How to give birth yourself at home. Home birth: what you need to know about it to give birth at home. Attempts, the most difficult period

Lyubov Plakhotnik:“Unfortunately, I only recently realized how deep the chasm is that separates women preparing for childbirth, especially their first birth, from those who are trying to help them with this. Institutional dependence, formed by years of training and public opinion, does its job. Young women and young couples sincerely believe that preparing for childbirth is akin to preparing for the exams that they have already passed. accordingly, they are perceived as another exam. There is an unfounded confidence that in order to “give birth well” it is enough to remember the information offered in classes well and conscientiously complete all the exercises.

The point of preparing for childbirth is not to “educate” women, but to help them return to their own nature. Behind short term pregnancy go from " modern man“Being a Woman capable of becoming a Mother is not easy. Many are capable of this without outside help, others need significant psychological and moral support along this path. This is the main goal of all courses and classes for pregnant women.”

Most often on the Internet you will find enthusiastic stories about home births. And it’s unlikely that anyone will share their negative experience. It so happened that it is customary to describe the horrors of maternity hospitals, and childbirth at home, if you are not pathologically afraid of it, is associated with something bright and joyful. The exact opposite happened to me. My first birth began as a home birth, continued in the maternity hospital, and ended deep depression. The second birth in the maternity hospital went relatively well. But despite all the negative experiences at home and the positive experiences of maternity hospital births, I am for home births. Only home obstetricians are different, and their approaches to preparing pregnant women are also different. And my story will be about what they, in my opinion, should not be.

In the seventh month of pregnancy, my busy life suddenly came to a screeching halt, and it was finally time to prepare for the upcoming exciting event. My beloved was not against giving birth at home, but I was very much against giving birth in a maternity hospital. And so, by chance (and as you know, there are no accidents), I came across a site on the Internet about childbirth, motherhood and newborn care; among other things, it offered preparation and assistance in home births. My husband and I decided to take a risk. Thus began our comprehensive preparation for home birth. It included physical exercise, swimming, perineal stretching, cervical preparation, and several lectures on childbirth safety. My husband and I had to stretch the perineum up to ten centimeters with a special massage so that it would not tear during childbirth. The cervix softened and prepared for childbirth through sex. We did both in good faith.

I’ll dwell a little on the lectures.

Their essence was that maternity hospitals are absolute evil, natural childbirth not possible there, all medical system designed to deprive the mother and newborn of their health; even a worldwide conspiracy theory was mentioned. Childbirth in a maternity hospital is for the majority, childbirth at home is for thinking people, for the elite. But at the same time, there is a long list of contraindications for childbirth at home, and if suddenly you are found to have them, then you will have to go through all the circles of hell in a medical institution. By the way, I was very afraid that I would not have these same contraindications.

One of them was the baby’s weight was no more than three kilograms at the time of birth (checked by the last ultrasound); at the end of pregnancy, I tried to limit myself in food on the advice of home obstetricians, so that, God forbid, I would not overfeed the baby. A lot has been said about the physiology of this process, about the dangers that await us during childbirth and after it. The obstetricians boasted that their entire birth was extremely successful and that it was all documented on video. Special attention was given to perineal massage, since they explained to us that taking me to the maternity hospital if I “torn” was a very difficult and unpleasant procedure.

Now this all sounds absurd to me, but then, in our desire, my husband and I did not notice obvious things and did not even think that somehow something could be different. Then we were captivated by the simplicity, clarity, logic, and the medical approach that was quite familiar to us, only without all the medical delights in the bargain. A couple more words were said about relaxation, a couple about how to push and breathe, from all of this I remembered the words of the midwife: “I’ll be there and show you everything.” We were not advised to read a single book about childbirth and preparation for it, and we were so fixated on the physics of this process and all its dangers that we could not even imagine how multifaceted the birth of a person is.

A week before the long-awaited event, we were told that it might happen that our midwife would not be able to attend the birth. Since a woman in another city from a very wealthy family gives birth at the same time as me. They will pay for her flight to another city and all expenses. In this case, it would be natural for the obstetricians to find a replacement, but I was offered, if labor begins at the same time (although, in their opinion, this is unlikely), to go to this city and give birth together with that woman. I flatly refused. I believed that everything would be resolved the best way, hoped for my luck and was not very worried. But my husband began to worry and worry. We didn’t want to look for a home midwife ourselves three days before giving birth; it was important for me that it was a person we knew well. And such a well-known person was found...

A friend of mine once worked in a maternity hospital. We didn’t even hope that she would agree to insure us, but we still decided to try. Having heard the story “from another city,” to our great surprise, she dared to do this heroic act. We immediately turned to home midwives for help and asked a former midwife, my friend, for a little help. Reluctantly, they first agreed, and then asked for a very large amount of money for training. I hoped to the end that we would not have to resort to her help, and we recklessly refused.

But as you might have guessed, my labor began simultaneously with the birth of a woman from another city. They started at four o'clock in the morning and lasted about 26 hours in total. We agreed to keep in touch with the home midwife by phone, and a friend of ours came to us for the birth. At first everything went well, I didn’t panic, wonderful music sounded, and I will never forget this wonderful atmosphere of home birth. But time passed, I began to get tired, my water broke, but not much, and the contractions became more and more intense, I began to push, the dilatation was complete.

I started pushing, but I couldn’t push the baby out. Perhaps I started pushing too early. Honestly, I don’t know what to do; it was the right thing to do at that moment. So I suffered for two hours. We called the home midwife, she said that this had all taken too long and advised us to rupture the amniotic sac, which our assistant did. And then I felt very, very painful, and at some point I lost faith that I would be able to give birth myself. The pelvic bones hurt. The only thing I wanted was for it all to end. I am still ashamed of these feelings: at that moment, I didn’t think about the child, I didn’t think about anything, I just wanted it not to hurt.

