Is Natural Birth Right for You?
There is probably no topic more hotly debated amongst mothers and healthcare professionals than the one of using pain medication versus natural childbirth. How a woman and her partner plan for the birth of their child is an extremely personal decision-making process. Every expectant mother has heard birth stories, whether positive or negative, which influence her thinking about labor and birth. Her hopes and expectations have been shaped by her own family history, television shows, pregnancy books and her friends’ birth experiences.
Since we, here in America, don’t have a medical birth culture that nurtures education about and enthusiasm for natural childbirth, we must go beyond the normal information channels and seek out the personal stories and medical research that support the option of natural birth. This is not a black and white issue and each mother will have to come to her own conclusions about what’s right for her.
Women with normal, uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancies are ideal candidates for natural childbirth under the care of a midwife.
As stated by Kathleen Mendola in this WebMD article “In a 1991 study comparing physician-assisted births with midwife-assisted births, midwives had a 19 percent lower infant mortality rate. If a woman is in good shape and has followed a sound nutritional plan throughout her pregnancy, when labor begins, nine times out of ten her body will follow nature’s plan and do the job it was meant to do.”
A previous c-section does not necessarily preclude you from being able to have a natural birth in the future.
The-Health-Pages.com says, “In the past the most common reason for planned, repeat cesareans was a belief that the uterine scar would rupture (or separate) during a vaginal birth. Recent medical findings, however, show that this is extremely rare, particularly in the case of the more common low transverse incision. The risk of uterine rupture is far less than the risk of complications associated with a cesarean.
In many places women planning VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) can choose between midwives, obstetricians and family physicians. As VBAC becomes more common, it is easier for women to be accepted as VBAC clients by all practitioners. The way a woman is treated in pregnancy and labor varies from one caregiver to another. Because midwives use fewer medical interventions, women under their care are less likely to have a cesarean section.”
Home birth is safe for most women and medical research has shown that it reduces the incidence of medical intervention, including c-sections.
Mothers Naturally, a public education program from the Midwives Alliance of North America, says, “For low-risk pregnancies, it has been shown to be as safe as physician-attended births in hospitals, yet with even lower intervention and infection rates than in the hospital. In fact, the countries with the lowest mortality and morbidity rates are those countries where midwifery is an integral part of obstetric care and where home birth is commonly practiced.
Healthy childbirth is a natural, normal process, which can be safely attended at home by a trained professional. By having your baby at home with a midwife you are 90% more likely to avoid an intervention in your birth, you are 88% more likely to have a successful breastfeeding relationship with your baby and you are much less likely to receive a caesarean section.”
Labor is a different experience for every woman. Some describe it as the most painful experience of their lives while others reach 10cm with little more than the sensation of mild menstrual cramps. No one can tell you what your labor will feel like, so if you wish to attempt an unmedicated birth you must commit yourself to that goal, go with the flow and trust that your body knows what it’s doing.
Jennifer Vanderlaan of Birthing Naturally says, “Most of the women who pursue a natural childbirth also understand the pain they feel during labor serves a purpose. It is different from other pains - it is cyclical building and releasing. It serves a physiological purpose, exiting the baby from the mother’s body in the most safe and healthy way. The mother and baby work and respond together in a hormonal dance that builds in intensity until at last the baby is born. They also understand that by working with their body in response to the pain they feel, they are helping their baby get into the proper position for birth.”
Don’t forget that Mother Nature provides her own natural pain medication in the form of endorphins.
Maryn Leister of Respect Birth says, “When labor starts, the pain in usually bearable. As long as a woman feels safe and protected (not as easy as it sounds) then the labor will pick up and as the pain increases, her body will respond by making more and more endorphins, those hormones that keep us feeling good by managing pain and giving us that feeling of ‘well-being.’”
Planning a natural childbirth doesn’t guarantee that a situation won’t arise where medical intervention is necessary to protect the health of a mother and her baby. Midwives are trained to identify emergency situations and will seek medical assistance should it become necessary.
Finally, it is important not to feel defeated if your birth doesn’t go exactly as you had planned. Talk to any mother and you’ll find that most births are full of surprises. Just remember that everything you do, you are doing for the health and well-being of your child.
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Comments
I love this post. It is straight and to the point, yet very informative and educational. Women in the fence about how and where to give birth should read this!
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