Trying to Take Back Childbirth

Pregnant with her first child, Julie Speier prepared to deliver with the help of a midwife at a New York City birthing center. But in June -- three weeks before the due date and 600 miles from home -- her water broke. Speier gave birth at a Cincinnati hospital, where she and her fiancé tried desperately to keep the birth natural -- a vaginal delivery without pain medication. "I believe in the power of nature and that creation is next to perfect," said Speier, a 34-year-old yoga teacher. "I...Full Story