What exactly should not be done during childbirth and after them

1. Refuse medical care

Home birth - with or without a doula - chooseHome birth: Know the pros and cons / Mayo Clinic in order to protect yourself from unnecessary medical interventions and obstetrical aggression. Probably, giving birth in a familiar atmosphere with loved ones is indeed more comfortable than in a delivery room, but the risks are hardly worth it.

Some countries, such as the US and the UK, have specially trained midwives who can participate in home births, but even there the complication rate is aboveA. Grunebaum, L. b. McCullough, K. J. Sapra, B. Arabin, F. A. Chervenak. Planned home births: the need for additional contraindications /than in hospitals. A midwife can notice bad symptoms in time, but will not replace the operating room and intensive care. Moreover, they will not cope doula or the mother herself.

How could it be dangerous

The mother may startMaternal mortality / WHO bleeding that cannot be stopped at home. It happens that healthy women bleed and die in less than two hours. It is the most common cause of maternal death.

baby too maybeH. Bastian, M. J. N. C. Keirse, P. A. L. Lancaster. Perinatal death associated with planned home birth in Australia: population based study / BMJ (Clinical research ed.) die during and after childbirth. In addition, there is a high likelihood of serious neurological problems and low Apgar scores, which indicate the condition newborn.

2. Give birth in water

It's about volumeShould You Make Water Labor Part of Your Birth Plan? / Cleveland Clinicthat part or all of the process will take place in water. This method is chosen not only for home, but also for hospital births - for this, some maternity hospitals are equipped with special baths.

Really warm water maybeImmersion in Water During Labor and Delivery / American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists help during the fight. According to some reviews, she calms the woman in labor and reduces pain, so it is often possible to do without anesthesia. But, of course, this method is only suitable for uncomplicated pregnancy.

There isI gave birth to my new baby in the ocean - because I wanted to be free / New York Post also options for childbirth in the ocean and other natural reservoirs, but it is better not to consider such extreme practices ever.

What could be dangerous

In water higher risk of infection for both the baby and mother, and an increased chance of distress when the infant stopsWater Birth Risks and Safety Concerns / OHSU deal with childbirth. Because of this, he may empty himself of meconium and swallow water with it, or he may have a heart rhythm during or after birth. This may be due to hypothermia or overheating.

Therefore, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not adviseImmersion in Water During Labor and Delivery / American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists be in the water during the birth itself. But if you still decide on this, remember: without a qualified midwife, you can’t do it here. The fact is that in water it is easier to skip heavy bleeding after the separation of the placenta and it is more difficult to remove the child so that the umbilical cord does not strangle or break.

In addition, the midwife must ensure that there is not even a small air gap between the vulva and the water. Otherwise, the baby will begin to breathe ahead of time and, with further advancement and contact with the liquid, will accidentally inhale it.

3. Choose lotus birth

This is the name of the practice when the umbilical cord is not tied after childbirth. After 3-10 days, it dries up and breaks off, and before that, the child remains connected with the placenta - an organ that neededPlacenta / Cleveland Clinic for gas exchange and food child in the womb, the formation of his immunity.

Perhaps the adherents of this practice, like representatives of some cultures, endowE. Burns. More Than Clinical Waste? Placenta Rituals Among Australian Home‑Birthing Women / The Journal of Perinatal Education placenta with mystical spiritual properties. Perhaps they hope that after childbirth, the placenta will have time to make the child healthier. Maybe that's how they interpret it. recommendationDelayed umbilical cord clamping for improved maternal and infant health and nutrition outcomes / WHO WHO that the umbilical cord should not be tied immediately.

The fact is that while the umbilical cord is pulsating, there is blood in it that it can transfer to the baby. For a newborn, even such a volume means a lot, therefore, if waitDelayed umbilical cord clamping for improved maternal and infant health and nutrition outcomes / WHO even for a minute, you can reduce the risk that the child will develop anemia in the first year of life. In addition, research showedDoes delayed cord clamping or cord pumping improve the health of preterm babies? / Cochranethat premature babies who have their umbilical cord tied after a couple of minutes survive better.

What could be dangerous

Leave the umbilical cord and placenta for several hours, and even more so for days, dangerousRCOG statement on umbilical non‑severance or “lotus birth” / Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for a newborn. As soon as blood stops flowing in these elements, they begin to deteriorate and become a target for microorganisms. If it develops in the placenta infection, it will threaten the life of the child.

For example, in 2016 doctors reportedA. Tricarico, V. Bianco A. R. Di Biase, L. Iughetti, F. Ferrari, A. Berardi. Lotus Birth Associated With Idiopathic Neonatal Hepatitis / Pediatrics & Neonatology about an infection that was accompanied by severe damage to the liver of a newborn. And in 2018, information was published on three other cases: infective endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart) with damage to the tricuspid valve, sepsis and omphalitis (inflammation of the skin and subcutaneous fat around the navel and vessels umbilical cord).

4. Have a placenta

Someone eats the placenta raw, makes smoothies or fries. But more often they make nutritional supplements: peeled, cut, dried, ground and packed in gelatin capsules.

It is believed that eating the placenta preventsS. K. Johnson, J. Pastuschek, J. Rodel, U. R. Markert, T. Groten. Placenta Human Maternal Placentophagy: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks / Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd anemia and postpartum depression, improves the mother's well-being, improves lactation. And powder or organ shells can even treat burns and wounds. But scientists are not sure persistA. Farr, F. A Chervenak, L. B McCullough, R. N. Baergen, A. Grunebaum. Human placentophagy: a review / American journal of obstetrics and gynecology whether any useful substances after encapsulation.

What could be dangerous

Fresh or cooked placenta can contain its own germs, drugs, and toxins. EspeciallyS.K. Johnson, J. Pastuschek, J. Rodel, U. R. Markert, T. Groten. Placenta Human Maternal Placentophagy: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks / Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd if the mother smoked during pregnancy, took certain medications (including anesthesia during childbirth), or she developed lactostasis and mastitis.

The situation with capsules is not much different. They only seem to be purified, safe and useful. While there are no laws for the production of supplements and they can be made by anyone and in any way, viruses, bacteria and fungi can get into them. About it they sayS. K. Johnson, J. Pastuschek, J. Rodel, U. R. Markert, T. Groten. Placenta Human Maternal Placentophagy: Possible Benefit and Potential Risks / Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd even supporters of encapsulation. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is of the same opinion. In one of the reports saidNotes from the Field: Late-Onset Infant Group B Streptococcus Infection Associated with Maternal Consumption of Capsules Containing Dehydrated Placenta - Oregon, 2016 / CDC about a child with late neonatal sepsis caused by streptococcus group B. After investigation, the attending physician determined that the source was in capsules.