Unassisted births
My first child was delivered via home birth. A midwife, a close relative of my in-laws, assisted the whole birthing procedure. Being a first time mom, I was scared to death. My mind was plagued with thoughts of possible complications both to my baby and myself. I went through labor for twelve hours. When the contractions became more frequent at a steady 2-3 minute intervals, I lay down on the mattress and readied myself for the most awaited part of pregnancy ? delivery. After pushing for about half an hour, my baby came out. It was a relatively easy birth. My baby was a tad bluish in color because the umbilical cord was caught up around his neck. The midwife immediately unwound the cord and performed routine check on the baby. My baby was in good shape and so was I.
In this day and age of advanced technology and innovative medicine, you?ll be surprised at the number of women who are opting for do-it-yourself deliveries. I?m not talking about home births per se, but unassisted home delivery. The mommies bring forth their babies to the world skipping medical intervention. In the U.S., home births comprise 1 percent of the total deliveries. The statistics doesn?t say if these deliveries are assisted or otherwise. But more and more women are doing it alone.
There are possible complications arising from unassisted home births. The mother could suffer from bleeding and significant tearing. The baby, on the one hand, could be born in a breach position or with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, just like what happened to my baby. The doctors underscored the importance of medical assistance during delivery and have in fact, cited the ramifications of unassisted delivery.
The mothers who have undergone DIY deliveries said that birthing is all but a matter of personal choice. I do hope though that the mothers would not discount the importance of medical care because not all deliveries would be as successful as we want them to be.
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