Image of a mother
using a tree to support her in a vertical position, allowing gravity to
aide in the birth of her child.
Natural
Attachment encourages every woman to experience a natural childbirth.
Having a non-medicated birth with no interventions to upset the natural
course of events is the best way to
experience childbirth in approximately 95% of all births. There are
cases where mother or child might be in danger and require
interventions, but before making these decisions, one should ask
herself if intervention is truly necessary and what the associated
risks are. Many times women openly accept 'routine'
procedures,
which can in turn cause the need for more interventions. Often women
decide to have birth with a certain person or at a certain place,
merely 'just in case' something was to go wrong. Too often things do go
wrong, because the person or place the woman chose, had 'regulations'
they must abide by, thus causing stress on the mother and child and the
need for more interventions.
Women
and their families should be as informed as humanly possible about
pregnancy and childbirth. No matter where or with whom you decide to
have your child's birth, it is your right
to choose as a woman, and the better informed you are, the better the
out come of your child's birth will be. Natural Attachment offers
informative natural
childbirth education classes
for couples preparing for a homebirth. We want every woman to know what
she wants and how to make it happen.
The
benefits of having a natural childbirth are numerous. Fewer
complications is the first and foremost benefit. The mother's ability
to be alert and an active participant relies on the fact that she is
not medicated. Breastfeeding gets off to a great start for mother and
child when both are free of medication. Rips, tears, and episiotomies
are virtually nonexistent with natural births. If a woman decides
to have her child at home, which is as safe as at a
hospital if not safer,
she is more likely to labor better, faster and not need interventions.
A homebirth also provides a sense of comfort for the whole family and
comfort breeds relaxation, which is what a mother needs during
childbirth.
Hospital
births, while occasionally needed, can end up requiring a snowball
effect of interventions. For example, a mother is 'over due' and her
doctor 'routinely'
induces her labor with pitocin.
She then requires the need of an epidural to deal with the pain of the intense contractions brought on by the
pitocin. Because she has an epidural she can't walk or change positions, causing her to lay flat or
semi-reclined
in bed. Lying flat in bed is the worse position to push a baby out.
More than likely this mother will not be able to feel her body
correctly and won't be able to push efficiently because of the drugs
and the poor labor position she is in. This will require the doctor to
make an episiotomy
and use forceps to deliver the baby. Now not all hospital births take
place like this, but it is easy to see how fast one 'routine' procedure
can cause a trickle down effect on the whole experience.
If
a mother is surrounded by loving supportive people, she will be more
relaxed and at ease. The hired help of a doula may be an asset to the
birthing family. A labor and birth
doula
can help a mother relax and remind her of how well she is doing and
remind her of her birth wishes, so that they will be honored by those
attending the birth. Birth props and aides like birthing stools and
birth balls can help facilitate a birth greatly. The use of a Midwife
or holistically minded Physician is also an excellent way for a family
to have a less complicated birth
with fewer interventions.
Right now in America statistics for hospital
births are unreassuring for many families. Even with all the technological
advances
in the US the increase of complications in childbirth have increased in
the past years and continue to rise. Currently, over 26% of births end
up as a cesarean delivery. 7 of every 1000 births ends in death for
the infant. 35% of hospital births require deliveries by forceps. In
84% of hospital births episiotomies are cut. Almost 21% of births are
induced. More than 50% of pregnant women end up using epidural
anesthesia for pain relief during birth (not counting the use of
epidurals for cesarean deliveries), of these approximately 35% are
induced labors and 42% required deliveries assisted by forceps. One can
see why many families would choose to have a homebirth, where these
statistics are drastically lower.
Sources:
1. Center for Disease Control, "Live births by
place of delivery and race of mother, 1992", section 1, Natality, page
246.
2. Center for Disease Control, "United States, Birth Cohort of 1990",
Table 43, pages 2 and 5.
3. Litoff, Judy Barrett, The American Midwife Debate, pages 1-10.
4.
Mehl, Lewis, "Scientific research on childbirth alternatives and what
it tells us about hospital practice", NAPSAC, 21st Century Obstetrics,
1978, vol. 1, pp/ 171-207.
5. Stewart, The Five Standards for Safe Childbearing, pages 137-138.
6.
Hoff and Schneiderman, "Having Babies at Home: Is It Safe? Is It
Ethical?", Hastings Center Report, December 1985, pages 19-27.
