What’s the Benefit of Natural Childbirth – and is it Possible?

I’d like to dedicate this article to my sweet fifth-born, Nadia Caroline, who turned one year old just a handful of days ago. Her birth was yet another beautiful event which further inspires me to share the hope of natural, intervention-free childbirth, possibility of amazing recovery, and empowered womanhood through embracing motherhood.

When it comes to birth, a simple Google search reveals there are a lot of opinions out there. Where to give birth, positions for labor, what types of interventions you should or shouldn’t allow during labor, what type of provider you should hire, how soon you should start breastfeeding after baby is born…the list goes on.

So, who do you listen to? And why?

That’s a question you should be asking yourself on the daily as you encounter advice and lists of “how-to’s” wherever you find yourself on your pregnancy journey. That friend who swears she’ll never have kids but wants to tell you all the horror stories she’s heard about birth from other friends? Probably not the most trustworthy (or accurate) source. Even some medical professionals choose to focus on stories about women who weren’t prepared for birth and had less-than-desirable experiences. Yet, somehow these stories tend to hold the most space in our minds because they generate fear. Fear that we can even accomplish giving birth without immense pain and trauma. Fear that we don’t know enough to make educated decisions about the kind of birth we want to pursue.

And let me tell you, nothing – NOTHING – brings out the negative birth & parenting stories like telling people you’re planning for a natural childbirth.

  “I have to tell you ALL about my labor!  I was in labor for 36 hours and pushed for 3 and 1/2!” 

“You can just get rid of all the clothes you have now, because you will NEVER fit into them again.  And the great news is, you won’t even care!”

“Enjoy your sleep now, because you won’t be able to sleep like this for another 20 years!”

“Oh, my sister just had a baby a few months ago and she said they’ve used up their HSA already this year on pediatrician visits and medicine because he is sick ALL. THE. TIME!”

These are the same voices I grew up hearing, especially as I entered adulthood. Even as my husband and I began our married life together, I wasn’t certain I wanted to have children because of the pain and inconveniences that seemed to permeate every season of parenthood.

Society at large is trained to think of birth as a necessary evil that we need to endure so we can have a baby. And then the baby stage is the necessary evil we need to endure so we can have a preschooler. And then, God forbid someday we’ll have a teenager and heaven knows we may not survive that. Why does our God-given desire for a family have to be squelched so quickly by society’s view that birth is bound to be awful, and kids keep us from living our best life?

Find a mom who has had the type of birth experience you want and listen to her story.

Allow me to tell you a bit about mine.

(And I promise – natural birth is a part of it all.)

When expecting my first child over ten years ago, I began to learn everything I could about childbirth and questioned everything. As I dug into research articles, listened to real-life stories of women with varied birth experiences, and learned about birth options and protocols, I quickly shifted my entire focus toward natural childbirth (“natural childbirth” being defined as a completely drug-and-intervention-free childbirth). This resulted in my husband and I taking a doctor-led 40-hour natural childbirth course, and him comparing what we learned there with what he knew and was learning as he was also becoming a doctor. I began preparing not only my body, but my mind for a natural childbirth. And most importantly, I decided that I was going to have a natural childbirth. Not going to “try to have” a natural childbirth.

Why?

I had discovered:

• No drugs have proven to be completely safe and unharmful to the baby.  Even aspirin/over the counter meds are to be avoided during pregnancy to protect the child. 

• Most drugs given to “take the edge off” in first stage labor can cause:

• Interventions of any kind, even seemingly harmless ones like Pitocin, increase the likelihood of birth by C-section.

Choosing a method of birth that would open up the possibility of these for my baby was not something I was willing to accept. Then, I learned something that was mind-blowing (and I’m not going to lie…a bit disgusting when I first heard it!) to me that further solidified my determination to train and prepare for natural childbirth….

Baby’s First “Meal” and their Immune System

The most important meal a human being will ever consume is the meal they take when they pass through the vaginal canal during labor.  This populates the healthy bacteria in your baby’s gut.  This is the beginning of your baby’s immune system.  70-80% of our immunity is in our gut! This alone is a reason enough to pursue a natural, drug-free childbirth. Remember…all interventions increase the likelihood of C-section. While an incredibly valuable tool in times of medical emergency, C-sections prevent babies from taking & ingesting this “meal” and populating a healthy gut from the get-go!

My Story: Five Babies, Five Natural Births

Driven to pursue a better, more natural way for myself and my babies proved challenging in the world we live in. If I had not been driven to find a better way, I wouldn’t have found one. That sounds extreme, but I firmly believe it to be true. All of the answers I found came with much seeking, leaving nothing to chance, asking key people lots of hard questions. 

Preparing mentally and physically for birth, and helping others do the same, has become a passion of mine. From my first birth over ten years ago, to my fifth just one year ago, I’ve had four hospital births and one home birth. I have experienced the out-of-this-world “high” of unmedicated birth each time, an experience that truly leaves you thinking: “I can do ANYTHING!” I can say with absolute certainty that natural birth is the most empowering thing I have ever accomplished. It is worth the time spent preparing for and pursuing it.

I wish I could say that I looked for resources and found a one-stop-shop to get all of my questions answered. That sure would have made things easier and way less time consuming!  On my quest to learn how to have a smooth, pain-free natural birth (and a happy, healthy baby after!), I had to find mentors for each area I needed help with. Though the natural birth class I attended was a huge time commitment, it answered many of the questions I had about how to have an intervention-free childbirth. I saw a few families who had happy babies who by some miracle actually slept well, and I craved being a well-rested, emotionally stable mom who was able to care for her children because she was at peace and rested herself. I asked these moms what they did to help their babies sleep and found some answers to that. It was so much easier than I thought it would be but required intentionality and a little planning on my part. I could do that. And you can, too.

Natural childbirth is what I want…now, what?

Choose to surround yourself with powerful people who support your decisions and do not promote fear. Read books about how to have a natural childbirth (feel free to contact me for suggestions), attend a natural childbirth class, follow social media accounts that affirm and support women who chose this route, learn all you can about relaxation techniques, and steel your mind to do whatever it takes to pursue this way of childbirth.

“We have a secret in our culture and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.” 

-Laura Stavoe Harm

I’ve had the joy of coaching dozens of women in natural childbirth over the past eight years, from first time moms to those expecting their 2nd, 3rd or 4th baby. I pray my words can inspire you all that natural childbirth is possible. It’s worth pursuing. It is empowering and a gift to yourself and your sweet baby. Consider this your invitation…let me invite you to pursue an intervention-free, drug-free natural childbirth.

-Angie

P.S. I’m so happy to announce that after many requests, I have virtual group childbirth classes available! Please hop on over here to learn more!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are my own. They are based on my own experiences and those of women I’ve coached for natural childbirth. Every woman has different needs and medical history, and this is in no way medical advice.