Here’s a situation that’s obviously on my mind lately. What if an emergency hits while I’m pregnant? With the rate that ladies are pregnant in this world, the possibility that someone you know is going to be expecting a little one when an emergency happens is pretty good.
I’ll say now that every woman handles pregnancy a little differently. Some get quite sick for a couple of months, then are fine. Some are seriously vomiting sick the entire nine months. Others never really feel sick, just extra tired. And everywhere in between. Those that are sick are going to need a little extra help staying nourished and hydrated, and any pregnant lady can use a little extra sleep which may be hard to come by in a survival situation, but will be extremely important to her physical and mental well being.
Some crave certain foods–like early this pregnancy I wanted lots of milk and yogurt and usually I don’t eat much dairy. And fresh fruit has always been a pregnancy craving of mine. This goes along with the craving post, but usually a pregnant lady’s cravings are well founded–it is actually her body telling her that she needs more of a certain nutrient to build that baby right. Do you have a variety of nutrients and foods available in your food storage? Most pregnant ladies take a pre-natal vitamin to fill in the nutrition gaps–are you stocking any kind of vitamins? You’ll want to have some on hand even if nobody is pregnant, but they are especially important to building a healthy baby.
Another consideration is that a pregnant lady’s physical ability is usually diminished over what she could do pre-pregnancy. I’m relatively fit, but when I’m expecting a baby I get a high dose of a hormone called “relaxin” which turns my hip and low back joints to jello. It is supposed to make delivery easier, but in the meantime it really affects my ability to lift, walk, run, ride a bike, hike, clean house, okay, practically anything even mildly physically demanding which are normally activities I really enjoy (except that clean the house one . . .). Just this last week it took me 2 days to quit hurting from a half hour bike ride with the kids! So you know if I had to carry my 72 hour survival kit or even pull a wagon full of kids and supplies we just wouldn’t get very far and I’d be in no shape to build us a shelter when we got where we were going! Honestly, it’s kind of frustrating, but it’s just the way my body handles getting a baby here. Something to think about. If you’re the pregnant one, think of people who could help you–your significant other, neighbor, friend, older children? If you’re not, don’t expect mama to keep up with a speedy on-foot evacuation without a little help!
Oh yeah, and the clothes in my emergency kit won’t fit right now either.
And then there’s labor and delivery. Cleanliness is a must. Sterility is better. Make sure if you’re expecting a baby post disaster, you’ve got a way to have some clean linens on hand for the birth. Get to know people in your area who are midwives or have some medical training. You might need them. I love those ladies who do home births or even just go through labor naturally. Bless them. As for me, the epidural is the reason I wasn’t born in pioneer times! I’m quite happy to let the hospital staff do their jobs and help get my baby here as easily as possible. I do have friends I could call on who have done the natural birth process, but I’m really hoping for no emergency on baby delivery day!
So even if you’re a man, or a lady past baby bearing years, give pregnancy a thought when you’re prepping. There may be someone you know who has some special needs for emergencies because of the little angel she’s going to bring into the world.
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Keep preparing! Angela
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And definitely don’t forget the AFTER birth supplies. Pads, a little betodyne for the peri bottle, iron supplements to rebuild after blood loss, etc!
Also, don’t forget to have some emergency birthing how-to info on hand–for the mommy and a helper.
Okay, you are SO CUTE!!! You just glow looking down at your baby bump, I just love it! (And I have the same jell-o hips right now, too! It’s kind of sad how I huff and puff after I climb our stairs now).
I think about this a lot, too… I am dependent on C-sections, so I’ve actually thought the other way, too. If something happened and I could no longer have access to hospitals and C-sections long-term, what kinds of birth control would be available or best to have that are truly “self-sufficient”? Does that make sense? Because most of them require a doctor, pharmacist or replenishing. I don’t know if that’s something you’d consider addressing in your website, but I’d be interested to hear what other folks think.
You might be interested in researching the Creighton fertility model, which is non-pharmaceutical. It’s not your momma’s “rhythm method” but is much more scientific and exact, 99.5% successful when used correctly. No equipment needed!
In His Hands Birth Supply sells an emergency birth kit that you can keep on hand. I actually get my birth kits from them (I recommend getting several more things from them, including lots more tucks pads). I have delivered 6 babies at home, and had 2 while living on food storage. In addition to having a birth kit and vitamins, nutrition needs are very important. Greens are EXTREMELY important during pregnancy. A garden is a good part of that, but in addition, I would recommend keeping dried greens in pill form (such as super greens) and liquid chylorophyll. Take these throughout the prgenancy.
I had home births and know a fair amount about labor and delivery. I am thankful to know that if there was no one certified that I could delivery my own child or help with someone else’s :)