Natural, or drug-free childbirth has many advantages for both mother and baby, including quicker recovery times and a cascade of supportive physiological effects, which improve breastfeeding success rates and mother-infant bonding. Preparing for natural childbirth is important, so here are a few resources to help you get started.
Supportive Birth Attendants
When a pregnant woman intends to have a drug-free childbirth, all the people present at that birth need to be supportive of her decision. This includes the midwife, doula, birthing partners, parents or friends present at the birth. Choosing to birth outside of a hospital setting gives the birthing woman more control over the people present at the birth.
The Business of Being Born
Ricki Lake produced her film, The Business of Being Born, after her own experience having a hospital birth, followed by the home birth of her second child. This excellent documentary provides an easy to understand overview of the history of hospital birth and why natural birth is important, including interviews with the founders of the modern natural birth movement such as Ina May Gaskin and Michel Odent.
New Active Birth
For women interested in biological and physiological information about natural birth, Janet Balaskas provides more detail on the benefits of natural birth for both mother and infant in her book, New Active Birth. Balaskas shares lots of ideas for staying active during labour, such as walking up and down stairs, alternating between kneeling and resting between contractions and upright, partner-assisted birth positions. There are also detailed pictures of couples experiencing natural birth and guidelines on preparing for drug-free labour, including a good chapter on prenatal yoga.
Birthing From Within
Equally as important as the physiological and social aspects of birth, Birthing From Within focuses on the emotional and spiritual aspects of birth, such as how fears and anxieties can hinder the process and how acceptance of your individual, unknown path is essential. This includes accepting outcomes that might not be considered ideal, such as cesarean birth. Some highlights of Birthing From Within are the detailed descriptions of various pain management techniques, which include ice cube exercises for hands-on practice.
Hypnobirthing or Meditation Practice
Hypnobirthing classes and meditation practice both strengthen a pregnant woman’s inner stability and resolve to stay committed to a natural birth when labor gets difficult. While natural birth does involve experiencing pain, navigating that pain successfully requires a positive attitude and the ability to stay calm and ride out each contraction. Hypnobirthing and meditation practice help a woman strengthen this positivity and calm so she can rely on it during labour.
Despite the portrayal of childbirth in TV shows and movies, natural birth is the best and easiest way for a woman’s body and mind to navigate the experience of childbirth. It’s not easy, but it’s most definitely a worthwhile and achievable goal for most women with healthy pregnancies. Good resources will help arm you with the knowledge and confidence necessary to have a natural childbirth.
Michelle Carchrae - Michelle Carchrae has worked as a Volunteer Phone Counselor at Childline and as a Training Developer and Call Centre Trainer, but the job ...
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