Natural Childbirth Compare To Medicate Births

How Does Natural Childbirth Compare to Medicate Births?

Jennifer Rasmussen
COM/220
June 6, 2010
Julie Freydlin

How Does Natural Childbirth Compare to Medicate Births?
One of the most natural things for a woman’s body to do is give birth. Once a woman knows that she is with child, she begins deciding what will be best for her and her child whether it is what to eat, whether or not exercise, and even what her birth experience should be. Although it is difficult for women to go through the pain of childbirth drug-free, natural childbirth is safest for both mother and baby when both are healthy because unnecessary drugs and surgeries can be dangerous and there are other ways of relieving pain without drugs. Other than the well known options
of epidurals and Lamaze training, there are many other options for women to consider.
Other ways of providing pain relief besides drugs include a simple change of position, which can be a great non-medicinal way to relieve pain. Some women find that sitting on a stability ball can be much more comfortable that sitting in bed while laboring. And as simple as it sounds, one of the best common pain relief methods is simply walking and moving around. If she can at least move around in the bed the laboring mother can take some of the pressure off where she needs to as well as add pressure in the same way. Some women say that just switching from their right side to their left makes a difference in how they rate their pain.
Several breathing techniques can help the laboring mother through her pain. “The Lamaze philosophy of birth stipulates that “birth is normal, natural, and healthy” and that “women have a right to give birth free from routine medical interventions.” But Lamaze courses typically don’t take a hard line against pain relief medication during labor. The curriculum emphasizes giving women the information and tools to feel confident about giving birth and empowered to give true informed consent about medications and other interventions” (Babycenter.com, 2010)
Still yet another type of child birth teaching is the Bradley Method, which is also known as Husband Coached Birthing. This method “emphasizes a natural approach to birth and the active participation of the baby’s father as birth coach. One of the major goals of this method is the avoidance of medications unless there is no other option. There is also a strong focus on proper nutrition and exercise during pregnancy. This method also uses relaxation and deep breathing techniques to cope with labor pain. The Bradley method does advocate a medication free birthing experience however; the classes will prepare parents for unexpected complications such as the need for an emergency cesarean section.” (teenshealth.org, 2008)
Water births are also becoming more popular as a birthing method. A water birth involves the laboring mother actually sitting in a pool of water while she labors and gives birth culminating in her baby being born underwater. Mothers have found this to be a very comfortable way to labor because the water allows complete freedom of movement and deep concentration. “Some of the other known benefits of water birth are that it speeds up labor, reduces blood pressure, promotes relaxation, conserves energy, reduces perineal trauma (thereby eliminating episiotomies), and encourages an easier birth and a gentler welcome for baby. Of course, water births are known also to provide significant pain relief that in turn reduces the need for drugs and interventions.” (Waterbirth International, 2010) Doctors and hospitals are beginning to recognize these benefits and are making water births more available. Until recently water births were only done in home births in a wading pool, but hospitals are adding this feature to their birthing suites to make the method available and safe for mother and baby as well as the delivering doctor.
Whereas drugs and surgery can be necessary and help the laboring mother to feel less pain, they can also cause other complications.
Often once medical intervention begins in labor it continues because each intervention will lead to another. Some women have their labor stalled once they are given an epidural and then need to have Pitocin administered to help them to dilate, and if that doesn’t work a caesarean section is then needed to relieve mother from a long, labor. Another complication can be that mother feels too groggy and disoriented to continue or that the baby’s vital signs can drop, again causing the need for a caesarean section to be performed. It is a well known fact that one of the epidural side effects is that it interferes with labor hormones and therefore the speed and quality of labor. In rare cases, an epidural can have dire consequences and can lead to
death. The following table shows just some of the side effects that there can be once a mother is given an epidural. All of the information used in this table was found on the website Natural Pregnancy Mentor. “Epidural analgesia is one of the most striking examples of the medicalization of normal birth transforming a physiological event into a medical procedure." –World Health Organization. (Natural Pregnancy Mentor, 2010) |

