The Dreaded Delivery

 It seems like I have thought about the act of giving birth, albeit only briefly, periodically throughout my life. I knew I would experience it, I assumed even more than once. I had expectations of the level of pain and discomfort that I may experience, but that is about as far as my considerations went. Almost immediately upon discovering that I was expecting, my interest in childbirth and delivery sky-rocketed, sending me on an all-consuming quest for knowledge. Now, after eight straight months of countless videos, articles, interviews, documentaries, theories, discussions, medical text books, and countless hours of serious thought, I have made a decision about what I believe is the best way for me to go about delivering this child. 

I am going to have a completely natural birth. Now I know that many of you probably just laughed, or smirked, or thought to yourself, “HA! Good luck with that…”. I know this because these are the reactions I receive daily, directly to my face. I understand these reactions, but it is important that you know that I have made my decision based on many different factors. 

First and foremost, I have nothing to prove. I am not attempting a natural childbirth to show the world that I am THAT tough, or that “I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR.” Gag me, seriously. I believe that EVERY woman is CAPABLE of a natural childbirth, so having one myself would not make me superior in any way to any other woman.  

Every woman’s circumstances are different, so naturally, my decision is based specifically on my own. Most importantly, I do not want a Cesarean.  I do not like the impact it would have on me or the baby. Cesareans are major abdominal surgery, and while they are absolutely necessary for some people, and have saved many lives, I will do all I can to avoid this outcome. It will only be an option for me in a serious, emergency situation. Not only is the recovery time much longer, there are possible side effects, as with all surgeries, that I want to avoid. Not to mention the financial impact is much greater than that of a natural birth. 

Studies show that the use of pain medication, as well as other drugs and interventions, during labor increase your chances of a C-section. Narcotics, or opioids, used during labor have been proven to have unpredictable effects during childbirth. They can cause sleepiness or nausea, stop or slow labor, and most importantly slow the heart rate or depress the breathing of both the mother and baby. If this was to happen, the baby would likely be taken via C-section.  

Epidurals, which are used in over 70% of births these days, also have their risks. It is possible that the epidural could decrease the mother’s blood pressure, which can in turn slow the baby’s heart rate, again leading to a C-section. It has been proven that women who receive epidurals are also more likely to tear, due to the simple fact that they may be less aware of when exactly a contraction begins and ends, resulting in incorrect “push” timing. There have been some, very rare cases in which epidurals caused migraines in the mothers for weeks after delivery, as well as numbness, or even partial paralysis. As rare as these side effects are, the fact that they exist and do happen on occasion is enough for me to do my best to avoid one. 

It is extremely important to me that both the baby and I are alert and relaxed through the whole process, and all of the above mentioned pain management options have shown to impact this in some way. Babies born naturally in calm environments tend to breastfeed quicker, sleep better, and score higher on their APGAR scores. 

It goes without saying that I also will do everything in my ability to avoid being induced. Generally when women are induced, Pitocin is used to start or speed up contractions, and these contractions are usually more intense and painful and the woman is more likely to receive pain medication and/or an epidural. It is almost a domino effect, commonly resulting in C-sections. As my friend Morgan, who is a registered nurse and the wife of a doctor, said “In labor, medical interventions usually lead to more medical interventions.” 

But just because I am declining medical intervention and pain medications, does not mean I don’t have ANY source of pain management. I’m not INSANE. I have recently begun my Hypnobabies self-study and am relying on this to manage my pain. For those of you that don’t know much about it, hypno-therapy is a widely used method of pain management, practiced by those who have allergies to anesthesia or a history of drug abuse. It has been used by those undergoing major surgeries and even root canals. Basically it teaches self-hypnosis, which is training the mind to focus so intently, while relaxing the body, that you are able to detach your conscious mind from the pain. This also allows for faster labors because your body is not tense, and does not fight the contractions. When your body is in a deeply relaxed state, you cervix tends to dilate faster, and labor progresses at a steady rate. But most importantly, you are comfortable and calm, even during contractions. Hopefully I am able to master this skill before D-day…

Now, all this being said, I am more than aware of all the complications that could take place, forcing me to be induced, medicated, or in need of a C-section. So much of this process is out of my control, and every childbirth is unlike every other childbirth. There is no way for me to even begin to guess what is in store for me, and I certainly don’t believe I can change it. 

All I really want is for my baby to have as healthy and happy a birthday as possible and I believe that a natural childbirth will give her the best chance of this. So I have planned my delivery with this in mind, but know only one thing for sure:

              “If you go in there and everything goes as planned and works out exactly as you wanted it to, you get a baby. If you go in there and nothing goes right and everything falls apart and nothing is how you planned it, you get a baby. Either way, you get a baby.” – Misti

At least I get a baby… :)