Today’s post is all about preparing for a natural (i.e. unmedicated) birth. If you’re looking for facts about epidurals, check out this article.
Birth without drugs is painful, to varying degrees. I guess we’ve all heard about painless births but they must be very rare exceptions. So it helps to have a good idea of what to expect so you can have coping techniques on tap.
Changes in behavior and moods. I can’t say how you’ll act, but I do know that the pain, stress and hormones of natural labor can make a woman do and say things that are not typical. Labor affects both body and mind. But the medical staff has probably seen it all, so don’t worry on that account.
Constant checks are not necessary. Being checked for “progress” while you’re having a horrible contraction is awful, so feel free to decline the constant surveillance. Barring emergency situations, there are other signs that an experienced doctor or midwife can use to gauge how labor is going.
Besides, each intrusion introduces the possibility of contamination. A good provider will ask first if he can do a check, with the understanding being that a mother can say yes or no.
Dramatic changes at the end. Most women can sense that something different happens around transition. Contractions get closer (you can barely rest in between), and pain levels intensify. Low backache is very common. Some mothers feel sick or experience mood changes (desperation, mental exhaustion). While God designed the first stage of labor to progress more gradually, things really intensify in this time just prior to delivery.
Up until this point, you might have felt like you were “in the zone” and coping quite well. And then transition hits. Your birth class didn’t quite prepare you for this. They used words like “discomfort” and “pressure” when in fact you feel like you’re going to split in two.
All I can say is labor sure has kept me humble over the years. I’ve cried like a baby. Yelled in frustration and anger. Begged for drugs.
But now that I know what’s coming, I can prepare myself psychologically for it. I can go into labor knowing full well that all the techniques that worked before might fail me at the end. As opposed to panicking and thinking something is wrong. This is the time to pray hard and do everything you can to see past the pain and imagine a beautiful new baby in your arms. Lean heavily on your doctor or midwife (and support person, if you have one) and follow their coaching as best you can.
In a morbid sort of way I have come to welcome these last pains because they are a light at the end of a tunnel of nine long months of suffering and waiting.
Getting the baby out more effectively. Being in pain makes you naturally want to arch your back. DON’T. Especially in the pushing phase. Curling inward can work amazingly well to move a baby down and out. My midwife has to repeat this to me over and over while I’m pushing, because I tense and straighten with the contractions.
Be prepared for afterpains. All the pain seems to momentarily vanish as your squalling newborn is held aloft for all to see. But there are just a few more routine unpleasantries you need to be aware of. Delivery of the placenta happens shortly after birth, usually within 20 minutes, and it can be painful. Getting stitched up (if you tore) can also be mighty uncomfortable, but some local anesthesia can help. If you nurse right away after an unmedicated birth, the afterpains feel like menstrual cramps (ouch!). The more babies I’ve had, the more afterpains hurt (I know, tough breaks, ladies!).
For me, though, having the baby I’ve waited nine months to see cradled in my arms is like a balm that helps to lessen the pain of these after-birth inconveniences. That beautiful little soul provides plenty of distraction.
I usually take some kind of pain relief shortly after labor because of the inevitable comforts that following during recovery. Natural is always best, especially if you’re going to be nursing your child.
Have you experienced natural childbirth, or do you hope to? What advice would you give to an expectant mother?
