Olivia, from Write About Birth, wrote the below article about Unassisted Homebirth. She is the monther of two children, both born at home, the second being unassisted. Enjoy!
Unassisted childbirth is a birth which is not managed by a medical professional, but by the laboring woman herself. Women who have had an unassisted homebirth or are planning one believe that birth is a normal bodily function, and not an illness or a medical emergency. This more gentle, peaceful birth appeals to more and more women, though giving birth without the attendance of a birth professional is still a rare choice.
Unassisted birthers feel that an environment in which they are comfortable and undisturbed by medical interventions makes birth safer. In addition, many strongly feel that today’s medicalized birth climate often leads to complications that would not have arisen in an undisturbed birth.
As an unassisted birther, I am by no means anti-hospital. A hospital is the best place to be in for any person who finds themselves in a true medical emergency, whether it is a heart attack or a cord-prolapse during birth. However, for healthy pregnant women, I feel hospitals are more likely to create medical emergencies than to prevent them.
Women whose labors were induced are statistically more likely to end up with a c-section, for example, because of a variety of risks pitocin poses to both mother and baby. Limitations placed on women in hospital births, such as rules against eating and drinking, and fetal monitors that prevent women from changing positions and walking around in labor, also slow it down. And feeling stressed and scared certainly has the power to stall or stop labor. Families who opt for unassisted homebirths avoid this slippery slope of medical interventions.
But unassisted birth is about more than avoiding a series of unwanted possibilities that comes with attended births, and hospital births in particular. Personally, I decided to opt for a freebirth after first having a midwife-attended homebirth which was less than ideal, but not in any way traumatic. I knew my body was designed to birth babies, just as it was designed to safely gestate them. From a physical standpoint, I see birth as a normal bodily function. From a spiritual standpoint, I see the birth of a baby as a sacred time that should be spent with immediate family, undisturbed by third parties.
Preparing for an unassisted homebirth is a highly individual process – one that is not the same for any two mothers, or even any two pregnancies. For me, informing and educating myself about what is normal through literature, studies and other sources, as well as what is not, was key, as well as listening to my own body and intuition. Here are some pointers for those planning an unassisted birth.This is by no means a complete guide, but some things to think about! You can also find a list of UC birth supplies on my blog.
During pregnancy
• Ensuring a balanced and healthy diet and being physically active promotes both maternal and fetal health.
• Knowing what position the baby is in before a woman goes into labor helps be prepared for birth. Some women are happy to birth a breech baby at home, while others would seek medical assistance. Fetal position can be assessed in a number of ways.
• Determining the location of the placenta is something that can likewise be achieved in a number of different manners. It is important to know that the placenta is not low-lying or covering the cervix, as the baby will not be able to pass through the birth canal. Placenta Previa is one of the few complications that truly requires a c-section. I opted for an ultrasound, but placental position can be determined with a Doppler too. Placenta Previa also causes bleeding in late pregnancy.
• An ultrasound can also provide information about the location of the umbilical cord, and show whether the fetus is wrapped in its cord in any way. True knots are something else that can sometimes be picked up through ultrasound.
During birth
• Rupture of membranes can increase the risk of infection, so after a woman’s waters break it is important to avoid inserting anything into the vagina.
• Observing the timing of contractions, and other bodily sensations, provides plenty of information on how a labor is progressing. Therefore, I did not carry out any cervical checks in labor.
• Recognizing any possible complications in time to either deal with yourself or seek medical attention immediately is key. True medical emergencies can include prolapse and shoulder dystocia (in some cases), but intuition telling you something is off, and you need to seek medical attention, is quite enough information to act on!
• Pushing or bearing down only when your body tells you to (which is when you have difficulty stopping it!) , or letting your body do its own pushing, minimizes the chances of rupturing.
• Choose the labor position that feels most comfortable.
Post-partum
• Skin to skin contact after birth helps both mother and baby adjust, and nursing immediately after birth causes the uterus to contract, and encourages the placenta to be born.
• If the baby has not started breathing spontaneously within a few seconds, rubbing the baby’s back encourages breathing, and clearing the nose and mouth of mucus is sometimes necessary. Some UC-ers take infant resuscitation classes.
• Allowing the umbilical cord to remain intact at least until it stops pulsing ensures the baby receives the highest blood volume possible and gives it access to oxygen for a short time.
• Pulling on the umbilical cord to force the placenta out, as done in some hospitals, is a dangerous practice that can lead to post-partum hemorrhage. • The placenta will normally be born spontaneously relatively soon after the baby.
