Having An Unassisted Birth

The decision to have a birth at home without the presence of a birth professional is always a big decision. Certainly the commonly used term ‘unassisted birth’ is not the best. This sort of implies that you are not only making a decision to give birth without a professional but also all by yourself or that no one is there to assist you.
Actually when you birth entirely on your own you have to assist yourself and your baby to be born. When your husband, partner, friends, relatives and children are present they will assist you.

Birth is the ultimate in physiological processes probably because it’s so infrequent and involves two people (mother and baby). Other naturally occurring physiological processes such as hunger, sexual drive, monthly period, getting sick or going to the toilet don’t involve a second person to the level of letting a baby out of your body.

Birth in any place at any time can be the most physically intense experience of a woman’s life. All over the world women are giving birth in the exact same way … one contraction following another. This will occur whether the woman is surrounded by loved ones in a safe environment or in the middle of a famine, war or tsunami.

Planning an unassisted birth is a personal statement although it’s often perceived of as a political statement. It’s often perceived of as a rejection of something but in reality it’s a choice for something. Sometimes that something is having a cigarette after birth when that would be discouraged. Sometimes it’s for the intimate privacy or the distance from hospital or lack of midwifery care.

Regardless of all these factors, one of the very best things you can do for yourself, baby and those who will assist you is to learn birth and coaching skills. Before you react to the word ‘coach’ let’s think about that role. A support person is there to give you support but little guidance. Coaching is not telling you what to do, it’s a person who can give both support and guidance as you need it. It does not matter what term you use as long as people know how to help you if and when you need some help.

Helping you during an unassisted birth can be breathing with you using Directed Breathing, helping you relax inside your body using The Pelvic Clock or helping you to relax using Deep Touch Relaxation.

Learning birth and coaching skills based on our common human body can change the birth experience from something that happens to us into a conscious experience a dance between the mother and baby as they work together.

Using common knowledge birth skills can increase the great satisfaction of your unassisted birth. There is another reason to learn good birth and coaching skills. There are some times when it becomes important to seek medical care during a birth. When you have birth skills you can move into a medical environment still using these skills. This means you are much less likely to feel that your unassisted birth has failed. Instead you recognize a need to have medical care yet continue to work with your baby’s efforts to be born.

Where you have your baby may be important however, being able to work with the process of birth where ever you birth or with whom become much less important to the memories you’ll live with than to what you have been able to do for yourself. Using birth skills throughout labour and delivery is probably the most significant thing you can do for yourself and baby.

You will never regret being a skilled birthing woman or having your loved ones work with you. This is the true intimacy of childbirth and building your family’s intimacy.

If you want to know more about Directed Breathing, the Pelvic Clock or Deep Touch Relaxation then visit http://www.birthingbetter.com and learn more about The Pink Kit Method For Birthing Better® the only childbirth preparation course that focuses entirely on birth skills for mothers and fathers for ALL births. Wintergreen, is a Trustee to Common Knowledge Trust which produces The Pink Kit. She is a childbirth communicator and communicates on the societal benefits of growing a skilled birthing population.