It was decided to call an ambulance.

My husband was there all the time and supported me, I thank him very much for that. At that time, we lived in the private sector, our friend ran to meet the ambulance and show the way to our house, and my husband and I were left alone. I was in unbearable pain. Instinctively, during the next contraction, I got down on all fours. The attempts began. Everything happened by itself, and in three attempts our baby was born into dad’s arms. At that moment, the ambulance doctors ran in, cut the umbilical cord and placed the baby on my chest. I felt relief, but not joy. We were loaded onto stretchers and sent to the maternity hospital. It seemed that this was the end of my torment, but it continued.

In the maternity hospital it turned out that the vagina was torn during childbirth, the perineum remained intact (it was not for nothing that we worked so hard to stretch it), I was given several internal seams. The placenta was delivered there. Naturally, dad was not allowed to visit us. Immediately on the operating table they began to scold me, scold me, scold me, at some point I even felt funny from all the absurdity of what they said there. Then we were transferred to a ward, that night I lay with my daughter on my stomach, cried and asked her for forgiveness. In the maternity hospital I was a real celebrity, everyone considered it their duty to look at me, some of the doctors yelled at me (I’m writing this and crying), someone was afraid that I would take the child and run away through the window, there were also those who simply sympathized , but there weren’t many of them...

Then discharge, entering a new life with a child and new disappointments. Unfortunately, I was unable to breastfeed, which was another blow for me; I really dreamed about this. Unsure of myself after giving birth, I listened to advice from my mother, husband, doctors, but not myself and my daughter. And after the story with home obstetricians, I had some kind of prejudice about lactation consultants.

As a result, depression constant feeling guilt towards my daughter and next pregnancy. We never communicated with the home obstetricians who were going to help us, but were unable to do so. They continue their practice, only they now ask fabulous money for their services, thereby emphasizing the elitism of home births. We probably spoiled their statistics a little... But now, I’m even glad that everything turned out that way. Thanks to this incident, I realized and rethought a lot about childbirth, motherhood and life in general...

The question of where to give birth for the second time did not last long; due to certain circumstances (thrush did not go away throughout the pregnancy), we decided to give birth in a maternity hospital. Having the experience of previous births behind me, I really didn’t want to go there, but we had no other choice. We found a maternity hospital where they gave birth while sitting (or, according to at least, so they said) and provided comfortable living conditions for the baby, mother and father of the child. Before my second birth, I was probably more worried than before the first.

This time I also prepared, but in a completely different way. This time, the realization came to me that there would be no one around to help me give birth to a child the way I wanted, the most gentle way for both of us. I will be on foreign territory, and responsibility for how my birth will go falls entirely on me. Starting from the sixth month of pregnancy, I discovered “Childbirth without fear”, and my husband and I conscientiously began to relax my body, which later helped me a lot during childbirth.

My second labor started at night.

Early in the morning on a very sunny but cold day, we got into the car and went to the maternity hospital. I would never have thought that driving through battles on our roads could be so inconvenient. (Another huge plus of home birth is that you don’t need to go anywhere). To be honest, I expected my second labor to be fast, but in my case this was not the case. I was in labor for about 6 hours. My body seemed to be patiently waiting for it to unfold suitable conditions for the birth of a baby. I don’t associate the maternity hospital with something terrible during my second birth; rather, for me it was too formal and crowded.

When, after going through all the checks, registrations, changing clothes, we finally got to the maternity room, and I finally tried to go deeper into the process of childbirth, when one after another doctors, nurses, midwives, and orderlies began to rush in, and there was no end to them , no edge. As soon as I tuned in to childbirth, I began to listen to myself, the baby, going through the contractions and, as if dissolving in them, some next assistant would rush in to find out how we were doing. All this time, my husband calmly sat next to me on a comfortable sofa and watched me walk around the ward and sing (for some reason I sang during contractions).

He was accused of inaction, but in fact, during childbirth I didn’t need anyone, not even my husband, then I really wanted not to be disturbed. As a result, the assistants got tired of waiting, my water never broke, and my dilation was almost complete. They pierced the amniotic sac, the contractions became very painful, at that moment they put me on a drip ( mandatory procedure in the maternity hospital). Together with this dropper, I went to sit on a chair to give birth, I was asked to lie on the bed, I categorically refused to do this and ordered a doctor to be sent for the head. To be honest, I was ready to give birth to a child standing, but not lying down. After a moment's pause, the midwife reluctantly muttered through her teeth: “Sit down.” A few minutes later my son was born, they laid him on my stomach - a moment full of happiness. Then everything is as it should be in the maternity hospital.

Comparing the experience of two births, I am in favor of giving birth at home. It would seem that I should have formed a different opinion. Indeed, I experienced my home birth very hard, and probably the first step towards accepting what happened was to tell my two-year-old daughter about my feelings. I told her about everything: about how she was born, how I couldn’t breastfeed (I’ve been feeding my second child for a year and three months), how worried I was about this. And between us, as if a wall had fallen, our relationship became much closer. There is a proven fact that we all remember our birth, and babies can even talk about it. I think for my daughter, her birth was also traumatic, not in itself (she was born in excellent condition), but because of the emotional burden that accompanied it.

The second step was to study the birth process more deeply. Naturally, there are a number of indications for childbirth in a medical facility. But if we take pathological cases out of the equation, it seems to me that main reason The reason why there is so much discussion about childbirth at home is the fear of death. Preparing for childbirth, whether childbirth at home or in a maternity hospital, should not be based on fears, although scientifically based - this path leads to a dead end.

Childbirth is a process of acceptance of everything, acceptance of even the possibility of death.

