I was talking to someone today about having a baby. He told me his wife was going to have an epidural, she is only 5 months along. I just think that it is so sad that women these days are not given the knowledge they deserve to really choose if they want to have a natural birth or not.
I have talked to many girls and they all say at some point that they are "scared." And I can understand that. Anything that one has never done before can be scary. But what do you do when you don't know about something? Learn about it. That is what I did. So many girls do not do that though because they don't have to. The hospital says you can have an epidural and you wont feel anything and they will take care of everything for you. Which I suppose that is true but I don't this that is the way to go.
Having a baby naturally is the most wonderful and empowering thing a woman can do. Having a baby grow inside of you is already a wonderful miracle that we get to do. Why wouldn't you want to continue that wonderful experience with bringing the baby into the world on your own also.
God has given women natural ways to be able to cope and have a baby on your own. There has been millions of babies born without epidurals throughout the centuries. It is possible and very probable..
I love how our bodies work. So I always tell people what happens physiologically and because I knew this I knew I could have my baby naturally.
What is a contraction? (by the way these are my definition defined by my experience not a textbook)
A contraction is a tightening of the uterus which occurs to help your cervix to dilate. They begin in short intervals usually, maybe 30 sec long and 5 min apart. As labor continues they become more intense and last longer. When you are in active labor, which is when you will have your baby soon, they are the most intense, longer and short time between them..
So what does your body do naturally to help you cope and feel good through the labor period?
Every time you have a contraction a message is sent to the brain telling it you are feeling some pain or pressure, however you would want to describe it. In response your brain releases Oxytocin.
What is Oxytocin?
Oxytocin is a feel good hormone. It is also called the "love hormone." If you are pregnant you know what it feels like because it is the hormone released when you have sex.
So every time you have a contraction more and more oxytocin is released and you have the ability to cope more and more. So many women have an epidural because they don't think they can take anymore pain or pressure. But really in reality the pressure or pain doesn't every get to more than you can handle. Once again God is not mean and requires us to have children through horrible agony.
The other thing that is awesome about oxytocin is it helps you to relax and helps you to dilate faster.
The reason why a mom can love and care for a baby so much from first site is because her system has so much oxytocin in it. I am sure you have heard "how can you love a baby so much when you have just barely met them?" Well one of the reasons is because of this hormone. The baby also is getting that hormone which causes him/her to feel good also.
Now some of you out there might be saying that you have had a baby and you never felt any feel good hormone at all and that's why you have an epidural. It is also possible to counteract the feel good hormone from being released if you are scared. If you are scared the fight or flight hormone is released which will cause more pain and whatnot because no matter how much you want to jump out of your body and run from the situation of labor you cannot.
On the flip side if you get an epidural....
Your brain is not told there is pressure and discomfort.. Oxytocin is not released, you are not able to dilate.
So what does the hospital do?
They give you pitocin. Pitocin does the same thing as Oxytocin but it is not a feel good hormone, it does not make you feel good and relaxed or love for the being you are bringing or having be brought into the world. There is no certainties what effect it has on the baby either.
We do know that the Epidural can cause your blood pressure to drop which can cause the babies blood pressure to drop. If the babies blood pressure drops there is major danger and that is usually when they do an emergency C-section. You know that the national average for C-sections now in the US 1 in 3 babies. That is ridiculous. 1 in 3 babies have to be delivered C-section. I have no doubt that epidural have to do with that.
With an epidural there is also more chance of fetal stress problems because your baby is not receiving the feel good hormone either.
I will never forget my birth. The nurses and doctor kept saying how they had never seen a more relaxed woman in labor, I am not bragging I'm just letting you know my experience. They monitored the baby while I was pushing, she was being pushed though the pelvis and then cervix mind you, and her heart rate was normal the whole time. She was relaxed.
So some of you might be thinking, What did you do during the contractions? What I did was breath through them with calm deep breaths in and out. But I think the most important thing that I did was prepare mentally all through my pregnancy. I planned from the beginning to have my baby naturally. When people asked be what I would do, I told them I would just breath through the contractions. I asked the Lord in my prayers to help me. I told him I knew He created me to do this and that I knew he would help me through it. Last but not least, I had my support team. I had a Doula to help me and keep me focused. I had a wonderful husband there with me. There are a few pressure points that can be pushed on to relieve the pressure.
My favorite part of giving birth to my baby was that I pulled her out. Some people are like, what how can you pull out your own baby? When after the shoulders come out you put your hands under the arms and you pull her out. Trust me it is not for everyone. I helped my friend through her labor and delivery and it was not something she wanted to do. But that was the best thing for me. I held her and just looked at her for a while. It is truly an amazing experience. I would never want to trade in feeling and doing the birth of my baby naturally for anything.
2 comments:
There is a great post here about "If You Give A Woman An Epidural". A lot of women don't realize how many side effects there are, and how much about epidurals we still don't understand.
NOTHING is without side effects. For example, epidurals cause the body temperature of the mother to rise gradually. At some point it looks like a fever, and both mother and baby are treated for an infection that may not exist (after all, the hospital staff has to play it safe). It is unpleasant, especially for the newborn baby.
You're right. The very most important part is becoming educated. I have no objection to someone who looks closely at their options and chooses one over another. But going into childbirth, into the birth of your own baby, without knowing much about it, is unimaginable. Yet it happens, all the time.
By the way, you're amazing. :)
I think it is a wonderful thing to be able to have a baby without an epidural. What a blessing! I think it is wonderful that you had no impending complications, a high tolerance for pain, and a great support system. (There are many people who do not have these blessings. No woman is the same, no experience exactly alike) I too agree that C-sections are too often used as opposed to natural childbirth.
Moderation in all things is a wonderful motto, though. You didn't mention all the deaths of babies and mothers that happened before the existence of the C-section, vacuum, forceps, and epidural. There are many women with complications and circumstances where these things are more helpful than hurtful. That said, I agree that a wide base of knowledge can help any mother make the right decision for herself, regardless of the right and left wing enthusiasts who tout one thing and one thing only. I firmly believe that each person should be able to make their own decisions, without being judged. There are only so many decisions that you can make for someone else (that is to say, none). There is no way to know if a woman will go into shock during labor, etc. So we can just suggest, educate, and support the myriad of women who go through this experience over and over and thank them for the sacrifice! :)
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