Childbirth
So ever since April 29th, I've had this nagging question. Why do women choose to have natural child births?
This question isn't meant to be rude. It's mostly ignorance. I did do some research while I was pregnant, but nothing I read made me think ... hmmm ... yes I would like to labor for 24+ hours while in various forms of pain and then push a grapefruit out of a hole the size of a lemon.
In the course of my research - which was mostly internet based. The books I got from the library where dry and horrible and I couldn't be bothered. Plus, Lewis was pretty convinced that modern medicine was the way to go. Anyway - I found several websites. But there is A LOT of conflicting information out there. Midwifes and others say that an epidural -
Oh let me clear something up. I was never going to have anelgesics. I was never comfortable with having morphine or anything like that put into the IV to "take the edge off" as our birth class instructor said. These drugs are administered, as I said, in the IV and travel through the placenta to the baby. The epidural, however, has no side effects for the baby, only the mother. This was the only type of pain relief I was contemplating.
Midwifes and others say that an epidural can slow down labor. My doctor, and later my labor nurse, said this is patently false. They also say that pitocin causes strong and painful contractions suddenly, and that they put undue stress on the baby, leading to more c-sections (I did want to avoid a c-section). My doctor, and later my labor nurse, said that this is also, false. They said that they start delivering pitocin in very minor doses, and that the contractions are monitored for strength and not allowed to get too strong too quickly.
In the end this question was mute for us, as I was late and the doctor did not want to let me go too long. I was induced.
I also read that administering pitocin meant that contractions were monitored either externally or internally. And that internal monitoring meant they stuck electrodes in the baby's skull. This, I now know, is not true. Or at least, it doesn't have to be true. The tiny wire that they insert does not touch the baby, but the uterine wall. I almost had to have this done, but didn't due to some other circumstances. Lewis says there is the kind that touches the baby. But we didn't have to worry about that one.
Now, one true side effect of an epidural is an unsafe drop in maternal blood pressure. This was a huge inconvenience to me while in the hospital. First of all, I was admitted twice. The first time was for a false alarm that worried me but I was having regular contractions so they kept me for several hours. This was at 39 weeks. They put this stupid arm cuff on you to monitor blood pressure, and the thing is a piece of crap. It would squeeze my arm until I felt like my fingers would fall off and then an alarm would sound because it thought I was dead. I'd have to ring for the nurse to come fix it. This happened every 30 minutes the first time I was admitted, and every thirty minutes when I was admitted for delivery. It was much more serious when I was admitted for delivery though because they had to monitor it because of the epi.
Another thing I just read is that the epi can cause a maternal fever. Not sure on this one. I did have a fever but not until after the baby was born. I was given antibiotics intervenously because I tested positive for Group B Strep, and you have to be given antibiotics so that the baby does not contract it when he is delivering. So if antibiotics are something you want to avoid, I guess the epi would be a bad idea? But I was having them anyway. And when I got my fever, I wasn't given antibiotics. I was given ibprofen and monitored to make sure it went down. It did.
I don't know. I'm not opposed to what any woman wants to do. Choice and all that. I'm just curious as to what motivates a natural birth? A fear of doctors? My doctor made me feel so much better. And I'm so grateful that we have access to the very best medical care.
Which brings me to a reason I think many would choose natural birth. If their childcare is not excellent, laboring at home without meddlesome interference would seem a good choice, if you don't trust your medical professionals, but do trust your mom or a midwife or doula or what have you.
Religious beliefs are also a good reason to choose natural birth.
In our childbirth classes and in the books, they all say that the pain is made worse by how you approach it. And that with proper pain management, and a "tool box" for your partner can make the process more pleasant.
Perhaps. But I labored from 8:30AM to 3:30PM. I took a nap. I watched TV. I played games. It felt like cheating a little bit. But it was pretty pleasant. :)
I am interested to know what others think. So if you have an opinion, please share it!
This question isn't meant to be rude. It's mostly ignorance. I did do some research while I was pregnant, but nothing I read made me think ... hmmm ... yes I would like to labor for 24+ hours while in various forms of pain and then push a grapefruit out of a hole the size of a lemon.
In the course of my research - which was mostly internet based. The books I got from the library where dry and horrible and I couldn't be bothered. Plus, Lewis was pretty convinced that modern medicine was the way to go. Anyway - I found several websites. But there is A LOT of conflicting information out there. Midwifes and others say that an epidural -
Oh let me clear something up. I was never going to have anelgesics. I was never comfortable with having morphine or anything like that put into the IV to "take the edge off" as our birth class instructor said. These drugs are administered, as I said, in the IV and travel through the placenta to the baby. The epidural, however, has no side effects for the baby, only the mother. This was the only type of pain relief I was contemplating.
Midwifes and others say that an epidural can slow down labor. My doctor, and later my labor nurse, said this is patently false. They also say that pitocin causes strong and painful contractions suddenly, and that they put undue stress on the baby, leading to more c-sections (I did want to avoid a c-section). My doctor, and later my labor nurse, said that this is also, false. They said that they start delivering pitocin in very minor doses, and that the contractions are monitored for strength and not allowed to get too strong too quickly.
In the end this question was mute for us, as I was late and the doctor did not want to let me go too long. I was induced.
I also read that administering pitocin meant that contractions were monitored either externally or internally. And that internal monitoring meant they stuck electrodes in the baby's skull. This, I now know, is not true. Or at least, it doesn't have to be true. The tiny wire that they insert does not touch the baby, but the uterine wall. I almost had to have this done, but didn't due to some other circumstances. Lewis says there is the kind that touches the baby. But we didn't have to worry about that one.
Now, one true side effect of an epidural is an unsafe drop in maternal blood pressure. This was a huge inconvenience to me while in the hospital. First of all, I was admitted twice. The first time was for a false alarm that worried me but I was having regular contractions so they kept me for several hours. This was at 39 weeks. They put this stupid arm cuff on you to monitor blood pressure, and the thing is a piece of crap. It would squeeze my arm until I felt like my fingers would fall off and then an alarm would sound because it thought I was dead. I'd have to ring for the nurse to come fix it. This happened every 30 minutes the first time I was admitted, and every thirty minutes when I was admitted for delivery. It was much more serious when I was admitted for delivery though because they had to monitor it because of the epi.
Another thing I just read is that the epi can cause a maternal fever. Not sure on this one. I did have a fever but not until after the baby was born. I was given antibiotics intervenously because I tested positive for Group B Strep, and you have to be given antibiotics so that the baby does not contract it when he is delivering. So if antibiotics are something you want to avoid, I guess the epi would be a bad idea? But I was having them anyway. And when I got my fever, I wasn't given antibiotics. I was given ibprofen and monitored to make sure it went down. It did.
I don't know. I'm not opposed to what any woman wants to do. Choice and all that. I'm just curious as to what motivates a natural birth? A fear of doctors? My doctor made me feel so much better. And I'm so grateful that we have access to the very best medical care.
Which brings me to a reason I think many would choose natural birth. If their childcare is not excellent, laboring at home without meddlesome interference would seem a good choice, if you don't trust your medical professionals, but do trust your mom or a midwife or doula or what have you.
Religious beliefs are also a good reason to choose natural birth.
In our childbirth classes and in the books, they all say that the pain is made worse by how you approach it. And that with proper pain management, and a "tool box" for your partner can make the process more pleasant.
Perhaps. But I labored from 8:30AM to 3:30PM. I took a nap. I watched TV. I played games. It felt like cheating a little bit. But it was pretty pleasant. :)
I am interested to know what others think. So if you have an opinion, please share it!
Comments
I think you had a very positive birth experience. I do also think every delivery is different.