▁writer , ▁poet , ▁her bal ist , ▁and ▁" sp irit ual ▁mid w ife ", ▁co ined ▁the ▁term ▁fre eb irth ▁to ▁describe ▁U C . ▁▁ ▁Sh an ley , ▁a ▁writer , ▁poet , ▁and ▁self - sty led ▁birth ▁consult ant , ▁is ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁book ▁Un ass isted ▁Child b irth ▁( 1 9 9 3 ), ▁which ▁helped ▁popular ize ▁the ▁practice . ▁In sp ired ▁by ▁the ▁writ ings ▁of ▁Dick - Read , ▁Sh an ley , ▁who ▁has ▁no ▁formal ▁training ▁in ▁gy ne col ogy ▁or ▁obst et rics , ▁gave ▁birth ▁to ▁all ▁five ▁of ▁her ▁own ▁children ▁un ass isted ▁and ▁with ▁no ▁pr en atal ▁care . ▁Four ▁of ▁them ▁surv ived ; ▁Sh an ley ' s ▁fourth ▁child , ▁born ▁four ▁weeks ▁prem ature ▁in ▁her ▁bath room , ▁died ▁a ▁few ▁hours ▁later ▁of ▁a ▁heart ▁defect , ▁p neum onia , ▁and ▁se ps is . ▁ ▁Re asons ▁and ▁motiv ations ▁for ▁choosing ▁to ▁give ▁birth ▁un ass isted ▁range ▁greatly ▁from ▁mother ▁to ▁mother ; ▁those ▁most ▁frequently ▁c ited ▁in ▁un ass isted ▁child b irth ▁literature ▁and ▁advoc acy ▁sites ▁include ▁the ▁belief ▁that ▁birth ▁is ▁a ▁normal ▁function ▁of ▁the ▁female ▁body ▁and ▁therefore ▁not ▁a ▁medical ▁emer gency . ▁Other ▁belief s ▁are ▁that ▁most ▁inter vent ions ▁commonly ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁medical ▁profession ▁during ▁birth ▁cause ▁more ▁harm ▁than ▁good ▁in ▁a ▁normal ▁birth ,