There’s a lot of talk about freedom as autonomy in birth ideologies. What are we free from when it comes to pregnancy, birth, postpartum…? For some it is freedom from the tyranny of medical institutions, or even any influence other than their own intuition. For others it is freedom from the responsibility of making their own decisions at all, freely turning themselves and their baby over to the discernment of others. These are different ways a pregnant woman may deploy her free will as her journey of motherhood materialises.