A pregnant woman in bed
Credit: Jyn Meyer | ©Jyn Meyer @ sxc.hu
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.
- True emergencies include placental problems, hemorrhage, cord prolapse, & inverted uterus.
- A C-section is required if the baby is lying sideways or will not come down the birth canal.
- Most of what we perceive as "complications" are very normal, easy-to-manage events.
Comments
Oh, dang! You wrote it first! I just finished an article with the exact same title and subject matter last night. :-/ hehe! I guess I'll go ahead and change the title at least. Great writing! I didn't realize you'd already done it until I searched online this morning.
I think the idea isn't to push the cord back up there but to keep pressure off of the cord in some way, as best you can.
Good article! One thing I would like to point out about cord prolapse-I would not recommend trying to push the cord back inside you. This is because excessive handling can cause vasospasm (spasm of the blood vessels inside the cord-not good for the baby). Someone (preferably wearing a sterile glove) should place his/her hand inside the mother and try to keep the presenting part off the cord. The cord itself should be covered with moist, sterile gauze and handled as little as possible, and the mother should indeed be kept in a head-down position. Incidentally, this does not necessarily always mean a c/s. If the mother is fully dilated and birth is imminent, it may be possible for her to have a vaginal birth; however, if she's not anywhere close to giving birth, by definition she will need a c/s.
Yes, that is a very good site. I love the forum there. :)
jennifer
(Guest)
(Guest)
07/20/2007
www.unassistedchildbirth.com
awesome site!!!
Many people do have homebirths and unassisted births after C-sections. And they go very well. :)
Great article! I ended up with an emergency situation and am very pro-hospital birth for that reason, but your article provided a great new insight. I doubt I would ever attempt a home birth (especially now that I've had a c-section), but I believe it is a woman's choice and she should be supported if that is what she wishes.
Yep, same here, and I agree. Women should learn all they can. You never know what can happen. What if you go into labor during a blizzard or hurricane? We had a blizzard just last week here in Colorado, and there's been enough natural disasters worldwide that women should be taking birth preparation more serously than just taking Lamaze classes.
Great article for women who are looking for information to make the choice that's right for them.
It's a tough choice to make - there's so much nervousness surrounding birth anyway, I know that I would worry about complications too. This was a good basic start on the information, a nice intro - I agree with LuAnn, more in depth one each would definitely bring me back to read, and I can't even have more children!
Comments 1 - 10 (of 19)
Next >>
|
|