Just wondering what your opinions are

Danalana wrote: I joined a pregnancy board and I pretty much just frequent the "Due in February" forum. There is a woman there who is having an unassisted home birth. She posted some links about it, and I did read them. I had never heard of it, personally. If you don't know what an unassisted home birth is, it's just what it says...you deliver your baby at home, with or without your partner, and without any kind of medical assistance (like a midwife or doctor). I have my own opinion, but I will save it. I just want to get your opinions.

PrairieMom replied: IMO it is just a bad idea. It is not an option for me and my family. I know there are people on this board that have done it tho.
I think that my problem is that in my job I see the worst case senerio always, so in my mind there is never a birth that is "normal" KWIM? I just never see that stuff. I would want to be in a medical facility with trained professionals around me with all the equipment needed just on the off chance that something goes wrong.

luvmykids replied: I agree with Tara, I know people who have done it and admire them for it. I just couldn't bare the thought of something going wrong. I wouldn't be as adverse to a home birth with the help of a midwife, but with no help at all I personally couldn't do it.

C&K*s Mommie replied: I am all for homebirths, if that is your choice. Does she mean unassisted as in noone is there, or unassisted as in no medical intervention, or medications (i.e. natural birth)??

Danalana replied: In lots of cases, nobody is there. They squat or lie down somewhere and deliver the baby. If there is anybody there, it is usually a spouse.

My3LilMonkeys replied: It's not for me. I would get too nervous about the possibilities of things going wrong, and the added stress would certainly complicate things.

C&K*s Mommie replied: If that is the choice she makes, I wish her all the best. Personally, I would not want to jeopardize the health of myself or my newborn by not having a competent adult there to call for help if the need arises.

Sam & Abby's Mom replied: I'd be way too scared to try that !

mummy2girls replied: i am agaisnt unassissted home birth but im ok with home birth with a midwife. Because you just never know what can happen during labour and birth. I guess because of my past i just never want to take the risk and i know that anything can happen! no one is immune to stuff..

Danalana replied: Yeah, the girl in question asked what we thought...I told her that I wanted all the assistance I can get. Heck, if they wanna call in extra assistance from local hospitals, that's ok too
But really, the idea bothers me a lot. I can't get my head around the basis that "childbirth is not a medical procedure; it's a bodily function". The other part that bothers me is that they do their own prenatal care. No ultrasounds, nothing. I don't know, I realize people can make their own decisions...it just seems irresponsible to me. Actually, it's in litigation in several states to make it illegal. Not sure if it'll ever pass though. I just hope she and her baby make it ok.

stella6979 replied: I don't know. Women have been having babies since the beginning of time, when technology wasn't even heard of and while I myself would never consider it, I also think to each their own.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: On one hand, childbirth is as natural as it gets... it's a fact of life.

But on the other hand, we're much more civilized now than we were back in cavemen days... and there has pretty much always been women (or men) in the "profession" of helping others go through labor, even if it was just to put a cloth on the forehead and to gently encourage the mom.

I admire the courage and strength it must take to do it alone... but being more civilized and what not than the old time cave women... I can't just accept that if something goes wrong it was meant to be... not if I have the power to possibly prevent any tragedy from happening. If the child is meant to die at birth, then no amount of medical intervention will save him\her, but at least I wouldn't feel like it was my fault.

I wouldn't do it unassisted. But I don't think it's a wrong decision, if that's what best for her.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: I had a midwife assisted hospital birth and it was perfect for me. Now with Logan's heart condition, there is no way I'd have another one at home unless it was an emergency and I couldn't get to the hospital. I want nursing staff in the delivery room to listen for a heart murmur and tell me if I've got another heart situation on my hands. You don't have anyone to do that check and with one heart kiddo, I'm not taking a chance on missing another one.
I agree with Tara, I'm usually involved in the bad situation births and I want the assurance that there is someone there to do the emergency C-section or the NICU team is there if my child needs it.

