I had two 'wild pregnancies' without scans or medical aid: from breaking my waters with a pair of scissors to giving birth miles from help

Like a lot of women, Alexandra Francis simply ‘knew’ she was pregnant when she conceived her daughter, Xaria. She runs a birthing guidance service called ourhummingbird.com ‘I’d had hospital births with my first four children – my eldest is now in his 20s – and I’d put my trust in the system, because that’s just what you do,’ says Alexandra, a former youth development worker who is now a birthing guide, offering support to more than 100 women on ‘wild’ pregnancy. But private Facebook groups and online forums for ‘free birth’ and ‘wild’ pregnancies are gaining some traction – one such group discussing ‘unassisted childbirth’ has more than 6,000 members. Today, Alexandra says that her two wild pregnancies have not only changed her view of birth – they’ve made her a better parent. ‘But I believe that many women, like me, simply want to have their babies in their own way.’ One expert's warning about wild pregnancy and birth Kim Thomas, CEO of the Birth Trauma Association charity, offers this advice: Some women who have had difficult experiences with medical professionals in the past – particularly if that has included traumatic birth – may find the idea of wild pregnancy and birth attractive.