Giving birth is an important decision every woman has to make. It’s a life changing experience that can be either for the better or for the worse. With the continuing increase of hospital costs and development of new alternative methods, some mothers prefer to give their baby a natural birth.

Natural childbirth was prevalent in the 60’s and 70’s. It is still being practiced today especially in provinces where medical help is limited. In some countries the care of pregnant women is delegated to midwives. This is where homebirths are still being practiced.

Having a child nowadays has a lot of impact in the different aspects of a household. It affects both the mental, physical and emotional health of the parents. It also signals a new financial obligation.

Giving your baby a natural birth has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

The goal of natural childbirth is to reduce medical intervention. It seeks to avoid the use of anesthetics and surgical operations.

Anesthetics were believed to have effects on the mother and the child. It also helps the mother to be relieved from post-operational discomforts. Mothers would be able to recover much faster. They don’t have to recover from a major surgery due to a caesarian section. They don’t have to undergo an episiotomy. It also relives them for the side effects of anesthetics such as a headache or backache. It can also serve as an economical choice since it can be done at home with the assistance of a midwife.

Mothers also feel a sense of empowerment during a natural childbirth. It also gives them control over their body during the delivery.

Cons

Unfortunately, there are circumstances when medical intervention is needed. They also help the mother for a less exhausting and painful delivery.

Anesthetics are primarily used to relieve pain. Labor and childbirth can be a painful process. Predisposing factors and complications are the reason why medical intervention is needed. Drugs such as Oxytocin induce contractions to help the mother. Other mothers don’t have the pelvic structure for a natural childbirth that’s why a caesarian section is needed. Compromised health condition of the mother also indicates the need for the operation.

Due to this natural pain management methods have been devised. Labor support is given by a doula. They serve to help the mother through the delivery process. Breathing, visualization, massage, touch, hot and cold therapy is also used. In some cases they use hypnosis and acupuncture. Proper positioning can also help reduce pain and ease the delivery.

Although these methods might work they do not guarantee the total relief of pain. Without the help of anesthetics, mothers will still feel the discomfort of giving their baby a natural birth. Even though natural childbirth discourages episiotomy, chances are the perineum will still tear due to delivery.

Types of natural childbirth

Home Birth

From the word it self it’s giving birth to a child at home. It can be either assisted or unassisted. Assisted homebirth is done with the help of a midwife or a physician. This is ideal for low risk pregnancies. According to research planned and assisted homebirth is as safe as childbirth in a hospital. Of course unassisted homebirth is done without any medical help. The mother and her partner will have to work together to delivery the baby in a suitable environment. When things go wrong during a homebirth the consequences can be devastating. it is therefore safer to give birth with the proper caregivers.

Water birth

Childbirth is done in a bath tub or suitable container full of warm water. It’s an alternative to standard delivery. The warm water relives labor pain during delivery. It also eases the passage of the infant from the womb through the birth canal and to the outside world. Studies have shown that it is a safe alternative adapted by 300 hospitals in the United States.

Giving your baby a natural birth will depend on your needs. The mother will have to choose what the best is for the child and for her. No matter what the soon to be parents choose it’s important to consult a doctor first. Natural childbirth may not be applicable to all aspiring parents. If you’re ready to endure the pain with a low risk pregnancy then you can opt for a natural childbirth.

During pregnancy many women who live a holistic lifestyle are interested in learning about natural childbirth help that they can receive during labor. Many women who see a doctor of obstetrics are also interested in learning about how nature intended women to have babies and feel that they can have a healthy delivery with the support of a doula or another companion who is a committed naturist. From the time morning sickness starts until the time of the delivery, there is much to read in the way of pregnancy advice. However, there is no troubleshooting guide, tutorials, or FAQ that can address every woman’s needs or every potential problem. The only true tutorial is labor itself and many women find that childbirth self help is possible with the help of hypnosis.

Labor Has Many Unknowns

This is often one of the scariest facts for pregnant women. Women want to be in control of the process nature developed for having children. However, they are concerned about all of the complications that could arise and feel like they will not be in control when the time for delivery comes.

Why Women Seek Natural Childbirth Help

Labor and delivery can be intimidating. A pregnant woman often hears horror stories about difficult labors and painful deliveries that leave her frightened about the experience that she is going to have to endure.

The Danger of Medical Interventions

As any qualified doctor of obstetrics will tell you, once you have one medical intervention it is a slippery slope that could start the ball rolling toward more medical interventions. For example, if your labor is induced with pitocin then you have a greater chance of having to have an epidural and if you have an epidural there is a greater likelihood that you will need an intervention such as forceps or a vacuum delivery.

Of course, there are situations when medical interventions are necessary and if your doctor believes that it is safer for you and / or your baby to take drugs or receive other medical support then you should trust his or her opinion. The ultimate goal is a happy and healthy mother and child so you should not be disappointed if your doctor believes that medical interventions are necessary to achieve that goal.

Labor Support

The support of a trusted companion or a professional doula can help many women achieve the holistic birthing experience that they want. Yet, the support, however well meaning, will not be enough if the mother is not committed to a natural birth and does not believe that she can do it.

