A natural birth

Mark and I have decided that we want to try to have a natural birth. I know this might sound crazy to a lot of you, so let me explain why. It is very important to me to have a fulfilling birth experience during which we are both really present and participatory. To give our baby the best possible start, I want to avoid as much medical intervention as we can. Having a baby is not like having a disease; there is nothing wrong with me that needs to be treated. I am “low risk” with no complications. Pregnancy and birth is like breathing and digesting food and getting your period; it’s a natural process that your body was built to be able to do on its own. As long as there is nothing going awry, then there is no reason to involve a doctor. The US treats birth much differently than other developed countries; in most European countries births are assisted by midwives and not doctors, and their outcomes are actually much better than ours. I don’t think most Americans understand that we actually don’t have the best medical care in the world; we rank something like 37th among all countries for infant mortality. Granted, not all countries report as accurately as we do, but still! All mothers in the US are routinely led to believe that giving birth in the hospital is the safest place, but it simply not true. Giving birth in the hospital is the safest place if you are high-risk (that is, if you have known complications), but for most mothers the outcomes are actually better when birthing at home or at a birthing center. Certainly it is much less likely that you will need a C-section (rates for low-risk mothers are twice as high in a hospital as outside a hospital). Getting a C-section is much more serious than most people think; it is major surgery and comes with many serious side-effects, pain, and possible complications. During a C-section, your entire uterus is literally removed from your body! (and then replaced later, after suturing, of course.) Thus it is best for mother and baby to avoid a C-section unless it is really the only possible way. I’m not very eloquent at presenting all of this information, but I am reading a book right now that really sums it all up: Misconceptions by Naomi Wolf. I highly recommend that everyone read this book. You scan skip Part I, which just deals with her own issues during pregnancy, but Part II has the really important information. I do not want to become involved in a downward spiral of unnecessary medical intervention that starts with something seemingly benign like inducing labor or doing continuous fetal monitoring, then leads to an epidural, episiotomy, forceps, etc. and then ends with a C-section. If things end up going wrong and I really do need a C-section, then I will certainly get one and I will be grateful for it. My objection is to all the unnecessary C-sections that are routinely performed and to the way that birthing mothers are treated in hospitals.

When I was deciding where I wanted to give birth, I toured a hospital here in Austin and a birthing center. The difference between the two is astounding. In the hospital, where the C-section rate is 33%, you have almost no say in what happens to you. The hospital protocols automatically take over and your doctor is completely in charge of all decisions. The hospital was smelly, germy, crowded, under construction, and had an assembly-line feel to it (they handled 350-400 births each month!). You aren’t allowed to eat anything during labor, there is one nurse for every two patients in active labor, there’s no encouragement to birth naturally or support for it, and overall the atmosphere is one of efficient business with no regard for mom. The birthing center couldn’t have been more different. (It’s called the Austin Area Birthing Center, click on the link to go to their website.) There you have a midwife who stays with you during your entire labor and delivery, often with an assistant too. They only handle 15 births a month so chances are good that you will be the only person giving birth at your time. The birthing rooms are almost like hotel rooms, you can eat and drink as much as you need to keep your strength up, they totally support natural childbirth and will help you with trying different positions and massages. They have birthing stools, birth balls, a tub for water births, etc. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxed, not rushed and sterile. The birth plan is actually followed. If there is a problem, they can transfer you to a nearby hospital. Their transfer rate is just 9%, with a 7% c-section rate. They won’t hesitate to get you medical help if it is really needed, it’s just that it isn’t really needed for most women. The midwives there are CNMs, certified nurse midwives, and are well-trained and know what to look for and when there is a problem.

I feel confident that this is the right decision for us and I hope that everyone will support us. If you live in Austin or nearby, you can come and visit me while I labor and hang out in the waiting room!