The Unattended Home Birth of Lucas Teomner

Based on my calculations my Estimated Due Date was June 4th. June 4th came and went, as did the 5th, 6th, 7th..... And the questions began rolling in.. None of which I had an answer to. I did not have any clue as to when the baby would make his/her debut. I wish I was psychic.

I am not one to rush labor, but I was getting a little nervous as Jacob was getting ready to leave for scout camp. This was harder for me than I thought. First I have never been away from my children except for the week we moved to Maine a few years ago and I stayed back to finish up, and this was different. He was away from us for a week. Second, I didn't want the new one to arrive while he was gone. It just didn't seem right.

But as we always learn, things happen for a reason. Even when we have no idea whats going on. I was having a really hard time "nesting" as there were things I needed to be done in the home, but were beyond my control. We got a call that week about a house for rent. The kind we had been looking for. We went and saw it on Wednesday and sealed the deal on Friday. Saturday we were to pick up Jacob. Things were beginning to pull together.

On the 19th we began cleaning and painting the new place and prepping it for move in. On the 22nd, coincidentally. our first moving day,  I began having prodromal labor. I woke up with contractions about 15 min apart. They continued on thru most of the day 15-30 min apart or longer. Not very strong. That night I was awakened a few times by strong ones, but nothing consistent.

The 23rd they were stronger but still nothing too intense. At times they were less than 10 min apart. We moved and cleaned out more of the old house.  That night the contractions were still spaced the same but very intense.. I took a shower for the back pain. Slept when I could.

In the morning of the 24th the contractions subsided. Spent most of the day attempting to unpack. I still had contractions all day, but nothing too strong, just very uncomfortable. By late afternoon  they were 15-30 min apart. That evening we went for a walk thru Lowes. By the time we got home I was exhausted and went to bed fairly early. I was awoken about every 30 min or so with very strong contractions. That lasted thru the night. This is about the point where those mixed emotions move in. I was so excited, but the memories of previous labors reminded me what was up ahead. 

No Doctors, No Drugs, Lots of Critics

Recently in a discussion about birth, I was asked why I "dog" modern medicine, especially when I could run into breech births, cord pinching, wrapping , bleeding out etc. and what my game plan was.

When one decides to do a home birth, we aren’t rejecting modern medicine. We have made educated decisions to know when and where such things are needed and which procedures we can do ourselves. This applies to all of our medical needs. Self-reliance is important to us and self-reliance begins with education. Whether its a simple head cold or  postpartum hemorrhaging, I have done my best to prepare myself for such things, and I have the information and supplies needed to first prevent, and if needed, to treat such things. And more importantly, to know when to ask for help. Education is important. Ignorance makes you helpless.

I find it terribly sad when I hear women comment negatively about birth. I wonder what could have been done differently so that they had a positive outlook on childbirth. I know its not just luck that I have had 8 wonderful births. That can't be coincidence. And with my 9th childbirth experience just around the corner I find it more important to dispel the fears others have of childbirth. Its impossible to have the good support system one needs when so many are fearful and undereducated.

Why do I "dog" modern medicine? I know that many childbirth complications stem from unnecessary intervention. And this is not just my opinion. Inductions are common. Induction greatly intensifies contractions increasing the mother’s pain and fetal distress. Then we have the introduction of epidural. While these relieve the mother of the intense pain temporarily, they prohibit her from birthing naturally. She is usually at this point forced into a non-productive birth position.  This increases her chances of tearing, prevents the baby from descending into the birth canal properly and causes fetal distress. In many cases, had the women been left to start labor on her own and was given the education and support to labor without such drugs, the birth would have gone smoothly. The WHO and other organizations state that the rate of necessary intervention in birth should only be around 10%. Our c-section rate alone is near 50% in some hospitals. These do not stem from natural birth complications rather human interference in a natural process. This is one of my biggest issues with the way we give birth.

One thing that caught my attention was this comment

 "but my obgyn put it plainly when he said we don't perform surgeries or give stitches without some form of anesthetic why should you pop out babies without it."

This points out exactly what is wrong with the way we view birth in America. Birth is not a medical event. It is not surgery. It is a process that Heavenly Father has blessed us with. I have a separate blog post that goes into detail about that. But the idea that babies cannot be born safely without the assistance of a medical professional is a self-destructive thought process. Why should we follow the medical community with blind faith. Why must we take such a beautiful and natural process and make it a frightening medical event. Why do we refuse to take the time and energy to learn as much as we can when it comes to the birth of our most precious gifts. People spend more time ( and money)  and research shopping for a car then they do when it comes to the birth process of their own child.