gr33n3y3z replied: well women have been doing it that way for a looonnnggggggg time the Indians shesh they would squat in a field have the child and go back to what they were doing samething in the 1700 and 1800.
Its not for me so more power to those women whom want to do it I feel much safer knowing there is a medical Dr there

punkeemunkee'smom replied: I think this is a VERY personal choice...I am (obviously) all for a home birth with a trained midwife. I have never known a midwife that would put her client in danger and they are trained to look for and recognize problems...I do NOT trust hospital staff just because they are in the hospital, I needed help IN the hospital during birth that I did NOT get until almost too late I think anyone can be lazy in their job or just not care enough to do what needs to be done...that being said I would not be comfortable having an unassisted birth with nobody there...childbirth is of course a natural function but it is also A LOT of work. Now I do not believe that it should be illegal either. Why is it irresponsible to not have a sonogram? Can they stop a birth defect etc? I know there are things that medical science can help,prevent,etc...but I also know women (and a few doctors) who do not believe a sono is 100% safe and only do them in medically necessary instances. I have only known 1 woman who was going to have an unassisted birth (just her and her husband) she had several children before and when she was toward the end of her pregnancy something felt 'different' to her and she sought medical care immediately-(baby and momma were fine) I think most women in the mind set of doing something like this are very confident in their bodies and have probably been through childbirth before....I do not believe that anyone would put their child in danger....like I said very personal choice and not IMO one for the government to decide for me...

luvbug00 replied: I personaly just wouldn't want to have to deal with all the paperwork afterword to be honest. how does the birth certificate prosses go and such?
medically. if she has good prenatal care and (imo the full gameit of tests) to insure everything is ok ,then i suppose she could try. but i personaly feel no assistance or attendence of medical personal is a risk i'm not willing to take.

moped replied: NOt something I would do - there could be complications etc. SCARY!

boyohboyohboy replied: my two boys were born early and needed some assistance so i wouldnt personally go that route.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I am someone who had to have an EMERGENCY ceserian - so what do you think my opinion is? To each their own, but I would never take the risk. Homebirth with a midwife, fine...My MIL had DH at home. But unassisted, no way.

I agree that childbirth is natural and women have been doing it for centuries, but a lot of babies and mothers died in childbirth back in the day too. JMO.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I have a question: Does she cut the cord herself? And what about bleeding? How does she stop the bleeding? Sorry if that is tmi, but I'm really curious how someone does all that (and more) all alone.

moped replied:
Yeah I wondered about that too

BAC'sMom replied: To each there own, but I personally would never take the risk. Besides after one natural childbirth in a hospital , I REALLY enjoyed the epidurals with my other two children.

Mommy2BAK replied: Oh wow. I know women have been having babies since the begining of time and all, but didn't there used to be tons of deaths during labor, both the mother and child???? That risk is just too scary for me, but I guess if someone was trained and wanted to do that then it would be their perogative... but as for me, I have no knowledge on how to deliever a baby AND I think that would make it wrong for me to attempt, because how often does labor actually go as planned and turn out perfect?

DansMom replied: I think it's an individual choice, and I neither admire it nor condemn it. My belief is that each woman should give birth in the place where she feels safest, surrounded by the people that will help her feel safe. For some women, that place is a hospital and the people are doctors and nurses; some want a nurse-midwife in a hospital (that's me); others want a lay midwife and to birth at home. The option of an unassisted birth is scary to me, but perhaps not scary to someone who has already birthed some babies and is strongly convinced that her body knows what to do.

There are tragedies, at home and in hospitals. I've heard that the statistics are actually in favor of home births, as far as complications go. I don't have an authoritative source for that, however. I've heard that 10-15% of birthing women will require medical intervention of some kind, and that most midwives will be alert for those types of problems. There's nothing you can do at home for a baby with an unidentified heart defect though. That's the type of knowledge that would make me birth in a hospital no matter what. On the other hand, I like to think of birthing as something natural and not medical.

CantWait replied: I say a story on the news not that long ago about this. It seems to be a rising trend. I suppose if they were seaking medical care throughout the pregnancy and were aware of any harm that may become I wouldn't see a problem with it, if the spouse at the very least was there to call for help if it was needed. Even if she is healthy and is doing everything right, I think the fact that prenatal care isn't being saught out throughout the pregnancy raises concerns for me.

That being said, it's not for me, I'm more comfortable in a hospital in case of emergency.

Anthony275 replied: out of all the homebirths ive seen on tlc, only one has worked then the woman had to be rushed to the hospital for bleeding.

moped replied: She is saying "unassisted"...no midwife, no nurse.......

