Why I'm Sick Of Hearing About What Other People Think Of Meghan's Birth Plan

I get it. They’re public figures. Probably the most public of figures and they’re about to have a baby. Plus they’re royal so it would be foolish to assume that they were able to go about their business without any judgement or media intrusion but, for the love of god, please let us grant Meghan the chance to hoof a human out of her vagina any way she damn well pleases without judgement or opinion.

So she wants a home birth. Great. Good on her. I’ve had a hospital birth and a home birth and I’d recommend a home birth over a hospital birth any day of the week. Sure, it was my second baby, but I know LOADS of women who have had trouble free pregnancies and given birth to their first child at home. Some had complications, some didn’t. Either way, and here’s the thing, it was entirely their right to choose where and how they were going to birth their baby.

What? You wouldn’t have a home birth? You think that it’s dangerous and scary and irresponsible? Oh ok. Glad we got that out of the way. Not that I give much of a shit, and I’m sure Meghan doesn’t either. Sure for those of us who have given birth, we know a few things she doesn’t. Of course we do but this isn’t trigonometry. We can’t just explain ‘birth’ and ‘motherhood’ and expect people to understand it. You have to live it. You have to do it. There’s no other way so spouting smug epithets about ‘how she should listen to those who have gone before her’ is total bollocks. I didn’t listen, and I’ll bet both my ovaries you didn’t either.

Also, she’s not ‘terribly modern’ with her choice to have a home birth. Spoiler - women have been doing it for ages and while I’m not going to get into the pros and cons here - that’s whole other blog - the point is that it’s entirely up to her.

What she wears might not be her choice, where she lives might not be her choice, who she hangs out with, what she does day to day - none of these things she’ll have much control over. That’s fine - I’m not suggesting we should feel sorry for her because it comes with the job - but fuck me, if we can’t just accept that she is 100% well within her rights to manage the comings and goings of her own vagina, then there’s something very wrong with the world.