What Do I Do If I Have To Give Birth At Home?
Do you worry about what will happen if you have to give birth at home? If there is no midwife, doctor or other trained person to help you if your birth starts at home, there are some guidelines you can follow to protect both yourself and your baby.
Step 1. Giving birth at home is not like in the movies
Giving birth to a baby at home is far from what you see on TV or in the movies. The mother and those with her can not expect it to happen that way. On TV, everything is more dramatic than normal. Sometimes it does not match at all how it goes.
It is best to start by evaluating your surroundings. What is at hand that can be used?
Step 2. Stay calm
You may be wondering how to stay calm if you are giving birth at home without any help. The answer is that births that go fast do not usually have complications.
In addition, childbirth is a natural process. The mother’s body has prepared for it. You just have to breathe and let nature take its course. However, this does not mean that you should not take the necessary precautions.
Step 3. Decide if you are going to try to get to a hospital or stay at home
You may not have any pain and suddenly the birth starts at home. If you feel like going to the toilet, it may indicate that you have severe contractions.
If this happens, the time is right and it is not appropriate to leave the house. Instead, you should prepare to give birth at home.
Step 4. Call 112
It is a good idea to call a relative, friend or neighbor who can quickly come and be present during the birth. Make this call first, then call 112 to access emergency services.
As a pregnant woman, it is good to compile a list of telephone numbers for emergencies. Keep this list in the refrigerator or in another visible place. Ideally, you should contact a doctor or midwife who can help you through the birth.
Step 5. Leave the door unlocked
Help can come when the mother can no longer walk to open the door. Therefore, it is best to make it easy for doctors and relatives to come in to help by leaving the door unlocked.
Step 6. Prepare towels or sheets
Use clean towels to stop and clean the baby. It’s good to have more than one. This is important because newborns cannot regulate their body temperature.
Step 7. Find the correct position
When labor begins, the mother must listen to her body. She must take the position she feels most comfortable in. In most cases, the most comfortable position is to squat. Then gravity helps the baby to move down through the birth canal.
The mother should try to make herself as comfortable as possible. This includes taking off clothes that bother her. This is not the time to worry about what you look like. The most important thing is to facilitate the process so that the body can function naturally.
Step 8. Check that the umbilical cord is not wrapped around the baby’s head
Your body will know what to do at any given moment. When the baby comes out, one thing your partner or a relative should do is make sure that the umbilical cord is not wrapped around the neck. If this happens, the person must carefully release it.
Step 9. Do not cut the umbilical cord until help arrives
It is not good to cut the umbilical cord or tie it off with something during a home birth. It is best to wait for medical staff to arrive to do this. In addition, when the umbilical cord is left for a while, it continues to provide the baby with oxygen and nutrients.
Step 10. Place the baby at the mother’s breast
When the baby is born, it should be placed on the mother’s naked breasts, skin to skin. In this way, the baby receives direct heat from your body. Then, after thoroughly cleaning the newborn’s nose and mouth, you should try breastfeeding.
Step 11. Stop the baby and mother
The mother will be exhausted and maybe a little scared after giving birth at home. The child must be kept warm, so the partner or a relative should stop both the mother and the child with blankets and blankets while you wait for help.