Side Effects to Labor | Side Effects to Mother | Side Effects to Baby | Prolonged first stage of labor | Drop in blood pressure | Erratic heartbeat | Increase risk of malpresentation of baby's head | Urinary retention and urinary dysfunction | Inadequate oxygenated blood supply | Increased need for Pitocin | Spinal headache | Respiratory distress | Decrease in ability to push effectively | Uneven, incomplete, or even nonexistent pain relief | Poor sucking reflex | Increases the likelihood of needing an episiotomy | Inability to move about freely on her own | Poor muscle strength and tone | A very real increased risk in cesarean section | Fever | Direct drug toxicity | A fivefold increase of the likelihood of a forceps or vacuum extraction delivery | Increased risk of hemorrhage | Hyperactivity for up to seven years |

Surgery should be performed only when necessary to avoid the possibility of further medical issues. “Most mothers and babies do well after a cesarean section, but it is major surgery. Some of the possible risks are an infection of the incision or the uterus, heavy blood loss, blood clots in the mother’s legs, injury to mother or baby, and complications from the anesthesia like nausea, vomiting, and severe headache. There is also a risk of the baby developing breathing problems if it was delivered before its due date.”( Cesarean Section-WebMD, 2008) Mother’s recovery time is much longer following a caesarean section than with a vaginal delivery. Women who have a c-section without complications spend about three days in the hospital, and a full recovery takes four to six weeks. With a vaginal delivery a woman can generally leave the hospital in two days and recover fully in one to two weeks. Also, if the woman becomes pregnant again there is a small fear of the scar tearing open during labor, this is called a uterine rupture.” (Cesarean Section - Risks and Complications, February 28, 2008) Because of this risk women often end up planning on c-sections in subsequent pregnancies.
By working out a birthing plan prior to delivery, a woman can have a chance to work out the type of experience that she wants to have. The most important point that the mother needs to think of is “What are my options?” Different doctors will give patients different options for dealing with the same situation; the same is true for different hospitals, birthing centers, insurance plans, and providers. One way for the expectant mother to begin her plan is to see what options appeal to her and what she is sure she doesn’t want. “An important aspect of labor is whether to labor at home, in a birthing center, or in a hospital because this will let her know what her options are when dealing with pain. A large number of first time mothers decide before actually going into labor that they do not want to have any kind of pain medication whatsoever; however change their minds once they are actually experiencing contractions. One thing that expecting mothers need to remember is that often women make decisions about pain relief during labor that they abandon at the last minute. Women should not confuse their ability to endure the pain of childbirth with their worth as a mother. The best thing for a mother to do is become educated about all the options for pain relief to make a choice about what is best for her, but to remain flexible about that decision.” (Larissa Hirsch, MD, February 2008)
While she is working on her birthing plan, the mother also needs to be conferring with her doctor to see what options are available to her.
“Midwives will automatically refer a woman to an obstetrician if she has high blood pressure, heart problems, high blood sugar, or low iron. The midwife will continue to check a woman physical and emotional state during regular prenatal visits. Most importantly midwives will not hesitate to refuse to attend a home birth if they have the slightest inclination of a serious complication that may require a hospital setting.” (Handling Complications During a Home Birth, Barbara Harper, RN on January 1, 1999) A larger number of midwives will not perform home births any longer because of the possible complications that can be dealt with much more quickly at the hospital. “Often the midwife will have a good rapport with the hospital staff and the birth experience can still proceed as if the mother and midwife were still at home.” (Handling Complications During a Home Birth, Barbara Harper, RN on January 1, 1999) Time can be of the utmost importance when dealing with complications such as mother or baby’s vital signs dropping or rising quickly. If birthing at home one has to add travel time to dealing with the complication, but at the hospital doctors, medications, and equipment are readily available to correct the
problem.
“Healthy and happy families are born every day to both medicated and un-medicated mothers alike. There are time when pain medication isn’t optional such as with an emergency cesarean birth, and other times when it is highly useful such as in long and difficult labors. However, under normal circumstance the consistently positive results of un-medicated births speak for themselves.” (Childbirth: It's Only Natural by Sarah Winfrey, CD(DONA), with contributions from Heidi Homer, 2000) The first priority should always be to keep mother and child safe and healthy.

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