And when there is an opinion in society that a maternity hospital relieves parents of responsibility for the death of a newborn during childbirth, think about whether this makes it easier for parents? Birth, like death, are integral parts of life. We have the illusion that medicine has power over life and death. But practice proves the opposite, and when, in preparation for home birth or birth in a maternity hospital, we use a purely medical mechanistic approach with its clarity, unambiguity, thoughtfulness, logic, we find ourselves unprepared to meet Life with its unpredictable, and very often we are not dependent decisions.

Preparing for childbirth is, first of all, internal preparation, putting together your philosophy of having a child, understanding what happens to you during pregnancy and what will happen after. Having read a lot of books about childbirth, having given birth both at home and in the maternity hospital, I now realize that it is ideal for me to give birth on my own without outside help.

The husband and midwife should be nearby but unnoticed during labor, appearing only when necessary. Regarding the presence of a man at childbirth, I largely agree with Michel Auden. After all, it is a woman who gives birth, not a husband or a midwife. Childbirth should not be led, but followed. This is such an intimate process, this is a holiday, first of all, for you and the baby, and you want to enjoy every moment of it, sharing with your child this extreme joy of the New Man entering our world... Is this possible in the maternity hospital?

PHOTO – Carla Raiter – Fotografia

Home birth: features, preparation for childbirth, safety. Pregnancy is a difficult time for a woman, associated with both physical and moral problems. The expectant mother is overcome by all sorts of doubts, including the question - where to deliver the pregnancy? Which one to choose medical institution so that the birth is guaranteed to end safely.

IN last years All more women they come to the conclusion that staying in the maternity hospital will be a difficult ordeal for them. That is why they choose home birth – a technique with a thousand-year history.

Indeed, women gave birth to children a thousand and ten thousand years ago. In those days there were simply no hospitals, and women in labor were delivered at home. The process was sometimes controlled by midwives, but this was not always the case. Of course, the lack of proper hygiene and the general savagery of the population often led to sad consequences. Nowadays, everything has changed and childbirth at home is enough safe process, of course, subject to compliance with all regulations and recommendations.

The advantage of giving birth at home is obvious - the woman is in familiar, comfortable conditions. Calmness, confidence, the feeling that “even the walls help” are very important for pregnant women. Pregnancy requires a woman to exert both moral and physical strength- of course, it will be much easier for the woman in labor if she is in a familiar environment.

However, despite the obvious advantage of giving birth at home, the risks are enormous and can lead to a catastrophic outcome. This must be taken into account. Before deciding to have a home birth, spouses need to carefully understand the issue and take into account all the details.

Preparing for home birth

Why did the fashion for home birth arise?

The popularity of home births is associated with a global trend of growing mistrust in medical intervention as such. The process of relieving a burden is natural for female body, and several thousand years ago it took place in natural conditions. Many women want to return to this naturalness and believe that medical intervention will only harm the body of the mother and the baby. The relative “advantages” of home birth include the following circumstances:

Only close people gather around a woman, those whom she wants to see at this moment;
the woman in labor, being the mistress of the house, in a psychological sense is also the mistress of the situation; it seems to her that she is in control of her body;
not used during childbirth medical supplies and techniques: anesthetic, forceps, stimulation and episiotomy;
choosing a position for childbirth on an intuitive level;
using the “water birth” technique (by the way, it is the most popular for home births;
absence of foreign influence on the uterus, artificial contraction;
favorable psycho-emotional background;
the mother immediately sees the baby and makes contact with him;
isolation from the hospital environment, in which microflora may well be present, causing allergies, infections in mother and child;
absence of psychological pressure, requirements to vaccinate the newborn;

It is these factors that become decisive for expectant mothers in terms of abandoning hospital births. Of course, they need to understand that, relying on the strength of their own body and the help of Mother Nature, they are taking serious risks. To minimize risks, serious prenatal preparation is necessary.

Celebrities who gave birth at home

Women from show business, cinema, and television are increasingly choosing home births. In the US it has become a craze for celebrities. The popularity of the technique is growing due to the fact that “stars” talk about their experience in the press, on TV, in in social networks. Women find it very pleasant and pleasant to give birth to a child in their own apartment or house. successful outcome pregnancy. Moreover, the experience of celebrities in most cases is positive.

Film stars M. Streep, D. Connelly, P. Anderson, D. Moore, top models S. Crawford, M. Bialik, J. Bundchen and other famous and successful women. At the same time, both mothers and children are completely healthy.

The technique is not so common among Russian celebrities. Domestic “stars” prefer to give birth in conditions medical clinic in Europe or the USA.

One example of home birth is the singer Masha Makarova, who performed in the group “Masha and the Bears” in the 90s. Now Masha is a mother of many children. Singers Sasha Zvereva and E. Selikhova gave birth at home. The ladies speak only positively about the experience.

In 2005, M. Makarova, while in her home in the Moscow region, gave birth to twin girls. In 2010, she gave birth to a healthy son in the same way. Sasha Zvereva, with the support of her family, gave birth in a bathtub filled with water, filming the birth process on video. The birth was successful. Elena Selikhova gave birth with the help of her husband, who took special obstetric courses in advance and learned how to give birth at home.

Note! In the West, home births have been legitimized, that is, in the process mandatory An experienced obstetrician-gynecologist takes part. In our country, home births are not provided for by law. Accordingly, all responsibility for this procedure and its outcome falls on the parents.

Preparing for home birth

The second step is selecting a school that trains parents who decide to go through the birth process at home. More and more such schools appear every year. During the classes, a man and a woman will have the opportunity to strengthen (or, on the contrary, become disappointed) in their decision. The couple will meet experienced obstetricians and receive a visual understanding of the birth procedure.

Note! The medical institution must be notified of a woman giving birth at home; the maternity hospital that will accept the woman when a complication occurs should be chosen in advance. Another the most important moment- transport. A car ready to take a woman in labor to the hospital should be on duty at the entrance.

