





A chiropracter in Ottawa gave an unusual invitation to the World Wide Web this week.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Nancy Salgueiro with YourBirthCoach.com," she said in a YouTube video, "and I'd like to invite you into my home to watch my live birth online."

The mother of two, who runs a website that promotes natural birth, has set up a sign-up list for access to the live stream on that site and her Facebook Page. About 800 people have already signed up to watch, according to Canadian television station CBC. Her 2-year-old son will cut the umbilical chord.

Even the thought of a front seat to the miracle of life is enough to make many people's stomachs turn. And that is exactly Salgueiro's point.

"The reason why I'm doing this is because in our culture we've created this idea with fear and this visual image of what birth is," she says, "and we don't know what to expect when we're going to give birth. And I really believe it's important for women to see what normal, natural birth is like."

Although she's made videotapes of her previous births public, and there a wide variety of YouTube videos dedicated to natural births, she says that being able to check in on the entire process, not just the point where the baby enters the world, is an important factor that will be achieved with a live video stream.

"There's only so much variation to how a baby comes out," she says.

Salgueiro's intentions seem more in line with a teacher's than a reality TV star's. The sign-up sheet to be notified when she goes into labor begins, "Attention: Natural Birthing Moms To Be." But it's easy to understand why she's getting attention — and not all positive — from a much more diverse crowd.

Commenters on the websites of several Canadian television stations that covered the story have accused her of attention grabbing, removing the last private arena from the world and being gross. "What happens if something goes wrong during the birth?," "Is she looking for sponsors?," they ask.

The audience for which the live stream is intended, women considering natural births, seems to be appreciative.

"I am 2 1/2 months pregnant with my first, and planning a homebirth with this baby," reads one of many supportive messages on her website. "I think this is wonderful and empowering, and you are very brave."