8. Eugenie's Freebirth: Exploring Birth Culture in France.

In this episode, Eugenie from France shares her freebirth story of her second child, and we learn about freebirthing in France!

Eugenie's first pregnancy was smooth, followed by a highly medicalised hospital birth that resulted in a spinal fluid leak.

After having experienced such a straight-forward pregnancy Eugenie was left thinking, what the hell happened during the birth?!

Her birth felt so awful that Eugenie didn't want another child for a while, but when the time was right she became pregnant again, and knew things could be so so different.

Eugenie shares how she worked through freebirth fears with her doula, and that she is "living proof that you can still freebirth even if you feel terrified".

We hear about the birthing and freebirthing culture and climate in France, how the freebirth communities are still pretty underground despite freebirth being legal, and how even home birth support is super rare. We talk about the 'medical deserts' of France, rural areas where it is difficult for people to access healthcare due to smaller hospital closures. Thirteen percent of France's population now lives in a medical desert: that's more than 9 million French people living in areas with inadequate access to medical care, so freebirth may understandably be on the rise.

Thank you for sharing your story Eugenie!

You can connect with her on Instagram: @travelling_teacher_mom

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Your hosts: Victoria @freetobirth & Leonie @birthwise.withleonie