Meet the Bornfree! Owner: Laura Shanley

I am a free-lance writer, birth consultant, speaker, poet, author of the book Unassisted Childbirth, and owner of Bornfree Bookshop. I am also the mother of four children, all of whom were born at home without the help of doctors or midwives. My husband, David, caught the first one and I caught the other three. Neither of us had been trained in midwifery, but we both understood that the problems in birth can be traced to three main causes: poverty, medical intervention and fear (see The Truth about Birth).

Since we did not live in poverty, did not choose to invite medical professionals to our births, and had worked with ourselves to eliminate fear and other potentially destructive emotions, we knew that unassisted childbirth was the safest way for us to give birth (see Unassisted Birth Stories).

Writing and speaking about birth is one of my passions, but I am also fascinated by how the mind affects the body, what we can learn from our dreams, impulses and intuition, and how consciousness evolves on both personal and cultural levels. Both David and I have been heavily influenced by the writings of Jane Roberts and psychological historian, Gerald Heard.

Email: Laura Shanley