What is needed for a home birth?

Strong contractions can come suddenly, so parents need to prepare for them in advance. Here's what you'll need for a home birth:

Bath or pool for childbirth. If a regular bath is used, it must be washed thoroughly using neutral disinfectants. You can use an inflatable pool: to avoid unforeseen situations, keep the pump and hose at hand.
Large oilcloth.
Diapers, clean sheets.
Enema.
A container made of clay or crystal: the placenta will be sent into it.
A small rubber bulb: with the help of this device it is necessary to free the baby’s mouth and nose from mucus.
An ice-filled heating pad that can be used to stimulate uterine contractions. The heating pad should be kept in freezer refrigerator.
Strong scissors (the obstetrician will use them to cut the umbilical cord).
Silk thread.
Hydrogen peroxide for leather treatment.
Bucket with cold water which may be needed to resuscitate an infant.
Ice cubes of antiseptic decoctions. Decoctions are made from nettle, chamomile, calendula and water pepper, then frozen in the refrigerator. After the placenta is removed from the vagina, bleeding may occur - in this case, cubes are used.
If the woman in labor has lost a lot of blood and strength, decoctions of galangal root, nettle or water pepper are used. A woman should take the decoction orally. Also, to restore strength, you need a rosehip decoction.
For washing after childbirth, decoctions of chamomile, oak bark and yarrow are used.

How to physically prepare the body for childbirth at home?

Childbirth is huge exercise stress on the body. Naturally, it is necessary to prepare for this event in advance. In order for a woman to be confident during labor, she needs to use her prenatal time effectively. It is highly desirable that the expectant mother and fetus approach the birth stronger.

There are several complexes for this physical exercise, conventionally called “fitness for pregnant women”. It is very important that the exercises are not local, but permanent, daily. This means that a woman needs to exercise at least three times a week. Pilates and fitball are considered the optimal fitness complexes for pregnant women. The aqua variety of Pilates will also be extremely useful.

Pilates has the following beneficial qualities:

education chest breathing, helping with contractions;
getting rid of inflammatory processes in the legs and arms associated with congestion of muscles and joints;
restorative and relaxing effects;
beneficial effect on the hip area, which bears the main load during labor activity;
strengthening effect on the spine.

Aqua Pilates is a unique set of exercises that combines the benefits of Pilates and water procedures. By engaging in this type of fitness, a woman in labor will achieve many benefits:

relaxation of the muscle frame, getting rid of excess tension;
increased blood flow in the uterine area and overall improvement circulatory system body;
unlike fitness open air, in water a woman is in a more comfortable environment, which avoids overheating;
water eliminates fatigue, relieves stress and depressive states, leads to internal balance;
Aqua Pilates also includes training in diving and holding your breath, which is extremely important during childbirth;
The exercises used in aqua Pilates are aimed, among other things, at giving the fetus the correct position in the uterus, which will facilitate its exit.

Note! Women with a pregnancy period of at least 12 weeks of varying levels of physical fitness are allowed to take Aqua Pilates classes.

Unlike aqua Pilates, fitball is suitable for all expectant mothers, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. The level of physical fitness does not play any role. Fitball is a ball large diameter made from durable material. The fitball is unstable and it is quite difficult to maintain balance on it, which allows you to:

increase coordination;
stimulate muscles, effectively distributing the load across the entire muscle frame;
improve metabolism in the body;
increase blood flow, blood circulation;
activate metabolic processes in the body, remove toxins;
training of vertical positions.

In addition, fitball - excellent remedy changes in the position of the fetus in the uterus. If the child is positioned poorly, practicing on a large ball will help him find a comfortable position.

Note! The fitball should be selected taking into account the height of the pregnant woman. You cannot inflate the fitball “all the way” - it must sag under the weight of the body.

Features of psychological preparation for childbirth

In psychological preparation, proper morale and attention from family and friends are key. It should be borne in mind that psychology when preparing for childbirth at home is no less important than physical training. How strong a woman’s psyche is, the more successful will be the resolution of the burden. It is extremely important that the mother in labor feels confident, calm and relaxed. Relatives should also prepare, because nervous people nearby will disturb the pregnant woman.

Important point! Future mothers and fathers need to model the process in advance and understand what will happen during childbirth. You need to find out in advance what unforeseen situations and complications may occur that can frighten future parents. Training videos, specialized courses, conversations with professionals - gynecologists, obstetricians, and doctors will help with this.

Self-hypnosis is very useful in psychological preparation. The more often a woman repeats to herself “the birth will be wonderful”, “everything will be fine”, “my body will cope, I need to trust nature”, “me and the baby are completely safe”, “my child is in in perfect order“,” “I’m completely healthy and ready for a home birth,” “everything will go well,” “my baby will be born in my own home, not in a hospital.”

All these phrases, despite their outward insignificance, will put a woman in the right mood and relieve her of anxiety.

Note! A great way to overcome psychological uncertainty and decide to give birth at home is to communicate with couples who have already gone through this process. Like-minded people will talk about all the pitfalls, share their feelings, pros and cons. Communication with a woman who gave birth at home will help you tune in to the upcoming event.

The correct attitude of relatives is also very important. Support from loved ones is the most important thing for any person. Relatives must understand that home birth is your choice. Obstructing the chosen technique can only cause harm. Closest relatives who plan to take part in a home birth should undergo special training.

Features of choosing a doula (midwife for childbirth)

Women who decide to give birth at home need to select a doula in advance - this is the common name for a professional midwife whose responsibilities include supervision and guidance. When there is a person nearby with extensive experience in childbirth, this has a beneficial effect on psychological condition women in labor.

