How to give birth at home?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Home birth is not the best decision a pregnant woman can make. In this case, the risk of severe, unpleasant and even fatal consequences is very high. It is especially not recommended to conduct independent births at home for women at risk, these are:

- women aged 25 and over;

- nulliparous women;

- women who had a caesarean section.

First steps for rapid labor

But what to do if the birth starts rapidly and it is not possible to get to the maternity hospital? First, you need to calm down and not panic. And this should be done not only for the woman in labor, but also for the one (especially the one) who is next to her. Now rationally approach the assessment of the available time and only then take any action.

Estimating time - will we succeed or not?

In most cases, pregnant women tend to panic and tell others that the process has begun, and the baby will be born soon. However, this is not always the case. At this point, it is very important to understand at what stage the birth process is.

1. Contractions.

Ifa pregnant woman feels uterine contractions after a certain, identical time interval, which is at least 3 minutes, then these are contractions. Then you have about two more hours left. Your actions in this case should be to get to the maternity hospital as soon as possible. Of course, each case is individual, and if you really understand that you won’t have time to get there during this time, then it’s better not to risk it, but use the time of contractions in order to prepare to take birth at home. Doing it at home is better than being in a car.

2. Pushing.

A pregnant woman feels an unbearable desire to go to the toilet "in a big way", uterine contractions occur every 1-2 minutes. Such a process is called pushing, with it you have practically no spare time and it's time to give birth.

Unfortunately, there are situations when a pregnant woman has to give birth on her own, without anyone's help. And this, despite the fact that late-term pregnant women are categorically not recommended to stay alone for a long time. Independent childbirth is an unpleasant situation, but not fatal. The main thing is to stick to a certain action plan and have at least some information about how to give birth at home.

Actions for a woman in labor

Firstly, prepare everything you might theoretically need during the birth process. Boiled warm water, disinfectant solution - alcohol, cologne, iodine, potassium permanganate solution, cleansheets (rags, T-shirts), a rubber bulb to suck out mucus from the mouth and nose of a newborn, sharp scissors or a knife (if time permits, dip the device in a disinfectant solution for a few minutes).

Secondly, find a place where you feel most comfortable. Place the necessary things at hand. Take off your clothes completely or just the bottom part, whichever suits you best. If possible, place a mirror in front of your lower body. This will make it easier for you to give birth on your own at home. Home births must be constantly monitored.

Third, take a comfortable correct body position: ideally half-sitting or lying down. You need to put something solid under your back so that you can rest against it. Bend your knees.

Fourthly, try to be as less nervous as possible and focus on proper breathing. Start pushing.

In the antenatal clinic, all expectant mothers are told and shown how to push properly. Most often, during childbirth, this information disappears from the head of the woman in labor, and then midwives come to the rescue. In our case, you give birth on your own, without anyone's help, there is no one to tell you what and how, so remember everything you need as soon as possible.

The right approach to pushing

So, a woman in labor during attempts should press her chin to her chest, bend her knees as much as possible and hold them with both hands. Take a deep breath and hold your breath, during these actions it is necessary to push, that is, to direct the pushing actions to the perineum. Then smoothlyexhale and take a deep breath again and push. During one contraction, a woman in labor should push at least three times.

So, we continue giving birth at home without helpers. As soon as the woman in labor feels that the baby's head has left the birth canal, she needs to put her hands under the buttocks and thus hold the head of the newborn. We continue to push the baby, it remains to pass the shoulders, and the body and legs will jump out instantly. Everything, the baby was born. But we continue the birth process.

What to do after having a baby

A new mother should carefully, slowly, put the baby on her stomach or, if the length of the umbilical cord allows, on her chest. Next - clear the nose and mouth of the child from mucus so that he can take his first breath. Wipe the child's face with a damp, clean cloth. A woman in labor must remember that she still needs to give birth to a "baby's house" - the placenta. Then move on to cord cutting.

How to properly cut and process the umbilical cord

After the birth of the baby, it is very important to properly cut the umbilical cord that connects him to the mother throughout the pregnancy. This process is much easier than independent childbirth at home. Enough to have information. So, it is necessary to tie the umbilical cord with threads dipped in a disinfectant solution 10-12 centimeters from the navel of the newborn. After 10 centimeters, tie again. Cut the umbilical cord with sharp scissors and treat it with iodine, alcohol, or, in extreme cases,greenery. Make a gauze bandage.

After processing the umbilical cord, the newborn must be wrapped in warm, clean clothes. The woman in labor should press the baby to her chest and remain in this position until the arrival of the ambulance team, which will take the mother and baby to the hospital for a detailed assessment of the he alth of both.

Actions during home birth with an assistant are practically no different from those performed in the process of independent childbirth. Only the position of the woman in labor is simplified, since the process is controlled by another person who will help perform certain actions, including the first care of the baby.

Practice shows that you can give birth at home. Reviews are very diverse: someone advises to try to avoid it, someone, on the contrary, recommends it. In theory, everything usually goes without complications, but in reality a number of troubles can arise.

In order not to get into a situation where you have to take birth at home, do not forget to immediately contact an ambulance as soon as you feel contractions!