Unassisted Childbirth: What If Something Goes Wrong?

How to Recognize True Emergencies & Handle Complication

This is the number one question people ask about unassisted birth. Even those who are planning one worry about this. The truth is that 90% of labors will be complication-free. For every 1,000 live births, only 6.50 infants will die in the first year of life. This includes SIDS, accidents, adverse reactions to vaccines, preemies, etc. The chances of your infant dying are very low. The stillbirth rate in the US is 1 in 115 births, a little less than 1%. The main causes are infection, defects, retarded growth, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, maternal drug use, postdate pregnancy, physical trauma, placental abruption, radiation poisoning, Rh disease, and umbilical cord accidents. Few deaths occur due to problems during labor & delivery.

Many people assume that if a woman's baby dies during an unassisted birth, it is her fault for not having had a doctor on hand. This is completely untrue. Most infants that die at home would have died in the hospital anyway. The vast majority of stillbirths occur in utero before labor begins. Many are related to problems that can't be treated, only managed--or that can't be managed at all. Even prenatal care will not save an infant from dying in utero. A doctor is likely to recommend preterm birth if an infant's life seems to be in danger during the pregnancy, which is usually equally dangerous for the infant.

There are times when probably arise during labor that can threaten the life of the child. Some of these can be handled at home, and some will need hospital treatment. Mothers learn to recognize these conditions, handle them, and know when to go to the hospital. These labor complications are just as likely to cause death in a hospital as they are in the home, so long as the mother has done her research. Most problems can be handled by a mother simply following her instincts. Rarely does a death occur because of the mother's actions, but because of things that are out of her (or anyone else's) control.