Guide to Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth

If you are faced with an unexpected home birth and medical care is too far away to consider, you should be prepared to deliver the child yourself. This article will explain how to assist an unexpected home birth only when a qualified medical professional is unavailable. Anytime that an unexpected home birth occurs, both the mother and child should be taken to a hospital or qualified health care professional as soon as possible after the birth. These instructions are meant for emergency situations only and should not be used as a guide for a planned home birth.

Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth - Preparation

The first thing to do in the case of an unexpected home birth (aside from remaining calm) is to find a clean and warm place for the birth to take place. Whoever is delivering the baby should wash their hands and scrub their nails. Shake them to dry but do not use a towel. If you have latex gloves available, it is recommended that you wear these and do not expose the mother and baby to any open wounds or cuts on the hands during the unexpected home birth.

The mother should take a warm shower if at all possible prior to the unexpected home birth. This will help keep things clean and relax the mother during the unexpected home birth. A warm bath is an option only if the mother's water has not broken. After the bath or shower, put warm socks and a comfortable shirt on the mother and prepare the birthing bed.

To prepare the birthing bed during an unexpected home birth, first put a clean, fitted sheet on to the bed, followed by a plastic sheet and then another clean, fitted sheet. This is necessary so that after the birth fresh bedding will be ready under the plastic sheet.

Next, you'll need to prepare some way to tie off the umbilical cord after an unexpected home birth. Cut three lengths of some clean material such as a bed sheet, cord or any type of material that could be used. You can use a shoelace or an old shirt if necessary but you will need three lengths each about nine inches long. If possible, it's best to sterilize the material and the scissors used to cut the cord by boiling them in water for twenty minutes and then wrap them in another clean cloth. Try not to touch anything that has been sterilized until it is time to use it during the unexpected home birth.

Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth - Comforting the Mother-to-Be

If the mother-to-be is in a lot of pain during an unexpected home birth, there are some things that you can do to make her more comfortable while waiting for the baby. First of all, walking or standing can help decrease the labor time. You might also try giving her 1000 milligrams of calcium and 500 milligrams of magnesium (supplements) at the beginning of labor. This will help raise her tolerance of pain if given soon enough during the unexpected home birth.

The mother should also be encouraged to urinate frequently during an unexpected home birth. Put a bowl or potty chair near the bed if possible to make it easier for her. She should also be encouraged to breathe deeply with each contraction. A massage of the lower back can help relieve some of the pain during an unexpected home birth. She should rest as much as possible between contractions and even sleep if she is able. She will need her strength for the birth to come.

Make sure that the mother does not push while her contractions are more than two minutes apart during an unexpected home birth. A watch, clock or some sort of timer will be helpful to have on hand at this stage in order to time the contractions. As her labor continues she will feel an urge to push and this should be encouraged when the contractions are less than two minutes apart. Cloths soaked in warm water should be applied to the vaginal opening to help the skin stretch without tearing during the unexpected home birth.

Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth - Delivering the Baby

The mother should get into any position that she feels comfortable with when it's time to deliver. Squatting can help decrease the time spent pushing but isn't necessary. Comfort of the mother is the most important point during an unexpected home birth.

The mother should be encouraged to let her body become as limp as possible while breathing deeply. She should not hold her breath or push during contractions. Panting breaths will help the baby come out slowly with a much less risk of tearing during the unexpected home birth.

When the baby's head can be seen make sure to support it. Any membrane covering the baby's face should be gently but immediately removed. Break it with fingernails right below the baby's nose so it will not inhale any fluid.

Support the shoulders as they come out during the unexpected home birth but do not pull on the baby. If the umbilical cord happens to be wrapped around the baby's neck, stick your finger underneath it and loop it off over the head. If for any reason the baby's feet emerge first during the unexpected home birth, support the baby but do not pull.

Once the baby's shoulders have come out during the unexpected home birth, gently ease the baby up slightly so the baby can breathe more easily. Raising the baby's head gently will help the other shoulder come out more easily. Do not be alarmed if the baby slips back during a contraction. This is completely normal during any birth, even an unexpected home birth.

The mother should continue to take panting breaths at this point in the unexpected home birth. This will help the baby come out slowly and not too fast which could cause tearing or worse for the mother. After the second shoulder has come out, the rest of the baby will soon follow and it will be very slippery so use caution.

Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth - Help for the Baby

If after the unexpected home birth, the baby is not breathing right away use an infant sterilized bulb syringe to suck the mucous out of the baby's mouth. Squeeze the bulb then place it in the baby's mouth and move it around in the mouth quickly to remove debris that could block the airway. This can also be done in the nostrils. Also try stroking the baby's neck from the bottom to the chin with a finger to clear any mucous in the throat.

If the baby still does not start breathing within a few seconds of the unexpected home birth, elevate the neck and tilt the head back slightly. This will help the air passages open. Open your mouth, seal it over the baby's nose and mouth and blow gently. You'll want to blow about twenty "puffs" of air per minute until the baby starts to breath on its own.

If the baby is breathing fine on its own and the umbilical cord is long enough, lay the baby on the mother's chest after the unexpected home birth. Try to keep the head a little lower than the feet if possible. Do not wash the baby off after the unexpected home birth, except around the nose and mouth. The white coating that the baby is covered in should be absorbed by its skin to help protect it.

The mother should begin nursing as soon as possible after the unexpected home birth. When the baby starts to nurse, the uterus will contract and this will help the placenta come out.

The umbilical cord should not be cut after an unexpected home birth until it has stopped pulsing. While it is pulsing, the baby is still receiving nutrients and even oxygen through the cord. Once the cord is no longer pulsing, use one piece of the sterilized cloth to tie around the umbilical cord about six inches from the baby's stomach. Tie a second piece of cloth about eight inches from the baby's stomach. The knots should be tight but not cutting into the cord. Now, cut the cord between the two pieces of cloth with the sterilized scissors or any other clean, sterilized blade that is available.

Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth - After Birth Care

After the unexpected home birth, a bowl should be placed between the legs of the mother to catch the placenta. If the placenta hasn't emerged within two hours of the unexpected home birth, the mother should squat as this may help the placenta come out and ease the delivery. Whatever you do, do not pull on the umbilical cord as this could cause serious damage to the mother's body.

Once the placenta has come out, it should be examined by a doctor or midwife so they can tell if the entire thing has been delivered. If there is any profuse bleeding after the unexpected home birth, put both hands (one on top of the other) on the mother's abdomen, just below the navel and press down until the bleeding stops.

Now that the placenta has been delivered, the unexpected home birth is almost over. The mother should be cleaned and a clean cloth placed over the vaginal opening. Give the mother some food and water if she can stomach it. For the first few hours after the unexpected home birth, the mother should be watched closely and the stomach should be massaged above the uterus until it is firm and feels like a fist. This will also help decrease bleeding.

After the unexpected home birth, the baby should be kept warm by covering the head and body and placing the baby by the mother. The mother should rest for five days after the unexpected home birth, at least and the birth should be followed by a visit to a healthcare professional.

Assisting an Unexpected Home Birth - When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention

Immediate medical attention should be sought after an unexpected home birth if there is excessive bleeding before or after the home birth, labor takes longer than forty eight hours or is not progressing, there are feces in the baby's nose or mouth, the mother goes into shock or becomes unconscious or has chills/fever, the placenta takes longer than two hours to come out or it comes out in pieces, or if the baby was not delivered head first.

Any of these problems accompanying an unexpected home birth require immediate medical attention by a qualified professional.