7. Enkin, Keirse & Chalmers, A Guide to Effective Care in
Pregnancy and Childbirth, Oxford University Press, New York, 1989.
A
word about Unassisted Childbirth
In
short Unassisted Childbirths or UC are births where
no
contracted or hired birth professionals are invited to be present at a
birth, even as only an educated person available for assistance in the
same building. A UC can be only the expectant mother, a mother and
father or a couple and older children and sometimes it includes other
family members and family friends.
When
a couple chooses UC, it isn't a sign that they are irresponsible or
lack insight into the world of childbirth. It means usually quite the
opposite. Well educated mothers and couples are choosing to experience
birth for the truly intimate event that it is; After all, it is an
intimate event that leads to pregnancy, birth, bonding and
Motherhood. They have trust in the
process of birth and life and have not let their minds be clouded by
the medical community's tries at depicting childbirth as a means to an
end of an illness (pregnancy). They embrace birth and do not
fear
it.
UC
is
a
completely legitimate choice in childbirth and one that more and more
families are making. Natural Attachment and it's midwife,
Michele, completely support this choice when the health and
safety
of both mother and child
are put first. It is my hope that by the time my children have their
own children, myself and many other midwives will be 'out of business';
because, hopefully by then, women will realize that they are their own
midwives and will experience true FreeBirth and can educate other
women. This is when we'll know that we have truly taken back what was
stolen from us by the medical institution.
Many readers might wonder why a midwife would advertise
such an option, much less support it to a point where she is out of a
job. The answer is quite simple; a
real midwife knows that a birth which is left to unfold naturally,
without time limits, protocols, procedures and personal agendas,
obstetrical procedures or tools, is
always a perfect birth -- no matter the outcome. Birth is a safe as
life gets. If a couple without
fear, having trust in birth and their baby, with much education can
successfully birth their own child without the aide of a midwife,
physician or other birth professional.
This
belief doesn't mean that childbirth is without risks, never needs
medical support or at times, has less desirable outcomes, it means that
birth is a raw, natural, animal event and will happen the way it is
designed to happen if trusting and educated individuals let it run its
course. People wanting more information about UC and other alternative
birth options can find links at the bottom of this page to get them
started in their search.
Natural Attachment offers Prenatal and Postnatal care for those couples
choosing Unassisted Childbirth. Please contact Michele for more
information and support. PghMidwife @
naturalattachment dot com
Our Birth Philosophy
Birth is a sacred Rite of Passage, not just a
medical event, especially when medical care is necessary.
A woman’s body is capable of giving
birth, naturally and safely without aide.
Holistic birth preparations and approaches provide
tools for a sacred birth experience.
How a woman gives birth is a direct reflection of
how she will handle parenthood and life in general.
Parents should be respected and supported in
whatever decisions they have made.
Fathers deserve to be treated as such and not
treated as just coaches.
Women need the company of loving support persons
during the postpartum period.
Links
To Other Websites About Natural Childbirth And Homebirth
Freestone Innerprizes
Symbolic
analysis of obstetrical interventions and the dangers
You
Make the Decision to Have a Medically Managed Birth
Normal Birth
The Bradley
Method -- Natural Childbirth
The
safety of homebirth
Why
have a homebirth?
The Active Birth
Centre
Is
homebirth for you?
The
homebirth choice
Sources
of pain during labor
Why
the epidural epidemic?
Childbirth
pain relief without needles or a price tag
Painless childbirth
Perineal
pampering
What
do I do with the placenta?
How
we talk about birth
Birthsource.com
A
birth from The Farm
Other
children attending childbirth
Ten
months, is that safe?
Breech
babies
Christian UC
Unassisted homebirth
Fathers and unassisted homebirths
What
is an unassisted homebirth?
Midwifery
On The Sly - Why Your Midwife Answers the Phone, “do you work
for the state?”
From
Calling to Courtroom
Birthing
naturally
Giving
birth in water: A gentle birth choice
What
is an organic birth?
The
material in this website is provided for information purposes only.
This information is not a substitute for, medical diagnosis, medical
advice, or medical treatment prescription. Consult your health care
provider for more information. If you are in Pittsburgh and
need a
midwife, send email to PghMidwife (at) naturalattachment.com |
