How to Deliver a Baby without Medical Equipment or a Hospital
Copyright, 2024, Anshin B. Kelly, Intuitive Health Midwifery, All Rights Reserved.
How to Deliver a Baby without Medical Equipment or a Hospital:
For the most part, a baby will just come out on their own, because childbirth is Ancient and Inherent in Women and Babies. However, especially in situations that are stressful, complications can and do arise. However, there are circumstances in which no hospital or medical equipment are handy, and so a person/midwife/birth attendant needs to know how to help the mother and child give birth:
If there is a language barrier do not be anxious, frustrated or worried; have patience. The Spirit can speak and work through any situation.
As much as possible DO NOT do a vaginal exam. This introduces bacteria and other pathogens into the mother's, and therefore baby's environment. It can be very dangerous. Also DO NOT especially outside a medical environment break the water bag. The water bag (or amniotic membrane) that holds the baby protects the baby from infections and umbilical complications. I will teach you how to know the stage and status of birth from the outside only. As much as possible think: “I do not wish to disturb, only help the process of birth.”
Before you do ANYTHING: Wash your hands with hot water and soap. If you can, obtain medical, disposable gloves. There's no need to waste the gloves unless you need to make contact internally, with the mother's body. Keep plenty of hot water and soap on hand. If you can, have others help you make sure you have this supply.
Be sure there are warm, clean blankets to wrap the newborn in.
Obtain as many clean, dry towels as possible. If you have toilet paper or wipes, keep those on hand.
Make sure there is a bathroom, or other sanitary way for the mother, you and other birth helpers to relieve yourselves.
Help the mother gently and very respectfully, with clean-up if/when: There are birth fluids, she pees or poops, or needs other forms of washing/cleansing.
How to check for baby's positioning:
Say a prayer, for the safety of the mother and child, and to ask for Divinity to guide your actions:
Lay your hands on the mother's belly, and immediately in a prayerful way, breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth in order to deliver relaxing energy to mother and child.
A baby in a "normal" birthing position is head down, and facing towards the mother's back. It is not inherently dangerous for a baby to be breech or face up head down. To believe that there is inherent danger in childbirth is the main cause of complications in childbirth.
Gently press and "kneed" (called palpation), the mother's belly to find the baby form, with your four fingers closed together: The baby is curled up (called "fetal position"), and you are feeling for a little butt and a head. When the mom is in labor the head is going to be very low inside the pelvis. Gently (always continually communicate with the mother about her comfort level, and your touch), take the thumb and four fingers of your dominant hand and place them directly above, and side by side the pubic bone. Press down, and keep pressing down more and more firmly to feel for a "ball" that is the butt/head. You will feel a ball (if the baby is head down or breech), and at this point, gently squeeze the ball and move it from side to side: What you are feeling for is if the ball moves more separately from the baby's body, or together. If it's the former, it's the head, if it's the latter, it's the butt.
If the mother is in labor, but the baby is not in position, (meaning head down. If you suspect breech, the important thing to do is not worry. It was, for most of history, considered "the other normal" for birth). If possible, send for medical help as soon as you can. Depending on the situation, you'll want to make sure you're putting into motion a way to get the mother medical help if needed.
You'll need to try and turn the baby, however: If the baby is breech, and the mother is already in labor, it's probably best to just let labor happen without prodding around the mother too much.
Pray, this is very important, ask for intercession.
Have the mother lie down with her back and head slightly supported on an incline.
Communicate with her to relax as much as possible, coach her with breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Smile, be brave, make jokes, have good humor all throughout.
Massage the mother's belly to help her relax. The baby may just turn on its own if the mother is relaxed and being lovingly massaged on her belly.
Palpate with your four fingers closed and find the rough position of the baby; the head "ball" and the butt "ball."
When you find that, you can feel where the baby's back is, vs. the front, because the back is the half-crescent "moon" form attaching the head to the butt, and the front, isn't easily felt, because it's the baby's arms, knees, elbows and legs.
Once you determine the back (and don't worry about exact placement, you can feel if something is being forced, never force), place your hands gently on the baby's butt, and back of the head. Visualize that you are pushing the baby's head around down towards the pelvis, and you are supporting the butt, and holding your progress in place as you push.
Be gentle, communicate, pray, have confidence, have faith.
Having the mother also breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth and getting on her hands and knees can help flip the baby into the right position.
Just be Patient, Persistent, Prayerful; with the Three P’s a baby will make its way into the world, because that’s the way Nature is Built: To Know How to Be Born.
The Uterine Contractions
The way to Time Contractions: The beginning of a contraction, to the beginning of the next.
When a mother is in active labor, the contractions come steadily, and rhythmically. Generally, if the baby is still in the early stages of labor, the uterine contractions will come on, anywhere between 20-40 minutes. At this stage of labor, you can estimate that the cervix is between 2cm to about 4cm dilated (these are just estimates in medical terminology). At transition, meaning when the baby is ready to pass through the cervical opening into the vaginal canal, her cervix is known as 10cm dilated.
