Au Natural

Natural delivery or a caesarian section.  I didn't realize that was a choice until recently.  I always thought a woman had a natural delivery unless there was an emergency that warranted a C-section.  I will be going au natural.  And I mean au natural - meaning I'm going to try to go without drugs, including an epidural.

I know, this is usually when people's eyes bulge slightly and with very raised eyebrows ask, "really?".  Yes, really.  Why? Many reasons, including the side effects - not just on me, but also the baby.   Don't get me wrong, women swear by epidurals.  It can be a great thing, especially in a prolonged labor where the mother has been going at it for days, literally.  But every source I look seems to indicate a longer list of cons over pros.

Epidurals can result in as a sudden drop in blood pressure (and my BP is historically low), shivering, ringing of the ears, backache, soreness where the needle is inserted, nausea, difficulty urinating, even a severe headache caused by leakage of spinal fluid. Then, there are the procedures and other drugs it may lead to - epidural sometimes makes pushing more difficult and then you need additional interventions such as a drug called Pitocin (gets your contractions going harder and longer), forceps, vacuum extraction or cesarean.  And those are just the effects on me.

Then there are the effects on baby girl. Once I get an epidural, I may not be feeling the contractions as much – but she is!  Add to it Pitocin and she is going through some serious contractions And, most studies suggest some babies have trouble latching on which can lead to breastfeeding difficulties.

A doula I interviewed recently put it best:  we try to avoid all kinds of drugs durning the pregnancy, especially for the safety of the baby - why start a few hours before she's born?

Which brings me to the concept of the doula.  So if I'm not going for the drugs, there's still the issue of, you know, the excruciating pain.  A doula is a person who helps you through labor.   She provides pain management techniques such as massage, breathing and meditation, and anything else you want.  And she also provides support for the spouse - having him help with the techniques, reassuring him (and me) that what's happening is normal. (The doula that we've settled on has experienced hundreds of births).     It's nice to have this third person on our team, especially since neither of our parents or siblings will likely be around for the birth,.  And then she'll stay for an hour or two after the birth to help with the first breast-feeding.

There's no question that some doctors are not big fans of this approach.  (A lot of it has to do with their training, but there are other considerations such as the increased profitability of C-sections).  I'm lucky, my doctor is supportive of my plan and my doula and doctor have even worked together before.

That's the plan - but I also know that things rarely go according to plan.  So the other thing we'll be doing is going with the flow.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll experience that first major contraction and think, Give me the drugs - all of 'em! Now!

So we're at 30 weeks and officially in the third trimester.