by Gwen Saunders

Created on: May 13, 2007

Unassisted Childbirth is exactly that: childbirth that is not attended by either a doctor or a midwife.

Also referred to as freebirth, unassisted childbirth is becoming more and more popular given today's medicalized birth climate. Many women feel that birth is a natural process that does not require the assistance of a professional as women instinctively and intuitively know how to birth.

The unassisted childbirth movement is one of personal responsibility. Most mothers choosing to birth unassisted do realize that there are situations in which the help of a knowledgeable caregiver is warranted. However, there is a general recognition of the fact that if birth is left to occur naturally that complications rarely occur and in many cases these complications are even prevented.

If complications do occur in an unassisted birth there is often a great sense of acceptance and personal responsibility. There is a respect for nature and the fact that birth isn't always perfect and that sometimes things do go wrong. The sad fact is, the fetal and maternal morbidity rates and rate of complicated deliveries in North America is not within World Health Organization standards and that the current care model is failing mothers and babies. Many women feel that it is a much safer choice to trust in themselves and their own ability to birth and to only use caregivers as a last resort.

Unassisted birth is very much linked to the birth rights movement. According to many international laws, a fetus has no legal rights and a mother is free to make any choice regarding her prenatal care or lack thereof if she so chooses. As a human being, a mother is free to make the same choices that any one else is entitled to make and this also includes whether or not to have medical attention during pregnancy and childbirth. There have been many attempts to charge women who've had negative outcomes with planned unassisted births in which the fetus has been harmed or the baby had complications or died but overwhelmingly the rights or the mother have withstood as the rights of the baby begin only at the moment of live birth.

Many women face discrimination and outrage if their intentions of birthing unassisted become known. While so far there have been no conclusive studies to determine the safety of planned unassisted births so far the anecdotal evidence has been promising in regards to the apparent safety of unassisted birth. The viability of unassisted home birth is often thrown into question by obstetricians, midwives and other birth professionals. What is often not questioned is why more and more women who have access to excellent prenatal care are still making this choice.

Many women who opt to birth unassisted are well-educated individuals who are fully aware of the risks of birth. Often they have previously had negative birth experiences with a doctor or midwife or while in a hospital or birth center environment. Many first time mothers also seek to birth unassisted because the idea of a natural home birth is appealing to them. Many women also choose to go unassisted because of limited access to midwives when they truly feel that home is the place that they want to give birth.

Whatever the motivations are behind unassisted childbirth, more and more women are choosing to do it. Perhaps it is time that the current medical care model takes into consideration the desires of all birthing women especially when a growing number of women are opting out of the perceived safety of medical childbirth in order to have the birth experience that they desire and are entitled to.

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