Choosing a doula is a rather complicated matter, in which several factors need to be taken into account:

mandatory presence of specialized education, confirmed by documents: diplomas, licenses, certificates;
a woman must have not only the experience of a midwife-doula, but also her own experience of giving birth to a child at home;
a competent midwife will encourage a pregnant woman to attend without fail antenatal clinic, will focus on medical tests, study the medical record, finding out general state women's health;
a good doula will definitely tell you to the expectant mother about probable risks;
with the participation of the pregnant woman and her husband, the midwife will draw up detailed plan childbirth, answering questions that future parents may have with great interest.

Note! The main criterion for choosing a midwife-doula is trust. It is very important that the woman completely trusts the maternity assistant. Trust is the key to success and a way to avoid trouble.

Midwives are trained specialized centers. You can also find a doula at courses for expectant mothers, or using the advice of friends. There is no need to rush in this matter: you need to look through as many applicants as possible, getting to know them, talking with them, and finding common ground.

What is a home birth like?

Any birth, at home or under the roof of a medical institution, begins the moment a woman feels the first contractions. At this point, you need to do an enema and inform the midwife by phone that the process has begun. At first, contractions are quite tolerable - they allow you to calmly prepare for childbirth.

The doula, having received the signal, must quickly come to her ward’s house. The woman in labor tells the midwife about the dynamics of contractions, first of all, about their dynamism and strength. During strong contractions, a woman should take the optimal position - the one in which the contractions are least sensitive. This can be a sitting, standing, lying position. It is likely that a woman in labor will feel better while taking a bath or moving around the house at a leisurely pace. During contractions, you can moan, but without turning to screaming.

If the duration of contractions is atypical, the midwife may offer pharmacological or homeopathic remedies. It is very important that the doula monitors the fetal heart rate and keeps the process of cervical dilatation under control.

After contractions, the second stage of labor begins – pushing. The location of this process must be determined in advance - it could be a bed or a bathroom. The midwife carefully monitors the process, and at this time the spouse should massage the shoulders and lumbar region women in labor.

The most important stage of childbirth is the appearance of the baby's head. The baby moves forward with the help of a doula, after the head appears, the entire body of the baby comes out of the vagina in about 7-10 seconds.

It is very good if a born child first finds himself in an aquatic environment: this way the transition from one “world” to another is much easier for him. A child caught in the water is pulled out by a doula. Immediately after this, the assistant clears the baby's nose and mouth of mucus and hands it to the mother.

The next stage of labor is the delivery of the placenta. The umbilical cord should not be cut immediately - blood from the connecting tubule must enter the baby's body. The midwife cuts the umbilical cord. After this, the baby is transferred to the care of the father, and the doula helps the woman in labor leave the bath, put on a robe and go into the room with her family.

How to understand that childbirth is going according to a negative scenario?

Everyone who has decided to give birth at home needs to be optimistic, but the occurrence of some problems cannot be completely ruled out. Not a single woman is immune from a negative scenario during childbirth. But when does the moment come when the midwife-doula is powerless and it is necessary to call an ambulance? There are several such cases:

Delayed labor: the waters broke more than 10 hours ago, but the baby never came out. The danger of this situation lies in the possible infection of the fetus. In this case, artificial stimulation of the uterus, and possibly a caesarean section, may well be required.
A narrow passage in the pelvic area of a woman in labor prevents quick exit baby. If the child is “stuck,” the midwife will not help: you need to urgently go to a medical facility for a caesarean section.
During pushing, the following occurred: a) rupture of the umbilical vein; b) placental abruption; c) rupture of the placenta. All these situations are extremely dangerous for the baby: saving the child is possible only with an emergency blood transfusion within a 15-minute period after the discovery of a complication. Every second counts here. If resuscitation actions are not started urgently, the child may die or become disabled.
The placenta comes out with a delay. The “bag” in which the baby was located may be too tightly attached to the walls of the uterus. In this case, we are talking about saving a woman’s life: emergency surgery is necessary.

Note! Comparative statistics on the mortality of women and infants as a result of home and “medical” births are often published on the Internet. This statistics is dishonest and should not be trusted, because after complications during home births, women are often taken to the hospital in a state where medicine is no longer effective.

Video: The truth about pregnancy and childbirth Isabella Voskresenskaya

Isabella Voskresenskaya talks about home birth. Watch the video! Isabella Voskresenskaya, authors of the project “The main thing is Children. Country Strategy". Many people know her from the film “The Babichie Affair”. So many useful information for those who decide to give birth at home.

Svetlana, 27 years old:

Home birth is like training for an astronaut. If the whole family is not preparing for this event, hoping for Lucky case, it's better to forget. Nothing good will come of this idea: an unprepared woman in labor, hysteria among relatives... Almost guaranteed complications. I believe that if a woman is not confident in herself, then only the hospital.

Gulchehra, 25 years old:

It is extremely important that there is complete trust between the spouses, so that they consciously and together make a decision. Also, everyone present should mentally prepare for the fact that the child will appear at home. The human body obeys the laws of nature, and the unexpected can happen. The readiness of relatives and their calmness can save the life of the mother and child.

Alexandra Yakovlevna, 46 years old:

I have extensive experience giving birth to children at home. I am a mother of six children. Everyone is healthy, smart, physically active. There were no complications during childbirth. She gave birth quickly and without problems. I am convinced that you should give birth at home, surrounded by family and friends. As they say, houses and walls help.

Marina, 31 years old:

For me, home birth is a taboo. I don't believe they can go through safely. This complex appeared after my friend lost her child as a result of such a birth. Experts admitted that if the birth had taken place in a hospital, her baby would have been alive. Now my friend has fallen into depression and blames herself for the death of her child. Without the necessary medical equipment, it is impossible to save a baby’s life in case of complications. By the way, the midwife did not suffer the slightest punishment. She only said that the parents were unprepared for a home birth.

