Alternative Parents

P

prone_to_wander

Registered User
I know lots of people in Hong Kong do the natural/organic route here but I'm wondering if there are any really alternative parents out there that want to get together. I'm thinking people like radical feminists, un-schoolers, birth activists, unassisted homebirthers, or really anyone with a strong liberal bent to them. I am currently child-less but plan on ttc (trying to conceive) later this summer and would really like to find people who are interested in different ways of birthing and parenting.

Thanks all.
 
Out of curiousity, what does it mean to believe in 'unschooling'? Does it mean you don't believe in schooling at all or you want to home school?
 
I'm interested in the phrase 'unassisted homebirth'. Do you mean birthing at home without the help of even a midwife?
I'm a huge advocate of intervention and drug free homebirths, but the thought of doing it completely unassisted sounds a bit crazy.
We have lower infant and mother mortality rates these days for a reason.
 
Matty,
if you are interested in discussing unassisted homebirths and assisted homebirths, I'm totally in.

But I kinda feel like your statement "We have lower infant and mother mortality rates these days for a reason." is judgemental.

I'd like to find like and open-minded people who are interested in discussing different options. But if you don't want to do this, could you not hijack my post.

Thanks.
 
If you decide to homebirth (whether free/assisted birth) you should be aware that it will be next to impossible to register such a birth in HK.
The immigration department here requires a hospital record of birth to release a birth certificate. So you would need to present to the hospital very soon after the birth of your baby to verify that he/she was born in HK.
The reason is that they are worried that women will come over from the mainland, and claim that their baby was born at home and in HK, giving them the right of abode.
I have heard stories of women giving birth at home, calling an ambulance to go to hospital, and having the police visit to ascertain at=s to the veracity of her story.
You should certainly check this out.

(From a not quite so radical feminist who is quite liberal, but thinks that unschooling doesn't equip children for today's society.....:) ......)
 
Sorry, didn't mean to sound judgmental, just genuinely interested in what you mean by unassisted homebirth, as I'm wondering what the advantages would be by skipping the midwife.

I tried everything to organise a homebirth here with my second. The only option seemed to be importing an overseas midwife, which unfortunatley was out of my price range.

I've spoken to one woman who did have a lovely homebirth here, and she tried to help, but she had the advantage of being a midwife herself and had a close midwife friend come and stay for a month.

I still stand by my statement, not meaning to be judgemental, just factual.
If something does happen, it's certainly nice to have someone experienced to lend a hand.
 
This is a pretty interesting video about unassisted childbirth. She mentions Doctor Dick-Reed whom I've read about in another book called [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Husband-Coached-Childbirth-Bradley-Method-Natural/dp/0553375563"]"Husband-Coached Childbirth"[/ame] by Doctor Bradley. Personally, we used the information in that book to have a drug-free, intervention-free, husband-coached, midwife-on-standby, hospital birth which was really good for us.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Q_zCyjaw8"]YouTube - Laura Shanley-Unassisted Childbirth[/ame]

I don't think that there has been enough study on totally unassisted, home-childbirth to be able to say whether it is more or less risky than any other form of childbirth. I am not sure about the statistics on how many women choose this route. If anyone has some I'd be interested to know.

I find it all very interesting. For me, I am thankful that I was in a hospital because I hemorrhaged and really did need to be in a hospital with someone to stick pitocin in my leg and do some other really important procedures that neither I nor my husband would have been able to manage. I don't fully agree with all that the woman on the video argues but she makes some great points that I can agree with and do understand.
 
Happy V,
So lovely to find you. I think some unschooling, particularly when they are small is very appealing to me and then perhaps a Sudbury school or its ilk.

I have heard that you can register a birth if you have photos of yourself pregnant but it is something I'm looking into. I might just call the registry myself.

I think the term radical feminist not need be so scary. But I do like looking at gender paradigms and pushing the boundaries a bit.

Matty, It's cool. I have no problem explaining things but I just ask that people be open-minded. I think the thing that I get out of unassisted birthing is that giving birth is natural for women and that we need to trust our instincts more. I know for many women they can do this with a midwife but some want even more control. Here is a forum on it if you want to know more. Unassisted Childbirth - MotheringDotCommunity Forums

Also, I'd much prefer staying at home but as you mentioned, finding a midwife in Hong Kong is really difficult to do. An unassisted birth is in the back of my head but I'm not sure I have the guts to do it. We'll see.

Thanks for your replies!
 
Here are two more videos related to unassisted childbirth. If nothing else, the videos are useful for coming to grips with childbirth (or at least, that's what I used them for prior to giving birth).

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP1-KMKvuxk"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIt1O-StoIs"]YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]
 
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