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After a great deal of personal research
and soul searching, I have chosen the unassisted birth route because I honestly feel it is the best and safest way for my
babies to come into this world.
To me, allowing the birth process to unfold
in the manner it was intended, without unnecessary interventions, in an environment that is (hopefully) stress free, as well
as free of "super-bugs" and common germs & bacteria that are foreign to the Mother & Baby's immune systmes, is a lot
safer than introducing a whole new array of germs, bacteria and potentially dangerous interventions, not to mention the raising
of the stress level that many women feel in a medicalized enviroment--or even simply just being in a moving vehicle, or away
from home while in labor.
Michael Odent has addressed the fear-pain
cycle in his books and lectures about pregnancy and childbirth, and has commented how the uterus of a frightened woman (in
labor--but it could happen other tims in pregnancy) will be completely white and drained of blood, due to the "fight or flight"
instinct that we all have when approached with a situation that scares us.
When a person is frightened, their blood
rushes to their arms & legs and away from certain internal organs, such as the uterus, to allow them to fight back or
run away. This usually does not fair well for baby/babies in utero due to the lack of oxygen that often transpires when this
occurs, which also probably has a lot to do with why so many babies experience fetal distress once the laboring woman arrives
at the hospital/birth center and all the daunting "routine procedures" begin.
Michael Odent also mentions that
the simple act of observing labor/birth changes the process, so it's really hard for any scientist to know what the true benefits
are of unassisted childbirth, (unless they themselves have given birth unassisted, in an unstressed atmosphere). Even the
World Health Organization (WHO)
has acknowledged this fact.
I don't choose unassisted birth because
I want to be my own midwife, or because I want my husband to "play doctor" on me. To me, UC is not about performing my own
medical procedures at home. That totally defeats the purpose, in my opinion. The purpose of UC (at least in my book) is to
avoid things that are unnecessary to the birth process--things that may ultimately hinder the process.
If it were to become apparent to me that
birthing at home unassisted was no longer the best and safest choice for some reason (and this actually has happened to me
before), I would not hesitate to transfer and use the medical technology that is available to my baby and myself. However,
I feel those would be some pretty rare circumstances.
It would not be safe, in my opinion, to
perform my own medical procedures at home, away from the technology that may be able to help with any possible problems that
occur, either as a result of the original problem, or the intervention itself. When the time comes for intervention to be
introduced to the process, I feel it's usually best to make sure to have very quick access to medical care.
I do feel it is wise to be as informed
about pregnancy and birth as possible, in order to be able to recognize when things are going well and when medical intervention
may be necessary. Of course, it can be difficult to sift through all of the info out there, so I do like to focus on
those who understand about the "natural approach" to pregnancy and birth--people such as Laura Kaplan Shanley, Leilah McCracken,
Gloria Lemay, Micheal Odent and Marsden Wagner are great places to start when looking for such info.
We on the UC Message Board at ParentsPlace are also here to help people sort out what types of things could happen in an unassisted pregnancy and birth,
and to offer a wide array of opinions on various subjects.
We hope you enjoy this site and find it
informative, as well!
~Carrie
UC Board CL
Personally I feel it is safer and healthier. I feel medical protocols, like routine monitoring,
vaginal checks, formula, etc are more harmful than helpful. I don't want to spend my labor strapped to machines. Labor is
hard enough without having to do it with an unnecessary artificial handicap! I don't want my babies subjected to ultrasound
and other technologies that may be harmful. I want to get a good start on breastfeeding. My births are long and hard. The
more meddling I'm subjected to the longer and harder it is. I can just barely manage an unmedicated birth if left alone, the
extra stress of machines and interruptions push me past what I can endure. Medicines are bad for me and my child, make breastfeeding
harder, and put us both at unnecessary risk. My babies and I am safer and happier at home without professional attendants.
Kiley
UC Board CL
I may be the odd one out here, but I don't really "want" a UC. I want a homebirth. I basically have
the option of birthing with a midwife in a hospital or birthing at home without one. I chose the latter. After this little
one is born, I may very well change my mind about that. I'll have to see how this birth experience stacks up to my MW assisted
homebirths.
Ruth
My views after having my UC...
The birth itself was the most relaxed, beautiful experience
I've ever had. I was online in early labor, pacing around during contrax. Took a nap around 3:00pm, after nap contrax came
one on top of another. DH came home at 4:00, watched girls while I paced around. Didn't like the intrusion. Didn't want to
exclude them, so I let them stay. Breathed through contrax, didn't need to get noisy until around 5:00. Moaned through a few
contrax, then moaned while pushing. Got on knees on floor over chux pads, holding bed. 2-3 contrax and he popped out. THEN
I could have used some help! Dh watched birth from doorway.
Next birth, if I'm ever so blessed, will be planned UC,
NOBODY with me until after the birth.
Ruth
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