Unassisted Pregnancy: Naturally Managing Complications

Natural Alternatives to Medications and Procedures

By Heather B., published May 04, 2007
Published Content: 195  Total Views: 315,782  Favorited By: 94 CPs
Rating: 4.2 of 5
This goes along with the question of "What if something goes wrong?" As I've already said in other articles, the simple answer is that the mother will handle it. Many freebirthers prefer to think of complications as 'variations of normal' that happen during pregnancy, labor, and birth. While the majority of pregnancies are low-risk and very safe, not all are completely uneventful. If they become too severe, the mother should of course see a doctor or midwife. However, many of these issues can be managed at home by a well-informed mother. There is no reason to panic!

Preeclampsia is pregnancy-induced hypertension or, in other words, high blood pressure. It is also called toxemia. It is common in first time mothers, teenage or multiple pregnancies, and women over 40. Smoking, drinking, and other unhealthy lifestyle practices can increase the risk of preeclampsia. There may also be a genetic factor. It occurs once the pregnancy has reached 20 week gestation. It happens in only 5-8% of pregnancies, and those with healthy lifestyles are very unlikely to be affected by it. Preeclampsia can cause low birth weight babies by depriving the placenta of blood. It can develop into eclampsia, which will cause seizures, but this is very rare--especially for those who recognize the condition and treat it.

Mild preeclampsia will cause high blood pressure, water retention, and protein in the urine; you may swell more than usual and notice your pee is cloudy. Severe preeclampsia causes headaches, blurred vision, light sensitivity, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and shortness of brush. When a mother suspects preeclampsia, she should take it easy and get lots of rest. There are many things she can do to help lower her blood pressure. These include limiting salt intake, drinking more water, and avoiding unhealthy foods and substances like fried foods, alcohol, and caffeine. Exercising 30 minutes a day will also help. Preeclampsia is rare in those who do this regularly, so these methods are great for both prevention and treatment of this complication.

A nude pregnant woman in all her natural glory!

Credit: Johan Cloete

Copyright: Johan Cloete @ sxc.hu

Takeaways
  • A healthy lifestyle can prevent many complications.
  • A healthier diet, lots of water, and exercise are great treatment.
  • Complications are more like variations of normal.
Did You Know?
Don't panic if your water breaks. When this happens in the second trimester, women are sent home; in the third, doctors deliver the child for 'risk of infection.' Senseless. The placenta produces fluid until delivery, & it's safe to wait it out.
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
 
 
Doctors are too quick to save us from ourselves. My amniotic fluid was leaking, and i was told i to not let it go beyond 24 hours for risk of infection. thanks for your advice, of course mama nature knows what she's doing. I'm happy in my third world unassisted-ness , our "lack of medical resources"...

Posted on 03/10/2008 at 11:03:31 PM

 
Another great article, Heather. One thing I should mention though-I would not recommend doing a twin pregnancy unassisted. In the rural hospital where I work, if a mom presents in labour and she's known to be having twins, she's sent to a city hospital unless she's too close to giving birth. Twins are by definition a high-risk pregnancy and an obstetrician should at least be consulted, if not managing the mother's care. However, twins CAN be born vaginally and your care provider should discuss this option with you. Twins also carry a higher risk of post-partum haemorrhage for the mother, due to distention of the uterus.

Posted on 11/25/2007 at 7:11:00 PM

 
And that's perfectly fine. We are all different. There is no 'right' way to give birth but the way that feels most comfortable to the mother. All birth experiences are legitimate and special. To be honest, I'd be as scared of a C-section or another hospital vaginal delivery even as you would be of birthing totally unassisted. We all do what feels right to us. :)

Posted on 05/06/2007 at 11:05:00 PM

 
Heather, I give you many kudos. I, for one, was terrified of giving birth. I had Maddie via c-section, but I was scared the whole way through and would never have considered giving it a go on my own. Good for you! I'm just not made that way...

Posted on 05/06/2007 at 8:05:00 PM

 
Things haven't changed that much. There's a whole unassisted childbirth community, and we all understand each other. To the rest of the world we are quacks. I am trying to change that!

Posted on 05/05/2007 at 9:05:00 AM

 
This was highly informative, and a subject that rarely is discussed. Thanks for bringing this up. A long time ago, one of my aunts opted to do this, and she was considered mentally unstable. Nice to see how things have changed.

Posted on 05/05/2007 at 12:05:00 AM

 
I never thought about the fact that if someone is choosing something like UC that they would have a very natural lifestyle. Love the article Heather, the more I read about UC the more I want to know. Nice Job!

Posted on 05/04/2007 at 12:05:00 PM

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