Childbirth, babies and children without a hospital

Find a midwife or trained helper early, keep everything clean and warm, put the baby skin to skin and breastfeeding within the first hour, and know that heavy bleeding after birth is the main emergency. Keep children's routines, teach them, and keep records.

Part of Day Zero, the plan for an AI-related crisis that gets out of control. Why it exists. General information, not medical advice: how these guides are reviewed.

Children are the future of any group, and birth without help is one of the biggest risks. Plan for it before it is needed.

Childbirth

• Find a midwife or trained helper in the group early, and let them train others. A person who has attended births is more valuable than any equipment.
• Most births go well with a calm, clean, warm place, privacy, water and rest.
• Get ready: clean towels, clean sheets, clean string or ties, sterilised (boiled) scissors or blade, a bowl, a blanket, warm water, soap.
• Wash hands well, and keep the area clean. Infection after birth is a major danger.
• After the baby is out: dry and wrap it, put it skin to skin on the mother, cover both with a blanket, and let it breastfeed within the first hour.
• Cut the cord after it stops pulsing (a minute or more), between two ties, with a clean blade.
• Heavy bleeding after the birth is the most dangerous emergency: massage the lower belly firmly until it is hard, put the baby to the breast, empty the bladder, press and call for help. Keep the mother warm and lying down.
• Danger signs: labour that does not progress after many hours, bleeding before birth, fits, high fever, a baby that does not breathe (dry it, rub the back, give gentle breaths).
• If there is any way to reach a clinic during a hard labour, do it.

Babies

• Breastfeeding is the safest food when there is no clean water and no formula. A mother needs extra food and water.
• If the mother cannot, find another nursing woman. Powdered formula needs clean water and a clean bottle; unclean bottles kill babies.
• Keep babies warm and dry. Keep them away from people with coughs or diarrhoea.
• Vaccinations and growth records matter. Keep the records safe.

Children

• Routine is the best medicine for fear: meals, sleep, tasks, play and lessons at set times.
• Tell the truth, simply and calmly. Let them ask. Let them help with real jobs.
• Teach: reading, counting, safety, hygiene, farming, a craft. Start a school as early as day 30 with whatever you have. See the curriculum.
• Protect them from fire, water, tools, strangers and each other. Never leave small children unwatched near water.
• Orphans and lost children: every child needs a named adult responsible for them. Write names, ages and families.
• Nutrition: children need protein and fat as well as calories; eggs, beans, milk, fish, nuts and seeds are worth planning for.

Review status: not yet checked by a named professional. Read how these guides are reviewed and check anything medical or dangerous with a qualified person where you can.