Woman plans webcam childbirth

OTTAWA – Breathe, push and smile for the camera: An Ontario woman plans to stream live video online as she gives birth.

“I think a lot of people would love to be invited into my house and physically be present for a birth and obviously that’s not possible,” said Nancy Salguiero, 32, a chiropractor and birth coach from the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven who’s expecting her third child on Oct. 10. “This would be the next best thing.”

Salguiero’s two children, aged two and five, were born at home and she has already posted the video of her second delivery on her website, yourbirthcoach.com. She said she’s inviting the world to watch her third delivery live online because she wants to show women natural birth is nothing to be afraid of.

A handful of other women have already given birth live online, but Salguiero said as far as she knows, she’ll be the first to do so with a natural home birth.

Salguiero said when most people think of giving birth, they think of women screaming in pain in a hospital. “That is so not at all what an undisturbed natural home birth is like,” she said. “Yes, you’re in labour, but it’s not a big deal. There’s no crisis, there’s no rush.”

Because she plans to give birth in a pool of water, Salguiero said she expects the video won’t be particularly graphic or show much nudity. In response to people who might raise an eyebrow at the idea of letting strangers watch such an intimate moment in her life, she said birth has only recently come to be seen as a private event that should take place behind closed doors in a hospital.

“Privacy is to each their own, really. The thing is, my birth will be more private than anyone’s in the hospital. Because I’ll have my friends and family and midwives or whoever I choose to have here,” she said.

Salguiero is asking people who plan to watch the birth to pre-register on her website so she can contact them when the time comes. About 800 people have registered so far from around the world and reaction has been mostly positive, she said.

Not totally positive, however. Salguiero said some people have expressed shock and surprise, swearing they would never put themselves in the same position.

It’s certainly not for everyone, Salguiero said. “I wouldn’t recommend it for regular people. But I trust the process of birth and I understand that it happens as it happens and I trust my body. And I’m good with mentally not caring that there’s 1,000 people on the other side of the computer.”

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