Unassisted Birth

Posted by Brenda Lane Dec 27, 2007

This week, I published an article on the topic of unassisted births. For those who are not familiar with the term unassisted birth, it refers to a type of homebirth in which the mother and primary labor partner or spouse choose to give birth without medical assistance.

I can sympathize with the countless women who have told me that in a previous birth, "No one listened to me." I have heard mothers share that they experienced intervention done without their knowledge or their consent.

While parents should educate themselves and take responsibility for the choices they make during pregnancy and labor, most parents are not experts in the field of birth. They have not had training in diagnosing or treating problems. They are also too personally involved (mothers) or distracted (fathers).

Unassisted birthers claim that birth is natural and emergencies rarely happen. That is true. I have been a doula for 12 years, have witnessed over 300 births and have only seen a true emergency about 3 times. However, there are situations that may not be dire emergencies immediately, but if signs are missed or untreated for too long, they can result in emergencies.

Perhaps unassisted births have come into our culture due to a lack of respect for the process of labor and for the laboring woman, on the part of some medical professionals today. My personal opinion is that we need to seek more safe options for birth for every laboring woman rather than encourage parents to try to do it themselves.

Be sure to share your thoughts about unassisted birth on the forum and vote on our poll! (Be sure to go to the bottom of the page.)

Warmly,

Brenda