Eps 1631: 8 Natural Childbirth Secrets You Never Knew

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Byron Hopkins

Byron Hopkins

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After having had six natural births, I learned some secrets to stay focused and push through the gnawing pain. One secret of unmedicated labor is being able to relax in response to the pain - a difficult task, we know.
If you are getting an epidural because you are feeling crazy , then the contractions are probably the most painful part of labor. Just because you have a healthy body does not mean that you know how to give birth automatically, and with all of the negative images out there, it is not surprising women are left with so much pain. If you tell a woman birth does not need to be painful, she is equating that to feeling nothing, like an epidural - and this is false.
Postpartum anxiety and depression are common, or perhaps you had a mental health struggle prior to giving birth. If you have never had children, you might worry about how well you can relate to a laboring womans needs, or to a womans needs after childbirth.
Gone are the results you anxiously anticipated for nine months: your childs birth. Contrary to what you will see in most cinematic deliveries, you do not need to lie on your hospital bed in order to deliver your baby. If you are looking for a no-medical, natural birth, you may be willing to stay at home as much as possible, especially if it is your first baby.
Natural birth is not for everyone, but there may be some advantages for people who are expecting. If you choose home birth, one midwife comes to your house and stays with you through the active labor, while the other midwife will join you once the push phase arrives. Most women also have a birthing buddy or two. You will receive training in helping women to give birth as well as possible, whether you are having a natural baby at home or at a hospital through an elective C-section.
You will learn about the different births, like waterbirth, breech birth, twins, VBACs , and using hypnosis. Start with getting solid prenatal training, taking classes that cover how labour and birth works, and how to manage labor pain naturally, like breathing, self-hypnosis, and relaxation. You might want to look for a class that teaches The Bradley Method, which breaks down different stages of labour, what to expect, and how your support person can help guide you through the natural birthing process.
Endorphins, known as the natural opiates in the body, can help you to zonk into a trance-like state so your primitive birth instincts can kick in, and taking relaxation techniques that have been practiced too often in pregnancy, like deep-breathing massages and meditation, will help you to make the most of your labour. You will have time to become familiar with your body, to discover where tensions are holding you back.
Even if you are not having a natural water birth, you may want to use a shower, bath, birthing pool, or warm compresses to help soothe your pain and aid your relaxation. You might also want to consider hiring a birthing support worker alongside your partner. While having an epidural to relieve labor pain can result in longer push stages, and it increases the likelihood that you will need a labor support intervention, if you have one, there are still a few useful strategies that can be used once you reach the push stage. While a midwives primary concern is with the mothers and babies physical wellbeing, a doulas primary role is to provide ongoing emotional support for a laboring woman.
Often, a doulas primary roles include helping birthing women to get in various positions to relieve pain, providing soothing massages, and offering verbal encouragement. This phrase has been warped into meaning the doula is going to advocate for the birthing woman, butting heads with her providers whenever they suggest interventions.
Yet, a lot of mothers-to-be are going to be convinced to have an injection, which is a painful way of giving birth, when women who are laboring should not need it. Birth is safe for nearly every mom and baby, and we are creating a danger by forcing interventions on mothers and babies. Now, as a new mother, Sarah, I had an opportunity while pregnant to take an active birth class and learn about all of the breathing techniques and the various positions that can help with natural birth, but never were we told to not expect pain.
I knew that I wanted to have one at the hospital, I wanted to try it without the epidural, and beyond that, I was just like, Whatever happens, happens, and I am just going to keep an open mind, just so that the birth is healthy.
If your baby does not turn, you may still want to try a vaginal birth with breech babies, though the majority of babies born with breech babies in the UK are born via Caesarean. It does not seem to have an effect on your chances of having an episiotomy if you have given birth previously by vagina. If your baby is breech at late gestation, you will be offered caesarean. If you live in an area, you might be told you are not allowed a home birth, or you will need to have a caesarean if your baby is breech.
Anyway, the preparation for pushing out your baby is a tense, uncomfortable feeling, compared with the contractions, rather than an excruciating throbbing pain, and you are really reveling in that distinction right now. It does not work like Beta-endorphins take away all pain in labor, but it goes a long way toward helping the woman understand how to cope with labor and delivery with their baby. Beta-endorphin is a reward for doing a great job with the babys birth, and creates the love connection for moms, as well as a stronger maternal instinct.