You're Having a
Natural Birth - Are You Crazy?
By Melinda Delisle-Clark, AAHCC
It started with my first pregnancy. I was at work, and I told some co-workers that I had decided I was going to try to have a natural birth. “Are you nuts?” one replied, “I don’t have that much pain tolerance.” Another looked shocked, “Not me, I want the drugs the minute I walk in the hospital.” One said, “Well, maybe it’s a bit better – my back still hurts where I got the epidural three years ago.” A fourth commented, “No way – it hurt so much with the epidural that I can’t imagine what it would feel like without it.”
Even my relatives were doubtful. “If that’s what you want to do,” is all my mother would say. And other female relatives said, “Well, we’ll see,” with a knowing smirk.
In spite of all this, I remained committed to having a natural birth. I was a bit scared, but I believed that the pregnancy and birth process designed by our creator just couldn’t “go wrong” and need intervention so much of the time. I just needed to learn how to work with my body and support this natural process.
Two natural births later, I now have taught dozens of couples how to give birth naturally and get their baby off to a good start. I have also discovered that there are a lot of misconceptions about natural birth.
Myth #1 Natural birth means enduring unbearable pain. I will be honest with you, giving birth naturally is not usually painless. Nor is drugged birth usually painless. Most women I have spoken with who have had both an epidural birth and a natural birth preferred the natural birth hands-down. If they have another child, almost all of them say they would do it naturally again.
Giving birth naturally does not mean enduring unbearable amounts of pain, but learning how to prepare and work with your body so you don’t need to have drugs. A well-trained natural birth mom will be able to “work through” the contractions, especially if she has a good coach.
Myth #2 Epidurals are safe, so why bother? Go to www.ob-gyn.net/medline.asp and type “epidural” in the search box. What you will find is that scientific studies show that epidurals are NOT safe. Known risks include lowering blood pressure (which can result in fetal distress and an increased risk of cesarean), slowing down labor (and increasing the need for pitocin), shivering, tingling in the legs, urinary retention (sometimes requiring a catheter), back pain, increased risk of forceps/vacuum extraction, elevated temperature, slowed emptying of stomach, possible “patchy” block on pain, and others.
Babies born under the effect of epidurals (yes, the epidural medications do reach the baby) are more lethargic at birth, are less likely to breastfeed soon after birth, tend to have higher temperatures, and cry more than babies born without any drugs. The long-term effects of labor analgesia are unknown, though preliminary evidence suggests that babies born through medicated deliveries are more likely to take illegal drugs later in life.
Myth # 3 If anything happens, my doctor (or midwife) will just take care of it. It is true that your birth attendant is skilled in handling complications – that’s why they are there! It is YOUR job to make sure you (and your coach) are trained to work with normal labor contractions. This can prevent unnecessary complications and allows your doctor or midwife to use their expertise in monitoring and taking care of true complications. You also are responsible for ensuring that you and your baby are as healthy as possible so you will recover more quickly from any interventions that are necessary. It is like driving a car – do you believe that if you get in an accident that your insurance and the doctors will just take care of it? Or do you make sure you are a good driver and your car in well-maintained to minimize the chance of an accident?
Myth # 4 Birth is something I have to do to be able to meet my baby; it won’t be an enjoyable experience. Many women feel that birth is a horrible curse that women have to endure before they can experience the joy of holding their baby. In fact, there is a lot of joy built into the labor and birth experience itself that most medicated mothers don’t even know they missed. The hormones released during birthing cause a new mother to be elated, excited, energetic, and happy. To add to these emotions, some mothers even experience a “birth climax” as the baby is being born!
So many of my students call me within a few hours after their births to tell their whole story and express how amazing it was. They just have too much energy. I did, too - after my second birth I felt like I could run a marathon! Everyone present also gets to share in the joy of the event. Husbands often call me back to tell me it was “truly an awesome experience” that they were glad to have been a part of.
Myth # 5 I can’t have a natural birth. Over 85% of Bradley Methodâ trained couples having vaginal births do so without medication. If your doctor or midwife is also cheering you on, as many as 95% of women can give birth naturally – with their first baby! (Dr. Robert Bradley himself had 96.4% natural births in his practice.) The main things you need are good training, helpful labor support, and a supportive birth attendant. Enroll in a comprehensive birth class in your fourth or fifth month. Make sure to bring your husband or someone else who will be your coach during labor so they can get trained, too. You may also want to consider having an experienced labor support person (doula) as an “assistant coach.” Your coach and doula cannot replace your doctor or midwife, though, so be sure that you also communicate well with them and respect their recommendations. Their support is absolutely essential.
No matter what you have thought about natural birth in the past, I urge you to take a second look. Investigate by asking around. Find women who have given birth naturally as well as those who have had a medicated birth and ask them what it was like. Would they do it again? What would they like to have gone differently? Discover the trends for yourself. Perhaps that woman who wants to have a natural birth isn’t so crazy after all.
Melinda Delisle-Clark, AAHCC is a certified natural childbirth educator. She teaches Bradley Methodâ classes in Atlanta and Marietta, Georgia. She is also available to give healthy pregnancy lectures for your organization. To contact Melinda or request a healthy pregnancy information kit, please visit www.birthofafamily.com or call 770-794-6861. For a complete list of Bradleyâ Instructors, please contact: National Headquarters, Box 5224, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-5224 (800) 4-A-BIRTH, www.bradleybirth.com.
©2003 Melinda
Delisle-Clark
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