I Gave Birth in a Field and Kept on Working. Here’s What I Learned.
Like many first-time moms, I devoted a lot of time to my birth plan. I considered all the options: traditional hospitals, natural birthing centers, midwives, doulas, even water births at home. No matter my plans, though, people had the same response, “You know, women used to just give birth in a field and keep on working.”
Whether they were trying to calm an anxious mother-to-be or dismiss something that killed 300,000 women last year, I couldn’t say. But I do know a challenge when I hear one. Hello! Six-time ultramarathon runner here. As soon as my contractions hit 5 minutes apart, this overachieving, adrenaline junky waddled herself to the nearest PICK UR OWN farm.
That’s right, I gave birth in a field and keep on working. Here’s what I learned.
1) Pack accordingly.
Your standard overnight bag will not be sufficient for labor and delivery alone in the outdoors. There are a handful of items you cannot forget — for instance, an extra absorbent picnic blanket you never want to eat on again.
Since you’ll have to deal with the umbilical cord yourself, you’ll need a sterile clamp and scissors. Ha! Good luck keeping them that way. Definitely bring along a shovel because you’ll want that placenta buried ASAP. For more on that, see #2.