Anthony275 replied: i know, i had that in mind when i was posting

moped replied:

luvbug00 replied: ditto on the question of who would do the cord cutting and what if she tore or what if the cord was knotted or i dunno there are so many things that could arise that i'm not sure how well somone unexperienced could handle it. If they can then oook but i woudn't trust my husband to make good judgements should a dangerous situation arises. it's like not letting a surgon opperate on a family member, ya know?

cameragirl21 replied: obviously it's a personal decision but i guess i would have to wonder why someone would choose this route. i think a midwife is a great idea and likely can do just as well if not better than an ob/gyn, assuming there is no need for an emergency c/s.
my question would be this--if you get no sono and no prenatal care, how would you know if, for instance, the baby is breached? and if the baby is breached, i imagine it would be highly unsafe for both the baby and the mother to attempt this unattended.
i also wondererd what Rae mentioned--does she cut the cord herself? i've heard of people doing this with just husband and wife but i would think someone should be there on the receiving end of that baby...jmo of course.
idk, though, i have always said i don't want an epi OR an episiotomy and many people, some who've been thru childbirth and some who haven't, including my gyn think i'm totally nuts for insisting on no epi.
other than bikini waxes, which i find almost totally painless and comfortable, i have zero tolerance for pain so we'll see if i keep my word on the no epi rule. lol, the nurse who does my laser (who has 3 kids) laughed when i told her that, after i nearly screamed from the pain of the laser, she just said, "sweetie, just you wait, you'll be begging for that epi in 30 seconds or less."
we'll see....

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I've had the laser on the bikini area, and I've also had no epi. The laser is WORSE.

grapfruit replied:
I was thinking the same thing.

Myself, no way. Not only the risk, but a million other reasons. I don't want to clean that stuff up , I want to make sure the baby is ok, etc...

Boo&BugsMom replied: I personally would be too terrified about something medically going wrong that needed medical attention. I'd hate to be the cause of my child dying because I decided I didn't "need" a doctor or medically trained person there. Tanner's birth was complicated enough. Yes, back in "the day" they didn't have people like we do now, but there is a reason why there are fewer infant deaths now a days because of the wonderful medical miracles we have today. JMO. I am all for home births, midwives, etc., but I think people need to be smart about things too and take necessary precautions.

Danalana replied:
In the articles I have read, they do cut the cord. And usually they sit on the toilet to deliver the placenta. Again, this is jsut the stories I have read, told my the women who did it.

Danalana replied: I should add that I don't want to sound judgmental at all. It just seems a little dangerous, not that complications can't happen in a hospital too.

To answer some questions...the basis for a lot of this is that a hospital birth is believed to add a lot of stress. And that stress makes for longer labors, etc...
Also, there is usually a hand on the receiving end...every once in a while it is the husband, but lots of times it is the mother's own hands. I actually saw a picture of a woman (naked) on her knees in the bathtub. The head was out and she had her hands right there catching him/her.
This whole concept just blew me away. I guess having had losses (even though they were early and couldn't have been prevented) makes me want to do EVERYTHING in my power to ensure a safe delivery.

PrairieMom replied:
That situation would NOT be less stressful for me! To each his own tho. At the end of the day what really matters is that 1. the baby is healthy and safe and 2. that the mom has the best labor experience possible.

cameragirl21 replied:
see, i guess my question is--why put yourself thru that unnecessarily?! why not just hire a midwife to come to your home or your bathtub (if you want to waterbirth)?
but again, the reason i brought up not wanting an epi is that many people ask the same of me--why go thru that pain if you don't have to, it's unnecessary...so i guess maybe anyone who wants to do this may feel the same way, i'm sure they have their reasons.
the thing is, not getting an epi is not risky the same way that delivering a baby on your knees in a bathtub is....

stella6979 replied:
If someone took a picture of this, wouldn't that mean she wasn't alone?

Danalana replied: I actually am going to try not to have an epi either. My reasoning is that I want to be able to push hard, and Iknow it's harder to push well when you can't feel anything. It's like being at the dentist. Your mouth is completely numb, and the doctor keeps telling you to open wide--heck, you aren't even convinced that you still have a mouth! I'm not against epidurals at all, and I might change my mind once the mind-numbing pain comes

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Nothing gets past you!

PrairieMom replied:
Epi's are a whole different conversation, but I will say that GETTING an epi can be dangerous as well, yet the vast majority of women get them. They are considered a routine part of the delivery. They can cause paralysis, migraines, and septic shock, and even death.
I don't think that people really educate them selves about things like that. They never covered any of those complications in my birthing class.

grapfruit replied:
I don't have a bathtub! So I guess I'd just have to use the shower!