The first thing any woman who is preparing for children needs to do is take control of her health. Many birth complications can be prevented. Its is the mothers responsibility to make sure she is in the best health possible during her pregnancy. Proper nutrition is key. Prepare your body not only to grow a baby, but to prepare for labor. Keeping your diet balanced can greatly reduce if not eliminate hypertension. Hypertension contributes to about 10% of labor inductions. A high iron diet esp late in pregnancy can help reduce the risks of hemorrhage. Why wouldn't you do all you can to insure the safest delivery possible, even before it begins.

Childbirth in any setting is not without risks. And many will say, well why not just birth in a hospital, just in case. Well,not everyone is comfortable in a hospital. I am one of those people. One thing we need to remember is that babies sometimes die in birth. It doesn't matter where the mother births, its a tragic fact of life. The concern is that if she is at home, it will be blamed on the fact that she home birthed. If she is in a hospital, its just one of those things.

So I want to address common "birth complications". How they usually arise and what my course of action as a home birther is.

Fetal position and cords. Breech presentation as well as posterior and transverse are all normal fetal presentations. These usually only became "complications" when the doctors put women on their backs to birth. The lithomy position hinders the ability to deliver these babies successfully. If a baby begins to present itself in a non-productive position, the mother is advised to change positions to see if the baby can turn. The most ideal position for birth is squatting or hands and knees. As an example, a full face presentation delivery, in most cases depends on if the baby is facing up ( sunny side up--chin towards moms belly button) or not. Sunny side up, or Angel Faces as some call them, can be safely born. If the baby is posterior face first, a safe vaginal delivery is unlikely. This is extremely rare. I would try an inversion to see if the baby could turn its head. If after a few minutes this does not look like a deliverable position, you would then prepare for transfer.

One of the most common birth complications I hear is " the baby's cord was wrapped". I have done alot of research on this one. It sounds terrible to someone who has little or incorrect information on umbilical cords. The umbilical cord is an amazing thing. Heavenly Father knew babies would enjoy the water bubble he created for them and know they would move, twist and turn and even play with their cord. They get it wrapped around their hands, feet, neck. This is all normal. A cord can even stand pinches and knots. A little bit of research on nuchal cords will provide more than enough information to show that it is not a complication, rather a normal part of birth.

From the March of Dimes

What is a nuchal cord?
About 25 percent of babies are born with a nuchal cord (the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck) (1). A nuchal cord, also called nuchal loops, rarely causes any problems. Babies with a nuchal cord are generally healthy.  

Sometimes fetal monitoring shows heart rate abnormalities during labor and delivery in babies with a nuchal cord. This may reflect pressure on the cord. However, the pressure is rarely serious enough to cause death or any lasting problems, although occasionally a cesarean delivery may be needed. 

Less frequently, the umbilical cord becomes wrapped around other parts of the baby's body, such as a foot or hand. Generally, this doesn't harm the baby.

There are two concerns with cords. One being a "True knot" these are often quite rare. This can be delivered safely and often, the calmer the delivery, they better for mom and baby.  The biggest concern with cords is prolapse. There are two schools of thought on this. One is that a c-section is the only option. The other is to one push the cord back inside and try to deliver the baby quickly. Again, an inversion would be my first solution. Even if you do decide to transfer, hold the cord inside and sit with your bottom elevated. One way to avoid this is to delay breaking of waters. Most hospitals will rupture waters as a way to "move the birth along". I strongly advise against this.

Hemorrhage. Prevention of hemorrhaging begins during pregnancy. But the risk is increased by interventions in labor. DO NOT FORCE OR RUSH THE PLACENTA! This is a very common reason for hemorrhaging. Forcing a mother to push a baby when her body is not ready or forcing birth by pulling on the baby can increase risk of hemorrhage. ( this is more common in hospitals where the L&D staff are in a hurry) After birth a mother is encouraged to nurse. This is not only beneficial to the baby, but to mother as well. Nursing stimulates painful but, ESSENTIAL uterine contractions. There are occasions where the bleeding is severe. This was the case with my 6th delivery. I bled heavily an hour after birth. The reason for this was due to my neglect to use my better judgment when it came to pain pills for a dental problem I had a week prior to delivery. Fortunately my body recovered on its own, most likely from the intense nursing Olivia did after her birth. In most cases a compressing massage of the uterus and emptying of the bladder will reduce the bleeding. ( that’s why they tell you to pee after birth!!) If needed, most midwives carry Pitocin for this treatment but consumption of the placenta will have a similar result. It is very rare a blood transfusion would be needed. In this case a call to the hospital to prep would be done and they would be ready by the time we got there.

