Although hospitals are working overtime to make their birthing rooms homier, the fact remains that there are interventions waiting around every corner. Hospitals have procedures that they are required to follow, and once your have been admitted, regardless of birth plan, you are ultimately in their hands. Many women see the problems inherent in hospital birth and decide that the only option for them is to give birth at home. Unfortunately, in most states, there are many restrictions placed on home birth. In some states, it is nearly impossible to find a healthcare professional that will attend a home birth even if it is legal. In the face of these struggles, many women are choosing unassisted home births.
An unassisted home birth is generally defined as a birth not attended by a health care professional (midwife, nurse, doctor). In some cases, a woman may give birth with her husband or partner in attendance. In some cases, she may have other friends or relatives with her. Sometimes a woman chooses to labor alone usually with her partner or some other support person in another part of the house but not actually in the room with her.
What are the pros of an unassisted home birth? What advantages does it provide to the mother and baby? First with an unassisted home birth, a laboring mother is one hundred percent in control of what interventions take place. What she does will not be influenced or even worse overruled by a doctor of midwife. She will be able to use her knowledge and intuition to labor and give birth in the manner she feels is right. There are all the advantages of any home birth: being able to walk and eat on your schedule, no timetable being imposed, no IV, familiar surroundings, being with who you want to be with, and of course, not having people you don’t want there.
Some people are very private. If that is your case, having an unassisted child birth where you labor alone may appeal to you. In some cultures, it is normal for the laboring mother to go off where she can reach inside herself and use her own resources to give birth. Although this can seem very appealing, emergencies may happen and having someone in the building who you can call for is important to minimize risks. If you have someone who is aware that you are in labor in another part of your home, the risks of being alone for labor and delivery are minimized to the same level as the risks of any unassisted birth. This is especially true if your support person checks in on you periodically.
What are the dangers of unassisted child birth? To a certain extent, the dangers of unassisted child birth vary depending on how knowledgeable the mother and her support person are about giving birth and newborn babies. The biggest risks are not recognizing an emergency situation and not recognizing a newborn baby with a health problem that needs immediate attention. To minimize this risk, it is important that parents learn everything they can about giving birth. This is especially important for those giving birth for the first time, and for those who had first births that were heavy with interventions. If you don’t know what a normal labor and birth is like, it will be harder to assess the situation for problems.
If you feel that unassisted home birth is right for you, educate yourself! Peruse bookstores and the library for books on homebirth. Read on the internet. Connect with others who have had unassisted births. Many women find that once labor starts it is wonderful to not have to call anyone, or time contractions, or do anything other than listening to their bodies and letting nature take its course.