Alina, 37 years old:

Throughout my pregnancy I had the mindset of giving birth at home. But then I panicked and ended up going to the maternity hospital. The maternity hospital is special, in which the family is allocated a special ward in which they can create “home comfort”. Of course, such a service costs a lot. The doctor was on duty at the door, but did not go inside. In the end, my husband and a midwife-doula delivered the baby. Everything went amazingly.

Tanzilya, 29 years old:

For me, home birth is something outdated, medieval. I'm afraid to risk two lives at once - the child's and my own. Of course, someone can say that in the 19th century peasant women gave birth in the field, but we must not forget about the infant mortality rate, which, I specifically asked, reached 50%.

Olga, 28 years old:

I noticed that home birth is often chosen by women who did not like giving birth in a hospital environment. I think this needs to be carefully weighed. It is far from certain that the negativity received at the clinic will again fall on the woman in labor. Now there are enough clinics that offer very good, home-like conditions for women in labor.

Childbirth can begin at home, unexpectedly, and proceed very quickly. Sometimes it happens ambulance she simply does not have time to arrive before the birth of the child, and relatives provide assistance to the mother in labor. The rapid course of labor is characterized by violent, frequent and prolonged contractions, which are accompanied by the rapid opening of the cervix and the beginning of expulsion of the fetus. This is especially true for premature birth.

Such labor often begins with the rupture of amniotic fluid and can last 2-3 hours for primigravidas, and even shorter for repeat pregnant women. Very often, home births end in the death of the child, complications and even deaths for the mother are common.

How to give birth yourself?

First, what not to do:

Reach into the vagina with your hands and check how things are going there. You still won’t understand anything, and it’s very easy to infect the birth canal.

Try to relieve pain by getting into the bath. This is only beautiful in videos, but in a real situation it can lead to complications.

If it has already become clear that the birth will have to be carried out independently (the woman is pushing, and she can’t do anything with herself, she is already pushing, while pushing, the perineum bulges and in the genital slit you can see the dark curly back of the baby’s head), you need to prepare what you can do without It won't work anyway.

Need to:

Clean cloth, you can use towels, sheets, as long as it is relatively clean.

Disinfectant. Any alcohol-containing liquid is suitable, from vodka to aftershave cologne.

Threads for tying the umbilical cord. Throw them into the disinfectant.

Cutting the umbilical cord, oddly enough, is not a mandatory procedure; doctors can deal with this later; after birth, it will be enough if you tie it 10-15 centimeters from the baby’s navel.

Don't forget to wash your own hands with soap and water.

As a rule, children are born in a cephalic presentation, with the baby's head showing first. The best thing to do is to leave the course of events to its natural course and remain in the role of a child catcher, catching the newborn when he slips out of the birth canal mother. The head is cut through the back of the head, and at first it seems folded, running like a sharp ridge, like the roof of a house. Don't be alarmed, everything is fine, that's how it should be.

After cutting through the back of the head, the baby's face will appear and he will begin to turn to face the mother's thigh. Just support him, no need to pull anything. Then the upper shoulder will appear, then the second, and then you can already pick up the baby, the rest of the body is born easily.

The baby is picked up in a towel, wiped, mucus is sucked out respiratory tract The procedure is necessary, but not always available, but the child is able to catch his breath without it. Shout and the child’s active movements mean that everything is fine with him. Place it next to the mother and tie the umbilical cord, approximately 10-15 cm from the navel.

After some time, after 5-10 minutes, the mother should feel the desire to push, if this does not happen, you need to ask her to do this, the placenta will be born. Put it in a bag; cutting the umbilical cord without tools is definitely not necessary. Doctors will arrive and do it according to all the rules.

If the placenta departs, it means that everything ended well for the mother. She may have severe chills. Cover her with a blanket and give her her baby.

The ideal course of events is described. They only flow like that normal birth, unfortunately, not always everything ends well and these survival instructions may not be enough...

You need to give birth in a maternity hospital, not at home...

Nowadays, very few people think about the fact that they can give birth at home on their own, without resorting to the help of maternity hospitals and doctors. But 200 years ago there were no maternity hospitals at all.

They began to appear en masse only in the 60s in Russia. Therefore, many have heard that their great-grandmothers gave birth at home. It was an important family event back then. Midwives helped the women.

If you study the information about where the maternity hospital came from in Russia, you can easily find the following fact on Wikipedia: the very first maternity hospital was built by decree of Nicholas II, Tsar Russian Empire in 1987 “So that ladies of easy virtue do not give birth on the streets of cities.” At first, the poor, the homeless, who simply did not have a home in which to give birth, gave birth there, as well as those women whose children were illegitimate.

Back in the 19th century, there was no such branch of medicine as obstetrics or pediatrics. But now women are ideologically determined from their very birth to the fact that they are incompetent in matters of motherhood, do not have the right to determine how and where to give birth, and must constantly be under the supervision of obstetricians and pediatricians. In less than a century, doctors have managed to convince everyone that for any question it is necessary to turn to specialists. This simplest method management.

Some doctors back in the 70s studied the question of whether it was possible to give birth at home, and one of them, Michel Oden, tried to bring clinical conditions closer to home ones and determined that a woman has key needs during childbirth, providing which, the process occurred according to the biological norm without pathologies. This doctor stated that medical interventions are dangerous in 90% of cases and lead to complications and mortality.

