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Discussion: Are you out for a gold star?!

The goal for you today is to read the following article:
http://thestir.*******.com/pregnancy/115815/natural_birth_isnt_about_getting

What did you think about it?
Do you feel some natural birthers are epidural-haters or judge others who don't have natural birth?
How can we help to be more supportive of other types of birth?
7 Responses
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Avatar universal
Manda, sometimes knowing the statistics won't matter when you're in pain and vulnerable; I totally get that! Sometimes you just need relief. I think for women who have been in labor for days do need relief or something to take the edge off. It's one of those things where it seems contradictory as someone who promotes natural birth. But there comes a time when, if momma has been in hard, unrelenting labor for 2 days without sleep, she needs something. She needs to rest. She needs a break. Even midwives have to know when to draw the line and when a mom needs that break.

I have heard laughing gas is making a comeback to American delivery rooms. It won't make you goofy like at the dentist office but they'll give you a couple huffs of it during a particularly painful contraction. It would only make you loopy if you kept it on for the duration. There is also TENS (electro current to disrupt pain receptors telling your brain you're in pain) and other less harmful ways to deal with pain.

If you can get into water your next birth that may also help you!
Helpful - 0
1616133 tn?1298578536
I knew about the statistics regarding epidurals slowing things down and resulting more often in c-sections, and those stats are the main reason I decided in advance that I didn't want an epidural.  Unfortunately, after being awake for 30+ hours and in labor for 10 I honestly couldn't remember them anymore.

All I could think about was how friends and family seemed to think my choice was because I wanted to get that gold star.  And that's when I convinced myself I didn't need a gold star.  I'm glad it worked out but the baby's heart rate did drop and I nearly became one of those statistics.

Next time I plan to write out my reasons for avoiding certain interventions and reviewing them with my husband and my Doula when I feel like giving up.
Helpful - 0
280369 tn?1316702041
I want a natural birth JUST for the gold star, of course! LOL jk!
I really want a natural birth because I want to bring my baby into this world as safely as possible. Some may say a hospital is the safest place to be, but I don't have an illness that needs to be cured and I trust my body knows what it's doing. But of course in the event of an emergency, I am very thankful hospitals are there to help.

To me, hospitals are scary. I've spent time there for other reasons in my life, and everything is standard procedure. I wanted a close relationship with my midwife and her team and I wanted to feel like she really cared about me and my baby. I've seen a few midwives, some I liked and others I did not. I've seen a couple of OB's and for me, they were all the same. "Hi, I'm doc so and so, let's check you out, 2-3 min. later they are gone"  Then the next time I came in, they couldn't remember who I was and I had to explain my story all over again and had to beg for certain answers, such as "what is my baby's heartrate?" "oh somewhere around 160" "What is it exactly?" They couldn't tell me!! I was frustrated to say the least. But that was *my* experience with them.

With my midwife, she wanted to take the time to get to know me and my history. For me, my midwife is my best choice and she is all for natural birth and letting my body do what it needs to do and she doesn't get in the way unless she feels she has to for some reason. Personally, I'm not a person who likes to take medicine (I can barely swallow pills anyway and struggle to get my big pre-natals down! lol) So not only do I think a needle in my back to numb me is not the safest thing, I am deathly afraid of it!! But all that to say, I never look down on anyone who has/or is getting one. I know they are necessary sometimes under certain circumstances. I seriously do not have a high tolerance for pain and cry at paper cuts, but somehow I was able to birth my babies naturally. Having a good support system and a positive attitude for yourself and baby will help you get through. Without my husband there to make me laugh, I would be crying for an epidural or pain killers!

With my first, I was stuck at 8-9cm for almost 6 hours. Talk about frustrating and painful!! At a hospital that would never fly. My midwife even told me at one point she thought we may need to go to the hospital and that's when I pulled it all together, for my baby, because I did not want a c-section or some doc I had never met before.
He was not in distress thankfully, he was just coming down crooked and I had a hard time getting past 8-9cm. At 9cm I actually pushed through the last bit of cervix as my midwife tried to get it out of the way. PAINFUL!!!!
I made it THAT far, I was not giving up. I pushed through even though I wanted to say, "Take me to the hospital, give me pain killers and get this baby out!"

The high you get after having your baby is incredible! For me, as soon as the head is out, all pain is gone, completely. Then when that baby is on my chest it's so amazing. To know I pushed this little life out. I just wanted to lay there forever staring into my baby's eyes. It's seriously the most amazing thing ever! I'm very thankful I've been able to birth my babies like I have and hoping this one will be the same! :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Lol. I fully agree. When it comes to labor, and one decides to give birth naturally, I dont think they feel "superior" about it but more so about the health of mom and baby.

I want a natural labor as well, for the same simple reason, I dont want to put myself at higher risk for a Csec. and I HATE the numbness of my legs. I hated not being able to go and lift up my own baby when she cried. I also got this "lost" in emotion feeling when she was born. I think its bc of the epidural and my labor being induced. Mentally I almost felt disconnected to the birth. It felt more like a dream. It went on like that for a few days.

This time I want to be in tune with my body and know what its doing is mother nature. =o)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
LOL! Sorry, Julia! The point I wanted to glean from the article was - do you feel those who promote natural birth have a 'superiority complex' or look down on those who do not want or attempt a natural birth?

Actually Pitocin and epidurals do increase the risk of cesarean. With Pitocin you're causing harder contractions that are less effective. Pitocin can put baby into distress (cause their heart rate to drop) which results in emergency cesarean. The epidural puts you flat on your back in bed, which causes labor to slow down. If a doctor feels you are not progressing as they like they will section you for 'failure to progress'.

Obviously this isn't half the time. The cesarean rate is about 30% in the USA and in many hospitals, which is very high. In some hospitals half of their births are cesarean. When you take into account how many are done for reasons other than failed induction it isn't as much as you'd think. The point, though, is that it does *increase* the likelihood of needing a cesarean compared with someone who labors naturally. Does that make sense?

Anyway my other question about the article was - why do you want a natural birth? Is it to get a gold star, to say you just did it? I think we'll find more women answer that they want a natural birth to avoid unnecessary complications that can be avoided and to bring baby into the world as safely as possible.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wow. That just about freaked me out. She wasnt as informative as she was "in your face" about it being SO BAD and basically resulting in a Csec half the time. Not sure if I agree with her view on epidurals and pitocin. I dont want pitocin or an epi this time, but I sure dont think itll result in a Csec or in forceps delivery. Yes she has a point but first timers might (excuse me) pee themselves just by reading this article.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I apologize. MedHelp bleeps out certain words. The words bleeped out are 'cafe' and 'mom' (no quotation mark, no spaces between the two words).
Helpful - 0
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