's Mother's Day and life in "Unassisted Childbirth Land" is hopping! Two UC articles were published this week,
Going it alone
by Viv Groskop for the Guardian (UK) and
Baby's Day Out for Westword (Denver, CO) by Jared Jacang Maher. Overall I was pleased with the Guardian
article, although at the end there is a birth story that ends with a transfer to the hospital.
It would have been nice to end the article on a more positive note, but the birth story wasn’t
horrendous, and wouldn’t necessarily dissuade someone from having a UC. I felt the tone of the article
was positive, and I enjoyed my interactions with the reporter. I don’t agree with one of the
writers she quoted, Tina Cassidy, who said that "there is virtually no historical precedent
for this movement: 'Since the beginning of time women have turned to other women for help in
childbirth.'” As I wrote after the NY Times article was published, there actually is
historical
precedence for women giving birth alone. Some of the other comments made by Cassidy were actually somewhat supportive of UC.
The Westword article was more extensive, and also ends with a transfer to the hospital. As often happens, there are “quotes” from me that need correcting.
In describing Willie’s birth he wrote: “The baby, she realized, was traveling the birth canal upside down. 'And I said to my husband, "What do I do, do I call
an ambulance?"" I never said this. However, David did ask if he should call an ambulance and I said no. I have never asked anyone what I should do in labor, as I've always felt that essentially I should do nothing!
I spent quite a bit of time with Jared (the Westword reporter) - two in-person interviews, and several phone conversations.
And as he states in the article, he listened to the talk I gave at the ICAN meeting. I think his intentions were good,
but I can’t say he really grasped what I was talking about to the extent that I hoped he would. The dangers of medical intervention
weren’t really addressed in the article, and the fact that the article ends with a transfer no doubt will leave many people with the
impression that transferring with a UC is typical. The “professionals” interviewed for the article came across as
“the voices of reason.” In my talks, in my book, and on my web site I address the belief that throughout history, women and babies
have routinely died in childbirth (more often it is due to poor living conditions than lack of medical assistance). But Jared did not
choose to share my thoughts on that subject, or perhaps they were edited out of the article. The article contains two nice clips from
Judy Seaman’s UC documentary, A Clear Road to Birth.
In other news, last week our local paper ran a big article about my daughter Joy! A model of good health: Local model enjoys career as a size 12. Congratulations, Joy!
September 26, 2006:
After reading a post on my forums from someone who wondered if I was still
around, I decided I'd better check in! My life has been fairly uneventful this
past year. David and I survived our first year as empty nesters, and actually
enjoyed the peace and quiet! Michelle (19) just started her second year of
college, Joy (23) is still going to school and modeling (look for a curvaceous
mannequin made from a mold of her body at Talbot stores across the country this
fall!), Willie (26) is still writing for the Denver Post, and John (28) just
started a new job working for The Foundry in Boulder. In honor of Willie's
birthday (Aug. 17th), Willie and Joy went skydiving last month!
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