Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world Highlight

Soo Downe, a British midwife and professor at the University of Lancashire, says the prevalence of freebirthing, while low, appears to be increasing across the world as women lose trust in professional maternity services. It is a dynamic that is especially acute in the US, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy countries in the world. Experts point to a number of factors: lack of access to midwife-led care, an overly interventionist approach driven by fear of litigation and a desire, among healthcare providers, to maximize profit.