Just Because It's Natural, Doesn't Mean it Comes Naturally!

There are many things that we do in our day to day life that have become like second nature, but aren't necessarily "the natural thing" to do. On the other hand, there are many things that should come naturally to us that we struggle with.

I find this a lot in terms of birthing and breast-feeding. To simply say "I'm going to have a natural birth" and do nothing to prepare for that is, in most cases, just not enough. I've seen it many times in friends/family and I've heard it many times from other women. "Yea, I wanted the natural birth but I just couldn't do it in the end."

Now, I had 2 natural births after a run of the mill epidural birth. The first was completely accidental; she came quickly and I birthed her at home with only my friend (who I originally called for a ride...that wasn't happening!). For my third baby I figured I had the last one without an epidural on accident, so surely, it won't be hard to do on purpose. I was pretty naive about it all at first, still learning many things as my pregnancy progressed. In my third trimester I hired a doula to help me through labor, but she proved to be unreliable. Though this seems to be a rare thing, it was the experience I ended up having. We didn't do *a lot* of preparation during pregnancy, and perhaps that was because the intent was that she'd be there for the birth to help at that time. It didn't end up that way for me.

By the time I was actually in full blown labor with Alex, my doula was unable to make it in time. So I was left to cope with it all myself. Is it impossible? Heavens no. After all, you will not DIE if you grin and bear it without an epidural...the pain WILL NOT kill you. So, worst case scenario for me was that I just dealt with it. Birth plan: Don't get epidural, it doesn't exist. End of story.

However, I know that it can be much more challenging for some women and I had the advantage of already having an unprepared natural birth. But what of the women who are pregnant with their first (or planning their first natural birth) and don't know what to expect? They may be surprised.

Yes, birth is natural. It is normal. Epidurals and other medications are new and our species THRIVED for centuries before their invention. Women were not dying of pain 100's of years ago.

However, even though giving birth is a natural occurrence (and for arguments sake, I'll state that I am talking about low-risk women and pregnancies) it is still something one needs to prepare for. It is called LABOR, after all. If you apply for a job and the description is "general labor", you don't assume it's going to be easy. In fact, you may avoid applying for this job if you aren't properly equipped or in the best shape to take it on. So WHY would you go in to LABOR (for birth) unequipped and unprepared...and basically, unqualified? Would you expect the same results as the woman who prepared for her natural birth and learned coping techniques? Would you expect as smooth a labor and delivery? No...just like your work would probably be sloppier had you applied for that job you hadn't prepared for.

Now, what works for one woman, may not work for another. You will have better luck if you learn to use a variance of coping tools for your labor. You may plan a water birth to find out the water makes you nauseous in labor. You may think a water birth sounds awful, only to find water is the only thing you want when in labor.

The key is to keep an open mind, and above all, listen to your body.

This becomes difficult in the hospital setting because there are many distractions interfering with your need to concentrate. You might not even notice that certain things are hindering the process. Not only are you in a foreign and somewhat "cold" environment, but there are numerous strangers, in and out, you're typically hooked up to various machines (though you have the option to have intermittent monitoring and refuse IVs) and you're often put under pressure to dilate on a schedule or continuously offered pain meds. Natural birth in a hospital is not impossible, as I can personally attest to. But it is certainly not easy. I do strongly urge women to thoroughly research their birthing choices, places, and care providers, regardless of the type of birth they choose in the end.

When a woman is in the comfort of her home, there are far fewer distractions. She is in her own peaceful place, she has chosen only those she wishes to be there to attend her in her birthing and she calls the shots. There aren't beeping machines, and clock to dilate by or a tee time that must be met by her surgeon. There is only her, and her baby (and the overseer, her midwife, if she's hired one.) This woman will have better luck, even if unprepared, because there is less interference.

But for the woman that is choosing the hospital, and wishing for a natural birth, she MUST look in to her options to help her through her journey. She must take the initiative to prepare for her laboring, unless she's not truly set on natural birth. If avoiding medications is the goal, she must believe that she can do it. And then, she must use the tools available to guarantee her success.

After all, just because it's natural, doesn't mean it comes naturally...but it's sure as hell not impossible.


For Information On Natural Birthing Techniques, Check These Out:
Birthing Naturally
Birth Ball
http://www.lamaze.org/
http://www.bradleybirth.com/
http://www.doula.com/
http://www.dona.org/
http://www.hypnobabies.com/
http://www.hypnobirthing.com/
http://www.waterbirth.org/
Find out fetal positioning and techniques: http://www.spinningbabies.com/
On Cafemom? Join some of these groups:
Birth is Normal
Birth Unhindered
Natural Pregnancy and Childbirth
The Homebirth Debate