Tammy Ballantyne Webber (35) and husband Brad Webber (36), who live in Parkview, had a baby girl in July 2006. S
he was born in their former home in Parkwood. Tammy, who works from home co-ordinating and managing art projects, is a life-long vegetarian and so, she says, is her 20-month-old daughter, Amélie Judy Ballantyne Webber
I try to share my birth experience and advocate for natural, holistic births whenever I can.
I am very healthy. I have practised Pilates and Yoga for many years, and continued to do so throughout my pregnancy.
I chose to have a midwife as my primary caregiver, and my husband and I decided that a home birth was the way we wanted to go. Neither of us like hospitals and have never spent time in them, we really wanted to welcome our baby into the world in a familiar, warm, cosy environment.
We embarked on a most satisfying, enlightening and joyful journey with our midwife, Sharon Marsay, and four other couples. The information and knowledge she shared with us, the attention to detail, and the absolute belief in trusting yourself and your body to do what is necessary when the time comes were essential in our growth and preparation for our baby's arrival.
Yet our decision to have a home birth with a midwife was met with cries of alarm from many colleagues and friends, who trotted out horror stories and accused us of taking risks, and endangering mine and our baby's lives.
We feel that this is largely due to ignorance and a willingness to be sucked into the system here in South Africa, one that advocates hospitalisation, specialised physicians, reliance on machines and technology.
It was quite arduous having to defend our position. Eventually we stopped trying and just got on with getting ready for the birth. However, our families and many friends were completely supportive, believing wholeheartedly in our choices and philosophy.
My gynaecologist, Dr Malepule Mseleku, whom I visited only three times, also gave us her full support and affirmation, but I think she is very much in the minority.
A home birth requires a huge amount of preparation; everything needs to be ready days before the expected date.
When the day came and I went into labour, my mother Delia and caregiver Dolly Neo Tumelo were with me at home.
The contractions started at 7am, by 10am I was on my hands and knees breathing, exercising and working through the labour.
The birthing pool was set up. A fibreglass pool, it had a soft lining and a bean bag under one side. I could really move around a lot in the pool.
Everything was ready. The fires were going (it was a cold July day), the music was playing and the candles were lit.
I called my doula, Theoni Papoutsis, with whom I had built up a wonderful relationship over the months.
By the time she arrived, with another doula called Donna who was shadowing her, I was in a hot bath managing my contractions.
Theoni then called Sharon, who arrived shortly afterwards and did a brief internal. I was 6cm dilated by noon.
And so began an incredible journey of labour surrounded by amazing women and my husband, who participated in every moment.
The birthing pool was fantastic, the warm water just eased those contractions.
I was lucid, mobile, walking around, squatting, getting in and out of the pool, having my back massaged, sitting on the exercise ball.
Not once did I ever lie on my back - the idea is to use gravity to push the baby out. I think lying on your back in a rigid bath is neither comfortable nor natural. It just doesn't do waterbirthing any justice.
During my labour, only homeopathic remedies were administered. My midwife used a small heart-rate monitor to check the baby's heartbeat, which remained constant and never exhibited signs of stress.
After 11 hours of - yes - very hard labour, our beautiful daughter was born into the water and candlelight at dusk.
I was facing forwards, resting my arms on a flotation pillow, and Sharon caught my baby as she slipped into the water. It was calm, serene, relaxed and the emotion that poured out is hard to describe - that room was full of love, joy and new life.
My husband clamped and cut the cord, moments after the birth our baby nestled first on my chest and then on his. She weighed 3,7kg, a very healthy weight and big for me! I did not tear at all and delivered the placenta within minutes of the birth.
An hour later we were in the lounge, around the fireplace, drinking tea and munching toast while I learnt how to breastfeed.
Our baby was welcomed without trauma, without cold metal, without haste, without machines, with very little intervention.
That night, the three of us slept together in our own bed in our own room.
I believe every woman needs to make very informed choices about how she wants to labour, and how and where she wants to give birth - we should not give others the right to make those decisions for us.
My greatest desire is for women to regain their self-belief and power in the birthing room, and take that journey that will make our labours and births a sweet, joyful experience … and include partners in every way.