Hypnosis Support

Self hypnosis recordings can help you develop the confidence and the skills that you need to have a completely natural birth. You will learn relaxation techniques that can help your mind control the pain in your body. The best reward is that you can be an alert and active participant in the birth of your child and will have the happy memory of his or her birth with you forever. Hypnosis makes natural childbirth help available and it is so rewarding for the women who decide to have a drug free delivery.

Did you know that some maternity units actually have more staff available during periods of full moon?

I’ve always been fascinated by the moon’s effect on nature, so when a friend’s wife conveyed to me what her midwife had told her during the birth of their daughter, I decided to find out more about childbirth, full moon and a possible link.

On speaking to various medical staff involved in natural childbirth, the first thing I learned was that expectant mothers often experience false signs of labor during full moon.

Contractions known as “Braxton Hicks” — sometimes noticeable to the mother and sometimes not — become more pronounced and many travel to the maternity unit in the belief that “it’s time”. Disappointed — or perhaps relieved — they return home, the pains having subsided and with no dilation of the cervix.

While these expectant mothers visiting the clinic with their mistaken signs of labor are part of the reason why extra staff are needed, the major difference is found in the number of women whose amniotic sac — the water — breaks.

Just as some women experience false labor pains, in cases where the water breaking marks the start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it’s most likely to happen.

In order to discover for myself whether this could be true, I asked several female friends how their births had started. Those who responded with “the water breaking” were then asked the date of the birth. On checking this against a moon phase chart, I discovered that almost all had given birth on, or very close to, a full moon.

The theory is that the moon’s gravitational pull effects the amniotic fluid in much the same way as it effects the water in the sea, rivers and even the water that’s otherwise found in our bodies.

As a woman’s body prepares for natural childbirth, the amniotic sac becomes distended so the point where it will easily burst if put under pressure. Under normal circumstances, the pressure of labor contractions bursts the sac. During a full moon, the pressure caused by the moon’s effect on the water inside the sac can cause the same things to happen, but without the accompanying contractions.

When this happens, natural childbirth doesn’t always move forward and with no other signs of labor present, the obstetrician may decide to induce the birth. During my own study of this phenomenon I found that of 8 women whose births started with the water breaking at full moon, 5 of them had no accompanying contractions.

A coincidence? Perhaps. But surely midwives wouldn’t prepare themselves for an increase in natural childbirth activity if there wasn’t some truth in this?

One midwife told me that when it comes to planning childbirth, full moons should always be looked for around the time of the expected delivery. If there’s one within a few days either side, the chances are your baby will be born on that day.

Pregnancy birth or pregnancy labor begins with the onset of contractions and changes in the uterus, namely effacement. This is the shortening or thinning of the cervix and dilation, which is the opening of the cervix by about 5-6 centimeters. In a normal birth the cervix dilates up to 10 centimeters, when it is considered said to be “completely dilated.”

As the process of pregnancy birth progresses, the contractions increase in number and intensity. A woman undergoing normal labor usually starts getting around 3-4 contractions in a span of 10 minutes, with each contraction lasting up to 60 seconds. Labor also begins with the breaking of the amniotic sac or “breaking of the water”. The process of “pushing” where the baby and the placenta are delivered out of the vagina follows this.

Women, who experience pregnancy birth for the first time, may face a longer labor time of around 13-14 hours, as compared to women who are experiencing their second or third pregnancies.

Usually pregnancy labor starts anywhere between 37-42 weeks of pregnancy. However in some cases labor has to be induced, like if the baby gets too big or the 42 week pregnancy period has crossed. Pain induction involves the artificial onset of labor but this is also risky and is best avoided unless circumstances deem it necessary.

Types Of Pregnancy Birth

A natural pregnancy birth means a birth without the use of either drugs or surgery. Most doctors are in favor of this type of childbirth, as it is believed that a natural pregnancy birth enables the mother and baby to bond significantly while enabling them to remain off drugs at the same time.

In cases where unforeseen complications may arise during the process of pregnancy birth, the doctor resorts to a C-section or a caesarean delivery. This is a surgical procedure whereby an incision is made in the abdomen and uterus through which the baby is delivered. This usually happens if the mother suffers from a medical condition like hypertension, etc., the cervix stops dilating or the baby’s heartbeat drops drastically.

Apart from these a water birth can be opted for, where pregnancy delivery takes place in a birthing pool of warm water. Else one can choose to have an active pregnancy birth where the woman is made to move around and deliver in an upright position.

Pregnancy birth can take place at a hospital, a birth center or at home. The main issue to be kept in mind is the safety of the mother and child. A hospital is considered the safest place for the birth of a baby as any sudden complications can be dealt with here, immediately. If one opts to deliver at home, arrangements should be made for at least two experienced midwives and a supply of oxygen.

The process of pregnancy birth is a culmination of nine long months of effort and anticipation for the mother. Hence, one should choose one’s doctor, environment and type of delivery with careful consideration in order to ensure the birth of a healthy baby.