re: unassisted childbirth

Quoting Orions Mommy:“ Things can go wrong. For instance, i had a placental abruption out of nowhere. Completely healthy pregnancy, ... [snip!] ... monitored. If you dont get prenatal care, how do you know your child isnt breeched? or that you dont have placental previa?”

I believe some women do get prenatal care. They lie and say that they are delivering elsewhere and when the time comes for delivery, they do it at home, because of critics thinking that they can't.

but hey, I know many women who have done it and are fine. I wouldn't mind doing it for my second.. its an fantasy idea though.   Gotta get through my first birth at home. haha

yeah they did it back in the old days but babies and mothers died during childbirth all the time then too.
my uncle delivered all 3 of his kids at home but they lived old fashioned up in the the mountians of west virgina but i would be scared out of my mind i would need a dr.

Quoting x x madii x x:“ im all for mommies that go for no pain relief or home births but to have no-one with any sort of experience or medical training is madness”

i don't think it's madness-- i think it shows the woman's total self-awareness and faith in her own intuition that everything will be as it's supposed to be. i believe that birth is supposed to be a private, spiritual experience; not the chaos as it's depicted in movies and whatnot.

Quoting PenutHeadJo:“ I believe some women do get prenatal care. They lie and say that they are delivering elsewhere and when ... [snip!] ... fine. I wouldn't mind doing it for my second.. its an fantasy idea though.   Gotta get through my first birth at home. haha”

i'm kinda on your side-- i'm so intrigued with unassisted births, but i don't feel like i have enough knowledge about my body and the birth process to have my first baby unassisted. perhaps if there's a second...

Quoting Sloan:“ i'm kinda on your side-- i'm so intrigued with unassisted births, but i don't feel like i have enough ... [snip!] ... i have enough knowledge about my body and the birth process to have my first baby unassisted. perhaps if there's a second...”

I am intrigued by unassisted birthing as well. Mine at home was very much just about me, my baby, and partner. My midwife even left twice while I was in labor because she knew I wanted it to just be about our little family. She would check periodically the heartrate...esp during contractions to make sure it wasn't going down--you usually don't have this issue with going natural anyways because pitocin is what can do that making the contractions too strong. So that and checking my dilation (I got to ask her to check me when I wanted to be checked...out of curiosity) were her only involvements during labor. Oh and she gave me a back massage while my hubby ran to the store to get me some fruit to munch on. For the delivery I received/caught Kolten. She clamped, husband cut the cord after the placenta delivered and cord stopped pulsing. From there we were left alone for a few hours in our bedroom. Later we all bathed together, he got measured, weighed, and looked over, etc. He didn't even need any suctioning. I think with the proper research, resources, teachings from a midwife, and prenatal care I would be open to having one.
If you would have told me when I was 4 months along that I would have a home birth, I would have thought you were on something. I'm so glad I didn't all the research I did and switched to having a home birth when I was 6 months along!

Quoting x x madii x x:“ i dont know if anything about this has been posted before.. i just finished watching a documentary ... [snip!] ... this or know someone thats done it? to me it seems like taking a risk with your babies life that is soo unnessisary.”

I seen that aswell!!!! fairplay to her 4 believing/trusting in her own body!!! but personally i wouldn't do it! not only is it putting my own life at risk, im putting the babys life at risk aswell!!! i think if anything happened and paramedics etc couldnt get 2 the baby in time i dont think i could ever forgive myself!!! people have there own opinion on what they want during labour tho and we all should respect that descision, its there bodies etc...but i wouldnt personally do it tho!

Quoting Jessica [Slvrmoon]:“ Well before technological advancements, before health care and hospitals, all births were in the home. ... [snip!] ... both mother and child was extremely high. Thinking happily won't make the experience so. You have to use some logic as well.”

At the same time, back then people lived in unsanitary conditions, women didn't even take baths except once a week let alone wash their hands. There were epidemics like the plague and other diseases that people didn't get treated for. We're looking at healthy women in modern, sanitary houses and communities.

Quoting Sloan:“ i'm kinda on your side-- i'm so intrigued with unassisted births, but i don't feel like i have enough ... [snip!] ... i have enough knowledge about my body and the birth process to have my first baby unassisted. perhaps if there's a second...”

i believe delivering with a midwife is like setting up for delivering by yourself. I think if you do it the first time with a midwife and actually do well through it and learn all you can from her, then you can go unassisted for your 2nd, or your 3rd.

I have had friends who have done it, however, for myself and my family it is not something I am comfortable with doing. My 3rd child was born at home with a midwife in attendance and had some complications at the time of his birth....things that statistically happening all at the same time *after a non intervention filled labor* (that is the key part of this story, there were *no* interventions leading up to his birth) while in a more natural pushing position were I'm told less than 1%. These things did happen, and my midwife who had experienced these things before obviously in her line of work dealt with them and everything was great. Before having that experience, I had thought that UC birth might be something to do in the future, after that experience, not for me. (unless baby comes super quickly before midwife arrives, which in that case, there is almost always *no problem* if it happens so fast)