Seriously though, I agree w/Tara, that sounds like more stress to me. And delivering the placenta into the toliet doesn't sound like fun either. I guess if you had a huge, nice bathroom that'd be ok, w/a qualified person there to help. But otherwise I don't know. And she was seriously catching the baby herself?? Aren't they slippery when they come out?? I would be afraid I'd drop him/her w/the whole squatting, balancing, pushing thing going on.

Danalana replied:
I'm gonna guess it was the husband.
Also, the unassisted part just means no medical intervention at all. One story I read, the mother was angry that her midwife came by a few days later to measure and check the baby--she felt like it was an invasion of her privacy. I guess I am just on a totally different wavelength, but I would want to make sure everything was ok.

Cece00 replied: I dont think its very smart. You probably run little risk if you do it, but what if you are the person who DOES have a problem?? I think its unsafe honestly, and I'd never pick to do that. The only thing I think is worse is an unassisted pregnancy. I dont understand that AT ALL.

I agree, it seems to be a rising trend, along with not vaccinating, another thing I consider unsafe.

Crystalina replied: I would think an unassisted birth sounds very "romantic" but in reality I would want my child very close to a doctor and all the supplies needed to make sure my child is delivered without complications and is healthy.

Kentuckychick replied: I truly think that it's a woman's personal choice obviously. And if she can do it, more power too her.
That said it's not something that I would ever even consider doing. I know that childbirth is "natural" and that for hundreds of thousands of years woman just gave birth in fields and such, but it also must be noted that it was not at all uncommon for many infants to die during or shortly after childbirth back then. Many women died as well.

I can remember going into the delivery room to see my godson after he was born and sitting their listening to the doctor explain what had happened during delivery. His head had gotten stuck. Thankfully the nurse on hand had the knowledge and presence needed to climb on top of her and push and tug where necessary. The doctor went on to say how lucky she was, how often in that situation they end up having to dislocate the babies shoulder(s) to get them out or to "shove the baby back up inside the mother and perform an emergency c-section" and sometimes even then it's too late.

After that I couldn't ever imagine not being where there are doctors present.

lovemy2 replied:
Are there ANY medical procedures (I am talking along the scale of childbirth) that doesn't have a risk of death? I mean even the simplest, routine procedure runs that risk doesn't it? And doesn't labor and delivery itself run the risk of death for the mother and the infant?

That potential risk alone makes me want to be wherever there are people trained to help me - and yes - I hope like he double hockey sticks - the nurses and doctors are "ON" that day

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I had a friend go this route w/her first. Her DH insisted they not go to a hospital. Something about he's against all modern forms of medicine. They also don't get their children vaccinated.

N-E-Way....they needed medical intervention during the birth. Their son almost DIED and so did she. It was so awful. Needless to say, 3 years later when she had her daughter, she had her in the hospital.

PrairieMom replied:
Yeah, you can die from the simplest of medical procedures, but the point is that if you don't have an epi, that is one less risk. I just think people should be aware of the risks before they blindly jump into things.

Danalana replied: I think this is why i mentioned that I thought it was a little irresponsible. Not because it's a home birth, cause I know that is what makes some more comfortable. I can't imagine purposefully avoiding help if it was available. I know women have done it for years in fields, yada yada yada...but they didn't have what we have as an option. I know it's a personal choice, but i don't think i will ever understand it. oh well, there's lots of things I don't understand

Crystalina replied:
I really think the whole "women having babies in fields" thing is a little overdone. I mean, maybe one or two popped out without mom being prepared but I'm sure most of them made it to the house.

Danalana replied: LOL...yes. That's why i added the "yada yada yada"

Celestrina replied:
ITA. So much can happen, no matter how easy the pregnancy itself was.

gr33n3y3z replied:
I never hand an EPI with any of my children and if I was still giving birth this day and age I still wouldnt.

and who cares if woman gave birth in fields or home or Teepee they were still alone in most cases

Bamamom replied: Just to put in my 2 cents - I would not be comfortable doing this. Tripp had the cord around his neck and my dr had to do a pretty serious episiotomy and use the kiwi suction thing to get him out as quickly as possible. His heart rate was dropping. If there hadn't been a fetal heart monitor he would have died.

Katie Grace went into distress when my water broke - they massaged her head and turned me from side to side till her heart regulated itself. But if I had been at home I wouldn't have known there was a problem.

Put me on the monitors, nurses, drs, lab techs, janitors, cooks, nursery side

Danalana replied: I agree! Especially the cooks