Natural Birth Research Paper

Muhammad Zaid Ashfaq
Adiah Afraz
SS-100 Sect#7
December10, 2012
The big question: Elective Birth or Natural Birth
Some people believe that giving birth is a miracle. They believe it is a miracle in two ways. Firstly, the unique experience and it’s amazing nature, and secondly, how a mother can actually live through all that unimaginable and intolerable pain. But not all people believe in miracles. There are many who tend to skip the fear-striking pain of a pure natural birth through use of technological advancements or delivery aids. These aids can take many forms: Epidurals, Spinals, and lastly the Caesarean section. Epidurals and spinals are the anesthetics used to relieve pain during a vaginal birth while a Caesarean section or C-section
Many mothers prefer a sense of control over their date of delivery, including instances where the date of birth of their beloved child is “picked” either to get some fascinating figures(like the ones that recently passed 10/11/12 or 12/12/12), or to plan according to a vacation (Haskell, “Elective C-Sections & Inductions Banned in Some Hospitals”). Astonishingly, another reason according to survey in an article “Caesarean Nation” on slate.com, rated No.4 as a reason for C-section, was “I’d like to have a natural birth, but I’m afraid it will influence my sex life”(Hvistendahl, “Cesarean Nation”). Moreover, in cases where a couple wants only a single child, like those heavily dominant in China, due to the one-child policy prevalent there, mothers tend to prefer C-section because they don’t suffer the increased risk rate of a repeated
It has been observed that mothers are most likely to feel “worn down and tired after a C-section” says Hoskins (“The Truth About C-Sections”). Women who elect a C-section over a natural delivery prefer their personal satisfaction or mental-peace over the potential risks and effects on both the mother and the child and thus, as observed, suffer from mixed feelings of disappointment and loss of confidence amalgamated with minor headaches from the anesthetics used for the procedure. They lack the feeling of satisfaction and achievement as in the case of a normal vaginal delivery. The positive psychological effects before birth that help mothers build self-confidence and overcome fear of natural child birth even before hand are often ignored. A woman can easily be motivated to choose a natural birth over a C-section psychologically during her child-bearing. Moreover, it becomes difficult for a mother to establish a bond with her newly born baby when she goes through a major surgery. Breast feeding problems are common in such situations. Not to mention that breast feeding for the first four months are extremely vital for an infant’s growth which is obviously affected during the first few