Reasons to give birth at home

Since 2010, it has become increasingly common for pregnant women to give birth at home. There are many reasons for this to give birth at home, according to the women themselves who have chosen this option:

fear of facing bad attitude from medical staff;
the desire to meet your child with family and loved ones;
ensuring peace of mind, natural conditions: low lighting, no rush, calm nerves, choice of any position: vertical, on the side, kneeling, birth in water or in nature;
the desire to take responsibility, fully experiencing the whole process, feeling the highest bliss;
independent childbirth at home - approaching the naturalness of the process, a step towards the origins of one’s “I”;
desire to cut the umbilical cord only after some time;
reluctance to get vaccinated, to leave the baby alone after birth (in maternity hospitals they practice this when they do not give the child to the mother for 3-5 days), instead of reuniting the mother with the child, carry out weighing procedures, measuring height, etc.;
reluctance to lose happiness from the birth of a child due to a dry environment and the presence of strangers, the inability to turn off consciousness, moving the process unconsciously and instinctively.

How to prepare

Those who are thinking about how to give birth at home without doctors are at first afraid, because society still dictates its own rules, and people are also driven by fears that something will go wrong. But statistics show that 90% are able to give birth on their own without any intervention.

If you are really serious, here are some tips on how to properly prepare for a home birth:

don't tell big circle persons about their intention to give birth in natural home conditions;
read several books about the process, watch videos of those who have already gained experience, study forums about home birth, find out;
understanding of life: risk is a far-fetched concept, because if a fetus is destined to be born healthy or, on the contrary, to die, then this will happen in any conditions, we are not able to influence this in any way, because these are only logical reasonings, and the laws of the world are in no way give in;
be completely calm, balanced, prepare your husband for this;
just in case, prepare a package for the maternity hospital in case something goes wrong or fear wins, leave a car ready for transportation;
tune in to the success of the process as much as possible, study as much information as possible, because fear arises only from ignorance.

The most important thing about giving birth at home is to disconnect from the outside world. At home, it’s easy to immerse yourself in the process, moving into a state of heightened consciousness, then your instincts will work for you. The body itself will feel when to push and when to breathe.

But remember about contraindications, if problems arose during pregnancy, premature birth, the mother has had miscarriages, then you may need the help of doctors. Read more information about childbirth.

And again a great event in my life - a new little person, my youngest daughter, was born. This time I gave birth at home. Now my youngest daughter Stefania is already 3 months old, and now I can more calmly comprehend all the events that have happened in my life.

Despite the fact that it took me quite a long time to become a mother, and I had, according to doctors, a “burdened medical history,” I endured my first pregnancy quite easily. I gave birth in maternity hospital No. 8, the birth went, according to the doctors, very well, without complications, my eldest daughter Sophia was born a healthy and sweet child, recovery period was fast. But if we talk less detachedly about everything that was happening, then, of course, I was, to put it mildly, not as pleasant to remember as I would like.

I prepared very seriously for the arrival of my eldest daughter: I took classes for pregnant women, listened to pleasant music, constantly talked to my “tummy” - in general, I felt like a completely healthy and happy woman. I had very good psychological contact with my daughter, my long-awaited firstborn, we often communicated, I already called her by name, and sometimes I understood her signals sent to me through my tummy.

But as soon as I crossed the threshold of the maternity hospital, I immediately felt that I was a “patient”, and that they would persistently “treat” me, and a lot depended on these unfamiliar people in white coats. Even in the maternity hospital, I was simply shocked by the fact that until the child was born, they practically do not think about him, they call him exclusively “fetus,” and only after the birth of the baby does the attitude towards him change a little. This didn’t suit me at all.

In turn, I was sure that both pregnancy and childbirth are absolutely physiological process, and with the normal course of pregnancy and certain preparation, a woman is quite capable of giving birth on her own with the help of a midwife, without additional medical intervention in the form of drugs or other methods widely used in childbirth. In general, having gone through the experience of maternity hospital birth, I made such a difficult decision for myself - to get a completely different experience and completely surrender to the process. And try to create all the conditions for a natural, physiological birth at home.

I want to say right away that giving birth at home was not just a whim for me, I was fully aware of some of the dangers of this event and prepared for it very seriously. In addition to the necessary first aid kit and constant consultations with my midwife, just in case, I decided to consult with the doctors who observed my pregnancy. I was very surprised by their attitude towards my decision, although I still had certain doubts. In general, not a single doctor categorically said “no” to me, and almost everyone advised me or told me something about childbirth that takes place outside a hospital, and what I might encounter or what I should be wary of. So, for example, Sergei Aleksandrovich, a doctor at the Central Research Center, advised me to rent a device for measuring CTG (measuring the fetal heartbeat during the birth process). And my attending physician, Anna Valentinovna Sergeeva, told me that during childbirth there are often heavy bleeding, which sometimes lead to fatal consequences even in a hospital, so I advised you to do it enough later dopplerometry. I took into account many wishes and instructions. Also, the advice of women who had already given birth at home many times helped me a lot; they also gave useful recommendations.

But now the long-awaited hour “X” has come. Long-awaited, because according to all calculations, I postponed my pregnancy by 2-3 weeks. The contractions started at 1:15 p.m., I was just getting my eldest daughter Sofiyushka ready for a walk with her dad to the amusement park, and I started preparing lunch. The contractions were not painful, so I hummed something, breathed periodically, prepared and already informed my midwife about the beginning of the process. I continued to do my homework, tidied up a little, got all the necessary things, prepared a first aid kit, and brewed nettles. The midwife asked to time the time between contractions, but they did not occur regularly: 1 strong and 2 weaker, at different time intervals. When the contractions became longer, I relaxed on the fitball, also breathed and chanted sounds. I sent my husband and Sophia to visit my sister, and at 17:00 the midwife came to see me. All this time I moved freely around the house, relaxed, stood up in poses if necessary and breathed, I practically felt no pain. When the midwife looked at me, she said that I was already 8-9 cm dilated, which I was very surprised by.

For comparison: in the maternity hospital it took me 9 hours to reach such a dilation; I was practically not allowed to get out of bed, so I could forget about free behavior during childbirth. Sensors and another device were attached to my stomach, measuring the intensity and frequency of contractions; 5 hours after the onset of labor, I was given an oxytocin drip, which also significantly hampered my movements.

