About The Chattanooga Homebirth Meetup Group

90% of the babies born each year world wide are born at home.

When this country was first settled all babies were born at home, most with midwives.

In the early 1800's medical doctors campaigned to ruin the reputations of midwives. Toward the end of the nineteenth century the medical establishment called for the abolition of midwifery and home birth, a goal that was almost accomplished. Homebirth continued to decline, only those too poor or too far from doctors delivered at home. In 1900, midwives still attended almost half of all births; by 1935, the number had decreased to 12.5%.

Birth evolved from a normal event into a medical procedure.

Following the opinion of Dr. Joseph DeLee, a respected authority in the early 1900s, birth was "a dangerous process from which few women escaped unscathed, and proper management of this pathological condition required a program of routine medical intervention." Women routinely received enemas, anesthesia, episiotomy, and forceps deliveries. Arm restraints controlled combative women coming out of twilight sleep, and stirrups with straps became necessary to hold the semi to unconscious woman's legs up and apart. Pitocin was given to speed up labor, and the drugged baby needed to be resuscitated after being pulled out (Leavitt, 1986). This became the standard of care and by 1970 99% of women delivered in a hospital.


In time women began to rebel against the medical event that birth had become.

They no longer wanted to give up their rights and dignity and began to ask the medical establishment to be accountable for the damage caused by overmedicated, violent births. Midwives made a comeback within the medical world as Certified Nurse Midwives. Desperate hospitals solicited pregnant women with wallpaper and rocking chairs in the rooms and promises of a more 'natural' birth experience. The advent of the epidural anesthesia allowed women to be awake (gasp!) for their births. Sometimes they were allowed to keep their babies and breastfeeding was encouraged. Yet for many women it just wasn't enough.


Perhaps you are reading this because the hospital experience
of the 21st century is still not enough for you.

Perhaps you feel like you can bring forth your babies using your own inner and outer strength. Perhaps you are not willing to be directed and controlled, forced to follow some protocol other than your own that was put in place to serve hospital policy. Or maybe you want to have a say about how often or in what manner someone handles your genitalia. Maybe you object to rough handling of your baby and unnecessary separation after the birth. Maybe it is simply that you want to experience your birth fully, with privacy and grace in the familiar embrace of your own home.

If this is how you feel you are not alone.

Some of us have had babies at home, some plan to, others are just looking or want to support the principles involved. The purpose of this group is to create a space in our community where like minded people can meet. Many of us are professionals in the childbirth community. Expectant mothers in this group will find encouragement, support and information. We offer topics for discussion on pregnancy, birth and parenting, talk about birth stories, and provide support and resources.


The possibilities for this group are as unlimited as the ideas of the people involved.

We can get together to share our experiences, our birth stories, learn about something new or just socialize.


This is your forum for meeting up, I encourage you to take an active roll.

I will set regular times to meet, but any of you who want to host a meeting or event just send me the info and I will post it.


The only rule is that loving kindness be applied in all situations.

We celebrate our diversity and do not criticize those with whom we disagree. The meetings and lists are not to be used a medium for religious or ethical ideals. Loving kindness should always prevail. That said I can't wait to get to know you and have some fun.