Pros of natural birth?

starsmoonsky

Hi, I am 31 weeks and most likely will not have a natural birth. But I was just wondering what you guys think the pros and cons of one are? Like what is the reason you want to have a natural birth? 

PansyPants

When I was pregnant the biggest "pro" for me was the experience. I was really curious about what it would be like, what it would feel like, how I would process it, feeling every little thing and seeing what happened to my body as I went through the whole experience.

I believed that I could do it and so I very much wanted to so that I would know what it was like. 

sschwege

I'm a 'less is more' kind of person, so I guess having a med-free birth was always in the back of my mind.  I wasn't opposed to getting an epi if I felt I absolutely needed it.  In fact I told my DH before I went into labor, 'If I want an epi don't try to talk me out of it!" I guess I was most concerned about the land slide of interventions that can ensue once you start to walk down that road.  So I studied Hypnobirthing, wrote up a birth plan, asked people to pray and thankfully things unfolded the way I hoped they would.  Next time will hopefully be the same, but who knows?  Every birth is different  

I will say it felt great to be able to move around the entire time and lay in the bath.  Then right after DD was born I was able to get up, use the bathroom, etc.  That felt good, to never really feel like a sick person. 

HomelessParrot

I chose not to have an epidural or medications because they would only be for ME and MY comfort. They offer no benefit to the baby, and they can be dangerous to the baby, as the drugs pass through the placenta. On top of that, they can can lead to problems for the mother - low blood pressure, the need for IV fluids, stalled labor, puffy breasts after delivery leading to difficulty latching - there is a whole host of problems associated with interventions.

 I feel very strongly that women are made to have babies, and it's counter-intuitive to try and numb my body when it is trying to do such important work. I wanted to feel it. I wanted to work with my body, not ignore what it was doing.

It was the best decision I could have made. I loved L&D. It was hard, it was painful, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever done by far, and I will do it again in a heartbeat. 

StefandTodd

BreanneL24:

PansyPants:

When I was pregnant the biggest "pro" for me was the experience. I was really curious about what it would be like, what it would feel like, how I would process it, feeling every little thing and seeing what happened to my body as I went through the whole experience.

I believed that I could do it and so I very much wanted to so that I would know what it was like. 

This. And I wanted to do what was best for my baby and I. Having a newborn who is so alert is so much fun and I love people commenting on his alert behavior. It makes me feel proud of what I did.  

These were my reasons too.  So long as there was no medical reason necessitating otherwise, I believed I could do it, wanted to experience it, wanted the best possible experience for my LO too, wanted to feel fully present and not lose feeling or control over any part of my body.  I wanted to fully trust my body and see what it would/could do without any outside "help."  Really, really wanted to avoid a catheter *shudder*.

BLPL101

HomelessParrot:

I chose not to have an epidural or medications because they would only be for ME and MY comfort. They offer no benefit to the baby, and they can be dangerous to the baby, as the drugs pass through the placenta. On top of that, they can can lead to problems for the mother - low blood pressure, the need for IV fluids, stalled labor, puffy breasts after delivery leading to difficulty latching - there is a whole host of problems associated with interventions.

 I feel very strongly that women are made to have babies, and it's counter-intuitive to try and numb my body when it is trying to do such important work. I wanted to feel it. I wanted to work with my body, not ignore what it was doing.

It was the best decision I could have made. I loved L&D. It was hard, it was painful, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever done by far, and I will do it again in a heartbeat. 

Lurker here, but this really encourages me. DH and I are going to start TTC in April and I have been thinking about a natural birth. Thank you for your post. I have a friend who has had 4 natural births and she says she loves L&D so you're the second person I've heard say that

ljanette85

i just want to see if i can do it. i am much more afraid of the drugs and possible side effects than i am of the pain. i am nervous that getting an epidural, at least to early on, will slow things down, i have been in pain before and moving has helped... being bed-ridden with a catheter in makes me nervous. and i want the experience, this is something that i was made to do and i want to experience it as fully as possible.

xnbride

I can honestly say I never had any kind of need to have a natural birth to prove anything about myself or my endurance etc, but for me it was the safest option for me and baby. 