Baby not breathing.  While its ideal the infant take its first breaths right after birth, they do have a few min window. The first thing I do when my babies are born is I hold them with their head lower than their body. You can see here with Ezra. We also delay cord clamping. This gives them the opportunity to have all the oxygen rich blood supplied by the placenta. We clamp the cord when it turns white. Laying the infant skin to skin in mother’s chest and rubbing their back will help stimulate breathing. If you can have oxygen on hand, but if you don't, you can stimulate breathing with your own breaths. I urge every parent, not just home birth parents to know CPR and resuscitation. Kangaroo care has proven to work, even in cases where medical interventions did not.

Neonatal Complications. The "fire drill" procedure they do with a newborn actually creates problems. They grab the newborn, cut the cord asap ( cutting off oxygen) then give the baby oxygen, they put the baby naked alone on a scale and measure and weigh etc. Then they rush to get the newborns temperature back up. To me this system is cruel. It is much more important that my newborn nurses and feels my touch immediately after birth than it is to know how much he weighs or how long she is. As soon as the baby is born they are placed on my chest, skin to skin, cord intact. If the infant needs anything, it should be done while on the mothers chest. Suctioning etc should not be a standard procedure. All of this trauma can interfere with bonding, nursing, etc. Not to mention, that its pretty harsh to do to a newborn.

I know there are more "What ifs"..  These were the most common, so they are the ones I addressed.

I do want to say that I had a wonderful hospital birth with my first. It was wonderful because I had a midwife and a birth friendly hospital. While I was aware of a few things I didn't want done, I  was also ignorant to a few procedures. Ignorance is bliss. I then went on to have 3 midwife attended home births. With our 5th child we decided to go unassisted, or unattended. It was just a decision we decided was best for us. We didn't feel the need for a midwife. And we continued that with our other births.

 We choose home birth for two reasons. First, a hospital does not provide the setting that is conducive to a peaceful birth. Especially if the mothers labor is a long one. A 2-3 or more day labor isn't usually allowed in a hospital, and if it was do you really want to spend that long there. It also doesn't provide the freedom one has at home. At home you can walk around dressed how every you feel comfortable, you can lay in bed, you can lounge on the couch, you can raid the fridge, you can take a hot shower or bath.  We all feel most comforted at home. The more relaxed you can be, the easier labor becomes.

The second reason is intervention. Whether it be someone just touching me or telling me what position I need to be in, or trying to use medical procedures, I don't want to be bothered unless I ask you. I prefer a hands off method for both me and my child unless there is a need.

 I do not expect everyone to choose a home birth, but I want to dispell the myths and fears that surround it. There are so many who cringe at the thought of a homebirth, and they do it based on false information. Most people who who tell me how dangerous it is haven't done any research on the safety factors of home-birth vs hospital birth. The have this preconceived idea that home birth is risky and dangerous and the safest place to be is in a hospital. My first question is why would childbirth, being so vital to the plan of salvation, and the continuance of the human race, be so inherently dangerous that it would be contingent on the interventions of modern medicine? And if so, how did we possibly get to the point we are at? Its no wonder more and more women are choosing to have fewer children, if they have them at all. Its because birth is feared, not revered.

We as women are being told that we are not capable of bearing children on our own. That our one divine and biological duty, and we just aren't good enough to even accomplish that. How insulting it must be to be told that you cant give birth on your own, but your dog sits there with 9 puppies she delivered in the quiet of the night.

Birth is an experience, not a medical event. We shouldn't fear birth. We need to put faith in God. We need to put our faith back into ourselves. Doctors don’t deliver babies. Women give birth.

Zachary's birth story

On October 28th I finished up my day at work and went home as usual. Later that evening I began feeling some pretty good contractions. I slept fairly well that night and woke up will still strong contractions. I called and cancelled my appts for the day. Saturday I had a fairly relaxing day at home. Contractions on and off. We hung out and made sure everything was ready.