At this stage of labor(and throughout all stages) make sure the mother has a comfortable, private environment. She needs to feel safe and supported. If she does not feel safe or supported she will have a difficult time dilating. If her environment is not sufficiently protected from stressful energy, and she is not properly supported, this could very quickly turn into a crisis. Keep praying, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, in order to keep channeling calm and protection to mother and child - and to keep up your strength. The mother can generally talk during this stage between contractions. Keep communication open and flowing between you.
Without the means to check for a fetal heartbeat, you'll need to keep checking in with the mother about the baby's movement, and you'll need to gather information through prayer about the baby.
When the contractions are about 15-25 minutes apart you can estimate that the cervix is about 4-6cm dilated. At this stage the mother is usually beginning to moan more; it is important to encourage her to moan deep and long if she feels the need because- the cervix is neurologically connected to the mouth/throat. The opening and vibration of moaning helps the cervix dilate.
At this point especially let her move around and get into positions that help her work with the contractions. A bit before or at this point, she may have “bloody show,” which is the mucus plug coming loose from the cervix as it dilates.
When the contractions are about 5-12 minutes apart you can estimate that the cervix is about 8+ cm (or less, every mother and birth are different). The mother’s body and her baby will signal when “pushing” begins. There is no need to try and control this or force any “directions,” onto the mother. At this point, the mother usually can not speak or communicate through words, but her moaning and sounds can tell you quite a lot: She is most likely moaning quite loudly through the contractions and may have a difficult time getting into a position that is comfortable.
You are going to need to prepare to catch the baby:
Oftentimes (not always) a mother wants to give birth on her hands and knees, in a squatting position, or sitting up in bed with her knees wide open to let the baby through.
Wherever she’s going to do that, make sure that there are clean, dry towels underneath her and where the baby is going to come out.
When the contractions are about 2-6 minutes apart, everything should be ready to receive the baby; usually, not always, the contractions shorten from there.
Please note: Even when the contractions are only a few minutes apart, it is normal for the last centimeters of dilation to take hours. There is no need to rush birth. But if you feel there is a stall, you can: Have mom walk around, or get on her hands and knees and have her alternate arching her back like a bridge, then, collapsing her spine, pulling her head and tailbone up with her spine in an upside down arch(in yoga this movement is called "cat and cow.")
Transition
Transition is when the cervix is completely dilated, and the baby is about to come down the vaginal canal. In that moment of transition often, not always, the mother will get nauseous, start retching, or vomiting. This is normal, there should be no worrying or panicking, please stay calm, encourage mom, carry on, and clean up if need be.
If the water bag did not break at all, or fully, before active labor, or in the earlier stages, usually this is the stage in which the water breaks with the powerful surges, and there will be a large gush.
Sometimes mom in transition will panic, or say "I can't do this," or she'll feel like she's going to split in two, or she'll even become a bit delirious. If this should happen, have good humor, say calming, encouraging words, and help her to remember to open her mouth wide and moan when a contraction comes. At this point contractions usually come about 1 min to 30 sec. apart or less, so ride the waves, dance with the power of birth.
Catching the Baby
The sounds of the mother when the baby is coming down the birth canal: The mother's moaning at this point will distinctly change as her uterus pushes the baby downward; she will sound like she is having an enormous bowel movement with each powerful contraction, except, she's delivering her baby. Be sure she is in a good position to give birth, usually she finds her own position that works for her and baby.
When you see the baby's head, this is called crowning. The best way to avoid tearing of the perineum: Mom should not be lying down flat. If she is on her back she needs to be propped up so that her pelvis is pointed downwards, and there is space to let the baby through.
If you see a butt, or a foot or feet come out, obviously the baby is breech. Use gravity to your advantage and have the mother squat or stand with support. As unobtrusively as possible, guide and support the baby's body as it is born- let the contractions do the work. When the head is being born, you may want to put a little pressure on the perineum around the baby's head, to help ensure that it properly pulls back, while the uterine muscles push down during the contractions.
With each contraction, do not have her push hard, or at all. Small pushes from her can help the process, but just allowing the uterus to push the baby out most of the time: Is the safest, most effective, and preventative against tearing.
If there seems like a lot of pressure on the perineum; with great care and awareness, put a bit of pressure/support with your fingers on the perineum surrounding the baby's head.
There isn't any need to touch the baby or the mother at the opening of the canal unless you see/feel an instinctive need to support the process, and of course, to support the baby's head and body as it is born.
As soon as the baby is born, hand them to their mother against her bare skin/chest. Watch that the baby is making noise (most often, not always), the baby is screaming. This is very good. Drink it in, the sound of New Life.