The Natural Birth Hype
The world has gone around full circle from natural birth to clinical birth and now it seems to be clinical birth to natural birth again!
But what’s the difference and how much clinical and how much natural is good?
Let’s start with what is meant by natural birth, although doctors and midwives sometimes call it ‘normal’ birth. In essence, it’s having a virginal delivery without the use of any interventions such as forceps, suction, or C-section.
A clinical birth is the opposite where a delivery happens using a clinical intervention and there’s the difference yet it’s not that simple.
Giving birth is a very personal experience and what is deemed as a natural birth by an expectant mother can vary considerably. To some, it can be to have no clinical interventions at all during childbirth and this includes any form of clinical pain relief. Whereas for others some form of clinical pain relief is okay but not any clinical intervention to birth the baby like forceps.
There is much evidence that supports the benefits of having a total natural birth, that is no clinical pain relief and no clinical intervention to birth the baby.
The benefits could include:
Having the option to have a home birth
Increased likelihood of quicker recovery post birth
Labour time paced naturally
Lack of side effects from pain relief medication
Could reduce the risk of needing a clinical intervention for delivery
Better and quicker bonding with baby
Shorter hospital stay (if you opt for a hospital birth)
There are different options for having a natural birth and you must go with what your gut is telling you and seek the appropriate advice.
Not all childbirth is equal, it's an individual experience so you need to do what is right for you and your baby. You’ve heard the saying ‘the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. If you have opted for a totally natural birth and during childbirth, you need to have an intervention like some clinical pain relief, even though this may not have been in your plan don’t beat yourself up.
Look at your options for supporting you through natural childbirth like hypnobirthing, which is an excellent choice to support you and can complement clinical interventions if they are required.
For more information on hypnobirthing go to www.hypnobirthings.com.
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