A Guide to Unassisted Childbirth

How to Prepare and What to Do

So for whatever reason, or perhaps a myriad of them, you have decided that unassisted childbirth is the right choice for you. What now? Unassisted childbirth is also called "do-it-yourself birth," and that's really what it is.

The first and most important thing you must do is read. There are a variety of books out there that can be very useful to a person who is planning an unassisted childbirth. Don't just read one or two, and don't just read each book once. Keep reading, at least a page everyday, throughout your entire pregnancy. Read books, essays, research papers, studies, blogs, birth stories. Educate yourself on common complications that occur. Learn how others have handled the unexpected. Find out what is most likely to happen in your situation, and reflect on how you would react.

Some of the most highly recommended books are "Unassisted Childbirth" by Laura Shanley, "Emergency Childbirth" by Gregory White, "Spiritual Midwifery" by Ina May Gaskin, "Heart and Hands" by Elizabeth Davis, "Unassisted Homebirth: An Act of Love" by Lynn Griesemer, "Special Delivery" by Rahima Baldwin. I have also included numerous online resources with great information, attached to this article, that may be of great benefit. I found that "Rediscovering Birth" by Sheila Kitzinger opened my eyes to the way various other cultures view and manage childbirth and was helpful in creating a birth plan. Others recommend "Childbirth Wisdom: From the World's Oldest Societies" by Judith Goldsmith which has a similar subject.

Planning an unassisted childbirth means a lot of preparation. Besides reading, you must also be thinking. You need to plan not just where you will birth, what you will use to cope with the labor pain, and who will be there, but also how you will handle various situations. You need to think very hard about what you really want and what you really feel. Birthing without a medical professional means relying on your instincts, and to do this you must be in touch with your intuition. You need to feel your body and listen to your heart. You need to spend your time not just feeding your mind but reconnecting with yourself.