Shortly after I found out I pregnant, I decided that I wanted to have a natural birth (meaning I wanted little to no interventions and no pain medication). My desire for a natural birth was largely influenced by watching the movie The Business of Being Born, hearing the negative c-section stories of my friends and family, and my great fear of needles. The more I researched and learned about natural births, the more confident I felt about my decision. I realized that not everyone feels the same way, or even has the option for a natural birth; but what surprised me were the reactions I received.
When I was pregnant, I knew no one who had or even wanted a natural birth. When I told people I wanted a natural birth, I was shocked at the negative and disbelieving response. Almost every woman I shared this decision with felt like they needed to defend their decision for choosing to have an epidural and voiced they didn’t believe I would follow through with my plan. One of my coworkers even went so far as to tell me the horror story of her epidural, how it's left her with spinal headaches four years after the fact, while trying to convince me that I'd want one. I couldn’t believe the response I got to my personal medical decision. Birth is such a personal thing, and the fact that people felt the need to weigh in on my decisions when I was not asking for opinions or advice, seriously dumbfounded me. These negative comments spurred me on to prove them wrong.
Here are six things I did and would recommend to give you the best chance at a successful natural birth. If you are considering a natural birth, I hope these tips will be an encouragement to you.
1. Choose a doctor that is supportive. This is crucial! My practice, OBGYN North, is a collaborative practice of doctors and midwives and they are super supportive of natural births. They do births at their birthing center or at the hospital. I opted for the hospital route, but might consider the birthing center for future births. I talked with them early on about what circumstances would lead them to prompt an induction or c-section and they basically said, only in the event of an emergency. They would let me go up to two weeks past my due date before inducing. If my water broke and the baby was in no distress, they would give me 18 hours to start labor on my own before inducing (some doctors may only give you a few hours). They encouraged me to labor at home until I was in active labor, and once I arrived at the hospital I never felt rushed. I remained dilated at 9 centimeters for 5 hours before I was ready to push. Some doctors might have been discouraged by my lack of progress and encouraged methods of intervention. However my baby was in no distress, so my doctors let me labor on.
2. Get your partner on board. Also, so crucial! When I told my husband about my desire for a natural birth, he said “great!” He never questioned my ability to follow through or tried to talk me out of it. Instead he encouraged me and believed in my success. He was totally on board with taking a birthing class, and proudly took on the role of encourager and defender. If anyone had come into my room doubting me, discouraging me, or even saying the "e" word, he would have quickly asked them to leave. Fortunately, we never encountered that situation. If you feel that your partner can't be a strong support for you during labor, then I'd recommend hiring a doula.
1. Choose a doctor that is supportive. This is crucial! My practice, OBGYN North, is a collaborative practice of doctors and midwives and they are super supportive of natural births. They do births at their birthing center or at the hospital. I opted for the hospital route, but might consider the birthing center for future births. I talked with them early on about what circumstances would lead them to prompt an induction or c-section and they basically said, only in the event of an emergency. They would let me go up to two weeks past my due date before inducing. If my water broke and the baby was in no distress, they would give me 18 hours to start labor on my own before inducing (some doctors may only give you a few hours). They encouraged me to labor at home until I was in active labor, and once I arrived at the hospital I never felt rushed. I remained dilated at 9 centimeters for 5 hours before I was ready to push. Some doctors might have been discouraged by my lack of progress and encouraged methods of intervention. However my baby was in no distress, so my doctors let me labor on.
2. Get your partner on board. Also, so crucial! When I told my husband about my desire for a natural birth, he said “great!” He never questioned my ability to follow through or tried to talk me out of it. Instead he encouraged me and believed in my success. He was totally on board with taking a birthing class, and proudly took on the role of encourager and defender. If anyone had come into my room doubting me, discouraging me, or even saying the "e" word, he would have quickly asked them to leave. Fortunately, we never encountered that situation. If you feel that your partner can't be a strong support for you during labor, then I'd recommend hiring a doula.
3. Educate yourself. My OB practice required that we take a birthing class, and for a natural birth, they recommended HypnoBirthing, The Bradley Method, or Birthing from Within. I researched the three and decided on Birthing from Within. I will be completely honest and tell you that I was terrified of birth. Taking a class really helped to normalize the birthing process for me and gave me a realistic picture for what to expect. I learned about hormones that kick in during labor and, when not counteracted by medications, are designed to allow your body to deal with the pain. In addition, I learned some coping mechanisms that could even be used in the event of an emergency c-section. There are also lots of great books out there. I would recommend, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. This book, my class, and my doctor were my primary resources of information about natural birthing because I didn’t know anyone who had gone through with a natural birth. If you do, talk to them and ask about their stories and what you can expect.
4. Avoid early induction. Unless there is a medical need to induce early, don’t do it. I’ve heard induction stories where everything went perfectly and I’ve heard horror stories where induction led to a c-section because the body just wasn’t ready for delivery. Also I have heard that contractions occurring while taking Pitocin are much more painful. I know firsthand that being overdue is awful (my son came ten days late) and as silly as it sounds it helped me to remember that no woman has ever been pregnant forever. If you have people around you pressuring you to induce, and that’s not what you want, my advice is to shut them up or shut them out. You do not need that negativity surrounding you.
5. Labor at home for as long as possible. My doctor advised me to stay home until my contractions were so painful that I couldn’t walk or talk through them. I did this, and by the time I arrived at the hospital I was already dilated to a 5 or 6. In early labor it’s so good to try and stay relaxed. Eat if you can, go on a walk, go shopping, and just enjoy those last moments before the craziness starts. Staying relaxed and/or distracted is much easier when you are in your home or somewhere you feel comfortable, rather than that sterile hospital room. Besides, you’ll be spending enough time there in the coming days, no need to rush it.
6. Think about your labor with the bigger picture in mind. Prepare for it to be long, and be thankful if it’s short. Don't even allow the epidural as an option. In my mind, there was no escape. There was no plan B. The only way I was going to escape the pain was by getting the baby out. That was my sole focus. I had no time constraint in my mind. If I would have watched the clock, I know I would have sought intervention during my 35 hour labor. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It might be hard and long, but it will be over, and the reward is oh so sweet.
My natural birth was a success, despite not knowing much about it before pregnancy. I hope my tips have helped you consider natural birth as an option. If you have additional tips, I’d love to hear them.
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