“Well, it looks like my waters just broke. It smelled like baby and had small white flakes in it.” This was the introduction to a video Sarah Schmid shared of her garden birth in 2016.

Two years after uploading it on YouTube, and receiving more than 1.4 million views to date, 36-year-old Sarah has spoken about her decision to deliver her youngest son in the back garden, without medical assistance and with her other children watching close by.

The mum-of-six, who lives in Halle, Germany, gave birth to all of her children outside of hospital after training to be a doctor and becoming put off by medical settings. One of them was born in a forest, while another arrived in her living room.

In 2016, she gave birth to her youngest child Kiran in front of her husband and children, poised between the slide and a trampoline in her back garden. A video of the “free birth”, which she shared on YouTube, features incredibly detailed shots of the baby crowning and then being born – with no medical assistance on hand.

Speaking to The Sun, Sarah said the children “were really excited and not at all scared”. She added: “All the other births were at night, so they were delighted they got to see one.” 

The mum-of-six said the children watched TV when the contractions were coming, but when the baby arrived they ran outside to watch. “One of the boys was really excited. Though Johanna was disappointed it was another boy,” she continued.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) told HuffPost UK women who want a homebirth should be supported to do so, with the NHS and a midwife’s involvement. Free-births without medical assistance, however, are not advised.