Natural Childbirth
As you begin to learn and prepare for the birth of your baby you will be asked whether youre aiming for a natural childbirth It depends on who you ask Ive heard nurses define it as a vaginal birth even with pitocin an IV and an epidural A midwife I knew says its a birth that is within the mothers power even a cesarean is natural But for the most part its defined as an intervention free birth theres no IV no antibiotics no pitocin and no painmedicine All of the common medical interventions involved with childbirth carry sideeffects and health risks for you and your baby Many of them increase your odds for more interventions This can by cyclical each intervention leads to another
For example an epidural might slow down your labor requiring pitocin to speed things up Pitocin can make labor harder and more intense increasing your need for more epidural medicine With more epidural medicine you grow number and might have difficulty pushing your baby out You might need forceps or a vacuum procedure to help your baby be born At worst you might need a cesarean baby clothes,baby name,birth control pills,breastfeeding,during pregnancy,early pregnancy test,exercise during pregnancy,getting pregnant,healthy pregnancy,home pregnancy test,how to get pregnant,maternity,miscarriage,pregnancy,pregnancy due date,pregnancy guide,pregnancy nutrition,pregnancy signs,pregnancy weight gain,signs of pregnancy,teenage pregnancy,trying to conceive,trying to get pregnant This is just an example and getting an epidural does not mean you will need all these interventions but it increases your risk for it
To many women the risk of sideeffects and interventions do not out way the benefits Theres also the philosophy that the pain or discomfort of childbirth has a purpose Many women describe natural childbirth as the most enlightening powerful and wonderful experience of their lives To them what they experience isnt unbearable pain and its worth it for the birth of their children First you need to decide what natural childbirth means to you Would you still consider an induction with pitocin natural What about an IV What about antibiotics if youre betastrep positive At what point do these interventions become acceptable to you You need to talk to the people who will be attending your birth and find a primary birthing coach whether its your mom a friend or your partner You will have to discuss what your goals are make sure everyone is willing to help and support you You need to be on the same page about what you expect from each other You need to learn as much as you can about childbirth The best way is through a childbirth education class You can take one through a local hospital or hire a private childbirth educator to come into your home You can look into the Bradley method or hypnobirthing If you take a hospital course be aware that these courses are aimed for teaching about interventions not on how to get through childbirth without the need for pain medicine The Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing are all geared toward natural childbirth and have very high success rates A birth plan is a list of what you hope for your birth It includes things like would prefer not to be offered pain medicine or would like a few minutes to discuss any possible interventions in private.
The birth plan is primarily a communication tool It should be used to discuss your plans with your birthing coach and support people You need to take it into your care provider a few weeks before you give birth and go over every point with them Your wishes may not be possible or may require a compromise.Keep the list down to one page and only note the important things that you really really want Do not list things such as wanting to play music or keep the lights dimmed Your nurses already know that and will be accommodating even without a birth plan
Finally remember that just because you write it down doesnt mean it will happen A birth plan should be used to discuss your wishes You need to be flexible and understand that birth can not be planned or controlled
You might want to hire a doula or a professional birthing coach She provides physical emotional and informational support Studies have shown that births with doulas have fewer birthing interventions including the need for pain medicine Additionally no matter what happens mothers are much happier with their births much happier with their partners support during it and have a better bond with their baby if a doula was present
Finally you need to look at the statistics of your birthing facility and care provider If you dont want a cesarean you might not want a hospital that has a 50% cesarean rate If you dont want an episiotomy you might not want a care provider that has a 60% episiotomy rate
As you begin to learn and prepare for the birth of your baby you will be asked whether youre aiming for a natural childbirth It depends on who you ask Ive heard nurses define it as a vaginal birth even with pitocin an IV and an epidural A midwife I knew says its a birth that is within the mothers power even a cesarean is natural But for the most part its defined as an intervention free birth theres no IV no antibiotics no pitocin and no painmedicine All of the common medical interventions involved with childbirth carry sideeffects and health risks for you and your baby Many of them increase your odds for more interventions This can by cyclical each intervention leads to another
For example an epidural might slow down your labor requiring pitocin to speed things up Pitocin can make labor harder and more intense increasing your need for more epidural medicine With more epidural medicine you grow number and might have difficulty pushing your baby out You might need forceps or a vacuum procedure to help your baby be born At worst you might need a cesarean baby clothes,baby name,birth control pills,breastfeeding,during pregnancy,early pregnancy test,exercise during pregnancy,getting pregnant,healthy pregnancy,home pregnancy test,how to get pregnant,maternity,miscarriage,pregnancy,pregnancy due date,pregnancy guide,pregnancy nutrition,pregnancy signs,pregnancy weight gain,signs of pregnancy,teenage pregnancy,trying to conceive,trying to get pregnant This is just an example and getting an epidural does not mean you will need all these interventions but it increases your risk for it
To many women the risk of sideeffects and interventions do not out way the benefits Theres also the philosophy that the pain or discomfort of childbirth has a purpose Many women describe natural childbirth as the most enlightening powerful and wonderful experience of their lives To them what they experience isnt unbearable pain and its worth it for the birth of their children First you need to decide what natural childbirth means to you Would you still consider an induction with pitocin natural What about an IV What about antibiotics if youre betastrep positive At what point do these interventions become acceptable to you You need to talk to the people who will be attending your birth and find a primary birthing coach whether its your mom a friend or your partner You will have to discuss what your goals are make sure everyone is willing to help and support you You need to be on the same page about what you expect from each other You need to learn as much as you can about childbirth The best way is through a childbirth education class You can take one through a local hospital or hire a private childbirth educator to come into your home You can look into the Bradley method or hypnobirthing If you take a hospital course be aware that these courses are aimed for teaching about interventions not on how to get through childbirth without the need for pain medicine The Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing are all geared toward natural childbirth and have very high success rates A birth plan is a list of what you hope for your birth It includes things like would prefer not to be offered pain medicine or would like a few minutes to discuss any possible interventions in private.
The birth plan is primarily a communication tool It should be used to discuss your plans with your birthing coach and support people You need to take it into your care provider a few weeks before you give birth and go over every point with them Your wishes may not be possible or may require a compromise.Keep the list down to one page and only note the important things that you really really want Do not list things such as wanting to play music or keep the lights dimmed Your nurses already know that and will be accommodating even without a birth plan
Finally remember that just because you write it down doesnt mean it will happen A birth plan should be used to discuss your wishes You need to be flexible and understand that birth can not be planned or controlled
You might want to hire a doula or a professional birthing coach She provides physical emotional and informational support Studies have shown that births with doulas have fewer birthing interventions including the need for pain medicine Additionally no matter what happens mothers are much happier with their births much happier with their partners support during it and have a better bond with their baby if a doula was present
Finally you need to look at the statistics of your birthing facility and care provider If you dont want a cesarean you might not want a hospital that has a 50% cesarean rate If you dont want an episiotomy you might not want a care provider that has a 60% episiotomy rate
No comments:
Post a Comment