How to Deliver a Baby at Home

Some people plan to have their baby at home with no professional birth attendant, but this is not recommended. While birth is usually a normal, natural process and usually requires no medical intervention, there are lots of things that can go wrong. If you want to have a home birth, it is best to find a midwife to attend your birth at home. However, it is good to know what to do just in case you can't make it to the hospital in time or in case the midwife is late arriving.

Supposing you did not intend to have an unattended delivery at home, if you realize the baby is going to come before you can get to the hospital, call 911. If you planned a homebirth but it seems the baby is coming before the midwife will arrive, there is no need to call 911 unless there is a problem or unless you think the midwife won't get there at all. If everything seems to be going OK, do your part and then wait for the midwife to arrive.

The mother can deliver the baby in whatever position is most comfortable for her: lying on her back, kneeling, on hands and knees, lying on her side, sitting up, standing, or squatting. If she is going to deliver on her back, elevating her back so she is in a semi-reclining position may help make it easier to push the baby out. If you are trying to push a baby out while lying flat on your back, you are essentially pushing uphill, which is difficult.

The mother should push when she feels the urge to do so. Usually it works best to push during contractions and rest in between contractions. The mother should not hold her breath while she is pushing. She needs plenty of oxygen so that the baby will get plenty of oxygen. If you expect medical help to be arriving in a moment or two, you can ask the mother to try to pant through contractions instead of pushing. But it is only possible to hold off on pushing for so long.

Usually the baby's head comes out first. The baby is usually face down at birth, but sometimes the baby will be face up instead. Support the head as it comes out.

Once the head is out, check to make sure the umbilical cord is not wrapped about the neck. If the cord is around the neck, try to use your fingers to slip it over the head.

What usually happens next is that the baby will turn sidewise and first one shoulder, then the other, will come out. After the shoulders are out, the rest of the body usually slides out easily. Once the head is out, the mother should push on the next contraction to deliver the body.

Rarely, the shoulders seem to get stuck and don't want to come out. If this happens, have the mother get onto her hands and knees. This position usually frees the shoulders.

Once the baby is out, use your finger to clear any mucous or fluids out of his mouth. Rub the baby's body briskly with a clean towel or blanket until he starts moving and breathing.

Place the baby on his stomach on the mother's belly. Cover him with a clean blanket or towel. Keep him warm.

Do not cut the umbilical cord. The baby will get oxygen though the cord until he starts to breathe, and even after he is breathing, he needs the blood that is in the cord. In some cases, cutting the cord too soon can cause problems. You don't need to cut it at all. Wait until the midwife or emergency medical personnel arrive and they can cut it. The cord should be long enough that the mother can begin to breastfeed while the cord is still attached.

The mother should begin to breastfeed as soon as possible after the baby is born. Breastfeeding will help the uterus contract so that the placenta will be delivered. Even if the mother plans to bottle feed, she should breastfeed the baby now in order to help deliver the placenta.

When the placenta is expelled, try to catch it in a large, clean bowl. The midwife or doctor will need to examine the placenta to make sure none of it was retained in the uterus, because that can cause bleeding or infection. If you will be going to the hospital in an ambulance, take the placenta with you in the ambulance so that the doctor can examine it when you get to the hospital.

Sources:

Ina May Gaskin. Spiritual Midwifery. Book Publishing Company (TN). 2002.