Unassisted Childbirth
By Emily Jones
May 11, 2008
What is unassisted childbirth? Put simply, unassisted childbirth, or UC as it is sometimes referred to, is giving birth without the assistance of a paid birth professional. Everyone has heard stories of unplanned UCs - the woman who births in the car before she gets to the hospital, the teenager who gives birth in a bathroom stall at a school dance, and many other similar stories. What not everyone has heard, though, are the increasing numbers of stories of planned UCs. With the medical community and government in the United States increasing restrictions and pressure to limit women’s birthing choices outside of the hospital, more and more women are turning to a more “radical” idea: planned unassisted childbirth.
Of course the idea of a woman birthing without a paid professional is not new. Prior to doctors entering the picture, women birthed with the assistance of friends and family, and midwives as well. Midwives in older times, however, were not like midwives today. There was no formal training or licensing programs. They were typically just women who had also given birth, and perhaps had attended several births as well. The original function of a midwife was not to facilitate the birth, but to help around the house, provide for other children if there were any, and to be available for any emergency situations. In tribal cultures, it was not (and in some cultures today still is not) unusual for a woman to go somewhere alone to give birth and return to the community afterwards. But to today’s modern society, the idea of birthing without a paid professional is considered radical, crazy, and even dangerous.
Why are women today choosing UC? The primary factor in the rise in planned UC today is the removal of birth choices for women. The medical community has been extremely successful in either criminalizing midwifery or in regulating it so strictly, that the number of women who can use a midwife are small. The medical system is so rigid in their routine treatment of laboring women as well, that many women do not even have a choice within the medical system.
For example, for women who have a breech baby, who have had a prior cesarean section, or women who have twins, in most states their choices are severely limited. Each of these cases is, for the most part, considered to be an automatic c-section if planning a hospital birth. In 14 states, direct-entry midwifery (who most often attend home births) is illegal entirely. In the 34 states where direct-entry midwifery is legal, most of those states have restrictions against such midwives attending these cases in a home birth. So for these women, their choices are to be essentially mandated to have a c-section in the hospital, or to give birth vaginally at home without the assistance of a licensed midwife. There are also unlicensed, or “underground”, midwives. So if a woman in this instance does not wish to have a c-section, she must either choose between an illegal midwife, or an unassisted childbirth.
Another reason women may choose a UC can be attributed to a cultural backlash against the highly medical model of childbirth that has become entrenched in our society today. Many women today are unhappy with having their choices removed from them, and are unsatisfied with the idea that their bodies are somehow broken, or that their bodies must somehow have forgotten how to give birth. These women choose UC because they trust that nature has designed the process of pregnancy and childbirth to work well under most circumstances, and they trust in their own ability to assess and manage their own physical condition, and that of their babies.
Then there is the consideration of UC philosophy. Those who choose UC subscribe to variations on the same philosophies: that birth is natural and normal, that a woman knows her body better than any other person, and that most complications that occur in childbirth are caused by outside interference, and that true unforeseen complications are rare.
So a woman has chosen to give birth unassisted. Those who are not accustomed to the idea ask, “Well, what will she do in case of emergency? What if complications arise?” Most women who choose to UC spend an extensive amount of time in research, thought, and consideration. They are aware of the risks and are well-informed on how to address minor complications. And in case of a major complication, they would do what any mother who is giving birth at home would do: call 911 or transfer to the hospital for more expert assistance.
Women who choose UC are not crazy, anti-establishment, or reckless. They enter the decision with care and with attention to preparedness. One who is not familiar with UC may be astonished to learn exactly how educated and prepared women who choose UC really are. But it’s not just about preparedness and study; it’s also about fundamental human design. Women are designed to give birth.
Think of all the unplanned UC stories you have heard: the woman who gave birth in a car, the teen who gave birth in the bathroom, and others. How many of those stories end in horrible, bloody outcomes with dead babies and mothers? Almost none of them. They all end with the baby and mother being transferred to the hospital, and everyone having miraculously survived. Maybe it wasn’t such a miracle. Maybe it is that childbirth is designed to work right 95% of the time.
My goal in this article is not to debate the relative safety of unassisted childbirth, or to make a how-to essay. My goal is to make readers aware of what UC means, and why women choose it. There are many books and websites dedicated to learning more about UC, and I encourage anyone who is interested to take the time to learn more about it. Instead of dismissing unassisted childbirth out-of-hand, I encourage people to learn more about it, to educate themselves. It is not to say that all women should choose a UC. Certainly different women will have different needs for their childbirth. But women should at least know that it exists, know that it is a viable option for many women, and should not be so quick to denigrate those who choose it.
For more information, please see the following websites:
Unassisted Childbirth Australia
Comments
2 Responses to “Unassisted Childbirth”
Got something to say?
Thanks for the great article. When women learn just how dangerous and unavoidable hospital interventions are, they find they are simply left with no choice other than unassisted childbirth. Even midwives with the very best intentions “do things” to birthing mothers to adhere to arbitrary legal timelines for childbirth. I applaud women who educate themselves and take this brave step to protect themselves and their babies from harm.
Thank you for this wonderful article. I think it is a fundamental right of every woman to know about UC or even be aware of the fact that not everything that happens in the hospital is in the woman’s or the baby’s interests. I recently learned about UC and the whole process just feels right. The whole image that the Western society created for childbirth is very disturbing. I portrayed it as painful, full of medication and most of all I felt the woman’s body is being invaded.
It is interesting how some women totally oppose the idea of taking charge, learning about their bodies and actually doing what they were meant to do, deliver their babies. Instead many prefer to surrender to a “knowledgeable” doctor and remain quite ignorant of the whole process of childbirth.
Of course ob/gyn’s will be calling out against UC: 1. it questions ob/gyn’s and their right to interfere 2. they need their jobs!
UC requires A LOT OF preparation and of course being able to fight of the fear of the unknown. It’s a big step for any woman.
I just wish women were willing to take charge, get involved and if not go totally UC but at least educate themselves about childbirth, all the medication that they might be exposed to at the hospitals, and connect with their bodies and their babies.