Unassisted Birth

Well if you are going to try, I would make sure you both are well versed in Ina May's Spiritual Midwifery and all that can go wrong. You are probably already familiar, but if not, it is a technical manual of how to deliver babies & how to treat emercency situations.

All of my friends and I had homebirths or birthing center births and 2 of us had bad outcomes. One was a placenta praevia (baby died and mother nearly did too). This was her 6th child & she figured she had done this enough times that she could go it alone. They live in a large city so parametics were there quickly, but it was too late. The baby was on life-support for 17 days and was then removed. I am told it was a miracle that the mom survived.

In my case, my third baby was born with a life-threatening GI/lung defect. My midwife was instrumental in assessing the situation and knowing what to do. My daughter was born at 3 am after only 40 minutes of labor. She cried and looked completely healthy to us, so we would've likely wrapped her up in a blanket and nursed her off to sleep with us sleeping too and quite possibly have woken to a dead baby. To survive, she needed surgery to remove most of her left lung and to push her GI organs into her abdominal cavity (they had herniated into her chest cavity inutero).

These things happen rarely, but they do happen and I would want an experienced midwife there if at all possible.

-S.

Hi! I had sent you a reply before, but I found this really great link that has videos of unassisted births, and I thought it would interest and encourage you ;)

http://www.joyinbirthing.com/FrameFiles/doula_los%20angel...

M., I commend your courage! As you follow your heart, you will be guided. I have given birth to ten children. The first 5 were in hospitals with ob/gyns. I then had my next 5 at home, the first 4 with midwives, the last ALL BY MYSELF! It was the most empowering, amazing experience of my life. And, from first contraction to first breath--45 minutes. My 9th had died shortly after birth and so, of course, there was much static that "if I had just had him in the hospital with a doctor, there would have been no problems," yada yada. So, it was quite an undertaking to be a single mother and go solo. But, I believe that as you choose to be completely open to your inner guidance, get ego completely out of the way and follow your intuition, you will have the experience of your lifetime--no matter what that looks like. Blessings to you!
K.

Feel free to call, if you'd like: ###-###-####

I had both of my children at home. My first labor was long and difficult but my second home birth with a different midwife was fantastic. If you can find the right midwives, most will be involved as little or as much as you need. If the birth goes great and you don't need anything a good midwife will be there to observe. If something did happen it is sure better to have someone at hand if needed. For my second baby's birth, the midwives pretty much stayed out of the picture until right as the end when things got intense and I needed a little focusing guidance. I don't know if this is helpful at all but I wanted to share.

Sounds like you already have some experience with unassisted birth. I would consider some prenatal visits with a midwife, and an ultrasound around 8 months or so, just to have a base line of labs and make sure baby in in a good position and there are no abnormalities. Then excersize, eat good and study, study, study. Information is certainly powerful. I had a VBAC at home, and it was wonderful (despite everyones negative comments). I did have a retained placenta and had to have it removed at the hospital, where I was scolded many a times. As long as you are making an informed decision, you should be able to do what you feel is right for you. Good luck, I hope you have an amazing and calm birth.
T.

One thing I know. My sister was strongly considering this, largly for financial reasons. She had 2 home-births with midwives, and was considering an unassisted birth with the third. The big question was if her husband was comfortable. They would learn together, but really he would be assisting her. He would learn what to watch out for and he would assess the situation. They thought about it a lot, and although my sister was comfotable with it, he felt uncomfortable. He really wanted the midwife there. In the end they were happy with their decision. I'm studying to be a midwife. As far as I know it's a pretty controversial topic in the midwifery world. I think you and your husband need to look deeply inside yourselves and listen. Ask the baby in your belly. I'm sure he or she knows the right answer. If you feel any uncertainty you might want to choose a midwife. Be sure to look at all of the risks, and make sure you are prepared and ready to take on whatever an unassisted birth might mean. It really might be the right thing for your family at this time. Go deep and listen, to yourselves, and to the baby. That's my advice. -R.

There is a yahoo group of women that UC. If you do a search for them in Yahoo Groups search engine you should find them. They have allot of good information, and you will benefit from the support.

Also a book that many people who practice UC like to have read is "Where Women Have No Doctor" or also "Where there is no doctor". It is meant for tribal/rural situations where people have to take care of their own medical emergencies. Your birth will go great, but having studied these will certainly make you feel confidently prepared.

Congratulations and Good Luck!
F.

That is great that you have been able to have home births. I would love to but unfortuantely have not been able to with the way my pregnancies go. I am here in Reno and know a few doulas and midwives if you need some other numbers, let me know.

I am a lactation counselor so if you have any questions, email me at ____@____.com

Take care and best of luck in whatever you decide.

Hi there! I've had natural births in hospitals so I don't have expreince with unassisted births, but I did want to chime in. You've given birth before and I am sure you'll know your body if something doesn't feel right! I don't doubt you can do it! Trust your gut and your body! Women did these things with out help for centuries!