         


Later that evening, 5 or so I guess, the contractions got real strong. (This is me when Joe said "smile" while I was having a contraction) I didn't write down times, and the post I made on his birth has been lost in cyberspace. As I do with all my births, I take advantage of the relief a warm shower provides. When labor got intense I went to my room. This was not only our first unassisted birth, but also the first birth one of my older children attended. Jacob was just under 7 years old. He helped by talking to me, bringing me ice water, cool cloths and even took a few photos. It was just past midnight when Zachary ( who didn't have a name yet) was born.

There was alot of commotion for this birth. It was our first unattended by a midwife. My mother was in attendance. As was my sister and her boyfriend (now husband). My mom was hands on which was helpful and not helpful at the same time. My sister was there for part of the birth, but had to go outside with her boyfriend, who probably shouldn't have been there. He was not prepared to be in the home of a birth. Fortunately these were only small distractions. I will say while this was a wonderful birth, it was the least pleasing for myself. After this birth I only allowed residents of my home at my births.

Zachary Michael Naugler ~ October 30th 2005

Child birth is a blessing.

 Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

We are commanded by God to bear children. Children are blessings. They are our eternal gifts from Him. How can we deny Him of these children?

Is the pain of childbirth  the curse of Eve.

To understand this we must understand the scriptures themselves. Eve was not cursed. God cursed the serpent ( Satan). God cursed the ground. God did not curse Eve.

Genesis 3:16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Greatly multiply thy sorrow and they conception and in sorrow bring forth children. Many can relate to this with the pains of pregnancy and childbearing. If we read on,

Genesis 3:17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

 Sorrow is also used in reference to the work of Adam, ie: man. My belief is that the "Fall of Man" was a blessing, pre ordained by God. Adam and Eve were not an experiment. This plan was carefully designed. Adam and Eve could have lived out their lives in Eden. They would have never partaken of the fruit. They would have retained their innocence and never conceived. Eve would have never had the joys and pains of childbirth and motherhood. Because without one, we cannot have the other. the pains of labor, whether is a hard days work, or bearing children, are a blessing. They are a reminder of all that we have been given. Because without sorrow, we can never feel pure joy.

John 21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

Pregnancy and childbirth is how everyone of us has come to be, including our savior, Jesus Christ. Therefor it stands to reason that it would be Satan's goal  to make it as undesirable as possible.

Preparing for children. 

Childbearing is not an illness. It is a normal process of life. Our current culture treats it as a medical issue. Many avoidable health issues and lifestyle choices, create childbirth emergencies later. We know from the scriptures that taking care of our bodies is very important to our temporal well being. If we keep our bodies in good physical health, we will have less complications later on in pregnancy. The Lord's law of health is a perfect outline for prenatal care. We should abstain from tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs and even medications that are not necessary. We should choose our diets carefully. Eat meats sparingly and salts and sugars in moderation. We should eat wholesome meals. Work, rest and exercise should be equally balanced. Too much sleep or not enough can make us unproductive and are necessary to a strong body. Exercise and physical activity is very important.  

D&C 89 18And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; 19And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; 20And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. 21And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Many of the complications of labor arise from not following these guidelines. It is our duty to care for our children. This care begins before birth. Disobedience to these guidelines give Satan an upper hand in his tactics to make childbirth fearful. Diabetes and high blood pressure are among the top reasons for inductions. 

The Fear Factor

Every time I mention pregnancy I hear a comment about how dangerous childbirth is. I meet so many moms who were convinced the child was in danger to justify the medical intervention they had. In turn, many reject effective traditional child birth methods.

This is not to attack moms, many of whom were honestly scared for their child's life. But todays culture has made women into powerless creatures who have no ability to give birth on their own. In a time where the womens rights movement is at an all time high, I often wonder how we have let childbirth keep us so oppressed.

I think a large part of it is Satan's attack on the family. Satan knows how vital families are to God's Plan. In March of 1976, President Spencer W Kimball said that Satan garnishes evil to make it appear beautiful, pleasing, easy and even good. Satan is the father of lies. Some of the lies he tells us pertain to motherhood specifically. That we don't have to be burdened with children. He tells us that abortion is fine, you are in control of your body. He convinces us that we are doing the right thing by not embracing the idea of a large family due to monetary reasons. Many women feel justified in their decision to only have a small family or none at all so they can enjoy the "nice things". Satan has bribed women out of the blessings for children and traded it with the "blessings" of material items. 