After we managed to achieve such a dilation almost painlessly, my midwife suggested that I do an enema, but not a very deep one (about 1 liter, with saline solution(boiled water with lemon)).

For comparison: in the maternity hospital this enema is done immediately upon admission (and this can be 10 hours before the onset of labor) and infused cold water from the tap, about 2 liters.

Every woman who has given birth knows that the most difficult and painful period in childbirth is the pre-labor period, when the cervix dilates to 12 cm, and when you already want to push during a contraction, but you can’t push yet. During this period, my midwife filled the bath with water and, immersed in the water, I experienced not just relaxation, but some kind of bliss. I don’t want to say that the pain completely subsided, of course, the contraction itself was still painful, but in the break between contractions I could completely relax and rest. The midwife also told me how to breathe, brought me something to drink, in general, she was always there, supporting and helping me.

For comparison: in the maternity hospital, my doctor, with whom I gave birth under a contract, “visited” me in the maternity unit every 1.5 - 2 hours, only in the pre-potency period she began to appear more often. My husband was constantly next to me, but since I was ordered to lie down and could not move, he could practically not help me. We, of course, tried to breathe, he gave me compresses, massaged my legs, but it didn’t help much. It’s just that this position “lying almost horizontally on your back” is simply contraindicated both in the third trimester and during childbirth. The thing is that in this position the inferior vena cava and artery are often compressed, placental blood flow and outflow from the extremities sharply worsen, and the process of labor slows down. But doctors simply ignore all this information in favor of the constant operation of sensors and devices.

I spent about 1 hour in the bathroom, then the midwife, making sure that the dilation was complete, opened the amniotic sac. At the same time, I was squatting across the bathroom. As soon as my water broke, I immediately began to feel pain. We turned over into the birth position - half-sitting, legs bent and pulled up to the stomach. It was very comfortable to push in this position. On the second or third push, the head was born (at the moment the head was born, the midwife flushed the water in the bathroom), then the midwife waited until the head turned, without shaking or pulling the baby. At this moment you cannot push, because... Only by turning the head and body can the child “give birth” to the coat hanger. And then, probably, 2 more attempts - and my baby was born! It was unforgettable! She immediately found herself on my stomach, so long, very pretty, with dark hair and attentive eyes. She cried a little, as a baby should, and then fell silent and began to study me, and I looked at this little perfection, and I just wanted to dissolve in this love.

At this time, unnoticed by me and our idyll, the midwife did everything necessary procedures for processing the baby. Then I squatted down, coughed a little, and delivered the placenta. The midwife took the baby and the placenta with the still pulsating umbilical cord into the room (pleasant music was playing there at that time). I took a shower and also came to the room. We then processed and examined me. After which they began to take care of the baby, by this time the baby’s umbilical cord had completely pulsated, and my husband just arrived in time, he was asked to cut the umbilical cord. Seeing me so cheerful and happy, calmly walking around the room, he was very surprised. We told how everything went for us, he, in turn, admitted that he delayed returning home as much as he could and did not want to witness my torment, his experiences from the maternity hospital 3 years ago were still strong.

In the meantime, I put my daughter to the breast, the midwife still gave instructions to me and said something to my husband, everyone was relaxed and happy, the baby, after sucking the breast, also began to smile, and then fell asleep. “Life is beautiful and amazing,” I thought once again, “and the birth of a baby is the most unforgettable and happiest moment!”

For comparison: in the maternity hospital, I went through the pre-concussion period with terrible pain, my legs were already giving out (by that time I had already been lying on my back for about 7 hours and in almost the same position). When I needed to get up and go to the birthing table, I simply could not do it, my legs were numb, and they periodically cramped. In general, my husband carried me in his arms. The table is again in a strictly horizontal position, while you can’t lean on your hands or lift your body; levers were specially invented for your hands, and it’s better to rest your feet on the stands. It is very difficult to push while lying down, so very often doctors press on the “fetus”, as if “helping” the birth process. After birth (and I gave birth quite quickly, without complications), the baby was placed on my chest for exactly 5 seconds and immediately taken away for treatment and examination. The umbilical cord was immediately cut. She was already swaddled, and I had not yet delivered the placenta. It’s good that my husband was nearby, and while I gave birth to the placenta and they were treating me, he carried our Sonyushka in his arms and talked to her tenderly.

After giving birth, I received with horror the information that I had to stay in the birthing unit for another 2 hours, on the birthing table, and only after 2 hours I would be examined again and then transferred to the ward. I was shaking and feverish, my back and legs hurt badly. We simply begged the nurse to disconnect me from the oxytocin drip and, right on the birthing table, somehow managed to put the baby to the chest. In fact, I was very lucky that I gave birth under a contract, and my husband was constantly there, he helped me a lot, and he saved the baby so easily. After all, very often during these 2 hours, when the mother is in the maternity ward, the baby is taken to the children's block and there they feed or give him a drink, and then big problems arise, both with breastfeeding, and with the child’s health - dysbacteriosis, coli etc.

I finally came to my senses already in the ward; I had a shared stay with the child. After 3 hours, I got up on my own, took the baby in my arms, changed her clothes myself and gently pressed her to me. This is how mine began new life, I fully felt like a mommy.

To be honest, not everything was smooth in the case of mine, since literally on the second day my baby started having problems with her navel, or rather, a slight inflammation of the umbilical ring, and we almost ended up in the hospital, but that’s a completely different story. In general, I received a very good impression from the process of giving birth at home; my youngest daughter was born on July 30, 2009, weighing 3700 grams and height 52 cm. From her first minutes, she was like an angel - all pink, so plump and pretty. And what’s most surprising is that she smiled a lot. We named her Stephinia.