M. you are a brave soul...you go girl! I had both my babies naturally and am so glad to have done so, however, personally would not have the courage to have an unassisted birth. You have a lot to consider based on the posts you have received. Take your time and think it through.

Best of luck to all of you!

all I know is that you are a rock star!

You sound like a good candidate for unassisted birth and as you say the hospital is not far if you need it. I had four homebirths without professional assistance though with friends except the last I caught myself because my apprentice stopped for gas and missed it. I am also a midwife and have seen times when problems came up unexpectedly. I would suggest researching homeopathy as it can help with many situations. You can rent an oxygen tank for a month I think.
I have two books out and my website has an article on homeopathy and birth. I am happy to answer questions. You can call ###-###-#### or e-mail. inspiringbirthstories.com
Best of luck with your birth.
D. Gregg LM,RN

I agree with Susan. Since you are far from medical help, an mid-wife would be a wise suggestion. I think it's great to be able to do it in the quiet of your home. Due to complications on my part, I've never had that priviledge and I admire those who can and wish it was an option for us, but I would want to have some medical expert there who truly knows what to look for. I have a friend who was grateful for that and it was her 8th (5th at home). Whatever you decide, good luck, and I hope you have another uneventful delivery. It's always a blessing.

I seriously considered UC but in the end will have another homebirth. Have you been to the mothering.com forums? Or unassistedchildbirth.com? There is a lot of support and information there...

Good luck to you!
Kim

Follow your heart. Only you know what is right for you. No one else can tell you. Good Luck in whatever you decide!

EDIT TO ADD:

TODAY (Monday, Jan 7) at Noon MT Discovery Health is going to air "Home Birth--The Bradley Method":
Shari and Martin Hahn plan to have a completely natural home birth with their 2-year old daughter Delaney and Shari's mother present. The Hahns practice the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth (husband-assisted coaching).

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Homebirth/waterbirth videos and slideshows
http://wahmdigitalscrapbooks.com/birth1

http://themidwife.net/index_files/homebirthmidwifestudent...

http://www.achildbirth.com/

Just keep in mind that "the establishment" still hasn't shaken the notion that babies are to be born in hospitals or at the very least, a birthing center. I say this because sadly the city or county will probably have plenty of extra questions and red tape because they don't know how to handle such situations.

I think Ricki Lake has a documentary or a book on this topic. Best of luck to you..

Hi M.!

I was wondering if you had considered using a Doula in your Unassisted Birth? Just one idea as an alternative, since Doula's have a lot of labor/delivery and post natal care experience, it might really work out for what you are trying to achieve!

E. F.

I believe that childbirth is a very special event in any woman's' life and she must make the best decision for herself and the baby. Women have many different options for giving birth today than in years past. If you feel comfortable with having just your husband present then go for it. This is your baby and family don't let anyone else make the decision for you.

I don't know how extreme you may be looking for, but I came across an intresting unassisted birth story on the Raw-food website the Garden Diet. Below is the actual link where she talks about her most recent birth. I believe she has also written an e0book on the subject. Hope it helps.

http://jinjee1.securesites.net/kidsblog/

Hi M.!
My daughter was born at home under the care of a midwife and doula, and I am so glad we had a midwife because at the 1 day follow up visit she noticed something wrong that I attributed as just being normal. My daughter just needed supplemental oxygen for about a week, but had it not been for our midwife, I'd have missed it. Also, my placenta wouldn't detach, so she had to manually remove it (ouch!), something I could never have asked my husband to do. For me, personally, I am more comfortable having a midwife- that way I can focus on the task at hand and she can just make sure everything is going smoothly.
Kelley, creator of the Kozy Carrier, had an unassisted birth, more about her story here: http://www.geocities.com/entergently/
With the limited knowledge that I have, I would recommend that if you chose to have an unassisted homebirth, to have a midwife and/or doula on call just in case they are needed. I think it's wise to have a back up plan that hopefully you won't have to use, but it's there if you need it. Would you be receiving prenatal care?
I hope you have a wonderful pregnancy and birth- what an awesome experience no matter what you choose! Good luck!
H. Gaitten
www.naturalchoices4baby.com

i am so proud of you and hope everythign goes well. i too had sort of unassisted births. due to gestational diabetes and the second child was born at 3 weeks, i couldnt do the midwife thing but... my boys were both born without a doctor. i did make it to the hospital forboth of them barely. the first one i had no labor pains just a feeling fo having to have a bowle movemnt. no pain until his head came out he was 11 lbs 8 oz. made it into the recption area of the hospital and had him there. the second one i actually got into the room, the nurse went to get a gown for me i went to the bathroom cause i felt i had to pee. and there was my 3lb 5 oz baby.

Some women in another group I am a part of suggest a book called Emergency Childbirth, which is basically a training manual for emergency personnel. This may be a great resource for your partner. Since you've already had natural births, I think the what happens after the birth, (the part that your partner will be doing most of the work), is what I would concentrate on. He needs to know what to expect as far as how much blood to expect, what to do about the placenta, etc. Check out the Yahoo groups and inform yourself as much as possible. You can do it!