Every day, 2,000 babies are born in the UK, with 90% of these safely delivered within a hospital. The majority of women experience a trouble free labour thanks to modern medical interventions, yet most women still hope to give birth naturally. A natural birth with minimal intervention to manage the process is entirely possible should there be no complications, so read on for five tips to help you prepare for a natural labour.
Why Give Birth Naturally?
With childbirth known as one of the most painful experiences a human being can go through, many many women have welcomed the medical developments that help alleviate pain. However, women are increasingly allowing themselves to trust their bodies, and give birth without epidurals, drugs, and c-sections, to experience a more fulfilling and natural birth. Why? Natural labour is defined as a drug free natural birth with minimal intervention. Those who approve of natural childbirth see natural labour as a necessary process in the journey to motherhood. Furthermore, scientific studies show that bonding with the baby can be negatively affected through the use of drugs, and trauma caused by procedures such as epidurals.
So how should you go about planning a natural birth, and what are your options?
Planning for Labour
Every woman should have a written birth plan describing her preferred choices for labour. Before you write your plan, talk to friends and family about their experiences, and research the options. However, you should also remember that your birth plan might have to change during labour if complications occur. For help with preparing a birth plan, ask your midwife, or use an online birth plan template that will help you think about the considerations you’ll need to make.
Options for Natural Childbirth
Two techniques that offer women the easiest ways to deliver naturally include hypnobirthing and water births.
Hypnobirthing
With the right set of mental tools, the discomfort and pain of labour can be managed. Breathing and relaxation techniques to deliver your baby are one of the most successful ways to embrace childbirth as a positive and natural experience, and the benefits extend beyond birth. Attending hypnobirthing before labour will help you learn self-hypnosis techniques to control pain, approach labour with confidence, and remain calm and in control during labour. Even if intervention is needed, hypnotherapy techniques will help you remain calm throughout the process, whatever is occurring. Independant cognative hypnotherapists have found that women who use this technique require less medication and are able to return to normal faster after giving birth, even after a c-section.
Water Births
Experiencing labour whilst immersed in warm water helps women relieve pain, relax, easily adopt different positions, and even reduce the length of time it takes to give birth. However, water births can sometimes halt the progression of labour, so it can result in medical intervention. As long as you meet a healthy and low-risk criteria for natural labour, you should be able to have a water birth in hospital, at a birthing centre or even at home, provided you have the space for a birthing pool.
Bill Turner is a quiet person with plenty of experience in writing and the press, he now lives by the coast and lives a simple life.