Unassisted Home Birth Australia
Freebirthing Completely Alone
published 7 June 2021, updated 8 June 2021
We know the only true necessities for birth are you, your vagina and your baby.
Everything else is for comfort, cleanliness, and convenience.
That includes support people.
So what if you have no support person, and you still want your freebirth?
Can you do it? Of course!
All you need to know to birth your baby is in you. Women have been birthing babies assisted, or alone, for centuries.
Should you?
That's up to you. A decision you should not make lightly.
But it's a decision only you can make, and you might make it based on your personal medical/emotional history, and the trust you have in the process and the abilities of your body, and the way you navigate "labourland".
Who you could have present is important, but so is the reason why you might birth alone.
You should always feel safe.
Not scared or pressured into company OR being by yourself.
Sometimes it may feel like you don’t have great choices either way.
If you have a support person, they should be supportive and not compromise your birth.
And if you feel like you have to do it alone, then depending how much time you have to prepare mentally and physically for a birth alone, these are our best tips and recommendations:
Read through your affirmations because you are strong and powerful and you can birth your baby!
For pregnancy support, if you are single, you can join Single Freebirth Mamas Facebook group
Read this great description of a physiological labour https://thematrona.com/the-holistic-stages-of-birth/
For learning how to deal with placenta, cord, and emergencies, refer back to our freebirth FAQ page.
Then,
Unlock your front door.
Have a phone or laptop nearby for calling for help in an emergency or calling someone you may have hired, like a virtual doula or midwife, or just a friend during labour. (If you are in a freebirth Facebook group, you can usually reach out to an admin, midwife, experienced birther, or pro bono doula to see if someone is online to keep you company last minute. Please note: anyone you contact last minute should not be relied on for medical information. You have responsibility for your birth, and they are just bonus emotional support)
You may like to have your medical history and important details ready in case of emergency. this could be as casual as a sticky note with your address stuck on the laptop to read off of in case you're having a mental blank on the phone to 000, or it could be a sheet or two of paper with allergies and emergency contacts written down to hand to the neighbor or ambulance (if)/when they come in.
Have all supplies nearby within reach
Lay out a soft place for baby to land in case you end up pushing or baby comes flying out in a position where you can't catch
Make a sort of nest with supplies to hand, literally, within reach.
Once baby is born, all supplies for keeping you and them warm, preventing bleeding, and rehydrating and energising you should be close enough to grab so you can observe the golden hour comfortably.
It is also incredibly common to shake, feel dizzy, or otherwise be unable to move, during transition or postpartum, so having everything to hand will benefit your health.
If you birth in the bathroom to contain mess, or because you birthed in water, have a dry space with a pillow and blanket in there for resting and warmth immediately after birth without having to move
Try prepare your bed ahead of time with a waterproof layer so that you and babe can crawl straight in and the bed is already protected from fluids
Have snacks and drinks ready and close by to regain strength so you can prevent PPH and be well enough to move around the house
Have a chair or support nearby to pull yourself up on, or steady on if you need to change positions i.e lunge for dystocia
If you have other children, set them up with the TV, or a special box of toys or games they don't normally get, or a bag of new things, so they stay occupied.
If the children are older, you can give them small tasks (without too much pressure - they're only children!) to help you, or to watch the other children.
You can also prepare your children by watching a variety of homebirth videos on Youtube especially ones with other children present so they know where baby comes from, and that blood and noise are normal. Search peaceful videos, but also watch a couple with the mama roaring out baby in her power.
For the actual birth, relax (as hard as that may be!) Do whatever you've prepared for, or your body wants, whether that's a calm hypno birth, or a noisy roar baby out over the toilet. You are the mama. You do what is best for you and baby at the time!
“A !Kung mother takes great pride in self-sufficiency in birth. As soon as her contractions become strong, the mother goes out in the veld (grasslands). She collects soft grass and piles it into a mound to make a soft landing for her baby. When pushing, she squats over that mound.
“During her first labor, her mother and other older women assist her. If the first birth goes well, she will give birth to subsequent babies alone. If labor begins at night, she will not wake her sleeping husband as she slips out the door and goes to the veld. !Kung mothers have a keen sense of competence and independence. In the morning, the !Kung mother, glowing with pride, returns home with her newly born child.” Nancy Sorel, Ever since Eve
If you have to birth alone, or choose to, that's okay. Once the decision is made, or you realise it's happening, BREATHE. You've got this.
Remember, Women ALL over the world are birthing with you today!
When labour is happening, no one is watching you so release any inhibitions! Move how you want. Make as much noise as you want. Put some music on, or the shower, dance, sway, rock your way through contractions. Surrender to the process! This is FREE birth. Get deep into labour land, into the labourinth and focus on the birthing journey.
You will meet your baby soon, and what a special moment it will be!
When all your work culminates in baby being born into your own hands!
This is what you chose this for - to meet your baby your way, in the safety and peace of your own home. Keep sight of that vision on your unique birthing journey! Birth free, darling.