Matthew 6:19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Recently I have watched a few shows where they portray birth as a critical medical event. The mother is "overdue" or has a medical issue ( preventable one) that requires induction. Pitocin is given. Chemically induced contractions elevate pain more severe than natural contractions. Mother is discouraged from movement, mother begs for epidural, epidural slows down progress, baby does not receive epidural, feels intense chemically induced contractions, goes into distress, mother is either forced to push even tho her body is numb or mother rushed to surgery.

Is this really the perception of birth we have come to accept? No wonder women are fearful of birth. Not just fearful of the pain but fearful for their own safety and safety of the baby. We have taken our faith in God and put it into man. 

 Isaah 26:3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

God knows our bodies. He designed them!! He knows how a baby is supposed to be born. He has not only given the keys to us, but to the child as well. When we ignore the natural birth process, we tell God that his design is flawed, and have found a way to "fix" it. 

The induction rates in the US range as high as 98%. Epidural rates are about 76%. Cesarean rates are about 32%. This is incredibly high, even by international standards. Most of these are done for convience. 

Why this is a problem. 

Lets start with the EDD. Estimated Due Date. We have this idea that this is the magical date in which the child must arrive. You may have heard the phrase, an estimated due date is not an expiration date. The average human gestation is 280 days from fertilization. AVERAGE. Very few us us know the date of fertilization. This process can occur up to 48 hours after intercourse and can also vary depending on your ovulation date. Again the AVERAGE woman ovulates on the 14th day after the start of your last cycle. So unless you have had IVF its nearly impossible to know the moment of fertilization. Especially if you are very active sexually. Whe  can however narrow it down, hence why we use estimates. By 

The EDD is given as a rough estimate. It it NORMAL for a baby to arrive at weeks 38-42 on the EDD calendar. It is not uncommon for a baby to arrive after the 42 weeks safely and naturally on its own. Babies have control over their birth. They release a protein from their lungs that initiates labor. The baby decides its birthday. When it has developed to the proper stage, it is ready to be born. Taking a child before this time, can lead to an array of problems for mother and child. Now lets revisit the 98% induction rates reported by the CDC. Think about that for a moment.

The next issue is fetal size. We often hear the baby was to big, or baby got stuck. Our bodies are specifically designed to give birth. They move, they stretch, they do things during pregnancy and labor that enables us to give birth. Babies have this same ability. They twist and turn and wiggle their way out, with the help of mom. Its a wonderful team effort. If the mother restricts her body and does not allow for certain motions, the baby can get stuck. We must allow mothers to move as her body needs to to allow the child to birth safely. The most ineffective position for birth is lithotomy, ( on our backs)   ironically that is the method most commonly used in hospital births. Studies show allow a mom to just move about decreases the chances of intervention drastically.

Exodus 1:15And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 18And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 20Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 22And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

This is a great story for the concept of childbirth for those who have faith in God. The Hebrew women were strong, spiritually and physically. They were healthy and lively. They often gave birth before the midwife arrived. They birthed upon stools, akin to various birth positions. The Egyptian women were accustomed to more pampered life and suffered thru childbrith. They also lacked faith in God. They took a less active, more passive role in labor. 

Job 39:13Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? 14Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, 15And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. 16She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear; 17Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.

“To mothers, daughters, and women everywhere, let me stress the fact that because of your great potential and influence for good in the lives of all of us, Satan is determined to destroy you. You cannot compromise with him. You must have the courage, the strength, the desire, and the determination to live as the Lord would have you live—good clean lives.…“Girls, prepare yourselves to assume the roles of mothers by gaining knowledge and wisdom through a good education. We teach that the glory of God is intelligence, and so we must all be aware of what is going on around us and be prepared to thwart Satan in his attempts to divert us from our divine destiny. With knowledge, wisdom, determination, and the Spirit of the Lord to help us we can succeed” (N. Eldon Tanner, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, 126, 127; or Ensign, Jan. 1974, 8, 10).

Just as we as mothers do not want to see harm done to our children, Heavenly Father wants the same for us. He knows our capabilities and wants us to do the best we can. He has given us a task. A mighty task of rearing children.  He knows its a hard task.  He gives us the ability to conquer it. He knows we cant do it alone and we must seek His help and guidance.  We must decide what is best for our children and ourselves. Not what is easiest, but what we must do to ensure the mental, spiritual and physical well being of our families.  Once you have done this you have made the best childbirth choice. 

Ephesians  6:10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

*originally posted 2/14/2011