Having A Natural Labour

Childbirth is classed as being one of the most painful experiences in a woman's life, which begs the question why are more and more women opting to have a natural birth? The choice of natural childbirth is starting to re-emerge as more women are learning about what is involved. It does however remain a big decision to make as confidence that you can go through it will not get you through natural childbirth alone. You need to make sure that you speak to your doctor and/or midwife so that they can advise you and talk you through the entire process. It may also be a good idea to get in touch with other mothers who went for it naturally so you can hear what they have to say about the process. There is a divide when it comes to going through childbirth naturally; many women consider natural childbirth to be empowering, other women consider natural childbirth to be unnecessarily painful and for some women they often report that the thought of having medication to get them through the birthing process makes them less anxious as they know medical intervention and pain relief will be available. Many women argue the point that labour without any medication was normal until people began to take medication and they have a point. In our society today medicine rules over us, we take it for anything and everything but even so women are starting to opt for natural births simply because of the freedom it gives them. They are able to move around, which can often speed up labour, alleviate pain and has also been shown to lead to fewer interventions, including Caesareans. Also the recovery time after a natural birth is generally faster. One of the other big reasons that more women are going for it naturally is due to the fact that it may aid the bond between mother and baby as mothers are more responsive thanks to the fact they don't have side effects from the medication. Natural Childbirth is a philosophy that is based on the notion that women who are adequately prepared are innately able to give birth to their child, without external intervention. It is also said that women are more likely to be positive about the birth experience as well as future parenting skills. Your baby is also more alert and breastfeeding is more likely to be enjoyable and successful. The option of natural birthing isn't however just becoming more popular among expectant mothers but it is also something that the NHS has been pushing for. Back in 2007 the NHS pledged to get more women to undergo natural births in an attempt to reduce the high number of epidurals and caesarean sections. This is down to the fact that around one in four of the 600,000 women who give birth in England and Wales each year have a caesarean section. But why is this such a bad thing? There have been numerous studies into different forms of birthing and one of these studies revealed that contractions are an essential part of natural birth as they trigger the release of the hormone oxytocin, which is thought to play a key role in shaping maternal behaviour. The reason that many medical professionals want to cut down the number of caesareans is due to the fact they don't trigger the same release of hormones. When it comes down to it however the choice of what route you go down when giving birth is completely up to you and what your doctor and/or midwife feels is best for you. If you are however looking into opting for a natural birth then I urge you to do your research before making a definite decision and I wish you all the luck with whatever you do decide on!