For one, the idea of an epidural freaks me out. Um, why would I want to put a huge needle anywhere near my spine? Second, I have low blood pressure and have a curved spine so likely an epidural would cause potentially life threatening complications and not even work. I would probably be one of those ladies that you hear about who are only numb on one side but can feel everything else. Third (and this is very crass) but I would never poop with my bottom half anestitized. That would not be pretty. Why would I do the same thing during birth which also happens to be a very natural process in which the body uses contractions to push the baby down and out? Not only would it likely hard to push anything out but it would increase the liklihood of tearing and why would I want to complicate recovery more.  Fourth, I wanted to breastfeed and didn't want baby to have any side effects of a medicated birth. Breastfeeding is already hard enough. I don't want to make it even more difficult.   

My logic is that you either pay now or you pay later. I could get the epidural and potentially help alleviate the pain temporarily but cause more long term problems that result in a longer recovery. It just didn't make sense to me. 

The epidural just isn't an option. For me it was too risky when I really thought about all the potential complications that it could cause regardless of how rare they may be. I want to give my baby the best start and not complicate things if I could prevent it.

Sawyerplus1

HomelessParrot:

I chose not to have an epidural or medications because they would only be for ME and MY comfort. They offer no benefit to the baby, and they can be dangerous to the baby, as the drugs pass through the placenta. On top of that, they can can lead to problems for the mother - low blood pressure, the need for IV fluids, stalled labor, puffy breasts after delivery leading to difficulty latching - there is a whole host of problems associated with interventions.

 I feel very strongly that women are made to have babies, and it's counter-intuitive to try and numb my body when it is trying to do such important work. I wanted to feel it. I wanted to work with my body, not ignore what it was doing.

It was the best decision I could have made. I loved L&D. It was hard, it was painful, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever done by far, and I will do it again in a heartbeat. 

This pretty much sums up how I feel too. Epidurals, though they may offer me pain relief, don't seem worth the other potential (and very real) downsides. I wanted to experience labor and not numb myself to it. I wanted to minimize the risk of increased danger to me and LO (episiotomy, forceps, c-section, etc) and I wanted to be fully alert and present once LO was born (the 'high' after a natural birth is unreal, even after DSs 30 hour labor).  To me, my contractions were painful, yes, but also doing an amazing and powerful thing that I knew were bringing my LO closer to me, and I wanted to feel them and work with them.

It's hard work and it's painful, but it's so truly amazing and awe-inspiring. I've had great experiences and great recoveries, and am eager to do it for a 3rd time. I wouldn't do it any other way! 

blush64

To be honest I had one med-free birth and one with an epidural, I won't call it natural because I now believe that both were natural.

Both babies were just as alert and both took to nursing right away. (I nursed each for just over two years)

My recovery was great for both. I felt more aware and rested after the birth with an epidural. (I was able to enjoy the labour more and the time after because I wasn't as tired)

I am TTC now and I will be going med-free. (unless I change my mind, I like to leave it open to whatever I need although as a rule when I have decided I don't change my mind) I have decided this and I'm not sure I can put into words why.  As I have gotten older I have become more afraid of needles and that's part of my reason. I could have a million needles anywhere that I can see them but the fact that this will go in and I can't watch it makes me nervous, as odd as I know that sounds.

I think a lot has to do with what you want and your own reasoning.  IF this is important to you then the benefits will be huge because it will make a difference.

I think a positive birth experience will be one in which your wishes are followed and where you feel in control.  If a med-free birth gives you this than that is a wonderful reason to have one.

MLKuykendall

I applaud that you are looking to understand a different way of thinking.  For me I feel it is silly to be so stressed at nervous about eating sushi and drinking alcohol and then throw all of that out of the window and give your baby drugs.  Other reasons include that there is a 1 in 3 chance a woman will get a C-Section, and it isn't beneficial.  The mortality rate of women in America is one of the worst of industrialized countries.  So then consider these things say you do get an intervention, and then you go into a c-section, you aren't going to push your baby out so that baby will still have fluid in it's lungs.  Also the baby doesn't experience different hormone floods that both you and the baby should be experiencing which aid in bonding and breastfeeding.  The baby is less likely to be alert, and you are more likely to have different issues you will need to heal from.  So in the end it isn't even a selfish act, you still have pain it just doesn't end as quickly.