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Although women throughout the
centuries had undergone natural birth, in this day and age, natural
childbirth, or sometimes also called unmedicated birth, seems to be
a radical concept. This kind of attitude is not surprising, since
today's technology allows women to get a 'break' from the labor
pain.
Which woman wouldn't
want a 'painless' childbirth ? After all, childbirth is about
pain, right ?
If you ask any women
about their childbirth experience, most will describe it as the most
painful experience they had ever experienced. Some even resent and
decide not to have a second one because of the traumatic first
childbirth experience. To make the matter worse, media seems to echo
this sentiment by portraying childbirth as a medical event involving
a lot of pain.
Therefore, it is not
surprising that almost all women accept that it is impossible to
have a natural childbirth, and even unnecessary to strive for
natural childbirth.
So what makes somebody
want to have a natural birth? Is it worth it ?
Natural birth offers big advantages and it is good for mothers and
babies and therefore is worth striving for. Here are the advantages
of natural birth:
- First, When you choose a natural birth, you don't have
to worry about drug safety because you're not going to use any
drugs. Remember that a drug is a drug, no matter how safe the
manufacturer claims it to be. Any drugs will have side effects
which vary from individual to individual.
You also have to bear in mind that drugs do cross
placental barrier which means that your baby will be exposed to
the drug you are receiving.
By choosing to have an unmedicated birth, you
eliminate the possible side effects of drugs to your baby and to
you. If possible, read the insert package of the drugs normally
given at labor ahead of time or do a research on the side effects
and decide for yourself.
- Secondly, when you refuse both drugs and any
intervention which will interfere with the normal course of labor
and birth, you actually do yourself a favor because at the end,
this will result in a non-complicated childbirth with a much less
or no postpartum complaint.
Let me explain this to you more clearly. Often,
the drug used for either induction or pain relief has side effects
which require you to be 'further' managed. For instance, an
epidural, when given early, can slow the progress of your labor
which can then make you to have a C-section. Epidural can also
make you feel numb and unable to push your baby. This often lead
to forceps or vacuum delivery. What are all these mean ? These
mean that you will end up with more painful procedures which will
take days, if not weeks to recover.
- Third, since you and your baby are not drugged during
the birth, both of you are likely to be alert after delivery and
hence you will be able to bond and connect immediately with your
baby.
- Fourth, with natural birth, you'll likely to suffer
only minor inconveniences and therefore you'll be able to care for
your baby from early days and to get a head start on
breastfeeding.
If natural childbirth is what you really want, then it is important
for you to actively prepare for it. It means that you cannot just
hope for it to happen. If you do just that, then it is almost
certain that your wish will not come true. Here are the tips for
maximizing your chance of having a natural birth:
FIRST, choose your caregiver wisely. Your doctor or midwife
has to support your decision one hundred percent. Change the
caregiver if you have a doubt about her/his commitment on natural
birth. Generally, you will more likely to get a natural birth with a
midwife, just because midwives have different philosophy and
attitude towards birth from physicians do. But there are some
physicians which have good reputation for supporting natural birth.
If you want to have natural birth at hospital, your job is to find a
supportive obstetrician.
SECOND, choose your birth place wisely. In
the US, you can give birth at either of these three places:
hospital, home or free-standing birth center.
Choose the one where you feel the most safe, secure,
protected and comfortable. It is a known fact that contraction can
stop suddenly when a woman feels unsafe, insecure and uncomfortable.
Therefore, feeling secure and comfortable is important for a woman
to maintain productive contractions.
Having said that, if you really want a natural
birth, I recommend you to consider either giving birth at home (have
a homebirth) or at a birthing center since you will have more chance
of getting a natural childbirth there. If you want to have a birth
at a hospital you must understand that it is more difficult to get a
natural birth there, mainly because the way the birth is managed at
the hospital. Therefore, I don't recommend you to have a birth there
unless you have a condition which makes you high risk. However, if
you prepare yourself ahead of time, then you may be able to give
birth naturally at the hospital. Read tips for maximizing natural
childbirth at hospital here.
THIRD, read, read, read. Educate yourself
about pregnancy and childbirth. Nothing is more powerful than
knowledge. Read a lot of books about pregnancy and childbirth. Go to
a childbirth class which places emphasize on natural birth. And
watch childbirth videos.
FOURTH, prepare yourself for a birth. Don't
just hope that your body will be toned enough for birth. There are
exercises which will tone the muscles which are necessary for giving
birth. Eat right. Avoid junk food and drugs, so your body will be
better prepared for birth.
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