Please don't insult midwives. They have university degrees, hospital privileges, order lab tests and diagnostic imaging, and generally provide equivalent services to a GP.

That's an awful story, and I'm so sorry your mom had to go through that, but it's kind of really unrelated to the story...

She has no right to make enough noise to keep her neighbours awake the whole night. Be it because she is having a baby, screaming at her husband, listening to music, having sex, playing drums or any other reason. If she wants to have the baby at home she can put a piece of wood between her teeth to muffle the screams.

I'm guessing you've never had a baby before. I'd love for you to push a baby out of you and not scream or make any noise at all. it's one thing to be having sex or yelling at her husband but seeming as how she was screaming as she PUSHED A BABY OUT OF A SMALL HOLE she had every right to scream. Yes she should have told everyone ahead of time but no she can't be quiet during birth.

People can have their broken legs set straight at home or having their appendectomy done naturally for all I care, as long as they don't disturb me while doing it. If it cannot be done quietly the way you do it, do it in another way or at another place.

So as long as nothing inconveniences you? That's part of OP living in an apartment, people are going to keep him up, it may be rare or it may happen all the time but that's the reality of an apartment. She was giving birth to a baby, that's the most important and wonderful thing to happen. Sometimes life gets inconvenienced, people can get over it.

For me the reality of an apartment is that I have to be OK with some noise. Showers, washing machines, toilet flushing, people dropping things and so on, also at odd times of the day or night. The reality is also that I and the others have to keep the noise down at night. If someone is not willing or able to do this they are inconsiderate and should move out.

Or being as how they pay rent they're basically free to do what they want. And even though there are noise restrictions if you called the police about a home birth they most likely wouldn't do anything about it because it's a natural thing someone has chosen to do. So people can bitch and moan or get over one night and see how beautiful of a thing it is.

You are very ignorant to apartment living and just in general actually. Being kept up by noise IS NOT the reality of apartment living, in fact, if you make too much noise, it's ILLEGAL and that means any activity, including home births. My apartment discourages even showering past a certain time at night as not to inconvenience people, a home birth would be worse. If you know that you're going to be, or even have a chance of being loud during a certain activity, then it is YOU that needs to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Also, I'm sorry, but I'm not putting pregnancy, pregnant woman, and giving birth, on a pedestal, it is not the most important and wonderful thing to happen, not even close, in fact, with the population of the world at this point, it's completely unnecessary. I'm not saying pregnant women shouldn't get accommodations, but they are the ones who got THEMSELVES into this situation, so you are not entitled to disrupt and inconvenience other people just because you're having a baby. Also, just cause she pays rent, does not make her free to do whatever she wants. 1) she needs to be considerate of her surroundings, i.e neighbours, or she can be thrown out, and 2) you can't even paint the walls in an apartment you rent because it is technically not owned by you. Why the hell should you be allowed to birth a human in the bathtub or bedroom, a messy and unsanitary process, in a space that is technically not your own?

I guess where you live it's different. Where I live if you tried to call the police on a woman who is doing a home birth they would never tell her to keep it down or give her a citation for it no matter how late it is. I guess it's about actually seeing what a miracle it is for some women to give birth. It's not the most important and wonderful thing to happen? For some it truly is a miracle to have a baby and it is a wonderful and amazing thing like if you've been told you can't have a baby. Some people are just ignorant to the fact and don't care I guess. And I'm guessing you don't know much about a home birth if you call it messy and unsanitary, they keep it VERY clean and you have to sanitize every single corner of the house before even starting, midwives keep it VERY sanitary. Do some research next time.

Listening to a stranger screaming for hours while having a baby is certainly not the most wonderful and amazing thing happening in my life...

sure, having a baby is a miracle... To that family. every baby is not this wonderful, exciting miracle to each person in the vicinity. Paying rent does not give a tenent permission to do what they want. When I lived in an apartment I got a noise violation because my 2 year old had tantrums throughout the day (DAY...while the sun was OUT). The lady downstairs was pregnant with twins and it bothered her cranky ass. Too many noise violations lead to eviction. I'm sorry, but I fully agree with others that it was absolutely rude and inconsiderate of her to do the home birth in an apartment.

Wah women can't do whatever they want just because they're pregnant Wah we should be treated like queens because sperm fertilized the egg(s). Home births are great if you want that.. If you're not disturbing others. It's very common to expect screaming/yelling during birth and it's common for it to last any amount of time. If you are in a home that is close to others where the others that will be disturbed and they don't agree: don't be a bitch and go somewhere else. It can be just as beautiful in a hospital or in a family or friends home. Hell, go to a forest for a natural, beautiful birth. Music is beautiful, doesn't mean I want someone in the apartment below me turning their home into band practice.

Maybe you should actually read what I said #74. I did not say home birth itself was unsanitary and messy, I imagine the space would have to be very clean and sanitized for mother's and baby's protection. However, what I did say was the birthing process ITSELF was messy and unsanitary, because IT IS. During birth there's blood, tissue, and even fecal matter, if you don't think giving birth is an unsanitary and messy process, you're an idiot. Which is the reason why, in an apartment, a space you do not technically own, it SHOULD NOT be done in this place.

I do know what happens during a birth so no I'm not an idiot actually but it's nice of you to go to name calling. We have a difference of opinion. I guess watching people go through hospital births regretting not doing a home birth because of things they were forced into, I personally don't see an issue with doing it in an apartment. Everyone has a difference of opinion and I knew y'all would jump on me about mine because nowadays you can't have an opinion if it doesn't match everyone else's but I stand my ground and I respect your opinions and would never call y'all idiots. Have a nice day :)

Oh those evil, evil doctors, forcing people to use modern medicine and caring for their lives and not letting a layperson endangering themselves. One time, i broke a leg and they put a cast on it! I wanted it to heal naturally!

Same. Well, actually I made some noise(moans and groans from discomfort-nothing that would be considered loud) and only got loud once (second birth) by yelling one single word.

Different births and different pain tolerance. No excuse, you should actually expect to make some noise which is why home births in an apartment is very selfish and rude.