The words natural birth get thrown around a lot. These words can arguably mean a lot of different things to different people. Let’s dive in on what you need to know about natural birth.
Defining a Natural Birth
I will give you my definition of a natural birth so we can be on the same page as I discuss it in this post. A natural birth is defined as a vaginal birth without any medical interventions. Simple right? While it is a simple concept it is not an easy one to achieve. Difficult, however, does not mean impossible and the natural birth you are hoping for is indeed within reach.
Obstacles to Achieving a Natural Birth Experience
To begin, I would like to share I have given birth to what is now a total of five different times. While my first birth was an induction with a lot of interventions; my consecutive four births were all successful natural births with minimal to no interventions. What was the difference? Why did my first birth end up so far from the natural birth I had planned? After reflecting on this for some years now, here is what I realized.
The Biggest Obstacles To a Natural Birth
By far the biggest obstacles to a natural birth are a lack of knowledge and a lack of planning. While I thought, I was planning for a natural birth during my first pregnancy. All I was really doing was listening to the status quo. I chose to give birth at the hospital, without really knowing what a hospital birth really meant and did not do my due diligence and look for any other options. Being very young and naive I assumed many things, but very few were true. (I went on to have a successful vaginal birth and healthy baby, no horror stories here I promise. It just wasn’t the natural birth experience I had hoped for.)
Knowledge is Power
After giving birth I realized something significant. I did not know as much about birth as I thought I did going into it. Sure we took the hospital-provided class two weeks before, but that was not enough. When the time came for my second birth I prepared a lot more. Reading, watching, listening, everything I could about the actual process became monumental. While I was much more prepared mentally and physically I still lacked a solid plan.
Planning Is Everything
For that reason, I ended up having a second hospital birth. I once again assumed many things. One major one is that this time it would be different. Arguably it was, my second birth was completely natural with no interventions but it was still not optimal. My lack of a concrete plan meant that I spent a lot of my active labor trying to fend off unwanted routine interventions like an IV. Neglecting a plan, I found out, was not amazing for natural pain management. Despite, having achieved my goal of a natural birth, it was not the one I had envisioned. Because of these two experiences here is what I learned.
Get Informed
Firstly, find out all the care options available to you;
- Birth Centers
- Homebirth
- Hospitals (Different hospitals have different protocols.)
- Shop around for a doctor you can trust to respect your decisions.
- Midwives and Doulas (Midwives are the way to go in my humble opinion.)
Secondly, do your due diligence;
- Study pregnancy and birth process, trust me you will be amazed.
- Research different birthing techniques.
- Research what hospital protocols look like.
Thirdly, after doing your research make decisions. Here are some questions to help you;
- What kind of birth do I want?
- What interventions am I okay with? (If any, and trust me there are many.)
- Doctor or Midwife?
- Where do I want to give birth?
- What do I want my postpartum care to look like?
Plan and Prepare
For instance, just like I would not just wake up and run a marathon one day, I also cannot expect to have a blissful birth without preparing. Actually, I totally did, twice! And it was not blissful, so please, learn from my mistakes. Prepare, practice, and plan. These three things are key to enduring the marathon that in fact is birth.
Picking a birthing technique that you find appealing and practicing it will be extremely beneficial during labor. There are many different techniques that help you manage pain during labor naturally. One thing they all have in common is breathing, and relaxation. Practicing the principles of the technique of your choice during pregnancy will make all the difference when you are in actual labor.
While planning is important to make sure your birth team is aware of your preferences. Please know that you need to hold loosely to it. Think of it as more of a guideline. Even after four babies, you would think I would know I was in full-on labor but I was so relaxed I didn’t realize it until I had to push! I ended up giving birth in a half-filled birthing tub. My midwife had to talk my husband through it over the phone as she rushed to my house. (Praise the Lord that wasn’t his first rodeo, Am I right?) Was that my plan? Nope, not at all, I imagined a very calm waterbirth monitored by a professional. With my husband holding my hand or rubbing my back, but hey, someone had to catch the baby. What I’m trying to say is you can’t plan for everything and you have to be okay with that.
Natural Pain Management To Achieve a Natural Birth
- Breathing- There are three different types of breathing patterns that will help you at different stages of labor.
- Aromatherapy- A diffuser with some calming essential oils is great. I love a combination of lavender and eucalyptus.
- Lighting– Dim lights
- Movement- Moving around might help some women. (This will depend I find that once I get to transition I actually prefer to be still and focus on my breathing)
- Water- Waterbirth is a great way to relax through the hardest part of labor even if you prefer not to give birth in the tub. You can alternatively have your husband or support person hold a shower head to your lower back.
- Listen to your body- The key is to keep your body as relaxed as possible. This may look different for you than for me and anyone else. Knowing different techniques will allow you to pick what works when the time comes.
- Flexibility- Having a plan does not mean it will be exactly as is written birth is after all, unpredictable. A plan gives you the comfort of knowing you are prepared come what may.
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