In practical terms, a ‘Natural Birth’ is just about ‘Natural’ as a C-section!
So, why is it called Natural? In essence, a Natural Birth is one that unfolds ‘naturally’, without the need for intervention of any kind of pain medication. If you’re veering towards delivering your child in this manner, you’ve come to the right place! You’re in safe hands, as you will be with those health professionals in the delivery room.
In this article, you will learn all things about the Natural Birth Process, that you might have been stewing over for some time now. As far as the important Facts about Natural Birth are concerned, you can rest assured we have it all covered here. The idea, of course, is to get you to ‘naturally’ accept the potential decision you have been mulling over. That is, about giving birth to your child Naturally, of course!
Facts about Natural Birth: Things to know about Having a Natural Birth
It’s time to bust any myths that might be affecting your thinking, and focus instead on the pertinent ‘facts’ about Natural Birth. That is, to help decide either which way you’d like to give birth to your child.
- Myth #1: It’s not possible to have a natural childbirthin a hospital.
Fact: The environs of a hospital make for a perfectly ‘natural’ place for a fully natural childbirth. - Myth #2: Women are not all that satisfied with Natural Fact: Statistically speaking, Natural Child births are more satisfying.
- Myth #3: You can’t change your mind mid-delivery
Fact: You can change your mind about pain medication, during a natural delivery - Myth #4: It’s necessary to have a Doula present at a Natural Childbirth
Fact: It’s entirely optional to have a Doula present at Childbirth - Myth #5: There are no risks accompanying a Natural Childbirth
Fact: Natural Childbirth has risks.
If the only images you had of mothers giving birth to babies in hospital, were those accompanied with an ‘epidural’, you’re sorely mistaken!
To do: If you like, you can convey to the hospital staff that you prefer a natural childbirth. There are several benefits to delivering ‘naturally’ in the hospital, like On-Site Monitoring and not forgetting to mention, Decreased Infant Mortality risk.
We have all seen, in the movies, the kind of extreme discomfort mothers experience when delivering children naturally. Now, while that might hold true in reality, too, the fact remains that women who choose natural birth over that increasingly popular ‘epidural’, actually tend to end up more satisfied!
The good news is, when Mama is in the initial throes of labour, she can indeed change her mind about taking that epidural.
Note: It takes only 20 minutes for that ‘epidural effect’ to kick in, once it is inserted.
There are plenty of good options out there nowadays, for Holistic Prenatal Care. Instead of having a Doula around in that delivery room to help you cope during childbirth, you can take a Childbirth Class, so you know what to expect.
While that medicine-induced labour might have potential complications, Natural Childbirth has its own set of risks, too. In the case of high-risk pregnancies, like women older than 35 and those having a blood-clotting problem, a C-section might be best!
The Benefits of Natural Birth
By now, you’re probably a tad more inclined towards Natural Childbirth, than you erstwhile were. If you still have any doubts, the following Benefits of Natural Birth might help clear them.
- There is reduced risk
- With Labour comes Freedom
- Cost-effective
- Mama is fully alert
- Facilitates breast-feeding (
Where there are medicines involved, there is always the risk of the labour being prolonged. What’s more, a medicine-induced labour might be responsible for Baby’s slow development in their first month.
There’s no need for the insertion of that cumbersome ‘catheter’, when opting for a natural delivery! That means you can sit up with ease, and even go to the bathroom. There’s also the added bonus of changing your position and even, simply ‘strutting around’. This sense of freedom is missing from the C-section experience.
Needless to say, a C-section entails a longer hospital stay and the use of equipment that is not necessary in the case of a natural childbirth. That only means fatter hospital bills!
The bonus of not being in a drug-induced haze while giving birth to your child, only means that Mama is fully conscious. That helps her actively participate in the final stages of delivery, when it comes to that ‘pushing’ stage we all know well.
One of the best things about a natural delivery is the fact that mothers recover faster. This makes it far easier for them to adjust to the different postures that are required to feed their baby, as compared to their C-section counterparts.
Natural Birth Control Methods
If we are going ‘Natural’ where it comes to giving birth to our child, we might as well go ‘natural’ where it comes to Family Planning, too! Presenting some Natural Birth Control Methods that are just about as effective as ‘popping that pill.’
- The Rhythm Method
- The Basal Body Temperature (BBT) method
- The Ovulation Method
This one’s based on the calendar. What you need to bear in mind here, is that the duration of a normal menstrual cycle lies in the range of 28 to 32 days. Since ovulation generally occurs somewhere around the 14th day, couples should generally avoid unprotected sex between days 8 and 19.
Note: This method generally works only in the case of women that have regular menstrual cycles.
To employ this method, one needs to check their temperature first thing in the morning, before eating anything or even sipping water. The thing is, temperature rises by up to a degree when you ovulate, and remains that way until you have your next period.
This one entails tracking the mucus that is made by the cervix.
Note: A ‘clear’ and ‘stretchy’ mucus, is a sign of ovulation.
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