• Prenatal care options for unassisted birthers

    Date: 2010.09.12 | Category: Unassisted Childbirth | Tags: ,,,

    Families who have decided to have an unassisted homebirth often wonder what to do about their prenatal care. Should they do their own prenatal care, or receive care from a midwife or an OB? Is it even possible to receive prenatal care from someone who is not going to be at your birth? If you do your own prenatal care, what is involved? In short, unassisted birthers have the same prenatal care options as anyone else, and your decisions are your personal choice. Perhaps this list of prenatal care options, and their benefits and disadvantages, can help in the decision-making process.

    Unassisted Pregnancy (UP)

    Unassisted pregnancy refers to pregnant women doing their own prenatal care, without the assistance of medical professionals. What this actually means varies from woman to woman. It is possible to do everything that a midwife does yourself. UP-ing often starts with a balanced and healthy diet. Listening to the baby’s heartbeat with a doppler, measuring one’s fundal height (the length of the bottom of the pelvic cavity to the top of the uterus, once it is possible to palpate it), and taking urine tests that test protein and glucose levels are all things that families can do at home, with the help of online midwifery supplies stores. Some women spend a lot of time on prenatal care, while others prefer to focus on healthy living, and enjoying their pregnancies.

    One of the advantages of having an unassisted pregnancy is being able to tailor your care to your needs, without the interference or pressure of a birth professional. Those who are enjoying a UP will not face pressures to do prenatal screening tests they don’t feel comfortable with doing, and are not subject to the side-effects that prenatal care with a medical professional often has. Not being clouded by others’ judgements, the UP-ing mother to be is free to listen to her own instincts and intuitions.

    However, it can be difficult to gain access to facilities such as ultrasounds in pregnancy for those who do not have an OB or midwife care for them. Those who transfer to hospital for any reason during their labors will face obstacles as well. Moreover, obtaining a birth certificate for a newborn can be more difficult for those who do not have any formal proof of pregnancy.

    Midwifery care

    Midwifery care can be a wonderful option for those who want the support and experience of a third party, one that shares their belief that pregnancy is a normal life event, and not a medical process. Of course, there is an extremely wide range of midwives, from Certified Nurse Midwives working at hospitals, under the direction of OBs, to direct entry homebirth midwives. In some cases, it is possible to find midwives who are supportive of unassisted childbirth and who will be happy to provide prenatal care for UC-ers. Some of those planning an unassisted homebirth are open about their birth plans, while others choose to refrain from talking about their intentions to UC. Personally, I am of the opinion that it is best to find a care provider who would be supportive of your plans but that can be a bit of a challenge to many.

    “Shadow care” with an gynecologist/obsetrician

    For those women who opt to receive prenatal care from an OB/GYN during their pregnancies, stating their intentions to have an unassisted birth will probably lead to enormous amounts of pressure, perhaps being “fired” by their OBs, or even more unpleasant events. If you are planning to have an unassisted homebirth, it is extremely likely that you don’t share the care philosophy most OBs have – making this option one that can lead to… many discussions about prenatal screening test, to say the least. Receiving prenatal care from an OB does mean an abudance of paperwork confirming your pregnancy, making it easier to obtain a birth certificate. Furthermore, it can make transferring to a hospital should you need or want to during labor a lot easier.