What do we mean when we talk about a "normal birth"? According to Lamaze International, a normal birth is one that unfolds naturally, free of unnecessary interventions. But in the U.S. what we have come to expect as normal, is general begun through an induction of Pitocin. Although, inductions can be very necessary due to the health of the baby and or mother, it is often suggested because a woman is favorable for an induction. Meaning she shows signs that her body has begun to dilate and efface,and the baby is moving lower into the birth canal. Unfortunately, this is more often for the benefit of the delivering ob, versus the baby.
Lamaze advocates six care practices that do not interfere with the natural process of labor. These care practices are based upon the findings of quality research.
Labor should begin upon it's own
Freedom of movement throughout labor
Continuous emotional & physical support
No routine interventions
Spontaneous pushing in non-supine positions
No separation of mother and baby, unlimited opportunity for breastfeeding.
This is a simple, yet lovely video from Injoy that reviews all of the care practices. The women in the video are clearly in tune with their bodies, while receiving continuous support from their partners, and care providers. There is no music typical in today's birthing shows that sound like a life and death struggle, with the beat mimicking the fetal heart rate monitor. A cascade of interventions are not on display with the mother lying flat on her back from the time she arrives in her room to the delivery of her child. Once born, the baby isn't whisked to a warmer, but rather allowed to be cradled in their mother's arms and breastfeeding initiated if desired.
Like many, my interest in childbirth education grew out my own experience-personally and professionally. When I was 28, I had my first child. After buying a pregnancy test, it seemed my first purchase was buying a What to Expect book. I'm not saying it wasn't helpful, it was just a little scary. Then I did what most women do this day in time, they start watching A Baby Story, which ratchets the fear another notch. Add in a potential leak in amniotic fluid and later gestational diabetes, by the time 40 weeks rolls I am a nervous wreck. Needless to say, my first experience with childbirth involved a great deal of intervention. I felt carried away by the whole process, as if it were an out of body experience rather than an able bodied participant in my child's birth. But something wonderful happened with my next pregnancy, I said, "why? or What if ?" Because of my deep dissatisfaction with my first childbirth experience, I took the time to demand more from my health care providers. I read a book that changed my entire understanding of what childbirth could be. Janet Balaskas' Active Birth: The New Approah to Giving Birth Naturally. Through this book, I understood I could be an active, rather than passive, participant in childbirth. That walking, squatting, swaying, doing whatever my body urged me to do was what I should do rather than being confined to a bed and on my back. My third and final baby was born in a hospital with a doula and my husband. Both understood and supported my desire for a unmedicated birth. This birth involved lots of massage, dim lighting, using both heat and cold, swaying, squatting, and changing position. Six hours after labor was induced, a healthy baby was born and I felt a great deal of satisfaction in carrying out the birth plan I wanted. We as consumers of our health care have a responsibility to ask questions of our providers, and do our homework too. Many of the practices within hospitals are the result of insufficient studies, and the convienence of physicians. I cannot overemphasize the importance of birth satisfaction. We will forget the pain we experienced during birth, but as long as our memory is good we will never forget our children's births, and the emotions associated with the experience.
Welcome! This is entry #1, in what I hope to be many more entries. It is the intent of this blog to assist readers in expanding their knowledge of normal childbirth, and prepare mothers and their partners who desire a normal birth. Childbirth, like anything else, is subject to trends and popular belief. Sometimes "popular belief" is based on flawed science and fear. Maybe it's growing out of the "Green" movement, but there does seem to be a shift amongst mothers to have a normal birth. To listen to the ancient wisdom we as women possess, and with the correct support and preparation, have our babies in the setting of our choosing. This isn't always easy. It definitely goes against the medical establishment. It goes against the media. It goes against the good intentions of friends and family who think you have lost your mind when you talk about your desire for natural childbirth. Natural childbirth is normal. As I come across news and information that is evidence-based and helpful I will be posting.
